Saturday, August 2, 2008
Matthew 10:7 "Go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
SHARING JESUS WITH OTHERS (2)
There is no God-pleasing way to avoid hatred from the world as we carry out the Lord's command to make Christians of all nations, but there are God-DISpleasing ways to do so.
One of these is to refrain from preaching God's sharp law to willful sinners and instead, picture Him as a doting father who overlooks cocky disobedience to His commands. The world accepts such "do your own thing" religion just as children enjoy a baby sitter who feeds them nothing but ice cream, candy, and Twinkies for supper.
Another God-DISpleasing way to avoid the world's hatred is to teach that the act of believing in Jesus is meritorious. This error allows proud humans to claim merit for producing and preserving their faith in the Savior, even though Ephesians chapter two declares that saving faith is a gift from God. Luther repeats this truth, saying that we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ our Lord or come to Him.
Another harmful way to remain popular with the world is to use Christ's name merely as a springboard from which to launch sensational religious ideas such as: talking with spirits, reincarnation, get-rich promises, the tribulation, the rapture, and the millennium.
Such errors neglect the clear Bible teachings about Christ's unexpected return on the Last Day, the resurrection of all the dead, His judgment of all nations, the eternal punishment of non-Christians in hell, and the everlasting blessedness of Christians in heaven. The world dislikes those Bible teachings.
Yet Christians need not fear the world's hatred. Our Lord told His disciples: "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him [God] who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
God is on our side! There is no need to fear the opposition. We can tell the good news of salvation boldly. We can preach it from the housetops. What can man do unto us when the very hairs of our heads are all numbered?
We need not be afraid when sharing Jesus with others, for absolutely nothing in all creation can cancel the love God has for us in Christ Jesus, our Lord!
