Encouragement
Today I had the privilege of going with my husband to work. He is a piano tuner and since the children are all out of the house now, occasionally, I will go with him.
I get to meet some very interesting people. Today I met a young lady who encouraged me in ways she will never know. Isn't God good to send encouragement when we need it the most.
She began to tell me of her conversion. It was evident in her facial expressions that this was the most important thing that ever happened to her.
I can not remember what she told me got her started thinking about her soul condition but basically it was through Christian radio that she heard the gospel. She attended a conference of some kind where they gave an altar call. She had never had any experience with that but immediately knew this was what she needed. She went forward that night and gave her life to Christ.
She excitedly went home and told her unbelieving husband that the Bible was true. She was able to lead her mother-in-law, her mother and father to the Lord. Her husband also gave his life to the Lord 2 years later.
It was such an exciting story because, having grown up in church it is hard to believe that anyone could be saved apart from the working of a local congregation. I really think that God was trying to teach me something here. I think that He made it plain that salvation was HIS work and His work alone. It is only my pleasure to be a part of His plan.
In the past few years, I have won several people to the Lord but have yet to see any progress in their Chrisitan life. I have questioned if their conversion was real, and yet I am faced with the fact that to approach them with that is to possibly put a question in their mind that need not be there. After all, I told them that they only had to call on the Lord ONE time and it was He that did the work, not them. It was not according to their feelings but according to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saved. I do believe that, but discouragement sets in when you see, supposed christians, still living the life they lived with no change. And then there is the one that really took to the christian life but is now back to the old life. It is very confusing.
But God showed me truth today. 2Co 5:17 (KJV) "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." I am afraid that I can no longer give people a false sense of security. That is too dangerous.
Php 2:12 (KJV) "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." After thinking about this situation, I think I should add this to my personal witnessing and warn those that accept that they need to make sure of their decision. Some have been afraid of this verse because it looks like it may teach works for salvation. That is not at all what I believe. I think it was a warning that as a christian, you need to be reading your bible and applying scripture to your life in order to make sure that your heart is right. A new creature will produce different works from an old sinner.
This is such a confusing study. There is much more to be said about this. I welcome any comments.
I get to meet some very interesting people. Today I met a young lady who encouraged me in ways she will never know. Isn't God good to send encouragement when we need it the most.
She began to tell me of her conversion. It was evident in her facial expressions that this was the most important thing that ever happened to her.
I can not remember what she told me got her started thinking about her soul condition but basically it was through Christian radio that she heard the gospel. She attended a conference of some kind where they gave an altar call. She had never had any experience with that but immediately knew this was what she needed. She went forward that night and gave her life to Christ.
She excitedly went home and told her unbelieving husband that the Bible was true. She was able to lead her mother-in-law, her mother and father to the Lord. Her husband also gave his life to the Lord 2 years later.
It was such an exciting story because, having grown up in church it is hard to believe that anyone could be saved apart from the working of a local congregation. I really think that God was trying to teach me something here. I think that He made it plain that salvation was HIS work and His work alone. It is only my pleasure to be a part of His plan.
In the past few years, I have won several people to the Lord but have yet to see any progress in their Chrisitan life. I have questioned if their conversion was real, and yet I am faced with the fact that to approach them with that is to possibly put a question in their mind that need not be there. After all, I told them that they only had to call on the Lord ONE time and it was He that did the work, not them. It was not according to their feelings but according to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saved. I do believe that, but discouragement sets in when you see, supposed christians, still living the life they lived with no change. And then there is the one that really took to the christian life but is now back to the old life. It is very confusing.
But God showed me truth today. 2Co 5:17 (KJV) "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." I am afraid that I can no longer give people a false sense of security. That is too dangerous.
Php 2:12 (KJV) "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." After thinking about this situation, I think I should add this to my personal witnessing and warn those that accept that they need to make sure of their decision. Some have been afraid of this verse because it looks like it may teach works for salvation. That is not at all what I believe. I think it was a warning that as a christian, you need to be reading your bible and applying scripture to your life in order to make sure that your heart is right. A new creature will produce different works from an old sinner.
This is such a confusing study. There is much more to be said about this. I welcome any comments.
posted by momlinda1945 | 7:56 PM
1 Comments:
Here is a helpful comment sent to me by a trusted friend:
I did read and found your thoughts interesting. I understand your struggle with those who make professions of faith and later have no evident fruit of salvation. THis is a challenge to me, as well. I am convinced that we need to help them understand just how devastating the fall of Adam and Eve was to all the rest of us and how our own sin (nature and choices) has separated us from God. When a person sees that and truly repents of sin he will want to trust the Lord as Savior and he will know just how great is God's grace. The natural result of this is a changed life. On the other hand, a person who is led to just trust Christ as Savior, can pray the "sinner's prayer" without repentance and without understanding the greatness of their need and the magnitude of God's gift. When they get that, their love for the Lord and gratitude for His redemption will result in a hatred for sin and a love for the Savior. And, this makes a change in lifestyle inevitable.
A prayer is just meaningless words unless there is sincere activity in the heart. To try to tell someone that in order to prove that they are really saved they have to show a change in their lives could cause someone to try to prove to others that they have something that they don't in reality have at all. This is what the Lord call hypocrisy and is the sin He most strongly rebuked during His earthly ministry.
I think we need to take more time in explaining, not only the plan of salvation, but why it is so desperately needed and the contrasting destinies of those who place their faith in Christ and those who don't.
Post a Comment
<< Home