Many professing Christians have come to the conclusion that if certain people around the world don't have the opportunity to hear about Jesus, then this automatically excuses them from God's condemnation. Such people will go to heaven because, after all, they never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus.
- Radical by David Platt
Before you start jumping to conclusions like I did, please keep on reading. Reading through this book has made me rethink some things. One of which is mentioned in the quote above. Most of us as professing Christians live our lives as if those who never hear about Christ get a free pass to heaven. Ok, so you may be thinking I am crazy for saying that, but think about how you live your life. Living as a professing Christian is not just piece of our lives, it IS our lives. We are to "cease the day" so to speak. Christ has called us to know Him and make Him known. So the two key elements to following Him involve Him. If you have a job, attend a school, go to the grocery store, rent movies, go to the library, go out to eat, or anything else you are going to realize you are around people. Not just that, most of your life is spent around other people. God has given you the job you have. He has given you the health you have to go to the grocery store. He has given you the money you have to go out and eat. He has given you everything you have. When you go to work, you are around people. Do you know if the people you work with know Christ? Say you know that some of them do know Christ, what about the others? Are you using the job you have to bring glory to God? Are you using it to make Him known to others? These questions can be applied to anything and anywhere you go.
God has given me a unique opportunity to work around a few godly students (and non-students). He has also given me a unique opportunity to work around over 1,000 students from over 70 countries. Do you want to know how many of those students know Christ as their personal savior? My best guess is less than 5% percent of them. Want to know how many of them have heard Christ's name in an evangelical conversation? Probably close to 150 of them. Yes, about 10% or a little higher students have heard the gospel because of the different ministries and other professing Christians on the campus. This is very exciting. But it makes me very sad for the other 950+ students, and counting. Going back to the quote above. If we were to just go about our lives, as we often do, and ignore the other people around us we are not really making use of the space or the "sphere of influence" God has given us. We pretty much tend to live as if people who never hear about Christ get a free pass to heaven. What kind of mixed up theology is that?! We are watching people send themselves to hell because we do not realize how urgent the matter really is. If we truly understood the urgency of salvation we would not just let those we encounter escape our sight without sharing the gospel with them, or however much of the gospel they allow us to share.
Imagine encountering an international student newly arrived on a college campus in the U.S. You ask her if she has ever hear of Jesus, and with a puzzled look on her face, she responds, "No." Now, if this girl is headed to heaven precisely because she has never heard about Jesus, then the best thing you could say to her for the sake of her eternity is, "If anyone tries to tell you about Jesus, just put your hands on your ears, start yelling very loudly, and run away." Obviously this particular methodology is not prescribed in Scripture.
As funny as this is, we kind of live like this. I hate to admit it, but I am going to, I sadly do this almost everyday. Students will come into the office and opportunity may arise for me to discuss this matter with them and I willingly let it slide by. So why exactly am I writing this? To repent and start something new! I also want to encourage anyone who reads this to pour out everything Christ has poured into them onto others. The way God gave me the job I currently have is a constant reminder that I am to be spreading His name and not trying to make mine great.
My deepest desire for my life is to be able to move to a different country (or countries) to share Christ with lost. Yet, if there is a plethora of lost here (domestic and foreign) I want to share with them until God gives me the green light to move. My desire for those following Christ around me is to see them sharing the gospel with others around them. We all have a pool of people that need to know Christ. Are we willing to step out there and share with them? Are we going to continue living as if those who never hear the gospel in the remotest parts of the jungles in Indonesia are going to get a free pass because they have never heard of our Savior? I beg you to seek God and ask Him to show you who does not know Christ around you. God has allowed you to be around the people you are not so you can tip-toe around the gospel but so that He can use you to be bold for His name's sake. Here is the beautiful thing about all of this is you do not have to have a catch phrase or even write a book. You do not even have to know the whole Bible from cover to cover. You just have to trust God and know that He will use you if you are asking Him to. Here is an example. There are two things I really enjoy doing cooking and dancing. God has allowed me to use both of those things to be around women who do not know Christ. He allows me to be around women who either want to learn how to do those things or who enjoy doing them too. God has given you particular interests and talents for a reason. He wants you to use them for His glory and honor and to further His kingdom. So, are you using what He has given you to further His kingdom or are you using it to further yours? Do not let another person come in and out of your life without sharing what Christ has done for, not only you, but for them as well. Do not get stuck in the mindset that they are going to get a free pass if they have never heard of Him. Step up and step out to share the Gospel.
No comments:
Post a Comment