“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:31
The whole purpose John wrote the Gospel of John is capsulized in the above verse, and that is, ‘that we may believe.’ When we believed the Gospel and received Jesus as Lord and Savior, we were given a brand new life and a whole new reason to be alive! We are to continue the message that John began, and for the same reason: that others might believe through us! That’s an awesome calling and a magnificent opportunity! It’s also the most heart fulfilling and rewarding life available to anyone who will simply believe and freely give as they have freely received!
This should cause us to pause for a moment and reflect on our current focus and ask ourselves some honest questions… 1) Is my life reflecting the kind of new life that Jesus offers those who believe in Him? 2) Are my actions and lifestyle provoking others to want to believe in the Lord I claim to know? 3) Is my life an open book for others to see an integrity the world doesn’t have, and a love that tells the world that I am a disciple of Jesus? 4) Is my life lived out as a living letter for the world to read …so that they might believe?
I know these are challenging questions, but we live in challenging times! People are looking for answers. Many are unsettled by the events over this past year as they watched anarchy reign in the streets, buildings, property and monuments destroyed with no response from mayors, governors or judges. Those who were entrusted to keep and enforce law and order abdicated their responsibilities and betrayed their oaths, and those who elected them. Many feel the presidential election was stolen and that their vote is as good as the wind. Not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic and all its fallout! In other words, we live in perilous times and this nation, where evil is called good and good is called evil. Interestingly enough, the Bible uses these very words to describe a declining nation; Isaiah 5:20 says “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Perilous times demand radical answers and that’s why we were born for such a time as this! God has vested in us, by virtue of the new birth, the message of Truth and the power of eternal Life the world is looking for (even though they don’t know it), and we have it living in us as a witness to the God who offers love, forgiveness and redemption! He, Himself is the very light of the Gospel of Jesus. It’s the message that hasn’t changed in 2,000 years, and it has been entrusted to ones such as us to freely give as we have freely received, so “…that they might believe!”
With Love,
Pastor Tom