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Monday, January 10, 2011

Open their eyes

"To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."--Acts 26:18. This is part of what Paul said Jesus told him to do upon their encounter with each other on the road to Damascus.  I know this is not the verse we think of when we speak of the Great Commission. I looked at this verse and while it is not as specific as the passage in Matthew 28, is what is said here in Acts not part of our job?  Paul was given this mission by Christ.  Of course this mission involved baptism and teaching which are part of the Great Commission we find in Matthew 28.

I chose this passage because it summarizes in a phrase what evangelism is all about.  Evangelism is about turning people back to God.  Ever driven somewhere and on your way there, you find out you have been going the wrong direction?  What do you do? You make a few U-turns and you are back on track. This is what we need to do with people.  The majority of the world is heading in the wrong direction. I think most of us would agree that this is true even of this wonderful nation we are so blessed to live in? So where do you and I fall into the equation? Well, I know a lot of people hate "backseat drivers" but when it comes to evangelism we always need to be backseat drivers with people.  For those who don't know, a backseat driver is a person who is always telling the person behind the wheel which turns to make and where to go even if they know how to get there already. Forgive the analogy.  But as Christians, we know what it takes to get to heaven and that is through Christ.  "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."--Jesus Christ.  So if Jesus is exclusively the only way to God.  Logically, this must mean that there is NO OTHER WAY TO GOD EXCEPT THROUGH CHRIST. I saw an ad and heard a sermon dealing with the idea behind the bumper sticker "Coexist." The ad and the sermon stood in stark contrast to each other.  The ad advocated religious coexistence and "many ways to God." while the sermon by my brother in Christ and friend Jeremy Roberts correctly stated this cannot be. So, let's connect the dots. We know most people are heading in the WRONG direction.  We know the RIGHT direction. So what does that mean?  We have to be the "backseat driver" and get people back on track, sometimes this will include our own brethren. But the reality is most people are heading the WRONG direction and we have to help them "make a U-turn" and get back on track, the only track which is Jesus Christ.  If you are not on THE WAY, you are simply lost out in a field somewhere. So may we strive to open the eyes of the blind and as we are committed to doing this year at the Bear Valley Church of Christ, let's THINK SOULS!  Pray about it! Do something about it, love y'all God bless.

1 comment:

  1. Enjoyed your thoughts David. And not just because you mentioned my sermon. Haha. But seriously, your devos are always very encouraging and I enjoy when I get a chance to read them. Keep it up.

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