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[Note: This speech (given at the Xiamen International Fellowship--XICF) started with a song, which I've copied to the end of this file.]

What is the Gospel?

            Today's message is entitled “What is the Gospel?” I wrote most of it on January 1 of this year, and though I don't remember the source of inspiration perhaps it was the noise coming through my window. You see, we live just opposite a Chinese funeral home, and there is nothing like five or six hours of rhythmic percussion and meaningless chanting (students have told me that ah-mee-tow-fu doesn't really mean anything), a few times per month, to remind you that “the Gospel” really is important.

            We are surrounded by symbols and images that sometimes provoke people to think about the important questions of life. Are we (as Peter put it) “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”? (1 Pe 3:15 ESV) And people do ask, if you provide the opportunity. Last weekend someone asked me, “Is Christianity about what happens after we die, or about how we are supposed to live now?” (Great question! I said, “Both...”). On Friday, a young professional asked me, “How can we keep our passion and commitment strong in our marriage?” Yesterday, a student asked, “If I become a Believer, can I still honor my ancestors when I'm with my family on Tomb-sweeping Day?” You could probably give lots more examples, but my point is that Christianity is relevant to the people around us, and what they are often asking (without knowing it) is “What is the Gospel?”

            If you ask 10 people to define the “Gospel,” you'll probably get 10 answers. The word means little to those who have never heard it, and even many who embrace it do not understand it, or know how to pass it on in an understandable way.

            Well, of course the Gospel is hard to understand! Most people are holding the binoculars the wrong way.

            We try to fathom the eternal when all that we know is temporary. We desire to comprehend heaven's purposes, when we can't even accept the purpose of our earthly existence. We seek to grasp with the mind things designed for the heart. We try to understand what was meant to be believed. But we'll never be able to see divine purposes through man-made glasses. We can never grasp the wisdom revealed to children with an “adult” brain that exalts knowledge over wisdom and rationalism over revelation.

            The Gospel starts in Heaven, with God reaching down to reveal what we could not possibly comprehend in any other way. It deals with the deepest needs of men and women, who are normally preoccupied with the superficial wants. The Gospel challenges us to shift our focus from the temporal to the eternal. It is so simple that a child can grasp and receive it, but “learned” men have so encrusted the Gospel with amendments and distracting notions that honest seekers are often at a loss to know where to start looking.

            Well, first, look at Christmas. Since our finite minds could never understand the infinite ways and wisdom of Heaven, God chose to reveal His essence in the form of a baby (“God's only begotten Son”)--a baby that anyone on earth could approach and understand.

            Then look at the simple, though rarely simplistic, words of Jesus—the Christmas baby who grew up to become universally acknowledged as a remarkable teacher. His words, recorded in the Bible, reveal His Heavenly Father's heart.

            Next, look closely at the cross of Christ; if THAT horrible, dehumanizing torture and death was the ONLY solution to our problem, then our problem must have been infinitely worse than we could possibly imagine.

            Finally, look at Easter (Resurrection Sunday), when this man sacrificed His life and rose from the dead to accomplish a miraculous transaction, paying for our sin as well as for our ticket to heaven.

            The Apostle Paul skips straight to Easter when he reminds the brothers of what the gospel is in 1 Cor 15:1-8:

            “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.” (In other words, the gospel came through preaching, you received it in faith, you stand it in—there is no where else to stand, and if you hold fast to the gospel you are being saved by it. That sounds pretty important!) Paul continues:

            “³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas (ie, Peter), then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James (His half-brother), then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1 Cor 15:1-8, ESV)

Look to the Scriptures

            Notice that Paul emphasizes the role of the Scriptures twice, so I must make a note about that. I can't stress strongly enough, that all we know about God, all we know about the gospel, comes from the Scriptures. It is popular today to believe that the Bible contains the Word of God, or reflects the thoughts of God, but perhaps (these people say) it is too strong to say the Bible IS the Word of God. To say such things puts us on very shaky ground. To go down that road, leads us to a dead end. To say that maybe we can trust only parts of the Scriptures, leads to a crucial question—who decides which parts are from God and which are not? There is only one answer: “me.” And that means that I am putting myself as the ultimate judge of who and what God is like.

