In a world of dark knights, men of steel, guardians, and avengers, it can seem far-fetched to believe you can save the world. In a world of protests, violence, enraged activists, and doom, it can even seem impossible to begin. The real question to start with is what does the world need saving from most? The answer is simpler than you think.
“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.” 1 CORINTHIANS 15:17 NLT
The thing the world needs saving from is themselves. Not collectively as a whole, but individually. Each person has a problem they can’t deal with– sin. Sin is anything we do that goes against God’s standard. Murder, sin. Adultery, sin. But lying, lusting, stealing, these are sin as well. The Bible, God’s Word, tells us exactly what God calls sin and if we are honest, every one of us is guilty.
Why is sin so bad? Can’t it feel good, lead to success and fame, and be justified at times? It can, but ultimately, it still leads to death (Rom. 3:23), spiritual and physical. We understand physical death, but spiritual death works in much the same way. Death is literally separation from the living. Spiritual death is separation from the living God. This is the true problem!
So how do we solve the human condition? How do we save the world? His name is Jesus.
Jesus stepped out of Heaven to take all our sin, our guilt, and our shame on the Cross. He died the death we deserve, paid our death penalty in full, and was raised from the dead to give us eternal life. It is only through Him that we can be saved!
If this is the solution, you may be wondering where you fit in? “...how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Rom. 10:14 NLT) We must tell them how they can come to Jesus. This is called sharing the Gospel, the good news that Jesus came to save sinners like us!
My father, as a lost man, went to the slums of Uganda on a mission trip. As he walked the streets he wondered if even a million dollars would help, but these people needed more. If a lost man can realize this, surely the Church can... and take ACTION! Oswald Chambers wrote, “If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ.” I don’t mean to sound rude when I say this, but a food pantry without the Gospel serves people who will still go to Hell. A mission that builds houses for the poor but doesn’t share the Gospel shelters people who will still go to Hell. Churches who cater to those inside but never breach their own doors to share the Gospel condemn the neighborhoods of people surrounding them to Hell. How dare we who claim to have salvation only live to make it comfortable for lost people to go to Hell. Now none of these things are bad. They are tangible ways to show the love of God, but we MUST share the message of life with them or it is all in vain!
Anyone can bring someone to Jesus! I was preaching the Gospel on a street in Lima, Peru a few years ago and afterwards a taxi driver got my attention. He offered to drive me free of charge to his home to share with his lost son. For safety reasons the leaders of the trip decided I wouldn’t be able to go. The man drove off in what I considered a furious manner, but several minutes later as we were about to board our bus, his car came zooming back. He had gone home, got his son, and drove back for a chance for his son to hear the Gospel. I shared and that young man gave his life to Christ (*pictured below). That father understood the urgency, that apart from Jesus there is no salvation.
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved." ACTS 4:12 CSB
Saving a life is simple. Care about those around you enough to bring them to Jesus. Simply share the Gospel and leave the results to God.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” ROMANS 1:16 NIV
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