Despite The Many Voices, There Is Only One Way

I feel for our young people these days as they try to sort through the mountains of knowledge and information that bombard them every day. At one time we had to seek out knowledge but in this information age it seeks us out. We have whole television channels dedicated to history, and others to science. We have TV and radio stations that are 24 hours a day of news.We have an internet that allows us to know anything about anything or anybody with a few keystrokes. For the Church and concerning the Word, we are overwhelmed with the amount of teaching and worship that is available to us. Social networking also allows us to continue in Christian fellowship throughout the week. However, it is not only Christian worship, teaching and fellowship available and not all teaching is correct teaching. These are the things that our youth must face and sort through and this is the reason that the gospel message must be clear:

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

There are so many lies that have been introduced to the world to try to overwhelm the truth, to confuse the mind, to enslave the body even more than it is. This is on top of our own sin nature that twists and distorts the Word to make it say whatever we need it to say so we can do what we want. Whole groups of people have made doctrines out of twisted truth to allow them to believe and live according to their sinful nature instead of by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Then we can add all the other groups who are making their own tower of Babels to make their own way to heaven. But none of it can stand this very simple truth

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Many will say, "But how can you be sure? If I give my life to this God I want to be sure". Perhaps this is the mistake we make in trying to rush people through the process. We convince people to accept Jesus before they have encountered Jesus for themselves. They accept Jesus according to our faith instead of their own. We forget the scripture that tells us:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)

The Scriptures tell us that the Father desires everyone to be saved which means that he must be drawing everyone to himself through Jesus but it is the Father who is doing it. We carry the light and share the Word and show his love by choosing to love as Jesus loved, but it is the Father who convicts through the Spirit. Sometimes we act as farmers, too impatient for the harvest, and we start pulling at the  plants before it is time. We forget we are the hired men and women who must follow the Farmers instructions. Much of the crop is ready to be harvested but we need to listen to know which hearts have been prepared. Our Father uses our words, actions and testimony to testify about his Son:

We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. (1 John 6:9)

The Father is constantly testifying about his Son and we need to respect this work. We have this testimony in our own hearts and it is the reason we can stand up under anything that attacks our faith. We know the truth to be real, to the point of being willing to die rather than deny it. We who believe do so with our entire being. Loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, body and strength ceases to be a command and becomes a response to God himself. Those who ignore the conviction of the truth are the ones who have put themselves in harms way:

Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. (1 John 5:10)

I for one do not believe we can accept Jesus on the point of logical truth. As we examine the Word we can find the logic in it but the kind of relationship we are called to requires more than a logical response. He requires our heart and our mind. He says that our response to him is a total response. I am one who believes that the Father continues to pursue us up to our very last breath but there are also moments he has orchestrated or allowed that give us moments of clarity concerning the truth. It is in these moments that we have the opportunity to accept or reject. It may have as a foundation the testimony of many different believers but it will come down to a decision we make for or against the Father. It will be according to the testimony he is speaking to us concerning his Son, Jesus, who is the only way to the Father. It is usually a response of love and thanksgiving as we accept the love and forgiveness he is holding out to us.

There is a lot of information available to everyone but there remains only one way. one truth, one life. Anything else is just a smoke screen that hides that trap of condemnation. The enemy knows we will be saved or condemned by the decision we make and he wants to make sure those weeds are well sowed among the good seed. Let us not give up sharing our testimony and listen to our Father's instructions. The harvest is ready and we need to be attentive.