Presenting Gospel never a Choice, but a mandate- 1

The excitement and satisfaction after experiencing the gift of salvation does not become a revolution in most cases because somehow that experience gets boxed under a self-contentment and with a personal spiritual framework; either self-imposed or under a denominational barrier. The experience becomes too personal and rarely finds motivation to make it public.

Experiencing the gift of salvation isn’t passive in nature, or never too personal. If you recollect the amazing incident mentioned in Luke 7:36-40 about a sinful lady finding Jesus while He was dining in the house of Pharisees who invited to eat with him. Note, she is not an invitee, but probably Christ discourse and her earlier encounter with Jesus had induced conviction of sin in her, she couldn’t hold any longer private. It is told that the sinful lady barged into the house and demonstrated confession in an unusual way and was transformed with a new mission identity. Jesus declares in V48 “..Your sins are forgiven”, And Matthew records Christ said about her in Matthew 26:13 “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed In the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

So, what am I trying to say here? When you encounter true real Salvation, you will not be able to cage it in, but you will actually become desperate to make it public and become a source of inspiration irrespective of any threats. Paul for example, after he encountered Christ, stayed with the disciples for some time (Acts 9:19), and then it is recorded this way, “immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the son of God.”. And further it records in Acts 9:22, “Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. “.  Be aware of this fact, your Commitment to Christ can never force you to stay passive.

Sharing the good news is never a choice, it is a mandate and a serious business. Peter in His discourse says in the book of Acts, that God has appointed him (and all disciples) as witnesses and commanded to preach to the people about salvation and Judgement (Acts 10: 41-42).  Sadly, today people are satisfied with their personal worship which is extended and settled to corporate worshiping and fellowshipping in their Churches alone. I am assuming people are engaging in active fellowshipping, because nowadays visiting Church building per se, has become more important than the need to actively engage with each other. The powerful question to Isaiah is still echoing strongly today, “Who shall I send? Who will go for us?...” Isaiah 6: 8.

In the powerful words of E Stanley Jones, “Let it be noted that if Christianity isn’t worth exporting, it isn’t worth keeping, if we cannot share it, we cannot keep it.”. The great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19, has not migrated to a suggestion. Just because the people aren’t taking it up seriously, does not mean it is suggesting you to stay at home comfortably and pray for the salvation of people. It’s time to break your religious boundary and denominational barriers. Enough of rest my fellow-people. Mark the words of Horatius Bonar, a Scottish clergyman and songwriter of the nineteenth century. ‘The world is still sleeping its “sleep of death.” It has a slumber for many generations; -sometimes deeper, sometimes lighter,- yet still a slumber like that of the tomb, as if destined to continue till the last trumpet sound; and there shall be no more sleep.’.  This is so real in the case of so called Christians today. Can you seriously think over it?

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When the good fails to be full good!

In my earlier blogs I have quoted this fabulous Poem “Two kinds of people” by Ela Wheeler Wilcox. Now I feel the necessity to bring once again the first three paragraphs of this poem which is so rich in its essence.

Two kinds of people by Ela Wheeler Wilcox

There are two kinds of people on earth to-day;

Just two kinds of people, no more I say.

Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood

The good are half bad and the bad are half good.

Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,

You must first know the state of his conscience and health.

The problem with many Christians is that they are close to being complete good and fail to live with the good that Christ modeled. To a larger extent, we are all affected by these factors, Dichotomy (living a life with two extremes), Mediocrity (taking a middle path, trying to be safe) and Compromising lifestyle (half-good and half-bad). It doesn’t disturb people for who they are as long as their survival is not intercepted. If you notice in the Bible, Elijah at one-point challenges the crowd who were leading a dual-life, a life with hypocrisy. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow him, But the people didn’t answer him a word.”.  1 Kings 18:21. Many people will not say ‘no’, neither would they say ‘Yes’ when needed. They hypocritically adapt a new lifestyle.

