Have you found salvation?

I was reading the Word last night before bed and a verse in particular caught my attention. Jesus says in Matthew 7:14, "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." The word "find" jumped off the page. Most modern evangelistic messages omit this point. In fact, often we are taught that salvation is only to be received, not found. Salvation must be sought in Christ, found through Christ, then received from Christ.

It seems that many professing believers today have received pseudo-salvation. They have what Tozer calls a "nominal" faith, faith in word but not in deed. It is not real faith. It is not a faith that saves. In a sermon I heard yesterday, Tozer says that nominal faith believes a text and accepts what he is told. This man believes what he reads wholeheartedly. But real faith in God is belief in God, depending upon the character of God. The text exists to point to God. Many people believe the words of the page of the Bible are true, but they do not trust in the God who spoke those words.

How tragic would it be to substitute belief in words for belief in God! The Pharisees thought that they had eternal life because they studied the scriptures daily. Jesus says in John 5:39: "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." They searched for salvation in a book, while the Word of Life stood before them! The Bible reveals the way of salvation for sinful man, and Jesus is revealed as the only door to heaven. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. By the grace of God, man can be forgiven and saved from sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ.

It is difficult to follow Jesus, and the way is narrow. There are people going to hell that can quote scripture references verbatim. They have sought knowledge, but not salvation. Those who keep on seeking will find (Matt. 7:8). If you have never sought salvation, you have not received it. Following Jesus will be laborious and taxing. It will be challenging and the hardest thing you have ever done. But it is rewarding and exciting. It is the place of blessing. But it will come at a cost: your entire life. We say we will trade our earthly experience in for a heavenly one. Our words betray us because our actions often declare otherwise.

Jesus told a parable in Matthew 13:44: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." This is a story of a treasure hunter who finds hidden treasure in a field. The treasure had been hidden by someone else. It was not by accident that this treasure was found, because the man was looking for it like many treasure hunters do today. He was so excited about the find that he re-hid the treasure, sold all that he had, and purchased the field so the treasure would be his. One thing is for certain: He recognized the value of the treasure. Another certainty is that he knew what he already possessed, and it was nothing compared to this treasure. Because of the find, everything else in his life was expendable if he could obtain the treasure rightfully. It would not do to steal it, because it must have a cost. The man sold all because he would not risk not having enough to buy the field, because what the field contained was worth the world to him.

This is the heart God desires His children to have. This man did not just "receive" the treasure: he had to find it for himself and pay a price. The man did not earn the treasure, but once found there was a price to pay to receive it. Every man, woman, and child has the opportunity to find salvation in Jesus Christ paid for with His own blood. They must seek to find. Once they find they must receive. To receive we must give all to obtain that treasure of eternal life. Jesus says in Luke 9:23: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." I want to go after Jesus into eternal glory and rest by the grace of God. It is a joyful thing indeed to follow Christ. All the passing pleasures of this world cannot match a moment in the presence of the Living God. Jesus says in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." What will a man give for a little peace? How much more should he give for his soul?

Staying true to your purpose

How important it is that we fulfill the purpose God has ordained for us! All things have been created by God for His good pleasure. It is so easy to fashion our lives according to man's opinions or even our own whims. The devil would like nothing more than to distract the church from the center of God's will. If the church is led from the Shepherd, we cannot fulfill God's purposes.

If we would be honest, even Bible-teaching churches can fall prey to focusing on social issues rather than spiritual regeneration. Instead of making disciples of all nations, we can neglect discipleship even among our congregations. Vance Havner had this to say in his book, Moments of Decision: "The meaning of the church is that Christians are God's called-out ones. The mission of the church is to preach the Gospel, to make, baptize, and teach disciples. The message of the church is the Gospel that Christ died for our sins and rose for our justification. The ministry of the church is to observe all things he commanded, and the commandments are summed up in believing on Jesus Christ and loving one another (see 1 John 3:23)...The major issue is not even evangelism or missions; the top item on the agenda is repentance and revival in the church...It is a skillful maneuver of Satan to lead us into majoring on secondary matters to the neglect of major concerns" (page 77).

God forbid that the Great Commission should become the church's great omission! Repentance and remission of sins is to be preached in all the nations, starting right where we find ourselves. Of course we cannot preach on these matters until the Spirit has done this work in our hearts! How sober and vigilant we must be not to miss the point! As followers of Christ we have in our hearts a desire to do good and the devil would use this to his advantage. He would like for us to be so busy in doing good that we neglect to watch our own hearts, to seek God's counsel and guidance in ministry, and become drunk with outward success. He would deceive us to believe that sacrifice is better than obedience.

We forget that God will hold us accountable for our actions on earth, even as believers. I read a great poem that quickens my soul to remain ever loyal to Christ:

"Jesus is standing in Pilate's hall,
Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all.
Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call?
What will you do with Jesus?

What will you do with Jesus?
Neutral you cannot be;
Some day you will be asking,
"What will He do with Me?"
- Albert Simpson (Moments of Decision, Havner, pg. 127)

God wants to do something now in your life, empowered by His life in you. I do not want God to say of me, "What am I going to do with this guy?" but rather "See what He has done with what I have given him." I can do nothing of myself, but only what God has granted. I am incapable to do anything for God. I used to see myself as a sort of catalyst for God's work. He made my error very clear: "You are only a hindrance to Me." We only can hinder God's work, but His desire is that we would submit ourselves body, mind, and soul to His guidance and leading. Only then will revival fire fall upon the flock.

What defines your ministry?

