A Pausable Moment in Oklahoma

Instead we see the modern church berating the unsaved and placing all the woes of society upon them. Then when a popular pastor falls from grace we hear the cries of judge not! The people in the world are spiritually blind beloved. When they do things that seem against God that is because they cannot see. We hold the salve that could restore their sight and it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ but instead we can be judgmental and mean to them. We are called to suffer for doing good! Turn the other cheek! These were not suggestions but rather commands.

The key verses conclude by reminding us what it is all about. Why we give our reasons for hope. How we can look at the horrific scenes from Oklahoma and still have faith in our God. Because we know He has already defeated death and is coming back soon for His church. There are many places in the Bible where the Gospel message is reinforced. The key verses conclude with just such a reinforcement:

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. -- 1Peter 3: 18 (NLT)

This is the Gospel. it is not as complicated as we make it out to be. Jesus Christ suffered once for our sins. He lived a sinless life but took on our sins to reunite us to God. He was crucified, suffering a physical death but God raised Him on the third day. I reiterate this today in light of Oklahoma. In light of what message they really need to hear. That there is a God who loves them and gave up His only Son to save them.

This is what it is all about. As the images from Oklahoma continue to unfold and we see the expansion of the disaster, realize that this is a pausable moment for everyone in the world, not just those in Oklahoma. The drinking and dancing will stop long enough to allow us to give our reason for hope in Jesus Christ. We have seen more and more of these pausable moments recently as the birth pains Jesus warned us about are coming closer and closer together. The world will not connect those dots so easily. From an Elementary School in Connecticut to a dungeon basement in Cleveland. From an earthquake in Japan to a massive tornado in Oklahoma. Jesus is coming back soon and we need to be about His business when He comes. His business is the Gospel and we are His ambassadors.   We pray for the victims. We give aid for the survivors. We preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Reverend Anthony Wade -- May 21, 2013

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