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Education and Training

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You know theres a phrase that Ive heard many times and I really dislike it. They say in Europe, “oh the American church… its a mile wide and an inch deep.” Oh really?

But you know, theres a certain meaning to that phrase and its this – what about discipleship? People say to themselves, “Okay, I gave my life to Christ. He forgave my sins. Im a child of God. Im going to heave when I die.” And, you want to see them grow!

This happened to Pat and me with our four sons and now our 8 grandsons. We want to see them grow. Not only believe on the Lord Jesus Christ so that they have eternal life, we want them to be disciples.

In Hebrews ch.6 we read, “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.” That everybody likes.

We want to see our children and our grandchildren grow up and go on to maturity and become true followers of Jesus Christ who love the Word of God, who love the church, who love communion, who love prayer, and who love to share the Good News to those who are still lost.

Yes, Jesus says let us go to maturity. And, we can do it ourselves and we can help others go on to maturity if they stay close to Jesus Christ and His Holy Word.

Service

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You may have heard the saying, “Practice random acts of kindness.” I like it. But did you know that there is an entire movement based on this concept? Theres actually something called the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Their motto? “Do kindness.”

People reach out to others in an effort to make life better for them. Some raise funds to help kids who use wheelchairs. Others give out hamburgers to hungry people on the street. One little girl collected books, toys, and stuffed animals to give to kids in the hospital. She wanted everyone to have a friend to hold onto. Thats touching. Its a great concept.

Jesus calls His followers to something on top of good deeds. He calls us to evangelism! “Go and proclaim the Good News” he said. The heart of Christ is that others would know Him and experience the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, reaching out in love and kindness to others is certainly something God expects every Christian to do, everyday. But it should never replace the call of the Great Commission.

Evangelism is social action. It is the greatest act of kindness in the whole universe. We should share with others how to experience a personal relationship with Jesus and with God the Father, giving them the hope of eternal life and heaven when they die. So, do good deeds on a practical level and do the greatest good deed… give people the Good News of the cross and resurrection of Christ.

More Than Enough

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The theological experts tell us that number seven is the number of perfection. The book of Hebrews says seven times: “Once for all, once for all, once forever, once for all.” Seven times it repeats that the death of Christ was once for all. Why? Because it was sufficient. It was so perfect that there was no need for another sacrifice, by Christ or anybody else.

First Peter says: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Thats one of the most amazing passages perhaps in the whole Bible. It is so rich! Think about it. Meditate on it. Under the old covenant the sacrifices went on and on and on and the people couldnt take it. But the Lord allowed those sacrifices to happen so as to drive home to them that the point was sacrifices are necessary for salvation.

There are still some times I dont get it all. I mistakenly think that if I do this or that, then God will think Im such a good little boy. But its just not true. Jesus death on the cross was enough. It was more than enough. It paid the price for every one of us, so we can have abundant life here on Earth and eternal life when we die! His once-for-all, perfect sacrifice is what the world needed then and its what the world needs today! So, let them know about it.

Relationship with the Church

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In America, and all of the Western Nations, there are thousands of people like my friend whom we call, Junior. He lives in Florida. He’s a businessman. And one day, not long ago, he surrendered to Jesus Christ.

We put him up to tell his story and he began with, “I used to have a relationship with the church but no relationship with Jesus Christ.” You know, that’s the story of millions of people in the West.

So many people have a relationship with the church – 80% of Americans say they belong to a church… New Zealand, Australia, England, Germany, Latin America – many nations, they will all say, “Yes, I believe in the church,” but they have no experience of Jesus Christ.

The Scripture tells us very clearly that when a person opens their heart to Jesus Christ they begin a real relationship, a personal relationship, with Him. It’s not “religion.” This is the mistake so many people make. We’re not talking about religion, we’re talking about a personal relationship with the living God.

The Bible says that “to know God is to know eternal life” and, therefore, when you introduce your friend to believe in Jesus Christ, to give their heart to Him, to obey Him and follow Him, you are helping your friend to change from a relationship with the church to a relationship with Jesus Christ, and that is what eternal life is all about.

Assurance of Salvation

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Years ago I was talking to businessmen in Texas. Some of them were followers of Jesus Christ, and some were still searching. I was telling them about a princess whom I met in England who wanted the assurance of salvation. As I was sharing this story, I noticed one of the businessmen was embarrassed because tears were coming down his cheeks.

Afterward, I went up to him and said, “Hey Jimmy, I noticed that you were crying when I was telling the story of the princess. What was going on?” He said, “I’ve been to church all of my life but I’ve never had the assurance of eternal life, and I’m 65!”

Jimmy was a successful businessman, he had a big insurance company, everybody knew who he was in town, but something was missing. So we got together for lunch and I said, “Jimmy, the most important thing right now is that you personally open your heart to Christ right here. That’s all the assurance you need.” When I explained the salvation message to him, Jimmy bowed his head in the restaurant and received Jesus Christ as Lord.

Do you know that many people are in the same boat as Jimmy? Even someone who looks good and religious on the outside can be struggling on the inside – only God and he knows. It’s up to us to offer them the hope and assurance of eternal life. What a privilege!