            What nonsense. We can't even agree with one another about what laws should govern us, or often what foods to put on our table, and yet we think we can judge eternal matters about the nature of a God infinitely more complex than we could ever imagine? I can admit freely that there are many things in this Book that don't make sense to me, or that make me scratch my head in confusion, but how dare I say that I know better than the Holy Spirit that this or that part of God's revelation was not really revealed by God.

            To say that God's Word is not really God's Word is to say that the infinite, almighty, all holy, omnipresent, all knowing, always loving, self-sacrificing creator of our world (and the galaxies beyond) was not powerful enough to create and preserve for us an in-tact, accurate Bible. Do we really believe that God was not smart enough or careful enough to include everything we really need to know about Him in the canon of Holy Scripture? Yes, mere men, moved by the Holy Spirit penned its words and decided which books to include in that canon, but considering the importance of the project (from God's perspective), do we really believe that the Holy Spirit couldn't or wouldn't insure a satisfactory result? To believe such a thing, to me, either reveals that we believe in a flawed God we've somehow fashioned in our own image, or that we have a remarkably naive and overinflated view of our own ability to comprehend truth and the meaning of life.

            He would be a wimpy god indeed if he were unable to reveal himself to mankind in an intelligible way, preserve that record from generation to generation without error, and do so in a way that translates accurately from culture to culture. It is logical to expect that finite humans could only comprehend the infinite--be it ever so faintly--if the Infinite chooses to reveal Himself to us. Should we then expect the all-wise, all-knowing God to leave it up to His followers to discern which parts of His 'revelation' were trustworthy and which parts had slipped in, beyond God's power to keep them out? Such a god would scarce be worth living for, let alone dying for.

            No, if the God revealed in Scriptures is who those Scriptures proclaim Him to be, then the Holy Bible in its entirety (and we're talking about the original autographs here, not a translation) must be a trustworthy source of Truth. Otherwise, we must seek revelation elsewhere, and no other holy writ measures up to the complex unity of the Judeo-Christian Bible. As for extra-biblical revelation, atheists would have us believe that we are the result of impersonal and/or impotent forces, left on our own to grope for a greater purpose in the miraculously accidental circumstances in which we exist. But the very laws of probability defy such an explanation. How much more logical to submit to what the Bible says about itself: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16 ESV)

            Perhaps you’re thinking the same could be said for the world’s other religions. Indeed, they too claim to be inspired by supernatural beings or experiences. So maybe you’ve got some homework to do, evaluating which one is the truth—for if two systems teach different things as “truth”, one or both must be wrong. God gave us a brain, I believe, just so we could make such intelligent evaluations.

            Here are some helpful questions: Were the religion’s scriptures created by single individual or a group? I trust the group’s wisdom over a single man’s, and thus the Bible’s 40 authors, agreeing with each other over 2000 years is more convincing to me than the so-called inspiration of the solitary individuals who personally penned the main tenants of many major sects, cults or religions. You might also look at the way women, minorities and foreigners are treated in their teachings. Another area for evaluation is the fruit of each belief system upon Humanity, and you can add humanistic worldviews like Communism and Social Darwinism to the competing religions here. Do the religion's followers create schools, hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions that help the poor and needy? Do followers from different cultures or different nations tend to love each other when gathered together? Are their leaders told to serve or dominate those who follow? Does their worldview tend to steal, kill and destroy, or bring abundant life? Do they encourage withdrawal from God’s beautiful world, or confrontation and revolution, or mutual love? Christianity has not always performed well in these areas, historically, but if you study our Scriptures it is clear that we don’t always practice what we profess to believe. Nonetheless, Christianity has fostered more Mother Teresas, hospitals, schools, research, and financial aid to the needy than any other world system.

Two quotes from Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, seem in order here:

            (John 5:33-39 ESV) “³³ You sent to John (the Baptist), and he has borne witness to the truth… ³⁶ But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, ³⁸ and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. ³⁹ You search the [Old Testament] Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

            (John 10:8-11 ESV) “⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

            No matter how you look at it, the Bible is an amazing book: consistency among a variety of authors, over centuries, preserved meticulously for millennia, translated carefully into the common tongue for the common person, filled with archeologically and historically accurate history (many of its facts are not verified externally, but nothing has ever been proven wrong); diversified with soaring poetry, lamentation, honest questions, inspiring stories, and even lurid details that (frankly) a man-made book would have left out. With apologies to those here who are not Americans, I just have to include a great quote from Abraham Lincoln, US President 150 years ago:

            “In regard to this great Book, I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.”

