May I have permission to speak as a pilgrim, an oft-wayward soul? May I speak as one who, maybe occasionally, gets it right?
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.
I was reading in the Old Testament book of Joel. This prophet of God speaks of the “Day of the Lord.” It is a day of judgment when all men will be called into account. For those who believe in God, it will be a day of joy. For those who have not placed their faith and trust in God, it will be a terrible day if reckoning. It will be a day when eternal judgment will be meted out.
If one is a believer he/she might think, as I, "All right God! Sweet justice to all who have rejected you." Truth is, there is no joy in God's heart to judge anyone. He desires that all men might be saved (2Pe 3:9); that all men might turn to him for salvation…deliverance. For he says through the prophet Joel, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32). If God did not care he would not issue a warning. He would just pounce on an unsuspecting human race with fire and fury. He certainly would not send his own son, Jesus, heir to the Kingdom throne, to bear the judgment of sin meted out to set free those vile sinners, like myself, who have offended him in every way. It is no “sweet justice” to punish your own son for the wrong-doings of someone else.
It set me to thinking. When a man, a woman, a child, believes the story of redemption in Christ what exactly is it from which he/she is redeemed (saved/delivered)? He/she is delivered by the mercies of the God who is carrying out this judgment; the final and eternal sentence of separation from God, from any chance of ever being redeemed. He/she is delivered from an eternal fiery burning hell from which there is no relief. Ever!
But what the evil one (Satan), the god of this world, wants us (me) to think is that being "saved" is something more akin to simply joining some cultural revolution. It's just about being different. "Hey, I am a Jesus man. I go to church. I give money to good causes. I do community service projects in the name of my church. I pay my taxes. I’m nice to people. I serve meals at the downtown Mission.” BUT… I never open my mouth and tell someone they’re headed for judgment and hell if they don’t repent and trust Jesus. I never tell someone the “Good News” that Jesus died for our sins and that God is a great and benevolent God, who will one day judge the world for its sin; for turning it’s back on him.
What I do is invite folks to church. “Come and meet some nice friends.” But I never introduce them to Jesus, the friend of sinners. I invite people to come worship God in a nice protected sanctuary. But I never tell them why I exalt the living, redeeming God who loved me and sent his son to die for me. I invite them to join one of our many church programs in our slick facilities,. But I never usher them into the halls of the Kingdom of God. I tell folks about our great preacher. But I never tell them about a great Savior, Jesus, the one who died for me. Such things I do ad nauseam.
There you have it. This is not a condemnation of anyone, least of all by me. It is just my confession, the confession of a pilgrim who is an oft-wayward soul who rarely gets it right. I want to do better, be better. Today I have sought forgiveness from God for being something less than the witness God wants me to be. I’m asking for a fresh anointing, a new filling of his Spirit, that I may open my mouth and proclaim him. I want others to know the joy that I have known because of repentance from sin (rebellion against God). I want others to know that God loves us and calls us to himself. His deliverance is from an eternal fire and fury. It is his passion and love for all men that moves him to send prophetic warnings by the lips of men like Joel, or Paul, or Billy Graham, or least of all, in my circle of influence, by me.
So I must put the trumpet to my lips. I must sound the alarm. Judgment will come. But, whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Lord, open my mouth that I may deliver the whole message of redemption’s story, while there is still time (Joel 2:12,13).
