Lessons from Church: 2/5

The Letters to Cornerstone Series in which we examine what Jesus would possibly write to us in calling us to greater doctrinal purity, personal application, or endurance landed on the topic of Sharing the Gospel today.

Pastory Troy rightly pointed out that we are natural evangelists for the things in which we delight. No one has to gird us on, equip us, empower us, charge us, or stay on us to preach that which we believe to be the most exciting thing in our lives. We do it on our own, naturally, continually, and persuasively.

If you love the stock market, no one has to tell you to encourage others to delight in the stock market. You love it when it comes up in conversation and you seek ways to bring it up and tie it in to whatever is being discussed.

If you love home decor, no one has to tell you that you should sign up for Country Living, Anthropologie, Better Homes & Gardens, or Martha Stewart Living. You gladly give your money to receive these monthly reminders of that which you adore. No one has to tell you, "if you really love home decor, you would talk about it more often." No, on the contrary, people regularly may say, "Ok, I get it! You love home decor. It's all you ever talk about!"

We often do not worry that our love of a particular Sports team will offend those who do not like our team or cheer for another team. We evangelize and tell everyone the glories of the teams we like best. For example, a Kentucky fan will likely not cower and be ashamed when in the company of others they discover the majority are Louisville fans. All the more likely, the Kentucky fan will rise up and be glad to take upon themself the monicker or outlier.

We know how to do this.

Except when it really matters.

In MOST circumstances we are perfectly comfortable and not the least bit anxious about offending people by proclaiming the joys of that which we find the most exhilirating other than the MOST important issue we hold MOST deeply (life, Jesus, salvation, hell, the Bible, marriage, sin, politics, and death).

We cower away from these for any number of reasons, but cower, nonetheless, we do.

We would like to think of ourselves as those who would help a lost child in a local food market, but we fearfully shy away from lost people at our workplaces. The child at the market is clearly lost and in need of help. We pity them and seek to assist them find their way home. The lost person at work is equally, if not more so, lost and in need of assistance, but we don't want to offend them. I guess it helps that the kid in the grocery store knows they are lost whereas the person at work may need your help to convince them that they are lost before they accept directions on how to get to a home where God reigns.

Pastor Troy finished by going through Romans 6:23 and illustrating the "bridge model" of sharing the Gospel to both share the Gospel with those in attendance and to equip those in attendance who have already been given eyes to see Jesus the resource as an example of how to share the Gospel with the lost in our lives.

Pastor Troy lastly brought up that the Tree of Life makes its first appearance in the earliest chapters of the book of Genesis and does not appear again until the last chapter of the book of Revelation. That Tree's fruit is only eaten by those who worship God through Jesus Christ.

In between the story of the Tree of Life is all redemptive history played out to demonstrate God's love in Jesus Christ in providing a way of reconciliation through the Cross.

Those who do not worship Jesus and accept the substitute of His Cross will not find their way home to God in peace, but will face the terrifying reality of a Holy God and His righteous wrath against those who fall short of His standards with no one to intercede on their behalf.