Are You Crazy?

“If we are ‘out of our mind,’ as some say, it is for God.”

- 2 Corinthians 5:13

I’m going to get this out of the way right up front: The greatest followers of Christ are a little bit nuts. Think about it: The most effective, world-changing followers of Christ tend to be a little off their rocker. Take Paul and Silas, for example. In the city of Philippi, they were arrested, severely beaten, and thrown in jail. As they sat there, bloody and bruised and in horrible pain, what did they do at midnight? They started singing hymns of praise to God. How about Noah? He built the world’s biggest ship in the middle of the desert. How about Ezekiel? He preached to a pile of dry bones. And what about Jesus himself? He touched contagious lepers. That’s not sanitary!  He jeopardized his reputation by eating with prostitutes and lowlifes. That’s not smart!  And on Passover week he walked into Jerusalem knowing full-well that he was going to be arrested, tortured and nailed to a cross to die. That’s crazy, right?

But I’ve got news for you. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, you ought to be a little bit nuts yourself. In this world where we are surrounded by “normal” people, Jesus Christ calls his followers to be abnormal for him. As I mentioned in last week’s column, if you really want to please God, and at the same time be the biggest blessing to others, lead people to Jesus Christ. It sounds a little bit nuts to lead people into a saving relationship with a man who lived 2,000 years ago—doesn’t it?

But we know that Jesus was no ordinary man. He’s the God-man! And every single person in the world needs him much more than they realize. If we want to please God, leading people to Jesus Christ is the right thing to do. But God doesn’t want us to just do the right thing. He wants us to do the right thing with the right motives. And in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul points out three godly motives for persuading people to believe in Jesus Christ and be reconciled to God.

Godly Motive #1: The fear of the Lord. Sadly, most American Christians seem to have forgotten how vital it is to fear God. But we should know better. As followers of Christ, we know that God is a holy God, set apart from all sin and all selfishness. And He expects us to be set aside from all sin and all selfishness. If we’re not, there’s a good chance we’re not really saved. God is a just God, and He will justly punish sinners in hell for all eternity. So, every one of us should maintain a healthy fear of God. Our healthy fear of God--and of the eternal consequences of rebellion against God--motivates us to persuade people to turn from their sin and be reconciled to God through Christ. Because we know what it is to fear God, the thought of anyone around us spending eternity in Hell should scare us.

Godly Motive #2: The love of Christ. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve probably heard it 100 times: God loves you. But God doesn’t just love the new you. God loved you when you were unlovely. God loved you when you were unlovable. And that’s one of the most remarkable things about God’s love: It’s undeserved. It’s unconditional. You might even say: God’s love is a little bit nuts—a crazy kind of love. According to verse 15, Jesus loved us so much that he died for us. And he died for us so that we could live for him. As a wise Christian once said: “Christ died our death for us that we might live His life for Him.” And Christ’s great love should compel us to live every day of our lives as a thank you gift to Him, as an offering to him, as an act of love to him. And as we live our lives for Jesus, what is one of the best ways to truly show Him our thanks and love? Persuading sinners he loves to accept him and be reconciled to God.

Godly Motive #3: Understanding our duty and privilege. According to verses 18-21, there’s another reason why every Christian should make personal evangelism a top priority. You should persuade people to accept Christ and be reconciled to God because it is your duty. And it is your privilege. Once we get to heaven, we won’t be able to evangelize. We won’t be able to lead anyone to salvation in Christ, because everyone in heaven will already be saved! So, it’s our duty to take this opportunity we have here on earth to lead people to Jesus. If you and I don’t do it now, we won’t ever be able to do it again. And it is our privilege. Do you realize that the angels would love to be able to do what we get to do every week? The angels would love to be able to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with people and see them snatched out of Satan’s grasp. While you’re here on earth, you have a golden opportunity to bring dozens of people to heaven with you. God wants to draw people to Himself through you. So, let Him! Don’t neglect your duty. And don’t squander your privilege.

