Anybody, and everybody who has gone to
church, either a long time ago, or in this present day, will declare the fact I
Am a Christian. With a positive note, most people are trying to be a Christian.
Let me look at the negative for a minute. Without becoming the judge of
Christians, how many people do you set with, across from, and shake hands with
on any given Sunday morning service? I hope you will take some time to think this
through.
Let me tell you a story of an eighty-three-year-old
man. I’ll call him Frank. I was filling in at an older church, where there were
not a lot of people going. They had been without a full-time pastor for quite
some time, but the congregation, even small, had a wonderful heart for their
Savior. I was one of many who travel to help, but something happened on a
Sunday morning, that took me by surprise. Frank walked up to me, as he had done
on several occasions, but this time he had tears in his eyes. I began to speak
with him, knowing something wasn’t right. After a few minutes of discussion,
Frank asked me a question I wasn’t ready for. Frank asked me if he was saved.
Frank was always in service, sang the hymns, helped as an usher, was always
courteous and thoughtful for the things of the congregation and the church. Why
wouldn’t he be saved? As I began to talk with him about the forgiveness of
sins, being baptized, and asking Jesus into his heart, he interrupted, I’m not
saved! I questioned him again, thinking he might have had memory problems, but
he was certain he had never asked Jesus into his heart.
Frank was a man who had gone to church
from the time he was born. The family spent their entire Sundays at the church.
Living outside of town, on a farm, they would get up early on Sunday, all the
family would hop in the wagon, and off to church they would go. They had dinner
on the church grounds, singing in the afternoon, and be there for the evening
service, before heading back home.
Frank grew up believing that being at
church was his duty. He had heard all the preachers telling of Jesus, he would
read his Bible even though he could barely read. Frank thought he was ok, until
one Sunday morning, Jesus got Franks attention. I sometimes wish I had asked
what was said to open his eyes, but the important matter is that Frank asked
for forgiveness, was baptized, and asked Jesus into his heart and life.
I said all this about Frank to opening
our eyes to see what Jesus wants us to see. To look at Frank, he was a fine,
upstanding man who walked, talked, and even carried himself like any good Christian
should. The sad fact is that Frank, at that time, was lost! He had no hope to
walking into Glory, and to face judgement, to hear depart from me, I never knew
you.
If I were a Christian, are you a
Christian? Now is the time for self-examination. Have I asked to be forgiven,
been baptized, and ask for Jesus to share my heart? Have I spent the time
needed at my church? Doing the things God has placed before me? Have I
dedicated the time in prayer and in the Bible, that would be pleasing to Him?
Question after question, I’ll let it go
for now. I don’t want you to think it’s all about how much you do, or how much
time you spend doing these things. God is more concerned with your relationship
with Him. He wants to be your best friend. Do you remember when you and your
spouse were courting? For some I know this will press the memories, but it’s
worth it. Did you talk from a distance? Only a hour or so a week? What happened
after you said, “I DO”. You and your spouse, living together, seeing each other
daily, but never speak, or only when you or your spouse wants something. How
much of a strain would your relationship with your spouse take before it all
fell apart? Our earthly relationships were never meant to work that way. It
takes the good and bad, the sorrowful and the happiness, the frustrations and
the calm for that relationship to grow. Does God not deserve the same? We have
determined that through the study of the Bible, we can pick and choose what
part we want, and lay aside the parts we might disagree with. If my way is the
easy way, and I don’t have to do too much, I’ll be happy. The relationship I
have with my Savior, is determined by me. He is always there when I need to
talk, and will be there till I’m finished. The earthly relationship can be destroyed
by either member. The heavenly relationship can only be destroyed by one
member, and that member is you and I. We make the choice to build a strong
relationship or to just walk away and let it fall.
I know that the times we live in are
tough, and everyday seems to bring more heartache. Everybody is looking to
point a finger to push the blame off to someone else. I’m going to end this
with this statement, and let you read the Paul Harvey quote.
If I were a Christian, how many more
Christians could I affect, with not only the Love of God, but also destroying
the hold satan has on this world?
The devil can only win, if Christians
sit by and do nothing but watch from a distance, and complain!
PAUL HARVEY’S ‘IF I WERE THE DEVIL’ TRANSCRIPT
from 1965
If I were the devil … If I were the
Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d
have a third of it’s real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I
wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — Thee. So
I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the
churches first — I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a
serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please.’
“To the young, I would whisper that
‘The Bible is a myth.’ I would convince them that man created God instead of
the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good
is ‘square.’ And the old, I would teach to pray, after me, ‘Our Father, which
art in Washington…’
“And then I’d get organized. I’d
educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else
would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies and
vice versa. I’d pedal narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and
gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.
“If I were the devil I’d soon have families
that war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war
with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of
higher ratings I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. If I were the
devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to
discipline emotions — just let those run wild, until before you knew it, you’d
have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.
“Within a decade I’d have prisons
overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography — soon I could evict God
from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of
Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion,
and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and
girls, and church money. If I were the devil I’d make the symbols of Easter an
egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.
“If I were the devil I’d take from
those, and who have, and give to those wanted until I had killed the incentive
of the ambitious. And what do you bet? I could get whole states to promote
gambling as thee way to get rich? I would caution against extremes and hard
work, in Patriotism, in moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage
is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the TV is the
way to be. And thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into
bed with diseases for which there is no cure. In other words, if I were the
devil I’d just keep right on doing on what he’s doing. Paul Harvey, good day.”