            So, just as Paul's explanation of the Gospel starts with the Scriptures, we are left with no other foundation. Either we accept what the Bible tells us about the Gospel, or we are on our own to find the truth and save ourselves. And to quote God on the impossibility of saving ourselves... (in His reply to Job; Job 40:7-14):

Dress for action like a man;

I will question you, and you make it known to Me.

Will you even put Me in the wrong?

Will you condemn Me that you may be in the right?

Have you an arm like God,

and can you thunder with a voice like His?

“Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;

clothe yourself with glory and splendor.

Pour out the overflowings of your anger,

and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.

Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low

and tread down the wicked where they stand.

Hide them all in the dust together;

bind their faces in the world below.

Then will I also acknowledge to you

that your own right hand can save you.”

What is the Gospel

            So, what is the Gospel (sometimes called “the good news,” or in Chinese “the sound of blessing”)? (sometimes called “the good news,” or in Chinese “the sound of blessing”)?

            I'll break it into 4 parts.

            Part 1. God is perfect, and heaven is his perfect home. Anything “not perfect” can't exist in such a perfect place. The best word we have to describe “anything not perfect” is “sin,” so sin and sinners do not belong in Heaven. That is the problem for which the Gospel is the answer.

            Part 2. God is love; love is not selfish; love is giving not taking. God created people to give Himself more beings to love and to be loved by; relationship is the core of God's being, which is even clear in the three-part way He has revealed Himself—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, abiding as One in an eternal relationship. But our selfish sinful choices separate us from the giving and loving God; even as our sinful ways bar us from His perfect heaven. We have chosen independence over relationship.

            Part 3. We are powerless to undo our wrongs; we are even powerless to change our selfish ways. So God exerted His limitless power to transcend our limitations. He bridged the gap by coming as a baby; He lived a selfless life to give us an example to follow; He sacrificed the most precious thing He had—His own life blood—to atone for our sin and purchase a way for us to enter heaven. (And if that is not the ultimate example of “Good News” then I don't know what is!)

            Part 4. Because God paid so dearly, we need not pay at all (as if we could anyway). All we need to do is reach out the empty hand of a beggar, and open it by faith to receive His immeasurable gift—the riches of heaven. THAT is the Gospel—the Good News, which Paul summarizes with the words “grace by faith.” For as they say, GRACE is God's Riches At Christ's Expense, and FAITH means Forsaking All I Trust Him.

            The Gospel, in the Bible's own words (John 3:16 ESV), is that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

(continued in the other column)

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The whole Bible is available on line at www.biblegateway.com

Scriptures quoted above are from:

--The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

(continued from other column)

            He who has the Son has life; he who doesn't have the Son lives in the condemnation accrued from his own first childhood act of selfishness to the moment of his death. (See 1 John 5:12 & John 3:18) The breath of life is an unfathomable gift, a gift that our wisest thinkers and scientists cannot adequately explain the origin, must less the purpose of. While we make use of the breath of life, we constantly choose between intentional dependence on the benevolence of heaven or independence from heaven-sent love, forgiveness, purpose and peace. When those breaths cease, we must face the consequences of our choices—eternal life as God's dependents (i.e., adopted into His family as sons and daughters), or eternal independence from God, and thus from all that is endowed with heaven's love, forgiveness, purpose and peace. The Bible's descriptions of hell are often figurative, but it seems to be a place of suffering, regret, loneliness, and agonizing memories. In contrast (and the Bible's description of God's home is often equally figurative), heaven is portrayed as a place of healing, joy, brotherhood, and forgiveness—a place where every tear is wiped away, and the forgiven can sing and worship with angels, (in the words of the classic hymn) “lost in wonder, love and praise.”

            That is the Gospel, and that is the choice we need to be able to present to whoever asks about the hope that is in us.

