Personal Work for Christ
Between 1979 and 1989 English churches lost half a million members, that is one thousand people a week. Nearly two thirds of these were under twenty five. Surveys have shown that ninety seven percent of English people are disillusioned with church. Religious education in schools is at a low ebb. This has resulted in a spiritual vacuum. Few people have a cause that they would be willing to die for today. Yet when I ask my patients with cancer if they have a faith that helps them, all too often they reply “I wish I had.”
A group of senior Christians met in London to to plan a book on the subject of ‘Caring Christians’. One member of the committee noted that evangelism, the sharing of the Christian faith was not included in the list of caring activities. The comments of two ordained people was striking,
“Evangelism is divisive, not caring!”
“God is a God of love - everyone in the end will be with God, won’t they?”
Jesus and his apostles certainly taught that sharing the Christian good news is one of the most caring things we can do for other people. Jesus taught,
“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
It is because God loved and cares for us that Jesus came, how can it be unloving to share this news with others? This is particularly true when we realise the eternal consequences the decision about Jesus brings.
When Paul was on his second missionary journey, he had travelled across what is now Turkey and had arrived in the city of Troas, that used to be called Troy. The night they arrived there Paul had a vivid dream. He saw a man from Macedonia standing up and begging him “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” The reaction of that small Christian band was striking. They concluded that God had called them “to preach the gospel to them”. It really is of great help to people to understand the Christian gospel, and it is this that has motivated Christians to keep sharing the facts about Jesus so that others can learn about him and come to put their trust in him also.
Corinth
In 51 AD there was a great spiritual vacuum in the busy, thriving port city of Corinth. It was a massive city for those days, with about 750,000 inhabitants. The Roman writer Strabo described Corinth as ‘always great and wealthy’. The small church that Paul had founded there during his eighteen month stay, consisted mainly of mainly middle class educated people though there were some members that were poor or slaves. It was a mixed church of Jews and Gentiles. The church had been upset by the arrival of some able Jewish people who had become leaders but who seemed more interested in having paranormal , ecstatic experiences than in getting on with the business of being Jesus’ people, living the way he wanted, with His priorities.
It is with background that Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthian church, to try to redress the situation. He does mention the problems that these ‘pseudo apostles’ have caused, but being a great pastor he lays particular emphasis on the positive, the priorities that they should have instead.
There was a vicar who said that he did not like word ‘obedience’ preferring to stress the idea of ‘enjoyment’ as the route to fulfilment in the Christian life. The apostles would not hold to such a distinction. It is as people learn to live in the way their Lord wants that they will come to enjoy a close relationship with him. Paul stresses this also.
“The reason I wrote to you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.” 2 Corinthians 2:9
All Christians should make pleasing Jesus and doing His will our absolute priority. So many Christians like warm fellowship, being in a loving community or even good Bible teaching but the idea that one of the priorities of each Christian is to pass on the faith is less attractive. This has always been a problem for the church. Peter had to remind the early church in his first letter, written a little before he was executed by crucifixion for being an active Christian,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Pet 2:9
This priority to pass on the gospel to others is all too seldom the priority of modern churches.
A ferry was crossing the English channel when there was some very bad weather and the sea was very rough. An elderly lady became very sea-sick. She saw a clergyman sitting in a comfortable chair reading a book, and feeling very sorry for herself, approached him and said,
“Vicar, vicar, can’t you do something about this dreadful weather?”
“Madam,” he rightly replied, “I am in sales, not marketing.”
In the land of Israel there are two seas. One is the Sea of Galilee which teams with life and abundant fish. This sea has water flowing both into it and out of it. The other sea only has water flowing into it. There is no outflow, it keeps its level by evaporation. This is called the Dead Sea. It has virtually no life because of the very high mineral content. This is an apt visual parable of many Christians lives. Those who have nothing flowing out of them die, whereas those who pass on what they have received experience life to the full.
