Are you Convinced?

I recently finished reading Frank Peretti's novel The Prophet.  In the story, a news anchor John Barrett was forced to come to grips with truth.  Is TRUTH important?  How far are we be willing to go to lay our hands on the truth?  Are we willing to boldly stand, holding up the truth for all to see - even if our convictions and principles cost us everything?

Opinions are everywhere, but genuine belief is rare.  Like love, belief is a word highly diluted and spread thin.  Jesus made a stand for truth, being "...the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6).  A proven way to know what you really believe is to ask yourself the question:  are you willing to die for your beliefs or convictions you know are true?  God's eternal, absolute truth is greater than the temporary life of a man.  The truth of the Bible is greater than all the people and nations of the earth.  If we are not prepared to die for Jesus, you do not truly believe in Him.  A man who even fears death is not convinced.

In the church today we see many kids raised in the church fall away from church attendance when they reach adulthood.  Notice I did not say that they fell away from Christ!  It's likely they have never known Christ in truth.  They have heard many "stories" of Jesus, but they have never had a relationship with Him.  That is why it is imperative in the church that we labour to introduce people to Christ and abide in His presence.  A good example of these levels of belief is seen in John 4:39-42:  "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed because of His own word. ⁴² Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in Samaria, some people believed because of her testimony.  Others were not convinced until they spoke to Jesus themselves.  They later affirmed, "Now we believe, not just because of your testimony, but we've heard him ourselves.  We're absolutely convinced Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Saviour of the world."  Sometimes we think that if we had the opportunity to lay the facts on the table, who wouldn't believe?  It often takes more than that.  Just sharing facts about Jesus is not enough.  As the adage goes, if you can reason a man into belief he can be reasoned out of it just as easily.  When it comes to spiritual matters, the touch of the Holy Spirit upon the heart is needed.  True belief comes from the heart, from the very soul.  Truth is important.  It would be better to acknowledge my unbelief and quit going to church than to keep up appearances with false sincerity.  Some must fall far before they will think to look up to God for salvation.

The Samaritans, unlike many young people these days, were not forced to come the Christ.  They freely came to Christ out of curiosity, wondering if the claims they had heard were so.  They spoke to Him, and He stayed with them awhile.  With softened hearts of humility, they received salvation by grace through faith in Christ.  They believed Jesus and proclaimed it without shame.  Should parents make their kids go to church?  If a member of the family is a Christian, that PERSON is the church:  Christ Himself, living through that family member.  How about bringing Christ to them?  When we live for God everyday, the lasting impact we can make for the Gospel is far greater than an hour or two on a Sunday.  We ought to make a stand for truth everyday, whether we chat around the dinner table or we are kidnapped facing beheading for our faith.  On matters of truth, we must not yield.  We cannot.  Upon the truth of Christ both our eternal and temporal life is founded.  Do you believe?  What does your life say?