MUSINGS

Last night was an awesome night of worship!  First, my husband taught class.  This was the first class that I had been in with him teaching.  Obviously it was not his first time to teach.  It was a great class on the subject of 'why do we read the Bible' and 'what do we read'.  He made me very proud to be his wife.  Which is nothing new.  I always am. 


After class one of the young women spoke in the auditorium.  She is a young mother of two children under the age of 2 years of age.  She told us that she wanted to rededicate her life to Jesus Christ because she had been living a life of 'me, me, me' and it was exhausting.  She told us she had been baptized at the age of 11 because she was a people pleaser and she thought it was the right thing to do because everyone told her so.  


That confession made me think a lot about my life.  I was baptized at the age of 13 because my mother set it up with the preacher because 'it was time'.  I then rededicated my life with baptism in a swimming pool when I was about 8.5 months pregnant.  This time because I knew it was something I needed to do. 


Still, something she said stuck with me.  She felt her life had been all about her and not about Jesus.  She had not been sharing with others her faith. Don't we all do that?  We are so afraid to share the good news of Jesus Christ because it isn't "politically correct". We are afraid of what other people will say about us.  Well, if you think about it, Jesus was never politically correct.  He told it like it is.  For goodness sake, he died because he was not politically correct so, excuse my language, but who the hell cares if we are politically correct when it comes to saving the lost???!! We are commanded in the scriptures to go into the world.  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (matthew 28). 


One last thing.  There is only ONE way to God. In John 14 Jesus says: "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know^[b] my Father as well."


So when I hear people say there are many paths to heaven, they are wrong. Wrong, sadly, but true.  I think people get offended when they are told that there is only one way to God because they are being convicted to their very core and it makes them uncomfortable.  They are faced with the possibility that they may be wrong and they do not like to admit it because it means they will have to make difficult changes in their life. Stating this fact in John 14 is not being exclusionary or being self-righteous or intolerant.  It is a fact.  Just because people do not like it or agree with it does not make it any more a fact. 


Sermon over.  Have a blessed day.