Saturday June 26, 2010

Read John 3:16-21

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16-21&version=NIV

I bet you know John 3:16 off by heart. I bet you could recite it without really thinking about it. That’s fantastic! That’s wonderful. I think it’s great to have memory verses in our hearts and heads. God often brings them to mind at the very moment we need them.

But can you recite the rest of John 3:17-21? These are beautiful words to know as we think through evangelism.

The Lord tells us that He sent His son to save the world, not condemn it. Jesus came on a rescue mission, so that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus came to make it possible for you and I and all who believe to have eternal life.

This is where we face much confusion and misunderstanding. Verse 18 shows the current standing of both the lost and the saved.

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

If you believe in Jesus you are pardoned here and now. You don’t have to wait to die and stand in God’s presence before enjoying your salvation. That day will be the consummation of your salvation, not the start of it. Right here, right now, today you are not condemned. God loves you immensely right here, right now.

But the non believer also stands in a relationship with the Lord today. When a non believer comes to the day of judgement it will not be a day of adding up good deeds and bad deeds and seeing which side has the greater count. That day will be a confirmation of where the person stood with Christ in this life. Right here, right now if a person does not believe in Jesus he or she stands condemned. Their disbelief has caused them to be condemned. If they were to stand before the judge of the earth right now there would be eternal condemnation. They would be sent to hell for ever.

That changes the way I think about everyone doesn’t it? My non believing friends, family, neighbours, school mates and work friends etc are condemned at the present time.  Right now they are without hope, facing a terrible eternity of separation from God.

But here’s the good news. You and I have good news to take  to these people. Everyone who believes is not condemned. As I take the message of hope and life to my non believing friends God will pardon them, declare them “NOT GUILTY” the moment they believe in Jesus.

God can use you and me to change the eternal destiny of another person. God can use you and me to call others from darkness into His wonderful light. Once you’ve been used by God to change another person’s destiny, you’ll be hooked and addicted. You’ll pray and plead with God to use you again and again and again. There is simply no greater joy than to have this great privilege.

Prayer:-

Ask the Lord to use you to bring salvation (ie a change in destiny) for others. Pray that God would open doors for you to speak the good news into another person’s life. Pray that the Holy Spirit will allow that person to respond to the message of life.

Pray that God would give everyone in your congregation a heart that yearns to see the lost saved.

Pray that your life (and the lives of your brothers and sisters) will be so attractive to non believers that they will come to seek out Christ.

As you prepare to gather for worship tomorrow pray that your congregation would be loving each other as Christ has loved them. Ask God to show you how you can show love to others tomorrow, to bless others and to build others up.