Have Christ-followers today become less passionate about evangelism? Most of my pastor friends would say "yes!" Why? Maybe it's because we have come to believe what our culture says about there being many paths to heaven.
Christians today are not believing as passionately as we once did that Jesus is the only way.
Church leaders have some teaching to do about the uniqueness of Christ. We must keep reminding our people about the "only-way-ness" of Jesus. Why? The culture will seek to convince our people that religious intolerance is the real culprit behind much of the conflict we see in the world today.
I was recently reading through John 14 and the following thoughts came to mind...
I love traveling the world. The peoples of other religions intrigue me. I have friends who not Christians.
I was trained in the Religious Studies Department at Vanderbilt University in the principles of acceptance and tolerance of all world religions - that there are many roads to God.
But in spite of what my professors said, Jesus doesn't give us the "many paths to heaven" option.
He claims to be unique.
He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
He not saying that He's a way, a truth, and a life. He's claiming to be THE way, truth, and life - the only way to God.
We are not left with the great man/good teacher option when it comes to Jesus. He's claiming to be unique - the only way to be saved. He's either right or wrong about that. M
Why would He make such an audacious claim? How could He?
Jesus is the only religious leader who claimed to the God (John 8:58, John 10:30), who is the Creator (John 1:1-3), who never sinned (II Corinthians 5:21), who loved us enough to die on the cross so we wouldn't have to (Isaiah 53:5-6, Romans 5:8), who takes away/forgives sin (John 1:29), and who rose from the dead (I Corinthians 15:3-6), who ascended to heaven (Acts 1:6-10), and who is coming back to take us to heaven (John 14:1-3).
No other religious leader - not Moses, Buddha, or Mohammed - made these kinds of claims or lived this kind of life. Jesus stands alone.
No wonder we worship. No wonder we love Christ. No wonder we want to tell as many people as possible about the only way to the Father.
In our culture of tolerance where saying Jesus is the only way is not politically correct, let's not play it safe.
Let's lift up Christ and watch Him draw people to Himself. Let's be bold witnesses. Let's go to heaven and take as many people with us as we can.
Do you have a story to tell about how Jesus has changed you? Who will you tell today?
That someone you know? That someone you love? Only Jesus can change the trajectory and destiny of their lives.
Church leaders have some teaching to do about the uniqueness of Christ. We must keep reminding our people about the "only-way-ness" of Jesus. Why? The culture will seek to convince our people that religious intolerance is the real culprit behind much of the conflict we see in the world today.
I was recently reading through John 14 and the following thoughts came to mind...
I love traveling the world. The peoples of other religions intrigue me. I have friends who not Christians.
I was trained in the Religious Studies Department at Vanderbilt University in the principles of acceptance and tolerance of all world religions - that there are many roads to God.
But in spite of what my professors said, Jesus doesn't give us the "many paths to heaven" option.
He claims to be unique.
He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
He not saying that He's a way, a truth, and a life. He's claiming to be THE way, truth, and life - the only way to God.
We are not left with the great man/good teacher option when it comes to Jesus. He's claiming to be unique - the only way to be saved. He's either right or wrong about that. M
Why would He make such an audacious claim? How could He?
Jesus is the only religious leader who claimed to the God (John 8:58, John 10:30), who is the Creator (John 1:1-3), who never sinned (II Corinthians 5:21), who loved us enough to die on the cross so we wouldn't have to (Isaiah 53:5-6, Romans 5:8), who takes away/forgives sin (John 1:29), and who rose from the dead (I Corinthians 15:3-6), who ascended to heaven (Acts 1:6-10), and who is coming back to take us to heaven (John 14:1-3).
No other religious leader - not Moses, Buddha, or Mohammed - made these kinds of claims or lived this kind of life. Jesus stands alone.
No wonder we worship. No wonder we love Christ. No wonder we want to tell as many people as possible about the only way to the Father.
In our culture of tolerance where saying Jesus is the only way is not politically correct, let's not play it safe.
Let's lift up Christ and watch Him draw people to Himself. Let's be bold witnesses. Let's go to heaven and take as many people with us as we can.
Do you have a story to tell about how Jesus has changed you? Who will you tell today?
That someone you know? That someone you love? Only Jesus can change the trajectory and destiny of their lives.
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