Bad News before Good News

            The President of my graduate school liked to say: “Until you hear the thunder claps of Mount Sinai, you can never appreciate the grace notes of Calvary.” (Dr. Robertson McQuilkin, former president of Columbia International University) In other words, we can't comprehend the grace of the Gospel until we understand the harsh truth that we stand condemned for disobeying God's Law (represented here by “Mt. Sinai” where God revealed the 10 Commandments). Thus, most presentations of the “good news” start with the “bad news.” And while it probably won't be helpful to start a Gospel presentation with “Judgment and Hell,” be sure you have heard the “thunder of Sinai” yourself. God's standards reveal His character and thus the characteristics of Heaven, which in turn explain why unholy people can never enter there without the extraordinary measures of the cross of Christ. Put another way, many people can't see the need to “be found in Christ” because they don't understand how “lost” they really are.

            Much of the Old Testament is devoted to revealing the holy nature of God, often hand-in-hand with the consequences of straying from the holy “image” God stamped deep into our genetic makeup. We could turn to many places for examples, but let me quote from one of the Old Testament's few female voices. Samuel was one of Israel's great prophets, and as his mother Hannah presented the child Samuel to the Lord for service, she prayed:

            ² “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. ³ Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed….

            ⁶ The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol [the place of the dead] and raises up. ⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts….

            ⁹ “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,

for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;

against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth...” (from 1 Sam 2:2-10)

            “The Thunder of Sinai and grace notes of Calvary” are also seen in the very last words of the Old Testament, written by the prophet Malachi:

            ¹ “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. ² But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. ³ And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

⁴ “Remember the law of My servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

⁵ “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ⁶ And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:1-6)

            The New Testament begins, in a sense, with those very words, as an angel quotes that prophecy to Zechariah in the Temple (Luke 1:16). This angel reveals that the time of deliverance had come. Zechariah's son, John the Baptist, would be the forerunner to the promised deliverer, the Christ or Messiah: Jesus.

            Jesus spoke clearly on the “bad news” of condemnation and judgment as well. In John 3:17-19 Jesus says:

            ¹⁷ “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁸ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

            This harsh reality is the context of the Gospel's “good news”, epitomized by the already-quoted verse that literally precedes that passage: John 3:16 (ESV) “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

            One more thing needs to be said about the “bad news,” and about hell in particular. Many people have a bizarre idea that hell is an extended, drunken party for all who did not choose God, in an evil kingdom ruled by Satan. They console themselves with notions like, “I'll see my friends in Hell, so it won't be so bad.” This is not the picture painted in the Bible, and especially in the words of Jesus (see Luke 16:19ff). Friendship, love and family are among God's greatest gifts so don't expect them in Hell; if God is absent, God's good gifts and attributes will be absent too. Nor will Satan/the devil be ruling over this supposedly-alternative kingdom; in fact, Hell is the prison created for this inmate and his fallen followers. Among the last words that judged humans will hear, according to Jesus, will be: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matt 25:41) Revelation adds: “the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:7-15)

            The only reference to “the book of life” outside several verses in Revelation is Philippians 4:3, where Paul lists several “fellow workers whose names are in the book of life”--people who “labored side by side with me in the Gospel.”

How to Share the Gospel

            There are many ways to present this simple message to those who don’t understand it, and and every Christians needs to have the confidence to be able to do this. Many of us don’t share our faith with others because, well, we don’t know how. Our fear of questions we can’t answer too often keeps us silent when people begin to ask what we believe.

            Some people like “the Romans’ Road.” I Googled this and got over 10 million hits, so you can find it described in detail on line. But basically, it takes you through several Scriptures in the book of Romans. For example, Romans 3:23 says we have all sinned; 6:23 is next (I'll talk about that later); Rom 5:8 says that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”; 10:13 promises that anyone who calls upon the Lord shall be saved; and finally 10:9 says: “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (ESV) The Romans Road is simple and thorough, and on-line you can find lots of bookmarks and other graphics to print and give to friends.

The One-verse Method

            Now, I have a terrible memory for names and numbers, so I can’t seem to remember where those verses are when I need them. Thus I prefer the so-called “one verse method”. Even I can remember one verse! The first time I heard of it, someone asked, “If I could explain the basic idea of the Bible in just one sentence, would you like to hear it?” Most people find that offer intriguing enough to stop and listen. The One-verse Method uses Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” If you’ve got a pen, you can make notes in your bulletin over just about every word in that Scripture, and use it to explain the Gospel…  [And if you can't get it all down, just read this message on line later!]

