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Limited Time Offer!!!

SALE!!!  Limited time offer!!!  How exciting.  I always am a bargain shopper!  I see that there is a sale, and sometimes, I will drive quite a while for the sale, then realized, that I spent as much in gas (if not more) going there and back than I saved on the item.  Or, I purchase something that I am not necessarily in dire need of because it was a good deal.  So ultimately, I am throwing my money away- but those words and that concept really draw me in.  They make me think – I am going to get quite the bargain.

Well, originally when I thought of sitting down to write this devotion, it was going to go a whole different way, like, “we need to make sure we are letting people know of their doom and letting them know that this is a limited time offer because you never know when their lives will end.”  But after sitting and thinking it through a little more, I realized that that is really preaching fire and brimstone.  And, although that is a very important part of the gospel, I don’t know if people want people to believe out of fear, especially in today’s culture.  It is a difficult balance.

Forever ago, we bought a Noah weather radio, it as a great deal and we had convinced ourselves that we needed it living in the country and not knowing if there was a tornado or a bad storm coming.  That dumb thing sat there and would go off for the wrong reasons, it would go off- “severe thunder storm in Clark County” – we aren’t anywhere near Clark County!!  So finally, after it sat unplugged for a year, we got rid of it.  So if we ask people to believe in God on the off chance that they are going to either die or get hit by a car in the next day then nothing happens to them and continues to not happen to them, they think, “I don’t need this anymore”.  Or, “I gave that a try and it just annoyed me and I don’t plan on dying”.

So what can we tell them, what can we say that WILL save their lives, but also not just “scare” them into believing but instead get them to commit?  It is a real problem to know exactly how to share the gospel, because you can’t say that being a Christian is easy and that all your problems will go away either.  Look at the Middle East and China, being a Christian for them is not easy and it is serving to amplify their problems.  It is leading to death and imprisonment.  So what then?  What can we share?   You don’t want to just tell them that it is about death and salvation from death (which a lot of it is), and you can’t tell them that it will make their life easier, because it wont always- so what is it?  What can we tell people to get them to believe in Christ, yes for their salvation, but not out of fear. 

Christianity is not always easy – it is not always the easy road, or the most popular road.  Even a lot of people that have become “Christians” don’t really follow the Bible or the Ten Commandments.  We don’t want to deceive them either by saying that their life will become easier.  So what can we say?  Christianity isn’t always easy, it is rough, and justifying it is so, so hard! So do we just sit by and live our lives out and not try to help anyone else? 

NO! – the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 says. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 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.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’.”

It is so frustrating to think that there is no “easy fix” that there is no way to just say, “hey, believe in God” and people come running.  It is completely rough to understand the correct way and to share it and it is even more difficult to actually share our faith if we are not 100% confident in it or in how to share it. 

So here are some steps that I have thought that will help me:

1)      I need to be confident in my own relationship with God and be right with God daily.
2)      I need to live a Godly example, and although not always easy, I need to glorify God in all that I do.

3) I need to let people know that I am not promising them an easy life, an easy road or an easy salvation.  Christianity isn’t a high paying job, it isn’t a glamorous thing to do, but it is the best thing to do.  Why?  Because…
1)     My God is the only God.  Look at the “Why the God of the Bible is the right God” post.
2)     Although my life hasn’t been necessarily “easier” it has been amazing and it has brought a peace.  Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understating, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 
3)     Life isn’t ever easy, but it IS easier with someone to turn to and someone to help you through it.  John 15:15 says, “I no longer call you servant, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Gather is made known to you.”  It is easier with a good friend, the best friend that you could ever have.
4)     And, unfortunately, death (because yes it does have to come in here because it is a good reason and because it is one of THE reasons we are bringing people to Christ) is undeniable.  It is inevitable.  It is something that is going to happen- and we need to be prepared for it.  Be prepared, but not dwell on it.  See the post on “righteousness”.

So no, I am not going to have a quick, easy answer to how to bring someone to Christ, although I wish I did because that would make life a lot easier.  And no, I don’t have all the answers, but I do believe in God, I believe in Jesus and I believe that we are ultimately going to die and that we all need friends.  Therefore, I will share that not only does He save us from death, but also that He is a friend.  Christianity isn’t about a “religion” although it is an easy tag for the belief, it is about a RELATIONSHIP, a friendship with Jesus, an inner peace and a salvation.  We all know that there is a God, mine is the right one, and I am going to do what he commands and live my life for and with Him. 

The Way of The Master explains it is a cool way.  They say that you can explain it like this:
There are two men that are going on a plane ride.  Both men are given a parachute at the beginning of the flight to wear the whole time.  The first man is told simply that “it will improve your flight, believe me, you will want it,” but after a while, he gets uncomfortable and is getting annoyed because everyone is laughing at him and making fun of the fact that he is wearing a parachute in a perfectly safe plane.  He might as well enjoy the ride.  The second man was told when he was given his parachute that “we are giving this to you because at any minute, the plane might crash and you are going to be asked to jump form 28,000 feet.”  He didn’t notice that they were laughing at him or jeering – when they did, he just clung tighter to his chute knowing that he was going to be needing it and they weren’t.  He didn’t feel uncomfortable, but instead felt comforted by the chute and by the fact that if something happened, he would be safe. 

I need to figure out a way that we are personally comfortable with sharing the gospel- this example from WOTM is an awesome one.  But I am commanded to share the gospel and I need to be sure that I am doing so. 

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