It seems these days that truth has become a byword for anything and everything one wants to believe. But truth is with a capital T. Truth can only be found in Jesus Christ. The truth and power of the Gospel has never been unsuccessful. Our deepest need is for truth and our need for a Savior. The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus has rescued us from the power of sin and death; He has brought us out of the kingdom of darkness and brought us into His kingdom of light. His kingdom is based on this Truth. Friends, people are desperate for this Truth. The magnet of the Gospel message takes us from:
Despair to hope….
From fear to faith….
Believers in Jesus Christ have the greater truth the world seeks and it is centered on Jesus and the cross. We find our identity in Christ and a deeper truth is deposited into our hearts.
That we are loved by our Creator…
That we are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image…
That even in our darkest moments (think COVID) Jesus never forsakes us…
This past week I had the privilege of sharing my faith with a few women who were afraid and were seeking answers to life’s big questions. Is my life worth something? Why are we facing such horrific things in our world such as COVID, hurricane Ida, a school shooting this past week in North Carolina, the persecuted people in Afghanistan and around the world? People are searching and we have an opportunity to be transparent, vulnerable and real with people concerning the greater Truth of the Gospel.
As I write this blog, I am reminded that you cannot strong arm someone into believing that Jesus is the answer. But we can show them the character of Christ; a selfless life lived to serve others. Perhaps they will not read a Bible, but we can show them love and compassion and give them hope. The Good News is worked out in our daily lives as we live for God and others. And Truth with a capital “T” is seen as Jesus with skin on.
I’m writing this blog to encourage the church today to be, as described in Scripture, “salt and light” to a confused world. I fear that we (and I’m preaching to the choir) have found it safer and easier to stay in our holy huddles working out our salvation and forgetting that outside the doors of our quest for holiness, are people in need. I for one have found myself trapped by my discouragement and distress over the state of the world. But then I read Scripture and am reminded that my mission in Christ is to love in such a way that people will want to be introduced to the God I serve.
What about you? Have you found yourself hunkered down in your spiritual journey worn out from trying to bring people to Christ in a world that is hostile to the message of Truth? You are not alone. But there is an awakening happening in the church; a love rising up just like the North Star The North Star, known as Polaris, is significant because the axis of earth is pointed almost directly at it. During the course of the night, Polaris does not rise or set, but remains in nearly the same spot above the northern horizon year round. Jesus, our North Star remains the same, unchanging as the Son of God who came to the earth, died for our sins, and sent His Holy Spirit to lead us to Truth. Same position, unchanged in the darkness. Friends, we need to direct people to Jesus, the North Star shining in the darkness.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)