This is the message that Paul wants the Corinthian church to learn. Paul taught them that Christians are the ‘aroma of Christ’ in this world. Oscar Wilde, the playwright, was in a theatre foyer after the first performance of one of his plays. Many queued up to offer their congratulations, and give him bouquets of flowers to show their appreciation. One person however was not impressed and to show this he gave Mr. Wilde a rotten, stinking cabbage. The gift was accepted with the words,
"Thank you so much. Every time I look at this I will think of you."
We Christians are meant to be more like the flower bouquets! Paul reminded the Corinthians that,
"Through us he spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2 : 14-15
There is no ambiguity about this teaching! All people are either saved or perishing, and it is through us, his people, that the message about Jesus is to be spread. This is no light responsibility. The understanding that those who turn to Christ as their Saviour and Lord have a glorious future with God, should have just one effect on us.
"Since we have such a hope we are very bold." 2 Corinthians 3 v. 12
This work is not easy, as so many people seem unwilling to accept that the Christian story is really true. They are in fact blinded by ‘the god of this world’ - worldliness. This should not make us alter what we are doing. We must continue to present the truth clearly, praying that God will open the eyes of some who hear the message. (2 Corinthians 4 v.1-4)
Paul is clear why he continued this work, although it led to pain, persecution, and the threat of death. He saw it as the inevitable consequence of holding the Christian faith.
"It is written ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak." 2 Corinthians 4 v. 13
Today there are some who seem to view speaking to others about Jesus as an optional extra. The apostles did not! We do not become Christians and then choose whether we will speak out for Jesus; we are chosen to be Christians so that we may become those who speak out for him!
At times this will be depressing work We will be misunderstood, but still ‘we do not lose heart’ (2 Corinthians 4 v. 16), as this work will enable more and more people to be eternally grateful. (v.15) We must therefore persevere in this work.
Paul obviously saw this need for personal workers in Corinth as very important indeed, because he then went into more detail as to why Christians will try to persuade others. In the following passage he gives four reasons.
2 Corinthians 5:9-21
9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no-one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
These reasons are:-
1) The Coming Judgment.
“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 9-11
The first reason they tried to persuade people about the relevance of Jesus , was because they ‘feared the Lord’. This was no empty religious phrase. The context clearly shows that it was the coming judgment that brought about this healthy respect. We will all have to stand before God one day and explain the reason for our priorities. This is a very good reason why we also should make it our ambition to live in a way that pleases the one who is going to be our judge! This is not a doctrine of salvation by works, but a reminder that works will inevitably follow if the Holy Spirit is really in our lives. At the final judgment there will be no need to analyse our doctrines, all will be clear when it is revealed how our doctrines have changed our lives!
2) Understanding Christ’s Love.
When we really understand what it meant for Jesus to leave heaven, come down to this earth and then to die for us, so that we could have a close relationship with him as his special people, we will want to respond to such love. It takes a very hard person not to do so!
“Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all.” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 14
This is why we make it our goal to please HimPaul reminds us that without Jesus we are spiritually dead, but when we turn to Christ we become completely new people.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come. All this is from God.” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 17)
To become a Christian is the beginning of a completely new life and lifestyle. Understanding his love for me will drive me on to live openly for him. It is true that Jesus loves me as I am, but he loves me too much to leave me like that.
3) We Are Under Orders.
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 18-20
In this remarkable passage we are again reminded that our salvation was planned and potentially achieved by God himself. ‘God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.’ Jesus achieved this for us on that cross.
Yet, in spite of all he has done, there is one part that is delegated to us - that is the business of passing on the story of this salvation. This is an awesome responsibility but that this is our job is abundantly clear from this passage. Paul mentions it three times to stress the point!
a) v. 18 ‘God gave us the ministry of reconciliation’
b) v. 19 ‘He committed to us the message of reconciliation’
c) v. 20 ‘We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us’
Because we have been commissioned with this charge, we can boldly say , as God’s representatives,
“We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 20
What an honour and privilege this is. The God of the universe has trusted you and me with his message of salvation. If we pass it on faithfully, others can find the salvation that God wants them to have. If we don’t, not only will they be lost, but we will have to give a reason for our failure to God himself, standing face to face with Jesus who has done so much for us.
