As long as we present Jesus as "gentle" or "kind" or "loving", the world is more willing to speak about Him.
But bring up personal sin and the saving message of the Cross, and you've got an argument on your hands.
I came upon the following quote that I want to share with you. Michael Lane of Delve Ministries was discussing a recent trip to India. He contrasted Indian Christians with North American Christians. Indian Christians were on the streets boldly proclaiming the message of Jesus and the Cross. They had something to fear. The Hindus, the Muslims, and others would do their best to silence the Message of the Gospel. These believers could literally loose their lives at the hands of radicals.
Here's what Michael said:
"I have never once feared violence in this ministry. I have never known a single minute in my life when I was in danger because of my faith.
"It’s unfortunate that whenever we have the chance to share our faith with a friend, a co-worker or even a family member, the risk of making things awkward between us is usually enough to make us reconsider. The thought of sharing our faith with a stranger as they leave work is even more frightening. It would be embarrassing and humiliating."
It should be noted that the Indian Christians that Michael referred to are up and coming professionals in the growing IT (information technology) industry in India. In this mainly Hindu country, it can be difficult to find a fellow Christian to join in prayer or Bible study. Christians are in the minority. So in order to find other believers, these professionals will stand outside their office buildings and hand out tracts or leaflets. The believers are encouraged, but there is danger in what they do.
For the majority of passersby, there is "cross-avoidance". They want nothing to do with Christianity or the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus. Some will even cause physical harm to these Christians.
We don't readily see that kind or level of "cross avoidance" here in the United States. We don't have to necessarily fear for our lives, yet. But we do see a growing radicalism in the improper application of a "separation of church and state". In fact you can see that there is an acceptance or tolerance of many worldviews as long as it's not Christian in nature.
Here in the United States, it's very "normal" to see people wearing four or six inch crosses with heavy chains around their necks, or dangling from their ears or even tattooed on their bodies. There are Gothic styles and Celtic styles. Some modern. Some flowery. You could even call this display of bling or body art "chic". The wearer will say that they like the "statement" the cross makes. But what statement? Do they understand the Nature and Truth of the Cross of Christ?
The same misguided logic applies to the person that calls themselves a "christian" because they're not Jewish (not picking on my Jewish friends) or of some other faith. They may have gone to church or Sunday school when they were a child. They may have attended a wedding or funeral or baby dedication. But attending church from time to time doesn't make you a Christian just as being able to swim doesn't make you a fish. To become a Christian, your very nature has to change. Your heart and mind must undergo radical transformation. See Romans 12:1, 2.
And that can only happen when you humble yourself and see yourself as you truly are: a wretched sinner living in direct opposition to God. More than that, you have to, you must, believe what Jesus did on the Cross at Calvary and receive that fact as a truth for your life. As an individual. You can't come into the tent because your mom or dad or grandparent was a Christian. God calls us to individual repentance and responsibility. And that, in and of itself, may be the crux of the problem.
After all, we see ourselves and other human beings as generally "good" in nature. We don't see ourselves as depraved and needing a Savior. Many would rather buy into the idea that we are the result of a great evolution that has finally brought mankind to this great pinnacle. Instead, the opposite is true. Man was initially designed and fashioned in the image of God and then fell because of personal sin. Since that point, we have not evolved; we have devolved. We shake our fists at God or create god in our image. We want God to be our buddy or pal or magic genie that will grant our every wish and whim at a moment's notice. We want to pass our responsibility for the messes of our lives over to God rather than take personal responsibility for our troubles and sin. We avoid the Cross.
But, like it or not, that's something we just can't do. We can't avoid the Cross. We can't avoid God. We can't avoid our relationship with Him or the lack thereof. Just stand up and hold out your arms. Look familiar? Try as we will, we can't avoid the Cross. The Cross is a part of our very being. After all, we are God's image bearers.
As God's image bearers, our lives are directly responsible to Him. All of us will one day stand before God. He will ask us to explain ourselves; what we said, what we did, how we treated others. Most importantly, He will ask us what we did individually with the Cross. How did we treat Jesus?
Remember how Jesus explained it to His disciples in Matthew 25:31 - 46,
"When the Son of Man [Jesus] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire [hell] prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He [the King] will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment [hell], but the righteous to eternal life."
Jesus doesn't mince words. Bow your knee to Him, repent of your sins, face the Cross and follow Christ to eternal life. Hell and punishment exist! There is no denying it. You can say all that you want that God is a good God (which is true) and would never send people to hell, but that just isn't so. God WILL send people to hell. The passage above is spoken by Jesus just days before He is Crucified for us.
But it's not just about good works or deeds. Early on in His ministry, chronicled in the Olivet discourse, Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he [or she] who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Matthew 7:21 - 23.
When Jesus says, "Away from me, you evildoers!" He's not just telling people to get lost. "Away from me," means permanently, eternally. Those folks never knew Jesus. They did not accept Him as Lord and Savior of their lives. Their good works were simply "filthy rags" in God's sight. Isaiah 64:6.
And so, that is the message that I pass on to you. That is the message that all true Christians pass on to any and all who will have ears to hear. Please, don't avoid the Cross. You can't avoid the Cross. One day you will confront the Cross. How you confront it is up to you. The choice is yours: of your own accord and acquiescence, bowing your self and accepting Jesus Christ as your God and personal Savior or being forced to bow and taking the punishment of eternal separation from God and all that is good.
What Jesus did on the Cross, dying with the sin of world on His person, was done for you and for me. It was done for every man and woman and child who has ever walked this earth. Jesus did not avoid His Cross. All He asks is that you accept what He accomplished.
Confront the Cross today.
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