The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are foolishness to him… —1 Corinthians 2:14
“The gospel of God creates the sense of need for the gospel.
Is the gospel hidden to those who are servants already? No, Paul said, “But
even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose
minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe…” (2 Corinthians
4:3-4). The majority of people think of themselves as being completely moral,
and have no sense of need for the gospel. It is God who creates this sense of
need in a human being, but that person remains totally unaware of his need
until God makes Himself evident. […]
Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). When we preach our own experiences,
people may be interested, but it awakens no real sense of need. But once Jesus
Christ is “lifted up,” the Spirit of God creates an awareness of the need for
Him. The creative power of the redemption of God works in the souls of men only
through the preaching of the gospel. It is never the sharing of personal
experiences that saves people, but the truth of redemption. “The words that I
speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).” CHAMBERS
Someone once asked me, “How can I explain the Bible to someone
who is not a Christian?” My answer, “you” can’t. The Bible, physically is nothing more than
leather, wood pulp, and ink. The words
themselves are words that can be found in a dictionary of whatever language the
Bible is translated to from Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek. But unless the Spirit of God is at work,
there will be no understanding of the Spiritual truth contained in it. A lost person does not have the capacity to
understand spiritual truth. The power of
the Word is unleashed by the Spirit of God. And how does that happen? That is a great question. (I am glad I asked
it!) Is it God who chooses me, or did I
choose God? The chicken or the egg. That question has been the seed for new
denominations rising up, great debates and the subject of thousands of books. I am not going to attempt to address it,
especially in 200 words or less. Let me
say … there was a time when I was not interested in spiritual matters. And then, there was a time when I was. There was a time when I suddenly became aware
of who Jesus is, what He did, and why I needed a savior. Like nuclear fusion, I can’t explain it, but
I suddenly knew that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes
to the Father except through Jesus and that is where I desperately needed and wanted to
be.
I can remember the first time I heard John 12:32. I had read it many times, but the truth of
the text, the spiritual truth, had never sunk in. I was at an early Promise Keepers conference
in Boulder Colorado in 1993. Coach Bill
McCartney, the founder of the ministry, was speaking and he shared that
verse. There were 56,000 Christian men
in the stadium. We were singing hymns
that were ringing out from the stadium into the city. It was at that point that I realized that my
faith was not just a ticket to heaven, but it was an obligation to lift Jesus
up to the world. And so I did and
do. God does things His way. That is really OK because He is the creator …
Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith … (Hebrews 12:2) “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” I am sure you know many people who have no
interest in spiritual matters .. who don’t really care that they are on the
fast track to an eternity in hell. Your
job is to lift Jesus up. Not just by
what you say(although if the Spirit gives you opportunity you should speak up), but how
you live (don’t be conformed to this world) and how you love (love God first
and others second). God will do the
rest. ELGIN
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
Charley Elgin
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