I recently wrote a letter to a
relatively new friend I made in California in 2014 named Montana. At the time
we met, he was 18. After I returned to Georgia, we communicated by texting on several occasions. This is the
first letter that I wrote to him.
I have edited out the first paragraph which
was simply a personal greeting to him and his family. The subject of the letter
was the meaning of the term Christian. His response follows the letter. I will
let it speak for itself.
I will add that the opportunity to
share the gospel message with this young man is due to the trip Ann and I were
allowed to take in 2014. My employer, Steve, who has recently moved to
California with the goal of planting a church there, paid the way for me to
attend some business-related training there in Irvine. We met our young friend
on our second night there.
God has a way of working things out
so that His perfect will is always accomplished. For that and for all other
blessings of life, I give Him praise.
December 28, 2014
To Montana, my friend in California.
Many, many times I have thought about our conversation at Spectrum Center.
I do not believe in coincidences. God has a wonderful and perfect plan for His
creation and for all who are part of it. He brought my wife, Ann, and I to
California for just that time so that we could share with you the wonderful
news of the Savior, Jesus.
I am not altogether sure what prompted you to stop and begin talking with
us that evening, but as we continued to talk, and as we shared the good news of
Jesus with you, you seemed to soak up everything that we were sharing. I felt
that you were sincerely listening to everything I said and that the message of
Jesus as Savior was having an effect on your heart. I certainly pray that such
was the case.
I have told many other people about our conversation that evening. On
almost every occasion, they ask me if you were a Christian when we parted. I
have to be honest with them and say that I do not know, since I cannot see into
men’s hearts. You are the only one who can answer that question.
It may be that you know the answer right away without any hesitation. Or
you may be wondering what I mean when I use the term “Christian,” because there
is so much confusion in the world about what that term means. So let me explain
it a bit. Then, after reflection, you will have a better idea of how to answer
the question and where you stand with God.
The Bible says that a Christian will confess with his mouth that Jesus
is Lord. That means he will openly and willingly tell other people that
Jesus is Lord of his life.
The Bible says this in several places.
If you confess with
your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
Everyone who
acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my
Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny
before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10.32-33)
Anyone who denies the
Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has
the Father also. (1 John 2:23)
Everyone who
confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ – the Son of God, who came as an
actual flesh-and-blood person – comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in
Jesus has nothing in common with God. (1 John 4.2-3)
Whoever confesses
that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (1 John 4.15)
Furthermore, a Christian will believe in his heart that God has raised
Jesus from the dead.
The resurrection is the most fundamental truth of the good news about
Jesus. Without the resurrection, Jesus is just another man claiming to be a
god. But the fact that Jesus overcame death through resurrection – something He
had earlier predicted would happen – means that whatever else He said is also
true. It also means that He is a living God, not a man-made god.
Here is what the Bible has to say about the importance of the
resurrection.
Jesus was declared to
be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his
resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1.4)
Jesus said, “Because
I live, you will live also.” (John 14.19)
If Christ was not
raised from the dead then neither our preaching nor your faith has any meaning
at all...and if Christ did not rise your faith is futile and your sins have
never been forgiven. (1 Corinthians 15.14, 17)
Thank God, the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that in his great mercy we have been born
again into a life full of hope, through Christ’s rising again from the dead! (1
Peter 1.3)
God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man (Jesus) he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him (Jesus) from the dead. (Acts 17:31)
So, what is a Christian? He is a person who confesses Christ as Lord and
believes in the resurrection.
This does not mean that a person automatically can claim to be a
Christian if they do these two things. It does mean that, if a person is
a Christian, they will do these two things without a doubt: they will confess
to others that Jesus is their Lord, and they will believe in the resurrection.
There is much more that I could write along these lines, but I will save
it for another letter. Consider these two aspects and let me know where you
stand in relation to them.
I
cannot stop thanking God for you – every time I pray, I think of you and give
thanks. But I do more than give thanks. I ask our Master, Jesus Christ, the God
of glory to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, to
keep your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is
calling you to do, so that you are able to grasp the immensity of this glorious
way of life he has for Christians and the utter extravagance of his work in us
who trust him – endless energy, boundless strength!
All
this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a
throne in heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies
to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule.
And
not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has
the final word on everything.
At
the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not
peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church.
The
church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills
everything with his presence.” (Ephesians 1:16-23, adapted from The Message)
I pray you have a wonderful New Year and that God will bless you and your
family.
Let me hear from you now and then.
In Christ,
Dan
Here is the text I received today from our new
friend, Montana:
Hey Dan! I just got your letter. I just wanted to let you
know I have accepted Jesus Christ as my father and savior. And I recently got
baptized (: I hope your doing well too?
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