Is That All You've Got?

“As [Paul] was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, ‘Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.’ But Paul said, ‘I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.’ And Agrippa said to Paul, ‘In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?’ And Paul said, ‘Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.’” [1]

“Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” At least, that was what we said in years past whenever someone came close to winning in a contest but failed to win. “Close” does not win in any competitive sport. Second place means there is someone else in first place. “Close” does not count when testing to earn certification for licensure in the trades. You either pass or fail; there is no second place. When your child requires surgery, will you be content to have someone perform the act of cutting your child when that individual came close to passing the required medical boards, though he did not actually pass? And we know that “close” does not count when considering how we can be cleansed of our sin and made suitable for Heaven.

I’m speaking to someone who is religious, though that one is not saved. Perhaps the one to whom I’m speaking at this hour is a good person, someone whom none would suspect of being lost. You’ve attended the services of a church for a long time. You know the hymns of the Faith, singing them heartily with the congregation. You know the liturgy of your church, knowing just when to stand and when to bow your head. You have the rituals polished to such a high lustre that no one would ever suspect that you are unsaved. And yet, somehow you have been content to play games with the Living God.

Religious but lost, is the best description that can be applied to you if you are only “close” to salvation. It need not be that way, but that is the life you now have. When you permit yourself to think about what lies ahead, you know that one day you will die. And after that awful day when life on this earth ceases, you know that you will be called to give an account to the God Who gives you your being. When you think about that day, you know that you will be compelled to voice how you were a good person, how you observed the rituals of your church, how you believed there was a God, but you will not be able to say that you believed God or that you were transformed by His grace.

Though the message is intended to confront any unsaved who may listen, whether these dear souls are religious or irreligious is unimportant because they are nevertheless lost, I would not want any follower of Christ to fail to hear this message since it will be instructive for believers to hear. I pray the Spirit of Christ will use the message to create a compassionate heart in us who know the Lord; perhaps the Saviour will stir us to speak to a lost family member or to a friend we know to be outside the precincts of grace.

“PAUL, YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND!” Let’s admit an uncomfortable truth—the message of Christ that we who follow Him are appointed to proclaim does assail the intellect of the lost to whom we are sent. We sometimes forget that the Gospel of Jesus our Master does not lend itself to examination in the laboratory. The only test to which this message lends itself is the transformed life of those who receive the message. Paul accurately assesses the impact of this Gospel message with which Christians are entrusted when he writes, “Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? God has turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense, hasn’t he? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching. Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach the Messiah crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom” [1 CORINTHIANS 1:20-24 ISV].