I was reading up on churches on a website and saw something that I believe marks a disturbing trend in so-called Christianity. The pastors of a particular church were called "part of an emerging generation of leaders, whose ministry is marked by relevance, inspiration and encouragement." My opinion, which matters very little, is that folks of this persuasion ought to go back to the holes or skins they emerged from. Would you say that the ministry of Jesus Christ is primarily marked by these things? It depends on your definition, but I can say that these were certainly not the foundational virtues that marked the ministry of Christ.

We live in a day when "relevance" is as important as being relative. It is something many Christians try to become. Relevance often means "becoming like the world in an attempt to reach the world." Is God's Word relevant for today? Of course! God's Word is His living will and testament for our lives. His Law reveals His perfection, Christ reveals His love, the resurrection proves His power, and the Word is filled with promises that are relevant to all people. Every man is born into sin with a soul headed for hell, and Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost. Jesus never tried to "be relevant" to His generation: He remains relevant for all generations in His unspoiled majesty. He never had to tweak His message to make the Gospel relevant. The truth of God Word does not need to be sweetened with the honey of humanism or spiced up with innuendo or allegations of the Illuminati. Christ did not have electronics, media, a budget, or formal training, but the world has never been the same.

The modern idea of inspiration is far from godly. When I Googled "inspirational," the first website boasts, "A collection of inspirational quotes on topics including success, life, leadership, teachers and more." Another website says, "Famous inspirational quotes for all ages. Get energized now!" Inspiration these days is about pumping up your mind with motivational ideas and thoughts, to urge you to believe in yourself. Like the video's title states, those who chose this form of inspiration fail at life for eternity! (Life Fail) Jesus was inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, not by some motivational speech or positive suggestions. Inspiration that comes from a man is mired in pride for selfish purposes. Emotional experience is a pathetic substitute for the power of the Holy Spirit and God's Word. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 states: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." If by "inspirational" it means they preach the unadulterated Word led by the Holy Spirit, good on them!

Jesus said many encouraging things, but He also said many disheartening things! His intent was not to build up a man's confidence in his own abilities, but to move men to desperation for God's intervention for forgiveness, salvation, and to place their faith in Jesus. He spoke about eternal damnation, trials, tribulation, suffering, and sacrifice! Jesus did not monotonously strum the single string of encouragement, but played the full array of notes: harsh with the proud and self-righteous; grace to the humble; rebuke to the hypocritical; kind words to the weak, sick, and grieving; hope to the hopeless; peace to the repentant. Jesus says in Matthew 23:33, "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?" Certainly not on the "encouraging" list of quotes. The Pharisees had rejected Jesus Christ as Savior and He is the only way to Heaven. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life (John 14:6). Jesus always told the truth even if it hurt to hear. I know it pained the LORD to say it because He loved those Pharisees. He had reached His arms out to them for generations and they refused to come to Him (Is. 65:2). He stretched out His arms on a cross and they continued to mock Him in spite of His love and sacrifice.

If I had to pick three primary things that marked the ministry of Jesus Christ, it would be love, obedience to His Heavenly Father, and sacrifice. I don't think I would be wrong to say truth, power, prayer, service, compassion, grace, mercy, power, humility, sorrow, faithfulness, gentleness, and many other things also marked the life of Jesus Christ on earth. The ministry of Jesus for the glory of God and the good of mankind was culminated with Christ being crucified on Calvary. In the garden Jesus prayed to the Father, "Not my will, but yours be done." Though He was God in the flesh, He made Himself of no reputation, took upon Himself the form of a servant, and remained obedient to God, even to death on the cross (Phil. 2:5-8). Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." To me, this truth is relevant, inspiring, and encouraging. It is not because the message is tailored for the 21st century, makes me feel good about myself, or helps me find confidence in my abilities to meet my goals.

The Gospel is a message of salvation for sinful men who deserve none. It gives hope to the hopeless, freedom for the prisoner, sight to the blind, strength to the feeble, power to those who have none. A man must admit he is sick before he will seek a doctor's prescription, and we must see ourselves as doomed sinners before we will come broken to Christ in humility and faith. One thing I never want to do is encourage people in their sins and inspire their emotions as they trudge toward the fires of hell! Oh God, put such an abominable practice far from me! May we never veer from the narrow path of following Christ and His example.

Don't Settle!

We should refuse to settle down when the Spirit stirs us up. Lot settled down in Sodom, but Abraham kept his gaze fixed on a city not made with hands where God reigns. I've been reading a book of sermons by Vance Havner that contains a wonderful illustration I thought I'd share:

"I have read somewhere of a wild duck on migration that came down into a barnyard where tame ducks were feeding. He liked the food so well that he stayed a day, a week, a month, then the whole season. One day he heard a familiar honking high overhead an he recognized the call of his erstwhile companions winging their way home. his eyes sparkled, his heart beat faster, and he rose to join them. But, alas, he had fed too well and could get no higher than the eaves of the barn! The story goes that he said to himself, "Oh, well, what difference does it make? I like it here." So he spent the rest of his life in a barnyard. The day came when his old companions passed over and he never even heard their call.

I have seen men and women who once mounted up with wings as eagles but who are now content to live in the barnyard of this world. Sometimes, in an old-fashioned meeting under the spell of powerful preaching, they catch a few notes of the life they used to know, "the song of saints on higher ground." Their hearts may beat a little faster and their eyes may fill with tears. There may even be a momentary impulse to sing: 'My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay.' But alas, they have fed too well on the fleshpots of Egypt! They like it too well down here, and finally they reach that sad state where they no longer respond to the call from on high.

I beg you, do not settle down in the barnyard of this world. We Christians have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. We have no home down here." (Why Not Just Be Christians?, Pages 122-123)

Our God has called us to soar with the eagles, not to be satisfied with a fouled pond on earth with the ducks! God will give us the strength to answer His call if we will seek and trust Him. May followers of Christ remain as untamed by the world as He is. Do what comes supernaturally!