The prophets in the Old Testament understood all this. Jeremiah warned people about God’s coming judgment and was ridiculed for his pains, yet he wrote,
“So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot.” Jeremiah 20 v. 9
Ezekiel also understood this. He constantly tells people about ‘the word of the Lord’, just as we should. He also recognized the responsibility that this knowledge brought with it.
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will be saved yourself.” Ezekiel 33 v. 7-9
Living good moral lives is very important, spending time in prayer is also essential, but beware if anyone thinks that these noble activities can be an alternative for actively passing on the message about the salvation that Christ alone can give to those who are lost.
Many of today’s churchmen seem to want to keep their faith secret. Experience shows however that either secrecy kills discipleship or discipleship kills secrecy! The Christian who is enjoying a close relationship with his Lord is invariably someone who is keen to obey him and is active in talking about him to others. This is why Paul talks about the need for this when he writes to Philemon.
“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philemon v. 6
Some may say, ‘Yes, I understand all this. I would love to be able to talk more effectively about my Lord, but I am not any good at it. If I could, I would. This is rather like the Father who said to his son,
“Don’t go into the water until you have learnt to swim!”
Just as no-one learns to swim without entering the water, no-one learns to be a personal worker without prayerfully starting. As this work is so close to our heavenly Father’s heart, will he not give the empowering of his Holy Spirit to those who ask him for it? The way to start is to ask God to open up opportunities for you, and to keep you awake so that you can make use of them! We must find ways to pass it on. There was a man who faithfully attended his church prayer meeting for more than 15 years. He was a regular churchgoer who even attended Christian conferences. Not once however had he ever mentioned talking with a non-Christian about Jesus Christ. One day he was asked why he had never expressed an interest in sharing the gospel with others. “Oh, I’m not ready for that - there is so much more I need to learn first,” he replied!
How to Begin
Admiral Mahon was a leader of the American Navy during the War of Independence. He kept repeating the following statement when teaching his officers,
“Gentlemen, whenever you set out to accomplish anything, make up your mind at the outset about your objective. Once you have decided on it, take care never to lose sight of it.”
Today’s church desperately needs to remember and never lose sight of the Great Commission of our Lord to ‘Go and make disciples’. To do this we will need to be prepared. Peter, in his first epistle, written from prison in Rome a little before his execution had three things to say on this matter.
“ ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:14-15
When we are certain about our relationship with Jesus there is nothing to be afraid of, so the first priority is to know for certain that I am saved and that I am guaranteed a place with God in eternity. Are you certain about this?
Peter’s next instruction is that we should be prepared, which means doing some prep! If we want to be personal workers we must learn some things by heart.
Learn to Open Conversations
This is perhaps the most difficult skill to learn, needing both an element of determination as well as tact. Tact has been well described as the ability to get your point across, without stabbing someone with it! Remember most people are disillusioned with church, thinking that they are outmoded, boring, and largely irrelevant places where people sing hymns. Sometimes it is often easy to sympathize with them, but do go on to make the clear distinction that being a Christian is to have a relationship with God and to be forgiven by him, it is not ‘being religious!’
Get to the Point
The first goal of any gospel conversation is to reach the point when you can ask the question,
‘Are you committed to Jesus yourself – or aren’t you sure about these things ?’
Clearly the wording can be altered, but in essence this is the key question. It is important to give people an acceptable alternative answer so as to avoid cornering or embarrassing them - hence the rider ‘. . . or aren’t you sure ?’ Without it many will just say ‘Yes, I am,’ which causes problems in continuing the discussion ! With the rider people will often say, “I’m not sure” or “I wish I was”, which is great to follow up on.
How can we get to a point in a conversation so that this question doesn’t seem out of place?
