Having grown up within the evangelical Christian community, I've heard the gospel message presented more times than I can count. While I whole-heartedly believe in the Gospel message, I'm often troubled by the way it is presented.
Too often, the unbeliever/seeker is presented with the impression that if one accepts Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior, all his/her woes will be gone and his/her life would be trouble-free.
While the immediate aftermath of the new believer's conversion is a sudden lifting of the guilt and shame of past and present sins, that sense of freedom is short-lived. There will always be the new challenges of this new life in Christ.
When my friend Marc posted the following question, on-line, I saw it as an opportunity to start this discussion.
Here is what Marc posted:
Jesus followers -- what does being in a relationship with Him look like in your life today? BTW -- not a rhetorical question.
Here is my response:
If someone tells you that it's a trouble-free life and filled with the fragrant of roses, he/she has either just become a believer or he/she is shoveling out something more than just snow! This baby is about taking you out of you comfort zone and not about leaving you sitting nice and snug in your crib. This baby is about teaching you one lesson over and over and over again, each and every day for the rest of your life. That lesson being:
ΠΡΟΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΗΣΙΟΥΣ 4:13
πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντι με.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
And every day, He'll find a crevice of holdout in your heart where you'll need to learn this lesson.
So, brothers and sisters, hang on to your handle bars and wait for the roller coaster car to take you on one plunge after another. That handle bar being:
ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ 1:2-4
Πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγήσασθε, ἀδελφοί μου, ὅταν πειρασμοῖς περιπέσητε ποικίλοις, γινώσκοντες ὅτι τὸ δοκίμιον ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως κατεργάζεται ὑπομονήν. ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ ἔργον τέλειον ἐχέτω, ἵνα ἦτε τέλειοι καὶ ὁλόκληροι ἐν μηδενὶ λειπόμενοι.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
You can consider it pure joy or you can consider it pure terror. Take your pick.
And if your cart ain't rocking, you better check to see who's driving the train (you or Him) or even if you are on the train.
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