I think religion will probably send more people to Hell than all other sins combined.
If I were to walk up to someone and say, "Are you saved? Do you believe in Jesus?" they might immediately pivot to religious activity or good works. They might say something along the lines of, "I was raised in the church," or "I was baptized," or "I receive communion."
But if their "religion" is keeping them from God, they are missing the point.
God's law was given to show us we need a Savior. There's only one individual who has walked this earth and kept all of God's law without fail, and that individual is Jesus Christ.
No one else can do this, because no one else has the ability to live by those standards. Everything in the Old Testament, the animal sacrifices, the feasts and the high priest, were all symbols and shadows of the fulfillment that would come through Jesus Christ himself. The law is described as the shadow of things to come. The law pointed to the answer.
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Imagine if you had been away from home for a month. When you finally get off the plane and make your way to the baggage claim, there stands your family with the sun streaming behind them. It's a beautiful scene. So, you run toward them, but instead of hugging them, you drop to the ground and start hugging their shadows.
They would think you lost your mind while you were away.
The Bible says that is what it's like to hang on to the law. It points to someone, and that someone is Jesus Christ.
There is only one way to be saved. The Bible says, "For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. … Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:10, 12–13 NLT).
Sometimes we give intellectual assent to something, but it doesn't take hold in our hearts. This needs to be an inner conviction. Yes, we mentally agree to it, but we embrace it as a conviction. It's very important to verbally say what we're thinking in our hearts.
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Someone might say, "Well, God can see my heart."
Yes, he can. But the Bible tells us, "Let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name" (Hebrews 13:15 NLT). We need to say that Jesus is Lord. We need to say it in the church, and we need to say it to others as well.
We also must tell people to be saved. The apostle Paul wrote, "But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" (Romans 10:14 NLT).
This is why the Bible says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" (Romans 10:15 NLT). We might notice someone's hair or eyes, but generally we don't pay attention to someone's feet. Yet the Bible says we can have beautiful feet.
What the Bible is speaking of is something that is in full bloom. And what is more beautiful than flowers? They're wonderful to behold. In the same way, when Christians engage someone in a conversation about Jesus Christ and shares what God has done for them, they blossom. They come to life.
I believe that a key to personal revival is to share your faith. That's because the Gospel, by design, is not to be hoarded; it's to be shared. And as you share this life-giving message with others, it's also a life-giving message to you.
As you're declaring what God has done for you and what God can do for the person you're speaking with, you're reminded of all the things that have happened in your own life. You're rediscovering these great truths, and they come to life for you.
The Bible says, "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself" (Proverbs 11:25 NKJV).
The primary way God chooses to reach nonbelievers is through the verbal articulation of the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 1:21 we read, "Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe" (NLT).
I never aspired to preach. But over the years as I've had the privilege of preaching and teaching, I've seen the power of the Word of God to change lives. And that's what keeps me going.
According to the Bible, you are either saved or lost. You are either born again or are spiritually dead. According to Scripture, you are either headed to Heaven or you're headed to Hell. We want to make sure that we are saved, and we want to do everything we can to help our neighbors, family and friends to be saved as well.
If you want to see people saved, it starts with prayer. Do you know someone who isn't a Christian? Pray for that person by name.
Really, the first thing you should do before you talk to someone about Jesus is to pray for them. And what kind of prayer do you pray? You ask God to open their spiritual eyes and soften their heart. Pray they would be receptive to the message that you are about to bring. Prayer is the work, and then God works. It has been said that the battle is won on the knees. So pray.
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