When dealing with problems.
Having spent some time understanding the problem, whether it is health, housing or a general hopelessness and discussing practical solutions, what better way of showing your real concern than by asking,
“Do you have a faith that helps you at a time like this – or aren’t you clear about these things?” Again it is vital that the person you are talking with should not feel cornered.
We teach medical students to ask such a question of all patients when taking the patient’s history. They ask about the ‘Present Condition’, ‘Past History’, ‘Family History’, ‘Drug History ‘ and ‘Social History’ so why not add a ‘Spiritual History’? One medical student attended a conference when taking a ‘Spiritual History’ was discussed. The next day he had to clerk two patients. The first patient, when asked if he had any faith or wasn’t sure replied that he had been a Pentecostal minister but had given up on the Lord. They later had a great conversation and that hospital admission brought him back to his senses. The patient in the next bed replied, “I wish I had”. The student lent him a copy of ‘Cure for Life’ and the revitalised minister in the next bed spent many hours explaining the gospel to him. All that just from asking two questions!
Casual Conversations
There are many ways to gently steer a conversation round to the point when you can ‘pop the question’. People are always happy to be asked, ‘What job do you do?’ so I often start with this. They inevitably reply with the same question to which I like to reply,
“I have two jobs, one paid and one unpaid.”
They usually want to know more,
“I work as a surgeon, but I am also very involved teaching in our local church and with students, trying to help them understand the Christian gospel as so many of them have rejected a caricature of the real thing. Excuse me asking, but are you committed to Christ yourself or aren’t you sure about these things?”
It is often useful then to slip into ‘Testimony mode’ and explain how you came to put your trust in Jesus, starting as close to the position as you think they are at.
“I used to think like that. I rejected school religion, where the chaplain dressed up like the Mikado and threw incense around the chapel. I couldn’t see how an almighty God could be impressed by such antics. But then at university, I met some Christians in the hockey club who helped me understand that a Christian is primarily a person who believes in and is committed to Jesus Christ. I became a Christian at university when I became sure about his claims to be God’s chosen king and about my need for a saviour if I was to have a hope of being confident before God. Have you ever looked at all the evidence for this . . . ?”
We were having coffee after a church service with a couple in their sixties who had not been to our church before. They explained that they lived in a nearby town and that a friend had told them that they would enjoy our church. That was the key introduction, so I was able to naturally ask “Are you committed Christians yourselves or aren’t you sure about these things?” To this the husband replied after a moments hesitation,
“I would describe myself more as a committed churchman but my wife is a committed Christian?”
“That’s a interesting reply” I said, “We have Basics course starting shortly where we try to work through whether the Christian faith is really true and what being a Christian involves. We would love it if you could come and join us.”
They did come to that Basics course and it was not long before Pat came to put his trust in Jesus and now both he and his wife are lovely, caring, outgoing Christians.
Know a Gospel Outline
There are several simple ways to describe to someone else what a Christian is and how to become one, but it is essential that all Christians know at least one of these well. Booklets that describe clear Gospel outlines include ‘Start a New Life’ by David Watson (Kingsway Publications) and ‘Two ways to Live’ by Philip Jenson (St. Matthias Press). It is helpful to learn by heart the verses mentioned. You could ask a friend if he could test you - and he does not have to be a Christian! I began to find that two ways to live, though an excellent outline was unwieldy in practice, when sitting in a bus, or waiting for a train so I have modified it into a ‘Potted Gospel’. If the person would like me to explain what I understand the gospel to be, I start by lifting up my left hand and saying that this represents God.
“God made the world and everything in it. He did this through his son, Jesus Christ.”
Then I show my right hand and say that this represents us and then let my hand fall.
“The problem is that we rejected God. We do not want him to rule over us. We want to be independent of him, and go our own way.”
With a smile I then say,
“But the good news is that if we return to live under the authority of Jesus, we are treated by God as if we have never rebelled. We are forgiven because Jesus himself has born the penalty for our rebellion.”
