The Wrong Way on the Right Way

A traffic accident that is particularly tragic is when someone travels on the interstate in the wrong direction. They are likely going to be involved in a head-on collision which will increase the chance of serious injury or even death, and also there will be innocent victims in the other vehicle.

Add to that the frustration of figuring out how the whole scenario occurred. Did they go down the on ramp and turn left? Were they unfamiliar with the traffic pattern and thought the exit ramp was actually the entrance ramp? We would say that was impossible, but out in the rural areas at night with little traffic, it’s easy to do.

The great shame for a driver in that situation is he thinks he is going the right way when suddenly he faces death.

Did you know that Jesus calls Himself the Way and that the kingdom He established, the church, is also referred to as the Way (John 14:6; Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22)? Yes, we all want to “come to the Father” through the only Way, Jesus, and spend eternity in their presence.

However, Jesus warns us, “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14 NKJV). Peter acknowledges the reality of some who found it too difficult, “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray” (2 P. 2:15a).

As a matter of fact, much of the content of the letters of the New Testament is directed at keeping those who are already Christians on the right road to Heaven. There is only one way!

Don’t you love it when your GPS says, “Make a “U” turn”? You have wandered off the most direct route and it will say that over and over again till you get back on course. That sounds a whole lot like the prophets of the Old Testament, trying to redirect wayward Israel. “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!’” (Isaiah 48:17-18a).

Christians know they’re on the right way when they follow the inspired directions of the New Testament. I love 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” I would think that I could preach that one verse every week and all Christians would stay on that right road. Unfortunately, the surrounding verses remind us of the reality that many so-called Christians “walk in darkness.”

The moral of this story: Read and obey Christ’s roadmap!

Jeff Greene, minister for the South Stokes Church of Christ

When the Cat's Away

My wife and I were blessed with our seventh grandchild last week. Daisy Joy was born in Raleigh and is a beautiful, healthy child and she and her mother are coming along just fine. With the arrival of the grand event, my wife left to help them out, which left me “batching” it for the last few days.

The question is: What shape will she find our house in when she returns? Dirty dishes piled to the ceiling? The cat dying of starvation? The TV on and blasting because I was too lazy to shut it off? Of course, you know I wouldn’t be writing about it, if I had done those things.

The Apostle Paul was also in a quandary, like most missionaries, in wondering how he was going to find the Corinthian congregation on his next visit. Evidently, he didn’t have much hope. He was considering that he might even be mourning over their possible sins of “contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults, uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness” (2 Cor. 12:20-21 NKJV). Woe. Say it ain’t so, Paul!

There lies the problem: How will we behave when we think no one is watching? Obviously, not good. Most crimes are still committed in the dark. Even people who call themselves Christians suffer from this. They know that God sees everything (Proverbs 15:3), yet the enticement of sin frequently is too strong to stop them from giving in to temptation. We wonder how that can possibly be.

Jesus gives us the answer. He asks, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8b). Really finding faith! What do criminals do before they act? They look to see if anyone is watching. What are Christians saying if they choose to sin? Either they don’t really believe that God can see, or they don’t believe He will punish them, or they think His grace will cover their intentional sins. Read Romans 6 to see the truth about that.

What are we to do? It all comes down to what we hope to find when we’re struggling – not grace that enables sin, but “let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Jesus will help us “hold fast our confession” (4:14). Will He find you faithful?

Jeff

Waddling to Church

Years ago, there were three mallard ducks gathered in front of a church building on a street where I walked. The next day the mallards were there again and this continued for the next several days. There they were, huddled by the front door, with no evidence of why they would be there. There was no residue from kernels of corn or a nice pond on the premises to paddle around in. Finally, I saw the minister and inquired about the ducks. He said he had no idea why they were there. No one had fed or watered them. After a couple more days they were gone, never to be seen again.

What makes an animal choose its place of abode? Basically, if an area provides the food, water and shelter that satisfies the specific needs of a given creature, then they'll hang around. There may have been something that interested these ducks in city life, but it wasn't long till they went in search of something more habitable.

It is fascinating to notice Jesus pointing out all three of these ingredients from a religious perspective in the book of John. He said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” He elaborates on the water quality He provides by saying, “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” [4:14]. And what about shelter? Jesus also addresses that basic need we have in stating, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” [14:23].

Did you know when it comes to choosing a church, we're a lot like ducks? We're looking for spiritual food, water and shelter. The question is, how long will it take us to figure out whether a given religious group is providing what we need. Jesus emphasized the necessity of believing in Him to receive these blessings. Yet how many religious leaders do not believe that Jesus actually fed 5000 with a few loaves and fish, let alone believing he arose from the dead? Jesus stressed loving obedience to receive the eternal shelter of the Father. Yet how many groups who call themselves Christians have a convention and vote to circumvent the very instructions given in God's word?

We are called the church of Christ because we strive to be that religious institution that provides the true food, water and shelter from Christ that lasts for eternity. If Jesus said it, that's good enough for us. We have no desire to add to, or take away from, God's will for us [Revelation 22:18,19; Galatians 1:8]. We use these blessings provided by God to “grow up in all things into Him” [Ephesians 4:15].

So now we find ourselves waddling through life. Quality food, water and shelter is always a concern for us and our families. And when those necessities last for eternity, we know we've made the right choice. You're smarter than a duck. Choose wisely, dear friend. The souls of you and your family depend on it.

Jeff Greene