On a train track in South Dallas, headed to the only beer store I know that wouldn’t check my i.d., I had a run in with God. I was 17 and thought I was untouchable.
First a little history.
I was raised in a Pentecostal preachers home. You know, one of those preachers that preached that hell is hot, heaven is real and Jesus is coming soon type of preachers. I had heard every salvation message you could hear, I had raised my hand and prayed the ‘sinners prayer’ more times than I can count but I was nowhere near saved. I had more knowledge of church and knew more about God than most adults but, I was still lost.
That night something happened. Somehow, through a strange turn of events, conviction gripped me and I knew that if I were to die I would go to Hell. I also knew that God loved me enough to solve that problem. That night I repented of my sin and told God I would serve Him the rest of my life. That had been almost 28 years and I’m still keeping that promise.
There are several problems I have discovered with Christianity on this journey. A few are trivial but some are glaring. I wanted to write this to tell you about a few that I have encountered on this journey.
1. Sacrifice.
We live in a time where the preaching of sacrifice is no longer necessary. Why sacrifice when you can have it all? Isn’t sacrifice by its very definition doing without? We are made to be kings and priests so why would we ever think that the notion of sacrifice would be acceptable in Christianity. I’m supposed to have a new car, big house, lots of money, just by serving the Lord, and yet Christians throughout history, especially in other parts of the world, are living, many times, without even basic necessities. Serving the Lord means that there will be times we are called to sacrifice something.
2. Faithfulness
One thing that God honors is faithfulness. I’ve noticed that we are able to do the one time things very well. It is the consistent, day to day faithfulness though, that pleases God. It is easy to write a $1,000 check to our favorite ministry. It is much more difficult to simply pay our tithe every week. It is easy to attend an all night prayer meeting. It is much more difficult to find a time to be with God every single day. Faithfulness in prayer and study is one area that I personally struggle with so I’m not pointing any fingers. But God still requires it.
3. Change
We all like change, especially when someone else has to do the changing. But serving the Lord requires change. It is true that God accepts us as we are, but He loves us enough not to leave us that way. See, before salvation, we are filthy sinners, literally. Our sin, regardless of how small it may be, is horrible to God. Once we are drawn by the Holy Spirit to salvation, a change must occur. Acts 2:38 says it perfectly in the first word “repent”
To repent means to turn around and go the other way. The concept is to leave the life you were living and live differently. In other words, we can’t stay the way we are once we are saved; we must begin doing things differently. The relationships we had sometimes must be broken, the activities we used to do, we don’t do anymore. There must be change. Sometimes it is gradual, sometimes it is immediate, but change is inevitable, and required, to serve the Lord. This has been my biggest problem and everyone I talk to has the same problem; we don’t like to change. God still requires it.
Serving the Lord isn’t for the weak or for those who just want the title of “Christian” it is only for those who
A. Are drawn by the Holy Spirit away from sin
B. Repent of their sins
C. Live a life separated to God
That is Biblical and that is right.
Pastor Jared Rogers 