Then with a pained face I add,
“But if we reject God’s offer of forgiveness and admittance to his family, then we will remain separated from him for eternity in hell.”
Then, in order to get the conversation going again a simple open question needs to be asked,
“Have you heard this before?”
Have your Testimony Well Prepared
It is important to be able to explain how and why you became a Christian, and what the Lord means to you now - succinctly. If different aspects of your testimony are well prepared they will become invaluable. By slipping parts of your testimony into conversations, you will help others understand that a Christian is somebody who has made a personal response to the claims of Jesus, and will lead them to think about themselves and their standing before God.
Use Literature
Have a supply of helpful articles or books available that you can make available to others. If we have introduced the subject it is sometimes easier for detailed teaching to come from a book. This is particularly true if people are very close to us. I now use ‘Cure for Life’ (5th edition, Lost Coins) as a simple introduction to Jesus and the Christian message, but there are many others that fit different needs.
I now always try to carry with me a short article that introduces people to the Christian gospel. One I use at present is attached at the end. It is based on a talk given at the baptism of five people that was attended by many friends and family. You will notice at the end is our church, and an email address that any who are subsequently interested can contacted this website when they can read more.
Invite
More people have become Christians by being invited to hear a gospel talk than by any other means. It is therefore essential that in your church or area there are such events. Some churches run regular ‘Guest Services’. We have occasional ‘Open Suppers’ in our home to which we invite friends and those we come into contact with. Many Christians use their homes to invite mixtures of Christian and non Christians for a meal or cup of tea. If people are praying and looking for opportunities to talk about Jesus, it is almost impossible for this not to occur! We hold a regular five week ‘Basics Course’ in our church, which is geared for those who are uncertain about Christian things. Other courses such as Christianity Explored or Alpha are very popular. Many Christians bring friends, that they have been talking with, along to these. When people commit themselves to Christ we encourage them to host a group of their own and invite their friends and family that experienced Christians teach at.
Follow up Point
After having a conversation about spiritual matters, always try to have a follow up point. “Would you like to read this booklet (or book) that I have found helpful?” or “Would you like to come with me to hear Mr. X explain these things better than I can?” or even “Let’s have another game of squash next week and carry on this conversation.”
One of the great principles of personal work is to write down the name and contact details to enable follow up. An address book that visitors sign is a good way to do this at home.
Pray
It does not take a young Christian long to realise that all their efforts alone will be ineffective in bringing anyone to having a personal faith in Jesus. If God’s Spirit is not at work, applying what they hear, then there can be no beneficial results. There is nothing like being active in personal work to make a person realise how much we need God’s help. However as the object of what we are about is so close to His heart there is no better way of seeing prayer answered! Therefore pray and keep praying that you may both have opportunities to speak to others about your Saviour, but also that God’s Spirit will make people receptive to the gospel that you are sharing.
The most difficult thing about sharing the gospel is getting the openings. When I am travelling to London by train on my own, I pray for opportunities. When I pray, coincidences happen, when I don’t pray, they don’t. When walking my dog I try to get talking with others out for a stroll. Finding where they live or what they do can bring up a link with a Christian. When told what a ‘lovely dog you have’, I often reply, “Thank you, but if she wasn’t even natured like this life would be very difficult as we have many children come to our home from our church. If they pull her tail the worst she does is walk away!” Some will ask which church we go to but the subject of church has now been raised so it is natural to ask, “Are you involved in a church yourself, or aren’t you sure about these things.” It is very important not to embarrass or make people feel cornered. However the conversation leads it is very easy then to offer them an article to read.
There are countless ways that we can help others find a relationship with Jesus - with God, if there is a will, there is a way.
The task is urgent
Some years ago there was a Bible Reading in the Union of Cambridge University. It was a missionary weekend and there were two speakers booked, each having half an hour to speak. Unfortunately the first speaker went on and on, so that the second speaker, Jim Broomhall had only three minutes left. He stood and read his text.
