A Fortune Cookie Message
A Fortune Cookie Message
Imagine for a moment that you are a military chaplain in the armed forces. In a strange twist of events that have produced an inadequate enrollment for military service, and because recent armed conflicts have produced so many casualties, you are pushed to active military duty on the front lines of the hottest battle. They take your Bible and hand you a gun-even though you have never fired a weapon in any combat situation-giving you orders to dig in for the worst battle you have ever seen or even read about. The commanding officers meet with you and share that death is imminent for you and the soldiers on the front line. It is essentially a suicide mission. But you must fight.
There you are-entrenched on the battle line with a handful of men you have never met on both sides of you. You want to share the gospel, but you just can't get the words out of your mouth. All the sermons you have mimicked and all your Fortune Cookie Theology classes have only deepened the dark ditch of your debilitating dilemma.
Why can't you get the words out?
Why can't you tell them that, "God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life."?
Why can't you tell them that, "Today, they will have the best day ever in the Lord."?
Or how about, "You are blessed and highly favored of God; get ready for your promotion."?
Your mouth is sealed. You have "preached the gospel, without speaking" But sadly, you have failed.
In the next two hours in that enemy barraged temporary barrier, you and every person with you died a horrific death. You are now standing before God Almighty-and there is hell to pay.
But that story seems a little grim. And besides, it is so far fetched, who could put themselves in that scenario. Well, I understand.
Rewind your mind a few years. Let's re-enter the pre-9/11 world. Hard to imagine as it may be, there was a time when emails were not censored, or when passengers didn't have to take off their shoes before flying. A world that seems so far removed from our own.
Can you remember what you were doing on September 10, 2001? Chances are, you cannot remember, but I venture to say that everyone remembers what they were doing on that ominous day when the report finally surfaced that we, America, were under attack
If you could go back to September 10, 2001 with what we know now, one day before the now infamous attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, what would you do? If you were doing the same thing you were then-working your nine-to-five, or pastoring, or farming, or mothering, etc-would you make a phone call to the FBI, hoping that they would take you seriously enough, or would you maybe purchase a plane ticket and try and warn the people in the towers yourself? What would you do?
What if you were a Christian and in some strange twist of events, you found yourself on the 95th floor of the World Trade Center with knowledge of what would happen in just a few short hours? What would you say to the potential victims? Would you tell them that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life? Would that be the entire Gospel message? Would that even be true? No. In fact, God's Word says that you would be held accountable for their blood (Isa. 59:3). Why? Because you had the message of hope-their ticket to heaven if you will-and you did not let them have access to it in their last moments of life on this earth. Instead of preaching the truth of impending judgment, you would have preached a feel-good, watered-down, partial, fortune cookie Gospel. A message that is entirely self-centered, promoted in the overbearing shadows of wanting to be liked as a person.
Friends, John 3:16 (For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life) is not the entire Gospel message. If that were all it took, then there would be no demons doomed for hell; for the Bible says that the demons believe and they even tremble (James 2:19).
Is belief all it takes? What about this verse? "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3
I thought that the Bible said that if I believed in Jesus that I would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)?
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,[a] not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
A lost and dying world needs to know more than the fact that God loves them and that they are simply to "believe" in His Son, Jesus Christ. Repentance is an integral part of believing. True belief is marked by true repentance and faith in God through His Son. Repentance simply means to turn away from a life of sin and wrongdoing and turning to the Savior. They need to know why and how God loved them-and they need to know what God requires of them. We must stop preaching ½ of the Gospel. Let's take a lesson from the disciples on how we should preach to the lost:
...So they went out and preached that people should repent. Mark 6:12
...and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24:47
Very recently, I was among a small group of individuals that were ministering amidst a very difficult situation. During this ordeal, the news media showed up and asked what was happening-essentially, why we were involved. One of the individuals in the group immediately began to share that it was simply a demonstration of love for the people...and that was all.
