Pride Fest: Team Member Perspective Take Two

My objective here is not to get into a philosophical debate about the validity of the Scriptures, nor do I speak to others to condemn others to eternal damnation. Yes, God accepts the sinner, but that does not mean that He accepts our sins. The Bible states that “all have sinned” and that “the wages of sin is death”. We do not convict - God's word convicts. God said it, which settles it. The topic is already covered.

The Bible also states that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to die for our sins that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus even said I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me.

Mark 16:15 – “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Jesus did not say he who is with out sin, Go! He just said Go. Peter, Paul, and the other disciples did not simply live by example - they went among the other sinners and let them know God loved them and wanted them to repent of their sins.

Although “Go” is a simple, two letter command that a dog could learn to obey, it is not always simple for Christians such as me.

Even as the smallest member of the body of Christ, I am required to obey God’s commandments – even when doing so is completely out of my comfort zone. My comfort zone consists of listening to others or talking to a single individual on a casual basis about sports, family, and showing concern for others while making them laugh or smile. It does not include writing coherently, speaking to large groups of people, or “boldly witnessing” about something as important as another person’s destiny throughout eternity.

I went to the festival on Saturday for the following reasons:
1. Jesus said “GO”, so I am required to obey. (This is a simple and straightforward command.) Like everyone else, I am imperfect, but I went.
2. God may love the sinner, but he does not love the sin and can not allow sin into Heaven.
3. There is a guaranteed way to heaven that everyone needs to know about.
4. There were a lot of people at the event. (It would not have mattered what the event was.)

Although I was just walking around talking to others, I was asked by a couple of people what I was protesting. My simple, honest answer was that I was not protesting anything. I was at the festival because it was an opportunity to talk to other people on an individual basis because I care about them.

Many people that you run into on the street may never enter the doors of a church - and will never ask you what is different about you in your life. They will not enter the gates of Heaven because no one bothered to talk to them about God. This is why I was there – Jesus said “Go”.

It is true that we, as Christian men and women, are not responsible for judging another person's heart - that is God's responsibility. We are, however, responsible for obeying His commandments. With love, we must simply let others know what the Bible says, that we care about them, and that everyone has the opportunity to come to Christ. Please keep in mind that we (or I) do a disservice to others when we do not tell them that their actions and attitudes could keep them out of heaven.

I heard someone say once “If you believe there is a Heaven and a Hell, how much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them about Jesus?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for you commitment to seek and share Christ with the lost. You have one of the biggest hearts for people that I have the privilege to know. You have been a huge blessing to me and my wife over the past couple years!

Thank you for letting God use you in the Great Commission!

Dawg