            “Wages”—Are “wages” something you deserve or a gift? “Wages” come to us because we deserve them. If your boss withheld your wages, you’d rightfully be upset.

            “Sin”—In the Bible’s original Greek language, “sin” meant to “miss the mark” not to “break the law.” If you’ve seen the Olympics, you know that the marksman is aiming for a small target. Jesus told us what that target is for our lives: “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48) Yes, that’s a high standard, and whenever we miss the mark, the Bible calls it sin.

            “Death”—What “wages” do we earn when we “sin”? Death. In the Bible, “death” is the separation from God and all that is good: God’s love, providence, truth, relationships, joy, peace, and life itself. Without all that is “good,” the dead are left with only regret, bitterness and pain. It is not the kind of “wage” I look forward to getting, but the Bible says it is what I’ve earned.

            “But”—I love this word in the Bible, because it tells me that I have an alternative, in this case to getting a wage I’ve earned but really don’t want.

            “Free gift”—we all like gifts. We don’t earn them, and don’t need to pay for them! That’s much better than a wage we have to work for.

            “God”—God is just as much the opposite of sin as a gift is the opposite of a wage. God is perfect; heaven is God’s perfect home, for perfect beings. Without God’s “free gift” we have no hope of participating in God’s family or living in His eternal home.

            “Eternal life”—Speaking of opposites, this is the opposite of “death”. It is an invitation to “participate in the Divine nature” or “share in the very being of God” (2 Peter 1:4)—that is, it is an invitation to enjoy all those things I mentioned above: God’s love, providence, truth, relationships, joy, peace, and life itself. I understand the word “eternal” to point to a quality rather than an endless amount of time. The “eternal” abides and endures without end, without limits or limitations. This is a remarkable gift: the invitation to abide and be enfolded in God’s love eternally. Do I want my wage of “death” or God’s gift of “life”? I’ll take “life”, thank you!

            “In”—If something is “in” then it is surrounded or enfolded in it, like sugar dissolved in a cup of coffee or tea. It’s not on the side, or waiting to join up, or thinking about the possibilities; it is IN the coffee in a way that can’t be undone.

            “In Jesus”—As I said, we can’t hope to enter God’s perfect home on our own, but if we are “IN” God’s perfect son, Jesus, then we actually belong there! But it isn’t enough to be “around” or “near” Jesus, or waiting to join up, or thinking about the possibility of being a Christian. To be “in Jesus” is to make a commitment to “lose yourself” (as it were) and become a part of something greater than yourself. Sugar crystals are abrasive, but the coffee’s warmth takes away the abrasiveness and releases the sugar’s sweetness. When we give our life to Jesus, we find our rough edges melting away, as His goodness releases goodness in us, and miraculously makes us more like Him.

            “Christ”—This isn’t just Jesus’ last name; it is a title, like “doctor” or “professor.” This miraculous exchange—death into life, human weakness into Christ-like perfection—can only take place because Jesus was more than mere man. He was God’s Son, the Christ (the predicted and anointed One), sent into the world to save people from their sins, and given the power to grant forgiveness of sin to anyone who asks Him. His death on the cross paid the penalty for my sin; that was what Jesus, the Christ, was born into our world to do (Matt 1:21).

            “Our”—Put simply, this reminds us that Christianity is not an individual event. When we are “in Jesus” we become part of a family, called “the church.” No one can experience and grow in God’s goodness, love, joy, etc., without the fellowship of their new family.

            “Lord”—the last word in this verse means “boss” in modern English, and it points to our decision to allow the Christ, the Son of God, to work His miracle in us and make us a part of Himself. He won’t do it without our permission. Jesus did the work, paying your “wages” on the cross; He is the only one who deserves entrance into “eternal life” but He invites us to enter “in Him.” He holds out his nail-scarred hands, offering this remarkable gift—but it is up to you and me to reach out and embrace it by making Him our boss—the Lord of our lives.

            Yes, that’s a steep cost; it costs us everything we have and everything we want. But look what we get in return! The wages of our sin are canceled…no more eternal death and separation from God and His goodness. Indeed, we get to be “in Jesus,” a part of the family of God, and together we serve our boss who lovingly takes away our rough edges and makes us into people like Himself, filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, mercy, forgiveness…

            Have you made Jesus your boss? His hands are stretched out, even now, and His gift is only a prayer away.