With crisis getting deeper and deeper how are people responding now? Either completely surrendering and following God genuinely or learning to mitigate the situation and lead a life of dichotomy. Jesus warns this when He says, “Be on your guard, so that your mind are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life…” Luke 21:34. Both pleasure and pain has the capacity to dull our minds and conscience, and drive us to live without a real sense of purpose and accountability. This will further force people to live with half good. Do you see that?

In Job 36:13 it says, “Those who have a godless heart harbor anger, even when God binds them, they do not cry for help.”. Crisis and challenges point our direction to God. But people choose to ignore it and find their own way to handle the situation. We can question suffering and not be willing reach out to Him at all. However, you have a choice? Either seriously turn to Him, or remain the way you are with half good.

The unfortunate tales of selective goodness is ripping Christendom. Christians and people who are in leadership are becoming very unpredictable, who they are today are not who they will be tomorrow. In the world of technology, we started using people like social apps, we can mute them, block them and unmute them and unblock them when we need to connect. We are in the final countdown, unless our goodness gets perfected, we are sure heading for ultimate disappointment.

I want to close with the powerful words of John Wesley with which he directed his lay preachers, 

“Never be unemployed, never be triflingly employed…Be serious: let your motto be, Holiness to the Lord. Avoid all lightness as you would avoid hell-fire, and trifling as you would cursing and swearing. Touch no woman; be as loving as you will, but the custom of the country is nothing to us. Take money of no one; if they give you food when you are hungry, and clothes when you want them, it is enough; but no silver or gold: let there be no pretense for any one to say we grow rich by the gospel.”

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When everybody has a channel to follow...

We are in a digital age where connecting virtually has become easier, a fashion, a priority and the inevitable. Have you noticed almost everyone has at least one channel or a preacher who they follow and does a promotion on behalf of the channel? You send a link to the least common person and he is ready to send you back with two links of someone on earth who is there on the air already and who is desperately waiting for a follow from you.

The speaker in the YouTube, social media or a blog desperately wants a follower base and by the end of the video or a blog ensures he catches your attention by borrowing and begging your attention to like him/her and share his video link. If you carefully notice people are conceited with a false sense of satisfaction, I mean the one who is an ardent follower and the one who is begging to increase his followers’ group.

Well, you may say Paul asked his people to follow him. Yes, you are right, but if you carefully notice it says, "Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.". 1 Corinthians 11:1. Paul was worth imitating because the likeness of Christ and the gospel was revealed in him and moreover it demanded the followers to actively engage in the Mission of Christ unlike today who in social media and YouTube who are promoting self, and in most cases literally has nothing to do with you. Each day he is excited to see his likes and followers shooting up and that means it fetches him some good money. It may sound crude, and you may want to discontinue reading, that's ok, but I thought it is good to strip the deception than people partaking in it.

Everything is sadly connected with money and maintains a superficial and an uncommitted relationship. And God had to break it to an extent, that everything has come to a halt. But the big guy and one in social media is not ready to leave you to a larger extent, because it can mean loss of his business. And all are ready to virtually keep you stay connected with that person. Please don't be deceived. Such people will not go to heaven and neither allow you to go to heaven. Follow this verse, “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were trying to go in.” Luke 11:52 CSB.

What's my point? I am not against online Churches but the mere fact that it handicaps a person to just be there connected without engaging in the grandeur Mission of great commission is treacherous. Many people are satisfied by giving some money for Mission work and escaping from their responsibility.  And sadly, many spiritual giants on TV and YouTube are also wanting them to be so as long as they benefit. Disastrous!

There are more followers of the big guys in media than followers of Christ. How do we escape the deception? Where are the big healing campaigners in this Corona pandemic? Hiding in their houses for personal safety! Where are the Christian giants who were making a big show to drive the demons and published who they are in media? Please don't be conceited with the false teachings and teachers. You have the anointing already (1 John 2:27) and a helper and a comforter too (John 14:16). Share the gospel and make disciple by all means and support who honestly are also engaging in the same.

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