Trey chimed in, "You see, if you came to me and said, 'Hey, Trey,' and I said, 'Yeah.' You said, 'This is a cure to Groaninzin’s disease; I sold my house to raise the money to get this cure. I’m giving it to you as a free gift.' I’d probably react something like this: 'What? Cure to what? Groaninzin’s disease? You sold your house to raise the money to get this cure? You’re giving it to me as a free gift? Why, thanks a lot. Bye.…That guy’s a nut.' I mean, that’s probably how I’d react if you sold your house to raise the money to get a cure for a disease I’d never heard of and your giving it to me as free gift, I’d think you’re rather strange.
"But instead, if you came to me and said, 'Trey, you’ve got Groaninzin’s disease. I can see ten clear symptoms on your flesh. You’re going to be dead in two weeks.' And I became convinced I had the disease (the symptoms were so evident), and said, 'Oh! What shall I do?' And then you said, 'Don’t worry. This is a cure to Groaninzin’s disease. I sold my house to raise the money to get this cure. I’m giving it to you as a free gift.' I’m not going to despise your sacrifice; I’m going to appreciate it and I’m going to appropriate it. Why? Because I’ve seen the disease that I might appreciate the cure."
Steven nodded. He said, "And sadly, what’s happened in the U.S. and the Western world as follow is that we have preached the cure without first convincing of the disease. We have preached a gospel of grace without first convincing men of the law, that they’re transgressors; and, consequently, almost everyone I try and witness to in our neighborhood or in the park or around the Bible belt has been born-again six or seven times.
"You say, 'You need to give your life to Jesus Christ.' 'Uh, I did that when I was seven, eleven, seventeen, twenty-three, twenty-five, twenty-eight, thirty-two…' You know the guy’s not a Christian. He’s a fornicator. He’s a blasphemer, but he thinks he’s saved because he’s been 'born- again'. What’s happening? He’s using the grace of our God for an occasion of the flesh. He doesn’t esteem the sacrifice. For him it’s not a bad thing to trample the blood of Christ underfoot (Heb. 10:29). Why? Because he’s never been convinced of the disease that he might appreciate the cure."
Meredith nodded. "I got a handful of revelation the moment I first heard the message. I realized now why only three people gave their lives to Christ that day of our club's first meeting. I've only been convincing people of the promise of life enhancement. I've been telling them that only God can truly fulfill their lives--while that's true, it shouldn't be the reason an unbeliever should surrender their life to Christ. I have to tell them why they should surrender in the first place.
"Because of sin. Sin is the only thing separating us from God. It's because of sin that we are headed to hell. And it's because of sin that Jesus came down from heaven and became a human being and died on the cross to pay for our sins. It's because of sin that God extended His love toward us through Jesus Christ.
"While it was good that I did speak of sin a few times in my modern evangelism, I didn't tell them what it really was. I didn't take the sinner through the ten commandments."
Steven took the turn again. "Modern evangelism only very rarely works. Only very, very few people are being saved because of it."
"But... there are many of us in the church," I said, puzzled. "Modern evangelism seems to work well as I see it."
Meredith shook her head. "Just because you go to church doesn't mean you're saved. God doesn't save church-goers. He saves those who are truly sorry for their sins and let the Holy Spirit change them by taking them into a glorious process."
"Let me complete my sentence," Steven said, "only very, very few people are being saved because of it. But many stay for the church's good music or just for the sake of going to church like a 'good person' would. But these people are stony ground hearers--they don't yield fruit. They don't do the Lord's will, which is to seek and save the lost. They don't desire fellowship. They still cling to their worldly desires even when they know it's wrong."
Trey nodded. "Once I heard the message, I immediately repented of my sins for real and asked God to help me live for Him. I knew I was a false convert. I didn't have any desire for other people to get saved. I just wanted to enjoy God's promises in my life. And I knew that was wrong. That wednesday Worship Night is the best night of my life. I just knew something changed in my heart."
Samuel smiled and nodded. "Me too. I mean, I wasn't a false convert, but I didn't really see sin as something crucial or anything. Yes, whenever I commit a mistake, and I do feel sorry, but I'd end up doing it again because I secretly rested in the fact that I was saved and I'd always be forgiven anyway. I abused God's amazing grace.
"I didn't pay much importance to it. But because of the sermon, I realized now how much we need repentance to be saved. Real repentance."
Steven nodded. "Biblical evangelism is always, without exception, law to the proud and grace to the humble. Never will you see Jesus giving the gospel, the good news, the cross, the grace of our God, to a proud, arrogant, self-righteous person. No, no. With the law he breaks the hard heart and with the gospel he heals the broken heart. Why? Because He always did those things that please the Father. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble--James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5.
"'Everyone who is proud of heart,' scripture says, 'is an abomination to the Lord' as said in Proverbs 16:5.
Jesus told us whom the gospel is for. He said, 'The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, the broken-hearted, the captives and the blind' (Luke 4:18). Now, they are spiritual statements. The poor in spirit (Mat. 5:3). The broken hearted are the contrite ones (Is. 57:15). The captives are those of whom Satan has taken captive to do his will (2Tim. 2:26); and the blind are those of whom the god of this world has blinded lest the light of the gospel should shine on them (2Cor. 4:4). Only the sick need a physician (Mark 2:17), and only those who are convinced of the disease will appreciate and appropriate a cure."
I sighed and the image of the broken windshield and the saguaro poking through flashed in my mind.
I closed my eyes. God, please let Liam be okay. I wanna lead him to You for real now.
YOU ARE READING
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...
