Grace And Truth
Telling people about who Jesus really is has been on my heart a lot lately. Jesus came to earth and died for all of our sins, so as a Christian, of course I want to share this gift with as many people as I can. In fact, I signed up to go on the World Race to do just that. He did tell us to go make believers of all nations, right? So, why is it so hard (especially in America today) to share my faith with non-believers? The answer to that question comes in the form of another question: How are we as disciples supposed to go about sharing the gospel? The simple answer is speak like Jesus spoke; with Grace and Truth.
As I have mentioned in previous Blogs, up until about five months ago, I was not a Christian. When I was young I was raised in a Christian home. I went to church and youth group and Christian schools and all of my friends were Christians of one denomination or another. The information was there, but I'm not sure I ever really believed any of it. I called myself a Christian, but I didn't really know what that meant. When I got older, I gave up the act and lived my life in a way that punctuated my non-belief. Because I had grown up in a Christian family with Christian friends, I had a lot of people who loved me trying to get me to give up my sinful ways and go back to church. What I noticed during this time is that when people would try to win me back for the kingdom, they would hammer me with a lot of Truth or a lot of Grace. They would relentlessly tell me about my sin over and over until I just shut them out completely or they would tell me about this church they knew about that was accepting of all behavior because they thought there was no hell and everyone is getting in to heaven no matter what. I didn't respond well to either of these approaches, so I hardened my heart and shut off my mind when anyone would even say the name Jesus. I think that this is how a lot of people in America (especially in my generation and younger) react to Christianity when someone tries to share the gospel with them.
Let me give you a couple of examples of what the American church has turned into and why (while good intentioned) it isn't working in our society. Let's start with the Truth-beaters. What I'm calling Truth-beaters here are the churches that take the traditional bible-beating approach to evangelism. They will repeatedly tell you about sin and it's repercussions. The world is burning and we hold the market on fire insurance. They will go out and harass homosexuals, or women at abortion clinics, or prostitutes, or people of other religions. They will spend huge amounts of money lobbying for the laws in this country to be molded to fit their morality. It's basically Christian fascism. It's the idea that you are only really a Christian if you vote Republican. While these Christians are right about the sinful ways of American society, their approach is way off. There is no Grace to balance out their Truth. A lot of times (like in the picture above) there isn't even any truth involved. God does hate sin, but He loves sinners enough to come to earth and die for us. When Jesus told us to make believers, He didn't say to strong arm people into the kingdom. Frankly, that is impossible. While you might get a few people to "act right" it is highly unlikely that they will know who Jesus really is. The idea that "acting right" is a path to heaven is a legalistic lie used by the enemy to keep people from joining the kingdom. Jesus went to the cross for all sins. When you accept Jesus into your heart for who He really is and what He has done for you, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you and "acting right" comes naturally. It's not the other way around.
The other side of the coin is the Grace-abusers. Because the scare tactics of the more traditional churches have seemed to have stopped working, a lot of churches have popped up with the exact opposite philosophy. These churches preach very little Biblical Truth, while pouring on the Grace. Their idea of attraction is calling themselves Christian, while preaching that there is no sin or hell. They will say that Jesus died for the world's sin, so go live however you want. Everybody is going to Heaven. If you want to believe in some weird mix of Christianity and Buddhism, go right ahead. The way they see it, Buddhists believe in being "good people", so how could God have a problem with it. And now we are back to that idea that "being good" or "acting right" buys a ticket to heaven. One thing that never changes in the whole bible is that God is a jealous God. All He wants from us is to love and worship Him and only Him. That means that we have to believe His word. If He says that there is sin and there is a hell, and that the only way around those things is through His Son Jesus Christ, you better believe that Truth. In John 4:23-24, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well "[yet] a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in Truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and His worshipers must worship Him in the Spirit and in Truth." Basically, what Jesus is saying is that the only real way to worship God is to be born again in the Spirit and to know who you are worshiping by knowing the Truth of scripture.
So, back to the question of how we as disciples are to go about sharing the gospel. There has to be equal parts of Grace and Truth. Luckily, the real Truth is full of Grace. Jesus died for our sin. The only way to join His kingdom is to be reborn in His Spirit. With the Holy Spirit living in us, faith comes naturally. Without the Holy Spirit living in us, faith is impossible. When telling a non-believer about what Jesus has done for them, I think the best way to speak with Grace and Truth is through personal testimony. My life was so dramatically changed when I was reborn in the Spirit, that it is hard to argue God's Grace. Through the Holy Spirit living inside of me, addiction, depression, anxiety, and shame were all defeated immediately. The Truth of who Jesus really is was revealed and the meaning of scripture was unlocked. I stopped believing that I could buy my way into heaven by "acting right". I knew that Jesus had paid that debt a long time ago. This is all amazing news. God has given me multiple opportunities to share this news with others who are right where I was. All he has asked of me is to tell the Truth of what He has done in my life with Grace. I don't need to shine a light on their sin. I also don't need to tell them the lie that their sin is okay with God just to get them to go to church with me. All I have to do is tell them my story with Grace and Truth and the Holy Spirit will take over and do the rest. As always, thanks for taking the time to read my Blog. Love Y'all!!!
