Monday, September 3, 2012

Welcome to Esalvation.com


I was a counselor at a Billy Graham crusade when I was seventeen.  That was when I first learned to share the Gospel.  Later I learned to use the Four Spiritual Laws, that famous little mustard yellow booklet with the illustrations that has led millions to a commitment to Christ. I also learned the Roman Road, the Bridge,  Evangelism Explosion, and the Gospel glove.  All of them are ways of telling people the plan of Salvation, the road to God through Christ.   I still believe them all.  I have not changed in this one little bit.
Nevertheless, there is something has always bothered me.  Receiving Jesus is the most important decision in life, yet it seems so formal, so mechanical when we present it.  Christianity is not a hell insurance policy. It is an encounter with the living Christ. 
To illustrate,  think about the second most important decision we make in life--who we are going to marry.
Imagine logging onto an online dating site and seeing this profile:

"Hello, I'm(blank) and I have wonderful news for you!
"I love you and have a wonderful plan for your life!    
Until now, your separation from me has made that plan impossible. You distance has separated you from me.
"Fortunately, there is a solution!  You can reach me through this web site.  All you have to do is email me, and I am yours for life!
"Here is a sample email you can send:
"'(Blank), I recognize that I'm lonely.   This is wrong. I confess that you are my best hope for matrimony.   I want you as my husband.  From now on, I will be your loyal and obedient life. Thank you for taking me as your bride. Amen."
Check this box to indicate your agreement."

Sounds crazy, right?  If it is crazy for our second greatest decision, then why do we think it sufficient for our first great decision?   We assume in marriage that we should actually personally meet the person we are marrying, before we commit.  Sd do not enter into a lifetime partnership lightly. If we did,  then it is unlikely that we would last very long.
Yet somehow  we think that a trip down the church aisle or a prayer at the back of the book is sufficient to secure an eternal relationship with the Father.
Christianity cannot be this casual. It is a permanent, serious relationship we ought to take  seriously. We should encourage people to get to know Christ before they commit to Him. We should be encouraging caution to the altar, not speed.  People should fall in love with Jesus, not come to Him in moment of fear or desperation. Maybe this is why we see so many people fall away after initial  decisions. 
The facts of quick evangelism is correct--the feelings are not . We need to be overwhelmed by Jesus, dazzled by His presence and awestruck by His authority.  Then we will come to Him changed in heart and ready to begin a new life.  We will treat evangelism of the lost with more seriousness than liking His Facebook page. 
Here's the catch. If we are to help others experience Jesus, we have to be experiencing Him ourselves, not as a legal loophole for hell, but as a living,  loving ,  overwhelming Presence in our lives. 
Are we experiencing Jesus, is He truly the center of our lives?  He is more than a decision, He is a friend, a companion, and a Lord. 

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