Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
He died to atone for men’s sin,
and after three days rose again.
This is the most important fact in the universe. I die believing in Christ.
~ Watchman Nee
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in 1 Corinthians 15
Oh beloved, it is true. We are on a narrow road Home. And the ways off the road are real. But as real as they are, they are unnecessary. For The Way is exceedingly simple. Jesus is the Way. And in Him, there is no variation, nor shadow of turning.
And the Home before us is glorious. There awaits Him; His simplicity will be the totality of the place we will inhabit. And in Him – for us – awaits an astounding destiny. We are to participate in the divine nature of the One who made us. And in our union with Him we will continue a dance of Love which will never end. Eternities will roll out under our feet, now standing on the foundation of the righteousness He has always had, and which He gave us in His work on the cross.
The road had a beginning point. We can place it on the calendar. We know there was moment (the exact right one), where our horrendous and selfish sinfulness – and the righteous wrath of G_d – was poured out on the Son. And this was a moment that only He could have endured. This was a place where our very G_d did tear His own Triune Heart asunder for the Love of each Other – and for us.
It worked!
In a scream heard well across eternity, this same Lamb’s work is so effective that it actually happened before the foundations of the earth. Everything is paid for. The Way is made straight. We, now, in Him have everything. It. Is. Finished.
Life
Forgiveness
Redemption
Adoption
Authority
Hope
Strength
Love
Freedom
Grace
Joy
Peace
Everything.
And so, dearly beloved, when we are tempted to look away from the reality of what Jesus has already done for us, it is vital for us to hear the voice of that Counselor (His Spirit) within us: “Stop it.”
No, really. Stop.
Can we see it? Our mission is made simple by the simplicity of who Jesus is. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Beginning and the End. It is all about Him. Jesus. Jesus Himself has done the impossible. He has saved us from death and hell. He has given us authority over our failures right now. And He is bringing us Home to a place where we will so identified with Him as to actually participate in His identity.
So, yeah, it is necessary for us to be aware of all the things that can distract us from the gospel. There are indeed problems in this fallen world. And against those problems, we will most-definitely be engaged. However, the challenge we must accept is that we are not here to fix the problems (we couldn’t even solve our own anyway). No, we are here to usher others to the Ultimate Solution. We are on a mission to proclaim the same message that began with Jesus’ own herald, John the Baptist.
Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Tonight is your night beloved. Change your mind (this is the meaning of ‘repentance’). The gospel is not about fighting all the problems of the world. The gospel is about staying true to the One who is The Way, The Truth and The Life. And this same Jesus has said, that He has already done what is needed. Now, it is for us to come to rest in profound belief of this and move out in Love with the message He has given us.