While there is definitely nothing wrong per se with sharing in this manner, it could have been a lost opportunity for God's Word to take precedence. The Bible says that God's Word never returns void-it doesn't say that "our" word never returns void (Isa. 55:11). When we share the Gospel we never know who becomes affected. Admittedly, no one is going to turn to Christ because they heard someone say that they loved like God told us to love. Actually, let me rephrase that, the greatest type of love is telling people about Christ-is it not? When we share the Gospel, and not come off as crazy, there is a potential to speak forth the Word. If nothing else, the reporter could have heard the Gospel. Who knows, maybe the editing team would have come across that section of tape before he bleeped it out. Just maybe it would make it on the airwaves. Our job is not to determine how it spreads, but just to speak the Word of God and let someone else come along and water, and ultimately allow God to give the increase (1 Cor. 3:7).
I think that sometimes Christians have the mentality that the world is tired of hearing about Christ; so much so that even if we insinuate that a person has sinned and offended a holy God that they will just shut down on us. Actually, in my own experience, this is quite the opposite. Usually, when you take the time to present the Gospel, the way Jesus admonished us to do, then the people become almost instant friends. They are glad someone took the time to share their deepest convictions with them. And usually it will be the first time they have come face-to-face with their own sin. When the Gospel message is presented appropriately, they will see a genuine need for a savior, and they will, more often than not, be glad you have come to them with the remedy. (FYI: results vary. See end of email for "How To Witness" video)
Now, certainly, I am not promoting lunacy. Have you ever seen the end time movies where the person is shouting John 3:16 and wearing a sign that says the world will end in a matter of hours? Having lived in and visited several cities, I have seen my share of "weirdoes". Having attended several churches and Christian schools, I have seen my share of granola Christians (fruits, flakes, and nuts). That being said, I think that discernment is the best policy, and I understand that differing situations prompt different approaches. One of the hardest situations will be with friends or relatives. But that does not mean that we need to water down the Gospel or the Word of God for the sake of being non-offensive. Offense leads to discovery. Discovery leads to sorrow. Sorrow leads to repentance. If we water down the elixir in remedy for the disease, it will lose its curative properties.
Am I advocating being one of those weirdoes on the street ringing the bell and wearing a sign that says the world will end-and to trust in Jesus? Not exactly.
But the world is dying. We all will die, just some sooner than others.
Wow, Scott, you sure are full of positives this week.
158,000 will die today.
Someone you know will die this year.
If the "God has a wonderful plan for your life" message doesn't apply to those who will die today or tomorrow; if it wouldn't apply to the people in tower one on Sept. 10th, who does it apply to?
God never promised a "wonderful" plan. Jesus said that we would have life more abundantly (John 10:10). But the word "abundantly" actually means a fulfilled life. Contrary to popular preaching, it does not necessarily apply to prosperity or pleasure-filled happiness. We must be careful that we do not produce false converts by our message of "peace, love and wonderful plans", because when these people come into the church and see Christians who are hurting, going through trials and temptations, they may fall away. The scale may not balance out. They may feel betrayed because the "wonderful plan" is not unfolding the way it was presented to them.
Lest we forget:
Peter was crucified upside down.
James the Less was clubbed to death.
Phillip was crucified.
Matthew was beheaded.
Barnabas was burned to death.
Mark was dragged to his death.
Paul was beheaded.
Andrew was crucified.
Thomas was speared to death.
Luke was hanged.
Stephen was stoned to death.
Other Christians have been thrown to lions, burned at the stake and starved to death (From Foxes Book of Martyrs).
Over 50% of all martyrs for Christ have occurred in this past century alone.
Do you think these men and martyrs preached the "wonderful plan" message? Why then would someone want to kill them? What is that old saying? Oh, yeah, "the truth hurts."
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6
At that time they will deliver you up to punishment and will put you to death; and you will be objects of hatred to all the nations because you are called by my name Matthew 24:9 Weymouth
For more on how to witness, watch this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVco8t-R8KU