"Now saints, I'm not talking about hell-fire preaching. Hell-fire preaching will produce fear-filled converts. Using God's law will produce tear-filled converts." Grandpa Chuck said. "This one comes because why? He wants to escape the fires of hell. But in his heart, he thinks God is harsh and unjust, because the law hasn't been used to show him the exceeding sinful nature of sin. He doesn't see hell as being his just desert, that he deserves hell. Therefore, he doesn't understand mercy or grace; and, therefore, he lacks gratitude to God for His mercy. And gratitude is the prime motivation for evangelism."
Meredith nodded. "Exactly," she smiled, "There'll be no zeal in the heart of a false convert to evangelize. But the true convert one comes knowing he has sinned against heaven. That God's eye is in every place beholding the evil and the good and God has seen darkness, as though it were pure light. He's seen his thought life."
"And that's why we can never hide anything from the Lord. Our sins are exposed to Him, no matter how much we try to hide it," Trey said.
I thought of the time where I wasn't saved and I liked to look at inappropriate websites, think of unclean thoughts, cuss, and dishonor my parents. God's seen it all. And yet He still gave His only Son to die for my sins so I wouldn't have to go to hell. I'm that loved by this perfect God who has better time than to take care of a bunch of humans who can't even take care of their own selves--but He chooses to take care of us. If we let Him.
I just realized how much the Lord loved me. I mean, I did know, but I didn't understand it. And I knew I still didn't understand it fully. I know I could never understand it fully. I could never understand everything.
"If God in His holiness on the day of wrath made manifest all the secret sins of his heart, all the deeds done in darkness, if he made manifest all the evidence of his guilt, God could pick him up as an unclean thing and cast him into hell and do that which is just." Grandpa Chuck said. "But instead of giving him justice, he's given him mercy. He's commended his love toward him in that while he's yet a sinner Christ died for him."
"That's beautiful," I said.
"He falls on his knees before that blood-stained cross, and he says, 'Oh, God, if You do that for me, I'll do anything for You. I delight to do Your will, oh, my God. Your law is written upon my heart.' And like the man who knew he had to pass through the door and face the consequences of breaking the law of gravity and would never take his parachute off because his very life depended on it, so he who comes to the Savior, knowing he has to face a holy God on the day of wrath, would never forsake the righteousness of God in Christ because His very life depends on it."
Meredith smiled and hugged her knees to her chest. "And it's as though God looked down upon me, as for many years I preached, and as I fought off the enemy with the feather duster of modern evangelism, it's as though God said, 'What are you doing? My weapons are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4). Here are ten great cannons.'
"As soon as I knew about hell's best kept secret, and as I lined up the ten cannons of God's law, no longer did sinners scoff and mock. No, their faces went pale; they lifted their hands and said, 'I surrender all! All to Jesus I freely give!' They came across to the winning side never to become deserters. Such converts become soul winners, not pew warmers, but laborers. Not layabouts, but assets. Not liabilities for the local church."
I nodded, tears coming to my eyes.
"And now saints, with every head raised and every eye open, and no music playing, let me challenge you as to the validity of your salvation," Grandpa Chuck said, "Modern evangelism says, 'Never question your salvation.' The Bible says the exact opposite. It says, 'Examine yourself and see if you're in the faith' as it says on 2 Corinthians 13:5. Better now than on the day of judgment."
Meredith said, "The Bible says in second Peter 1:10 'make your calling and election sure', and some of you know that something is radically wrong in your Christian walk. You lose your peace and joy when the flight gets bumpy. There is a lack of zeal to evangelize. You never fell on your face before Almighty God and said, 'I've sinned against You, oh God! Have mercy upon me!' You've never fled to Jesus Christ and His blood for cleansing, in desperation crying out, 'God be merciful to me a sinner!' And there's a lack of gratitude; there's not a burning zeal for the lost.
"You can't say you're on fire for God; in fact, you're in danger of being one of the ones that are called 'lukewarm' and will be spewed out of the mouth of Christ on the day of judgment (Rev. 3:16) when multitudes will cry out to Jesus, 'Lord, Lord.' And He'll say, 'Depart form me you worker of iniquity—lawlessness: I never knew you' (Mat. 7:22–23)."
Trey nodded. "No regard to the divine law. The Bible says, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity'—lawlessness (2 Tim. 2:19). So today you need to readjust the motive for your commitment. Friend, don't let your pride stop you. I would like to pray for you: I'll remain here, you remain in your bed. And if you'd like to be included in this prayer, I'd like for you to slip up your hand, but remember this:
"If you say, 'Well, I should put my hand up but what will people think?' that's pride. You prefer the praises of men to the praises of God (John 12:43). Everyone who is proud of heart is an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 16:5). God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourself before the mighty hand of God; He'll exalt you in due time (1 Peter 5:5–6). Call it a re-committal; call it a committal. But whatever you call it, make your calling and election sure."
"Thank you, guys," I said. I rubbed my misty eyes. "I already repented as soon as you started telling me about this. And I wasn't a false convert, because I did feel genuinely sorry for my sins the day I repented. But I did see sin as not exceedingly sinful. I thought sin wasn't that serious, but we just have to say sorry because we've hurt God, you know? I thought that was the case. But sin is serious. It's dead serious. It's because of sin we are separated from our God. It's because of sin that death came into the world. It's because of sin that everything is bad--that there are wars, racism, homosexuality, satanism, fornication--all of these came from one sin that Adam and Eve committed.
"And it's because of sin that Jesus came down from heaven, lived a perfect life on earth, and died on the cross. And it's just amazing that the cross is the ultimate proof God can use anything for His will--yes, it might be bad that sin came into the world, but God had the amazing chance to express His immeasurable love for us through Jesus Christ.
"I'd say that's a miracle!"
Meredith took a felt pen from my bedside table. She fished a yellow sticky note from her dress pocket and started to scribble. She handed it to me.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. ~Romans 8:28
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There Must Be Something More
SpiritualCharlie Borlock thought he had everything. That is, until new country girl Meredith Caraway arrived. She says she has a God who can do far more than what he has, and she says life is so much more than school, or girlfriends, or friends, or even fami...
