The purpose of introducing people to Christ is not only so they will be saved from sin, death, and hell, but to transform the world. Look at some of these remarkable examples:
When Charles Darwin first visited Tierra del Fuego, he found the inhabitants in a state of misery and moral degradation, but when he returned some years later after the gospel had been introduced by missionaries, "The change for the better was so indescribable that he not only testified to his astonishment but became a regular contributor to the missionary society. "
('Does God Believe in Atheists?' by John Blanchard).
During World War II on a remote island in the Pacific an American serviceman encountered a literal native, from a tribe of former cannibals, who was carrying a Bible. Gesturing to the man's Bible, the American said, "We educated people no longer put much faith in that book." The native replied, "Well, it's a good thing that we do, or you would be eaten by my people today. "
(James Hefley, "What's So Great About the Bible?").
Shimabuku is a village in Okinawa that was changed after being visited by a Christian missionary on his way to Japan. The missionary wasn't there very long, but while he was, he taught two of the men a couple hymns, gave them a Bible, and encouraged them to live by it. Thirty years later, near the end of WWII, when American troops came to the village, they were met by two old men carrying a Bible. Entering the village, they saw, in stark contrast to the surrounding villages, that Shimabuku had no poverty, no crime, no divorce, no prostitution, no drunkenness. The people were happy and industrious. Their village and farmlands were orderly and there were crops in the field. The entire village was living and operating under the authority of God's word. The men who visited the village after this occurred described it as an "oasis of serenity" among the chaos of other parts of the country that were affected war, and were reported as saying, "Maybe we are using the wrong weapons to change the world!"
(Story reported in Readers Digest).
"Some poorly informed Christians (usually in the service of some eschatalogical program) have been heard to insist that the world is today in worse condition than it has ever been before! The truth is almost exactly the opposite. The beneficent transforming power of the Kingdom of God has fashioned for us a world that would not be recognized by anyone living in times before Christ's Movement invaded the world. In former times, warfare between nations was so barbaric to defy tasteful description to people of our cultural sensitivities. In Roman times, infidelity of husbands to their wives was regarded as neither unusual nor immoral. In many societies, slaves could lawfully be beaten to death at the whim of their masters. Other than the early Christians, few had any conscience about leaving unwanted newborns out to die of exposure or to be eaten by dogs. Before the advent of modern medicine (the existence of which owes much to devout Christian pioneers in modern medical science like Louis Pasteur), whole towns, and even continents were sometimes decimated by plagues.
"The concepts of human rights, freedom of religion, liberty of conscience, and the equal status of women to men, are ideals that we may take for granted, thinking them to be natural human instincts - unless we are acquainted with history. Prior to the coming of Christ's Kingdom, conditions worldwide, in terms of justice and human rights, were similar to those still found in the strictest Islamic countries. These societies have until now vociferously resisted the incursion of the gospel's influence in their lands. The consequence is that, in terms of human rights, many such countries have advanced little since Medieval times."
(Steve Gregg, 'Empire of the Risen Son: There is Another King, Chapter 19: The Triumph of the Kingdom').
In Christianity today, the primary focus of evangelists is to lead people to Jesus so that they will be set free from their shame and guilt.(Just listen to Christian radio and many newer Christian songs, and you will hear that this is the gospel that is being preached). It is a message of hope; that one can live a better, happier life, free from guilt and shame. But this is not a message of Kingdom advancement or of the true Gospel. On the contrary, the message of this gospel says, "Come unto Jesus so that you can receive the blessings of a better life, free from guilt and shame."
The second reason why evangelists today want to lead people to Christ is so that they will be saved from hell. Though this is important and an excellent reason to share Jesus with people who do not know Him, it is still not the primary reason that God's desire is that all would be saved. It's true that Jesus died for all people because of God's love for us, and that because He loves us, He wants us to know Him so that we can live with Him for eternity. However, as the stories above demonstrate, God uses His people to build His Kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven. As people follow Jesus, and are faithful to obey His commands and instruction, people not only come to know the Living God and are reconciled back to Him, but the earth is also reconciled back to Him and renewed.
The purpose of man's salvation is not an inward one that only benefits the recipient, but it must benefit mankind and God's Kingdom in some way, even if seemingly small or insignificant. We may never know to what extent our faithfulness to Jesus had effect on the world or His Kingdom.
Salvation is also not only for the purpose of the after life - of receiving the benefit of going to heaven and being saved from having to go to hell when we die. The benefit we receive is knowing God in this life and living for Him, which will aid in the advancement of His Kingdom coming on earth as it is heaven, as many of us often pray.
No comments:
Post a Comment