BEING CAREFUL WITH THE GOSPEL
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector's booth; and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him. Matthew 9:9
There has been so much discussion of late about the actual event we label ‘getting saved.’ Prayers are said by a bedside, at an altar, and the Gospel is presented as a free gift that is easy to obtain. It is confusing when some who said the prayers don’t pursue God afterwards. Perhaps their enthusiasm was evident early on but actually making Christ Lord of their lives didn’t happen. Does that mean that the prayer they prayed wasn’t real? Only God knows.
Many testify that they once trusted Christ but it wasn’t until later in life that they surrendered their heart/will to Jesus. They say that the events of salvation and lordship are two different things. I am not saying that those who prayed the prayer aren’t God’s children. I was a Christian robot until my forties even though I gave my heart to Jesus when I was seven. But what I am saying is this ~
- Jesus didn’t separate the two events. He simply called his disciples and told them to follow – to leave everything. He made it clear that to become His disciple involved taking up a cross.
- We must be challenged when sharing the Gospel. It is not a series of magic words that enable others to escape eternal condemnation and wrath. It is not ‘fire insurance.’ In the Gospel presentation, the person of Jesus must be front and center. He must be unveiled as One who is beautiful, as One to be treasured above all things. If anyone is going to pick up and change their life course, they must have a relationship with the One who calls them to such a sacrifice.
I really like how our daughter, Jaime, puts it as she shares Jesus with her two boys. She tells them the Gospel story and then asks the question, “Are you ready to make Jesus your King?”
If I am really humbled by Your death in my place, calling You ‘King’ will come easily on my tongue. Amen
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Wednesday, 31 January 2024.
SHARE
