55,000
Over the weekend, Japan was wrecked by an earthquake and a tsunami. So many are lost. Most are searching for dead, burying dead, or trying to avoid death. Something so many of us won't ever have to think about for ourselves.
However, something that I've been thinking about is that on a normal day, 55,000 people die without hearing the gospel. Now, factor in all the natural disasters in the past month, year, decade. How many of those people died without hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ?
I realize there isn't a lot that many of us can do about reaching people outside of our hometown, home state, home country (besides, of course, financial aid which is always a huge missionary outreach - don't underestimate the power of your dollars at work, especially if your heart is in the right place reaching out). So focus inward. Does your family know that Jesus died for them? Do your neighbors know that Jesus paid the price for their sins? What about your church? Is the gospel preached there (seems like an obvious answer but many churches preach false teachings)? Do YOU know the gospel? Is that a foreign word?
Gospel, Good News, the Truth. It all comes down to this. Jesus Christ is part of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. He was made man and came to earth in the form of a baby. When he grew up, he preached the gospel of love: love one another, no greater love than this, the greatest of these is love. He didn't condemn but he didn't condone sin, either. Sin leaves us in debt. Sin is a price we cannot pay ourselves (no matter how many good works you do). So Christ, being devoid of sin and wholly pure, gave his life for us on the cross, his blood paid the price of your sin, of my sin, of all sin! Why? Because he loves us.
Without Christ's payment for our sins, we cannot be with God because we are indebted to Him.
The best part of Jesus' payment? It's free! No gimmicks, no shams. This isn't spam, it's not junk mail. It's the truth and it's real. If you want to know God to be WITH God for eternity, it's so simple. All you have to do is accept his gift. The gift is a gift, not a bribe. It's free and it's for you. You.
There's not a specific prayer to say when you accept, although it is good to pray. Christ knows your heart; he knows when you want him to be the leader of your life.
Romans 10:9-10
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Jesus has freed you from your sins; he has freed you from eternal damnation and death and isolation from God. The choice is yours - he also gave you free will. But, friends, I love you so much that I want you to be able to break free of the hold that sin has on you. I don't want you to be one of the 55,000 (not today, not ever).
However, something that I've been thinking about is that on a normal day, 55,000 people die without hearing the gospel. Now, factor in all the natural disasters in the past month, year, decade. How many of those people died without hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ?
I realize there isn't a lot that many of us can do about reaching people outside of our hometown, home state, home country (besides, of course, financial aid which is always a huge missionary outreach - don't underestimate the power of your dollars at work, especially if your heart is in the right place reaching out). So focus inward. Does your family know that Jesus died for them? Do your neighbors know that Jesus paid the price for their sins? What about your church? Is the gospel preached there (seems like an obvious answer but many churches preach false teachings)? Do YOU know the gospel? Is that a foreign word?
Gospel, Good News, the Truth. It all comes down to this. Jesus Christ is part of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. He was made man and came to earth in the form of a baby. When he grew up, he preached the gospel of love: love one another, no greater love than this, the greatest of these is love. He didn't condemn but he didn't condone sin, either. Sin leaves us in debt. Sin is a price we cannot pay ourselves (no matter how many good works you do). So Christ, being devoid of sin and wholly pure, gave his life for us on the cross, his blood paid the price of your sin, of my sin, of all sin! Why? Because he loves us.
Without Christ's payment for our sins, we cannot be with God because we are indebted to Him.
The best part of Jesus' payment? It's free! No gimmicks, no shams. This isn't spam, it's not junk mail. It's the truth and it's real. If you want to know God to be WITH God for eternity, it's so simple. All you have to do is accept his gift. The gift is a gift, not a bribe. It's free and it's for you. You.
There's not a specific prayer to say when you accept, although it is good to pray. Christ knows your heart; he knows when you want him to be the leader of your life.
Romans 10:9-10
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Jesus has freed you from your sins; he has freed you from eternal damnation and death and isolation from God. The choice is yours - he also gave you free will. But, friends, I love you so much that I want you to be able to break free of the hold that sin has on you. I don't want you to be one of the 55,000 (not today, not ever).
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