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As John the Apostle writes to his beloved children in Ephesus, he desires to stir their hearts into remembering their beginnings; when they first believed in the Lord Jesus for salvation; when they first received the gospel in faith. But why is it so important to be reminded of our beginnings in the gospel? Do we have any control for how much the gospel affects us now compared to when we first believed?
The world has tried every imaginable way to end war and crime and hatred and violence, yet despite all their best efforts to bring lasting peace to mankind through education, politics and money, nothing has changed. And nothing ever will change until we recognize and admit that our greatest problem is sin, and our greatest need is a Savior.
As we rush all over town preparing for Christmas, have we ever stopped to consider all that God did to prepare mankind for the coming of His Son into the world that first Christmas so long ago? The lengths God went to may surprise you, but even after all that, most people still rejected Him. What about you? In all your preparations for Christmas, have you prepared your own heart to receive Him?
What is the greatest need in the world today? Is it a stronger economy, better government, less war? While those things are important, they pale in comparison to man’s greatest need, and that need was met in the One who came that very first Christmas so long ago. That Baby in the manger was the Savior of the world who came to forgive our sins and restore our broken relationship with God. Have you ever recognized your need for Christmas?
Who would you die for? Most of us would be quick to say that we would die for our children, our spouse, and perhaps even a small select group of others; but that’s the easy answer. Would you die for a murderer? Would you die for a rapist? Would you die for a member of ISIS? The fact is, Jesus did die for those people, and His selfless sacrifice makes it possible for all of us sinners to be made right with God forever!
Jesus said the two most important commandments are to love God and love others. As the church, we typically spend most of our time together expressing our love for God, but how well are we doing at loving others, especially those who are not like us? Are we better at pointing fingers of criticism at the lost than we are at going out and actually loving them? What would happen if the church learned how to love like Jesus?
No doubt, many people saw Jesus hanging on the cross and thought, “What a waste! He could have done so much more good if He hadn’t died.” But Jesus compared Himself to a kernel of wheat, which will never become more than a single seed unless it falls into the ground and dies. Only by dying can it spring to life and produce many more seeds. As His followers, we have been called to die to our own life just as Jesus did. Until we die, we will never begin to truly live!
Is the great commission a humanitarian cause to better mankind? If we think of the Great Commission as Karma, then it really is nothing more than a humanitarian cause. So what is the motivating factor that causes men and women through history to be obedient to the Great Commission?
Jesus has been given many wonderful titles that display His power and majesty, but the title that shows His deep love for mankind most clearly is: Jesus, Friend of Sinners. During His ministry, He was sharply criticized for spending time with notoriously sinful men and women. But Jesus reminded His critics that those very people were the ones He came into the world to save. Now that we have been sent to carry on His mission, could it be said of us that we, too, are a friend of sinners?
As the church today, we have become professionals at gathering. We spend millions on massive buildings, hi-tech sound and video productions, even pyrotechnics in some cases! We have become experts at putting on performances that rival Disney and Hollywood, all in an effort to meet the ever-growing demands of our members so they’ll be happy and keep coming back. In so doing, we have completely missed the heartbeat of God and have entertained ourselves into irrelevance.
Who could ever imagine sending an innocent person to be beaten and put to death in the place of a violent murderer? Nothing about that would be fair! Yet that is exactly what Jesus did. He died on the cross even though He was innocent, and Barabbas was set free even though he was guilty. Barabbas is a picture of us all — guilty before God and facing His judgement. But Jesus stepped in and became our substitute, paying our debt and setting us free!
If someone bought you a new car, paid for it in full, and gave you the title, would you go to the dealership every month to make payments on it? Of course not! And yet that is exactly what we often do as Christians. Our sin debt has been paid in full and our record has been wiped completely clean, but we continue to live as though we’re guilty in God’s eyes. Once you understand the truth about God’s forgiveness, you will see your standing before Him in a whole new light, and you will be free to live your life for Him without being crippled by the guilt of your past!