So, the next time you catch yourself saying, “Evangelism isn’t my thing,” remember that your life as a follower of Christ is not supposed to be about doing “my thing.” It’s supposed to be about doing “His” thing. Saving lost souls is definitely “His” thing. And there’s nothing crazy about that.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us for our worship service every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the new Dr. Ralph Baker School in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Where Will They Spend Eternity?

 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.”

– Romans 1:20

In last week’s article we answered the question: “Do all babies go to heaven?” We discovered several verses in the Bible that imply that the answer is “yes.” Babies, young children and adults with mental handicaps don’t have the intellectual ability to understand their own sin or even the simplest gospel message. So, it stands to reason that they will all fall under God’s grace on Judgment Day. But what about the two billion people on Planet Earth who have the intellectual ability to understand the gospel but never have an opportunity to hear it? Where will they spend eternity?

The Apostle Paul tackles this question in Romans 1:18-20. After having made the case in verses 16 and 17 that salvation is by God’s grace alone through faith alone, Paul makes it clear that God’s wrath is being poured out on those who have rejected God and chosen a path of godlessness and wickedness. The New Testament is clear that Hell (eternal separation from God) is a just punishment for those who reject God’s offer of grace through Jesus Christ, break God’s laws and choose instead a course of selfishness and rebellion. But could Hell be a just punishment for those who have never heard of God’s grace or learned God’s laws revealed in Scripture?

According to Romans 1:20, the answer is: Yes. Wait a minute! Is the Bible actually saying that those in India, North Korea, and Iran who have never even heard of Jesus would be considered guilty for rejecting Him? How could God do such a thing?

Well, God could do such a thing because He has made provisions to reveal Himself and His most basic laws to every single person on Planet Earth—even those who never hear the name of Jesus Christ. Consider Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Long story short: God has made it plain to everyone on the planet that He is real, He is powerful and His divine nature is good and just. God has revealed Himself even to those who don’t have a single copy of the Scriptures in their native tongue.

You see, there are two kinds of revelation: special revelation and general revelation. Special revelation includes: 1) The Bible, 2) Jesus Christ, and 3) the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God has revealed Himself (His character, His laws, His will and His means to salvation) in a very clear and detailed way through His Word, through the ministry of His Son and through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in each Christian.

But millions of people on Planet Earth haven’t received this special revelation. They don’t have access to a Bible. They don’t have an indigenous Christian missionary to tell them about Jesus. And they have never even heard of the Holy Spirit. However, every person on Earth has free access to general revelation. General revelation includes God’s creation and science. Even those who don’t have the opportunity to read the sixty-six books of the Bible have opportunities every day to read the sixty-seventh book of the Bible: nature. Yes, nature (i.e., God’s creation) is like a sixty-seventh book of the Bible because it reveals at every turn the fingerprint of God.

God has blessed us with five senses that allow us to touch, taste, smell, see and hear the handiwork of God all around us. The beauty of God is revealed in the tapestry of color spread across the horizon with every sunrise and sunset. The power of God is revealed in the roar of a hurricane and in the vast expanse of billions of stars scattered across the night sky. The goodness of God is revealed in the heart-melting coo of a baby and in the first fruit blossom of spring. And the justice of God is revealed in every soul’s yearning for what is right, just and fair. Yes, God’s fingerprints are everywhere around us. Therefore, according to Romans 1:20, those who reject God and His laws “are without excuse.”

Because God desires every person in every nation to come to a knowledge of the truth and avoid eternal punishment (1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9), He has provided a means by which any person on the planet can discover these basic truths about God: He is real, He is powerful, and He is good and just. But sadly, most people across the planet who have never heard the gospel turn their backs on God. And this shouldn’t surprise us. After all, if Christians—who have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit—are tempted to ignore God’s revelation, how much more so are those tempted who are living in spiritual darkness?

It’s imperative that Christians throw them a lifeline. Every person on Planet Earth needs to be given the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus and make a personal decision whether to accept or reject him. Every person deserves to know the full truth about our Creator, His plan for our lives and his offer of eternal life in heaven. Every man, woman and child needs to be introduced to God’s grace that can cover our sin and empower us to live lives that please God. From the heart of the American Bible belt to the most unreached islands of Indonesia, Jesus Christ is our only sure hope for this life and life eternal. So, God’s command to Christians is clear: Stop keeping your faith to yourself, and get involved in world missions. Pray, give and serve. The world desperately needs Jesus.