“There are some who are ignorant of God, and I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 34.”
He looked at the clock and then said,
“I have just got time to read this to you again, “There are some who are ignorant of God, and I say this to your shame” .”
He then sat down. One young man listening was so struck by the words of that verse that he committed his life to telling others about Jesus. His name was David Wheatley-Price. He eventually went to Kenya as a missionary. Some ten years later David was back in that same Union and he recounted this story, reading out the same verse. Another student, Peter Pattison who had been converted in his first year was very much impressed by the same verse. He likewise committed his life to sharing the Christian gospel with others.
It is certainly to our shame if people around us remain ignorant of the gospel.
BVP
The following is an article given to people to try to spark an interest in spiritual matters.
Mistakes - minor, major and catastrophic
A young doctor was attending a medical conference. Lunch one day finished with a dessert of meringues, full of cream. He then went for a stroll through some adjacent woodland. At that point he looked down and noticed his tie was splashed with a dollop of white cream. He licked it off – but only then did he realise his mistake. It was not cream at all, a bird in a tree above had just done its business.
That was a simple mistake but sometimes mistakes can be very costly. I remember a patient who had found a breast lump some time previously. She had hoped it would go away on its own. By the time I saw her the cancer had grown very large and was fixed. Her mistake was to hope it wouldn’t matter, so she deferred doing anything.
In our world today we are facing massive problems including global warming, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Covid, high inflation, radical Islam, marriage breakups, drugs and alcohol and the like. What should we learn from this?
Alexandre Solzhenitsyn
When Alexandre Solzhenitsyn was young, he became a communist, a believer in the ideals of Marxism and an atheist. After serving in the Russian army during the Second World War he was arrested by SMERSH, the Russian secret police, simply because he had been captured by the Germans. He was subsequently imprisoned in the Gulag for 8 years. It was there, in spite of all its horrors, that he came to realise that there were real values that matter and that there really is a God who had created this world. He became a Christian and subsequently an outspoken critic of communism. He was later expelled from Russia for his criticisms of Stalin and he moved to live in the United States of America. He wrote some remarkable books such as ‘The Gulag Archipelago’ that have sold in the millions. He analysed much of what has gone wrong in Russia since the revolution and said,
“Over half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia.
‘Men have forgotten God, that’s why all this has happened.’
But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat,
‘Men have forgotten God, that’s why all this has happened.’
He subsequently analysed the problems facing countries in the west and came to precisely the same conclusion,
“Men have forgotten God.”
To forget God, to leave him out of our lives, is indeed the most catastrophic mistake a person can make. We do this because were are self-centred and stupid. It was Albert Einstein who said,
“Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
God is largely irrelevant to most people today. Even some of those, who say they believe in him, live during the week as practical atheists.
Very few people want to investigate the evidence for God’s existence even though they believe that life does have a meaning and that values such as honesty, kindness, truth and love are real. Such values cannot be real if we are just an accident by-product of primordial soup in a godless world! The failure to look at the evidence that God is real is presumably because people realise that, if there is a God who has revealed himself, this must have consequences on the way they live. How easy it is to make the mistake of allowing my selfish desires control how I think. I have tried to outline some of the evidence in the books, ‘Cure for Life’ and ‘Stepping Stones’.
Jesus
Jesus had a lot to say to those who turn their back on God and just live for this world. He keeps reminding us that we should live with the next world in view.
Some admire Jesus’ moral teaching on honesty and integrity but reject the main core of his teaching about salvation and being right with God. Even in his day, people wanted Jesus to simply be an arbiter of ethical behaviour but he refused to be drawn into this as his primary message was so much more important. One man approached Jesus because he thought the distribution of an inheritance seemed unfair.
“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’
Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them this parable:
‘The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there Iwill store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.” Luke 12:13-21
This farmer’s great problem is clear from the way Jesus tells the story, he was greedy and selfish. He was besotted with himself and his comfortable life here on earth. He had forgotten God. Jesus has a simple message for him – ‘You fool’. What a catastrophic mistake this is for any person to make, yet this is what the almighty God will say to many when they meet him face to face.
