Ephesians Chapter 1: Verses 6-10 (NIV)
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one, we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
1 Peter Chapter 1: Verses 24-25 (NIV)
For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
At my connect group meeting this week, whilst studying the books of Thessalonians, we were discussing the reasons that made us decide to become Christians. I recalled the discussions I’d had prior to making that decision, with my friend. She was very forthright in her explanations and told me that those who were not Christians would be going to hell, and that it wasn’t enough to be a “good” person. When I later realised that everything she said made sense, I also knew that I too would be hell bound and had to put my life right with God. We went on to discuss the fact that today we are sometimes not as forthright as we need to be in case people are offended. So, when I read these words written by Paul today, that got me thinking.
Are we more worried about offending people than the need to tell them the facts. The Gospel is the same as it was when I became a Christian more than forty years ago. Is the church trying to be too gentle with the message, to the detriment of those who need to hear it? Yes, we were loved by God, before the creation of the world, but that’s only half of the story!
Paul also reminds us to be wary of anyone who tries to tell us that there is a different Gospel, even if its someone we respect or know well. As Christians, our call is to serve and please God, not other people. Recalling how the truth impacted my own decision was a timely reminder to be a bit more bold, even if it’s unpopular.
Dear Lord,
I’m grateful to have heard the truth at a young age, even if it was difficult to hear, but it made an impact and changed my life. I need to remember that other people need to hear the truth, not just what they want to hear. Grant me the courage to be forthright and bold so that Your Word is spoken as it should be. I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.