 

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

Do All Babies Go to Heaven?

“Now that [my child] is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” – 2 Samuel 12:23

A few years ago I served as a volunteer chaplain at Victor Valley Community Hospital. One of my main duties was to officiate at the hospital’s quarterly Fetal Memorial Service at Victor Valley Memorial Park. When a pre-born baby is miscarried prior to twenty weeks gestation, most hospitals discard the fetus as “biological waste.” But in recent years, Victor Valley Hospital and St. Mary’s have partnered with Victor Valley Mortuary and Sunset Hills to cremate the babies’ remains and offer a free Fetal Memorial Service for the grieving families.

Each time that I speak at one of these special services, I do my best to offer words of comfort and hope. I want to be able to give the moms and dads some level of assurance that their little ones are safe and sound in the arms of our loving God. This was also the case last year when I presided over a funeral for a ten-day-old baby boy who died of SIDS. As the boy’s mom stood in stunned silence in front of her son’s tiny casket, I wanted to assure her, “Your son is in a much better place, and you will see him again.” But does God’s Word support such a bold statement?

I believe it does. In Romans 1:18-20, we are told that God has revealed His power and character to men and women everywhere. Throughout nature and even within our own consciences God has left His unmistakable fingerprint—clear evidence that He is a powerful, intelligent and just Creator. That being the case, God’s word reveals in Romans 1:20 that those who reject God and His laws “are without excuse.” God’s eternal judgment is based on two things: 1) a conscious rejection of God’s revelation regarding the way to salvation, and 2) a conscious disobedience to God’s commands.

The fact is: The majority of human beings have no excuse for rejecting God’s grace through Jesus Christ and disobeying His laws. But could it be that there are some human beings who do have a valid excuse? If so, babies and young children would seem to fall into this category, especially in the light of the following verses.

After King David’s baby boy died in 2 Samuel 12, the king told his servants, “Now that [my son] is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” You may remember that David concludes his most famous psalm (the 23^rd Psalm) with these words: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” It’s clear from David’s writings that he believed he would live eternally in the presence of the Lord. That being the case, when David said, “I will go to him” in 2 Samuel 12:23, it seems clear that David believed his young son would be with him in heaven.

This conclusion is reinforced by Matthew 19:13-15 and Mark 10:13-16 where Jesus tells his disciples, “‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” Note that Jesus doesn’t say, “If these little kids died today, they’d go straight to heaven.” But he sure seems to indicate that babies and young children are innocent of sin before God.

Although the Bible doesn’t come right out and say that babies and young children are exempt from God’s requirement of personal faith in Christ and repentance in order to be saved, it seems to imply it. After all, if God’s eternal judgment is based on a conscious rejection of God’s revelation regarding salvation and a conscious disobedience to His commands, how could God condemn to Hell those who are incapable of understanding and responding to the gospel? And since the New Testament is clear that there are only two possible eternal destinations (heaven or hell), all babies and young children must live eternally in heaven. And the same could be said of individuals suffering from mental handicaps. It seems clear to me that teens and adults who don’t have the intellectual capacity to understand and/or embrace the message of salvation through Christ will similarly receive God’s eternal grace in lieu of His eternal judgment.

Where does that leave you and me? Well, you and I have heard the Gospel message loud and clear. We have heard and understood the truth that Jesus lived, died, was buried and rose again on the third day. We have heard and understood that it is only by accepting His grace that we can be saved. You and I have consciously turned our backs on our Creator and consciously disobeyed His commands. You and I know this. We understand this. Therefore, we are without excuse.

If you continue to reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and continue living in disobedience to His commands, God’s just wrath will fall on you. So, God calls out from the pages of Scripture: Turn to Christ! Place your trust in Him as Lord and Savior and walk in obedience to His commands! Babies and the mentally handicapped have an excuse for not submitting their lives to Christ. But you don’t. You are without excuse.         

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.