Many of the people that I speak to about Christ confess that they "believe" in Him, but after some probing it seems that their belief does not impact their lives in a meaningful way. Tonight I spoke with a young man named Lua that fit into this category. He knew many of the pat answers about what is required to be saved from God's wrath, namely, that we must believe in Christ Jesus, but his belief did not inform his life.
When we spoke, I tried to explain that faith in Christ is so much more than a mere intellectual assent in a set of facts about who Jesus was and what He did, but rather faith is a commitment. Christ asked us to follow Him and said that people who were reluctant to drop everything and follow (without even saying good-bye to family) were not worthy of Him. We've lost this part of the message in Christianity. Christ said that compared to our love for Him, our love for others including our mother, our father, and even our own lives should look like hate.
I explained to Lua that Christ used a parable to describe how we should value him above all else. He told of a man who found a great treasure in a field and sold everything he had to buy that field. This should be our attitude toward Christ the greatest treasure. He commands that we value Him above all things, and I believe this is the essence of faith - a vital component that is missing from many professing Christians.
After detailing the differences between a lip service belief and true faith, Lua admitted that he did not see Christ like that and had not made a commitment to follow Him with a full heart. Lua, however, said that he would think about it that night and I gave him the gospel of John to read. I pray that God softens his heart and that he can see Christ as a treasure more valuable than anything else in his life.
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1 comment:
I like how you give the gospel of John to some people after talking to them. Better than a tract for sure.
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