Fate, Joy and a Simple Prayer

            If you can still read or hear his message, NOW is the time to decide your fate: heaven or hell. You may wish for a third choice, but according to the Bible that exists only in fantasy. Furthermore, if we reject the Bible's authority, we stand naively declaring our independence from all that God has revealed. As CS Lewis put it:

There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened. --C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, Chapter 9 (1946)

            And I like the way Prof. Lewis equates salvation and heaven with “joy.” I suppose you could shake your fist at God for not giving us more choices, but I prefer to think of it like the joy of a child eating her birthday cake. I don't have to understand what is in the cake or how to make it; my part is simply loving the father who bought it, and enjoying the delicious gift of his love. Our salvation involves a serious choice, but it is the choice to accept unfathomable love and joy.

            I love this quote from John Wesley: (writing to a critic)

“You seem to apprehend that I believe religion to be inconsistent with cheerfulness, and with a sociable, friendly temper; so far from it I’m convinced that as true religion or holiness cannot be without cheerfulness, so steady cheerfulness cannot be without holiness or true religion; and I am equally convinced that true religion has nothing sour, austere, unsociable, or unfriendly about it; on the contrary it implies the most winning sweetness, the most amiable softness and gentleness.”  —Rev. John Wesley (1703-1791)

            If you have ever committed a selfish act, said an unloving word, or done something that fell short of perfection, you have already set your course. Your choices have lured you into Vanity Fair, with its colorful distractions, tasty inclinations and worldly values. But as Bunyan might have put it, ‘just past the lights of Vanity Fair there burns a fire you don’t want to see.’ So I declare to you the comforting words of the prophet Malachi: “I the Lord do not change...; Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.” (from Mal 3:6-7 ESV) The way of heaven lies open to all who repent—all who turn around—and choose trust over works, faith over knowledge, grace over justice, and love over all.

Even a child can pray something like this:

“Dear God, I've looked around and have to believe that there is more to life than what I can see and know. At Christmas you gave us a Son to point the way; at Easter He paid to make that way open to even me. From today on, I want to know You, to learn to love You, and to live for You. I want to be a part of your family, loving brothers and sisters who have also accepted your gift of eternal life. I receive Your forgiveness. Give me eyes of faith so I can see the way You see. Put Your heart in me so I can love the way You love. Direct my ways so I can be all that You designed me to be. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.”

            If you prayed that prayer, or even rededicated your life to Christ today, please don't keep it to yourself! Tell me, Pastor, or any of the church leaders. We want to celebrate with you, and to help you grow. As we all stand, and as the music team leads us in a soft, closing song, why not come up and talk to one of us right now?

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Before starting this message, I sang the following song.

Blooming out of Season  

(by Michael Krigline, 8/13/85—Guangzhou)

Like a flower bloomin’ out of season;

     like a friend when home is so far away

Was His love breaking into my lonely life

     with a light that turned my night into day

Like a ceasefire at the end of a life-long war,

     was His peace as it flooded my soul

And I wouldn’t be free if not for Calvary

     Where Christ’s blood was shed to make me whole.

Savior, Eternal Life, Perfect Love Who died for me

Jesus, only Jesus; You’ll only find true life in the Lord.

You can search to the ends of this earth, my friend,

     To find freedom, riches, peace, or true love.

I’ve been there and I can tell You they’re only found

   In the one the Father sent from Above

You feel safe ‘cause you believe that God is love

     And you think that Jesus was a great man

But if Christ isn’t your boss, your life and soul are lost

     ‘cause only servants can accomplish God’s plan.

Savior (how I love Him), Eternal Life (how Praise Him)

Perfect Love (God’s only son), Who died for me (alive in me)

Jesus (if you love Him); only Jesus (then you’ll serve Him)

You’ll only find true life in the Lord.

Like a flower bloomin’ out of season,

     Jesus’ life can grow in us everyday

But like flower seeds know, you’ve got to die to grow,

     if you want life, it’s the only way

© 2014 Michael Krigline. As far as I am concerned, people are allowed to print or copy this article, or link to it, for personal or classroom use.

 (see Website Standards and Use Policy)

For more information about Christianity, check out www.ccci.org/whoisjesus/interactive-journey

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