Ten minutes ago I had just dropped into bed to get some much-needed rest. As I dropped to the pillow I said as I often do, "Thank you Lord for today." As I proceeded to give thanks God brought to my remembrance one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.
In early 1997 I was teaching a course on the Book of Romans. Early on, the course had broken down to a test of wills. Satan had thrown everything against us. Unavailability of course materials headed the list of problems. Replacement of the course materials brought delays in deliveries and seemingly less than cooperative suppliers. I personally could have found it easy to give up but each time something would happen to make my resolve to go on even greater.
The class had some people who were eager to learn, that always pushes a button for me. It drives me to study more and thus I too gain more. And the people signed up for this class included more than a few of these.
Just past the midway point we covered Romans 9 and 10 on one evening. I hit the scriptures about the work of Jesus on the cross and I was reduced to tears. I cannot remember the exact verse but suddenly I was overcome by the realization of what Jesus did and what it cost him. Maybe one of the reasons I had no desire to see the movie "The Passion of Christ" is because I have already seen it. Some in that room may have thought it an act, something staged. I assure you it was not and in fact Satan used that on me to show how this was being perceived. He mocked me because I could not go on. I finally was able to compose myself and continue.
I was still kicking myself about a week later when I got a letter in the mail. It was from a student. The content must remain private, but I can tell you that without knowing what I was experiencing this person rebuked Satan's attack by showing that it had Godly purpose and that purpose was accomplished, not by my teaching but by the emotion.
This world has no idea what Jesus did on the cross. And there are two reasons for that. First, few Christians have a real revelation of that work. And second, those who do are lax to share it. I frequently hear statements like, "I don't like to force my ideas on someone else."
Let's get this straight. Most of us force our ideas on people around us every day. And then there is another aspect. Those people around us are on a way headed for destruction. And we don't want to tell them because we don't want to offend.
The first time I ministered in a full Sunday AM service I taught on "One Life". I just pulled up the text from that message because I wanted to show it the way God gave it to me then.
Now someone is going to call this a salvation message. And someone is going to say, "why tell this,
everyone here is probably saved." The Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 1:23 that the Jews seek
miraculous signs, the Greeks look for wisdom but we preach Christ crucified." Let me assure you that
there are many in the church who need to hear the salvation message, and possibly a hell fire and
brimstone message now and then, not because they need it for themselves but because they need to
remember where that relative or neighbor or friend at work is going unless someone runs out in front
of him or her and waves a red flag and warns him about where he is heading. And let me ask you, if
you don't do it, if I don't do it, who will?
Good Morning America isn't going to warn them, and the guy who drinks with them isn't going to warn them and that one that is engaged in an illicit relationship with them sure isn't going to either. And the organized church is not much more likely to tell them. You may be the only one between that person and an eternity in hell. I'll assure you that your job isn't important! It's crucial.
At the point where I talked about a red flag I pulled a piece of red material from my pocket. The idea to do this had entered my mind about two weeks before and I pushed it back as too theatrical. I got to church that Sunday morning and just before the worship I was prompted of God again about it. I went down to the prop room and had Connie give me a piece of red material. As a footnote, I found it still in a coat pocket just a few weeks ago. I held it and was reminded that we are to be the watchman. So it is ours to tell. Let's get it straight, we don't have to tell the story about Him, we get to tell it.
We are his ambassadors. We are permitted to represent him. We are empowered by Him to go, do and teach. This is what He did. Luke talks about all that Jesus DID and TAUGHT in the book of Luke, and in 2 Luke (A.k.a. the book of Acts) he tells of the transition, Jesus leaving, the Holy Spirit being given, and what the early church DID and TAUGHT. There was a smooth transition.
When will we begin? When we begin to get a realization of what Jesus did for us.
