Thursday, May 21, 2015

TETELESTAI


I have come to an understand that much of my evangelism efforts over the past few years have been futile. Not the evangelism itself, not in my making much of Jesus and the gospel, but in my efforts to make a sin loving world hate their sin. The understanding that I have come to is this; I cannot make anyone hate their sin. In fact the gospel is repulsive to anyone who loves their sin.

The gospel call is for a man to deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Jesus (Mt 16:24). Why would anyone do that who loves their sin? The promise of the gospel is eternal life with Jesus, in His Father's house illuminated with the glory of God where there is no sin. So I ask again, why would anyone who loves his sin deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Jesus when the promise is eternal life without sin?

Therefore, I no longer seek to make men hate their sin because that is a futile endeavor, only God can do that. So why then make much of Jesus and the gospel? Because the promise of the gospel is amazing and good news indeed for the man who is in bondage and hates his sin, longing to be set free from slavery to sin.

For this reason it is called the gospel, because it is very good news indeed to the man who hates his sin. I can do nothing to make anyone hate his sin, but I can tell the one who hates his sin the good news of eternal life free from bondage to sin in Christ Jesus. I have stopped trying to preach my message. I am now solely preaching the message Jesus gave on the cross just before He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. "It is finished!" (Jn 19:30).

I am doing this by going out and publicly presenting "The Gospel According to John", An I witness account of Jesus the Christ, Son of God. Why is this gospel important for you? Because you have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and He was buried, and He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many convincing proofs appearing to His disciples over a period of 40 days; one of whom was John. The gospel according to John is his eye witness account of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Son of God. "Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." (Jn 20:30-31).