“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT)
Have you ever thought of yourself as a lighthouse? According to Jesus (see above) that’s what we become when we yield our life and allegiance to Him. And just as the purpose of a lighthouse is to warn those facing danger, God’s Spirit in us has equipped us to warn those in danger of hell.
Folks, as much as we don’t like to think or talk about it, hell is real and a great many of the people in our spheres of influence are headed there unless and until we warn them. And here’s the deal, we don’t have to raise a flag and begin to declare war against hell, when we surrender to Jesus, hell declares war against us.
John Piper said it well when he wrote: “We cannot know what prayer is for until we know that life is war.” In war there are casualties, and everyday tens of thousands of unsuspecting people enter eternity not prepared to die. Everyone is living for something, and everyone will die for something. It may be no more than an idea they have about themselves or someone else, but something is causing then to come to Christ or stay away.
When we by faith cast our lot with Jesus, we may not realize it, but we’re declaring war on hell. Corky Calhoun wrote: “Being a light on the hill is a declaration of war against depravity and darkness.” Every person we meet is sizing us up, trying to decide if we’re a friend or enemy, and, often, that decision is reserved until they know whether or not we follow Jesus.
To believe we can casually and “safely” follow Jesus is to misunderstand the clear teaching of Scripture. Jesus didn’t call us to safety, He called us to sacrifice, beginning with our own life. John Piper also wrote: “Prayer is not for the enhancement of our comforts but for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom.” Our concern as a believer isn’t whether we’ll live or die, it’s to whose fame we will live or die, ours or the Lord Jesus?
The purpose of Scripture memorization is to prepare us for battle. If we don’t have it tucked securely away in our heart and mind, how will the Spirit access it to use in Christ’s defense? How can we use it to ponder and savor the sweet truths of our Savior? We think of prayer and reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word as “disciplines” of the Christian Faith, when in reality they are our armor preparing us for battle, not with people, but with darkness and the unseen forces of evil.
Yes, of course, evil lurks hidden in the hearts of mankind, and there are times people can be very confrontational, but my experience has been, most people are open to a quiet, calm, courteous conversation about Jesus. Our goal isn’t to win them to our “brand” of Christianity, to our church, or to a certain belief, it’s to introduce them to a Person.
When I was in college I went to a neighboring town where there was a secular university. I went alone and the only question I asked was: “Would you have a few minutes to talk about Jesus?” Rarely did anyone say “no.” We want to muddy the waters with our ideas about a lot of things, but when we simply share the truth of who Jesus is and what He did, our “battles” can result in many victories.
Food for thought.
Blessings Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 