Baptism
At a recent open air Baptism Garden Party five adults publicly stated that they wanted to commit themselves to living the rest of their lives with Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They wanted to publicly align themselves with him. What a glorious occasion it was.
The picture of baptism is vivid. Jesus had commanded his disciples,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18-20
A public baptism cannot have been easy for the first Christians. After Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost three thousand people responded to Peter’s appeal to repent of their previous rejection of God and his Son and to demonstrate this by allowing him to wash their sin away and to fill them with the gift of his Holy Spirit. This cannot have been easy, especially as the Jewish authorities and their minions, those who had arranged for Jesus to be crucified just seven weeks earlier, were undoubtedly looking on and making notes! Those being baptised were aligning themselves with a condemned criminal!
But what baptism represents is so important. No-one is saved by the ritual, it is the personal involvement with what the ritual means that matters. Remember that in those days baptism was by full immersion in water.
Primarily baptism teaches us what God has done for all his people, to all who are committed to following his Son Jesus, the Christ. As the candidates go into the water they are reminded that the death of Jesus of their behalf has washed all their sin away. They are given the status of being righteous in God’s eyes because they now share the righteousness of Christ. They come out of the water with the power of the Holy Spirit who enables them to live lives for God, with Christ at the centre.
Baptism is a reminder of the response we all need to make to God. As the person goes under the water they are saying, ‘I am now dead to the old life’ and as they come up again they are saying, ‘I am now risen to live a new life with and for the Lord Jesus’.
Those who witness others accepting the gift of eternal life and making a commitment to Christ in baptism should also be reminded about Jesus’ significance. They may have been baptised in the past, perhaps as a child, but have drifted somewhat in their walk with the Lord Jesus and have begun to forget God. The rite of Baptism itself saves nobody. Surely God is saying to such people, ‘Beware, don’t be a fool - remember what really matters.’
Some may never have yet turned back to allow the Lord Jesus to take his rightful place in their lives. They are like the rich farmer in Jesus’ story, who had clearly rejected God and whose life focussed on himself and the here and now.
Jesus’ message is not just ‘You fool’, he always goes on to give people hope. When Peter finished his first sermon at Pentecost, many listeners, feeling guilty, asked,
“What shall we do?”
Peter’s reply demonstrates that there is hope for all people, even today. It is never too late.
“Repent and be baptised every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call. With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation’ Acts 2:38-40
The message of the Bible is that God made this world through his Son, Jesus and has put him in control. But our problem is that we do not want God to reign over us. We naturally want to forget God. The Christian good news or gospel is the message that anyone who changes their allegiance and comes to live under the authority of God’s Son is treated by God as if they have never rebelled. The Lord Jesus took responsibility for their sin when he bore them on that cross. However God warns us all that, if we refuse to repent and turn back to God, we will separate ourselves from God for eternity. Jesus was very clear that there is a real heaven and there is a real hell and there is no intermediate destiny.
This decision is one that all people of all generations have to make. Refusing to make a decision is tantamount to rejecting God’s offer. Three thousand years ago Moses addressed a large group of people who were to some degree outwardly religious and he gave them the same ultimatum as Jesus gives us today.
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 30:19-20
This is God’s challenge to each of us today - choose life, choose God, choose Jesus. We must make a decision and then in his power go out into life, in communion with others who love him, the ‘Lord your God’. We need to keep listening to what he teaches us in his word, the Bible, keeping close to him, so that we live for him.
The Bible’s message is that our deepest problems, whether personal or national, are, at root, because we have forgotten God, but there is hope, there is good news.
BVP - berniepalmer1@sky.com Author of ‘Cure for Life’. Website bvpalmer.com
‘Christchurch Baldock’ meets at 10.30 am every Sunday in Knights Templar School, Baldock
