There are many things that amaze me about our Lord Jesus in the Bible. One of them is the way He ‘EVANGELIZED’ the Gospel to people! Hmm… What marvels me is the method with which He passed across the Message to sinners…which seems to be very different from the way many ‘evangelists’ teach the Gospel today! Jesus was once by a well in Samaria sitting, when a woman came to draw water from the well. This is recorded in John chapter 4. They both engaged in a conversation and were really flowing. But they got to a point which got me so fascinated! Now follow this conversation carefully:
Vs 16: Jesus saith unto her, Go call thy husband, and come hither.
Vs 17: The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
Vs 18: for thou has HAD five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is NOT thy husband: in that saidst thou truly!!!
Hmmm…
What did you notice? Jesus was chatting with a ‘committed’ sinner!!! What marveled me most was that He never called her an ADULTERESS!!! In fact, if you keep reading, you will see that the woman changed this topic and Jesus NEVER re-called it up anymore! Hmm… Jesus was not after condemning her!
Jesus actually said – Go and call your husband! But He also knows she does not have a husband but an adulterer!
Now the question arises: Why wouldn’t Jesus condemn her?
Answer: GRACE DOES NOT TAKE YOUR FAULTS INTO ACCOUNT WHENEVER HE WANTS TO SAVE YOU!!! Grace is not a ‘condemner’! Grace is a Comforter! (John 16:7) Hmm….
Due to this act of GRACE shown to this woman, she ran from the presence of Jesus into the city to evangelize Jesus to the people…and a large number of the inhabitants of Samaria BELIEVED IN JESUS!!! (Vs 28, 39). What a revival! In fact, it was so serious that they made sure Jesus abode with them for two more days before Jesus could continue His journey! (Vs 40) This led to many more people BELIEVING in this loving Jesus! (Vs 42-43). Can you see how GRACE revived ‘a whole city’!!! Hmm….
I once wondered how some ‘Christians’ today would have spoken to this lady if they were to be ‘Jesus’! Hmm…. Hell is real my sister!….you will perish if you don’t repent!…..God is angry with the sinner everyday! Your sins will find you out!!!
Aba!!!
The truth is this: ….it is not wrong to scold people to repentance…..its just that it doesn’t really gladden God’s heart! Things have changed!
“For if the first covenant (LAW) had been ‘faultless’….then should no place have been sought for the second (GRACE)”! (Heb 8:7)
Hmm… I wonder why many teachers today don’t want to understand that it was God Himself who declared the first covenant as FAULTY!!! Yet, the first covenant….(which is the covenant of the proclamation of the sinfulness of men…2cor 3:9)…..is still being preached heavily today as though that is the actual Gospel! GRACE is the Actual GOSPEL! (Gal 1:6-8) We need to leave the Law era and discover how to carry out the true evangelism by teaching pure Grace!
I once boarded a public vehicle in which there was an ‘evangelist’ who began to lead everyone in a worship session and prayer in the bus. When he realized that people weren’t really responding, he got spiritually ‘annoyed’! ‘…I wonder why people no longer fear God anymore! When we are asked to pray, people even find it hard to say Amen and reverence God…’! Hmm…
I thought in my mind: ‘Must you condemn people just because they didn’t join you in your prayers? People don’t know what it means to GRIEVE the Spirit!Condemning people…GRIEVES the SPIRIT!!! (Eph 4:29-30)Hmm…
I had listened to another ‘bus-evangelist’ who was telling people that God does not care about how they DIE! He is only concerned with judging them after their death! Aba! But imagine you were in a bus where someone opened his mouth and said these words of Paul:
‘And by HIM (Jesus)….ALL THAT BELIEVE (not all that fulfil the Law)…..are JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS (past, present and future)……from which ye COULD NOT be justified BY THE LAW OF MOSES’!!! (Acts 13:39)
Wow! Immediately some religious people will say: ‘Shut him up!… He is teaching heresy! This is the end time!…. We are not surprised the devil is transforming himself to an angel of light! ….’! Hmm…But left to God, this guy has just preached the GOSPEL!!!
In fact, when Paul quoted the above verse, the Gentiles BEGGED Paul to come to the synagogue THE NEXT SABBATH….to preach THE SAME WORDS again! (Acts 13:42) How I wish this would happen in our generation too!
Now listen carefully: GRACE is the ACTUAL GOSPEL which you must NOT be ashamed to teach at any given time!
Paul said: ‘I am NOT ASHAMED of the Gospel of Christ….for it is the power of God unto salvation…to EVERYONE THAT BELIEVES! (Rom 1:16)
Hmm… How I wish an evangelist would open his mouth in a public vehicle and say:
‘Men and Brethen, the reason you are finding it difficult to be close to God is that you think God is angry with you because of your sins! NO! He is NOT angry with you! The Bible says…He is NOT IMPUTING your trespasses unto you! (2cor 5:19). Why would He do that when He has judged ALL your sins in the body of His only begotten Son…just to REDEEM you’! God would be unjust to imput your sins to you when you believe that Jesus is your SAVIOUR! (Rom 3:26). Why not call on Jesus as your SAVIOUR….and believe that through His death on the Cross…you have been eternally REDEEMED….(Heb 9:12). Therefore, do not allow the devil deceive you that God is angry with you! Rather, come BOLDLY to the Throne of Grace (not throne of judgment)! Like the prodigal son,…see the Father running towards you….even while you are still afar off’! (Luke 15:20). God loves you dearly….and ALL you need to do is to CONFESS with your mouth the LORD Jesus….and BELIEVE in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (for your justification)! (Romans 10:9-10)! When you do this: you have passed from death to life FOREVER! (John 5:24)! Halleluyah! Now let us pray…’!!!
Wow! God will be so pleased! Jesus will be so honoured! And the Holy Spirit will rejoice over such an evangelist!
Jesus gave Peter a miracle of ‘boat sinking’ order of fishes….and peter himself knelt down without anybody preaching to him and acknowledged himself as a sinner!!! (Luke 5:7-8).
My question is this: how did Jesus make Peter repent? Was it by a declaration of divine punishment or a GRACIOUS act of divine blessings? Hmm…
‘…the GOODNESS OF GOD leadeth thee to repentance’! (Romans 2:4)
Now listen carefully: The Law does NOT possess the ability to make men righteous! (Rom 3:20, Heb 7:19). It is only Grace that can transform anyone from a sin addict to a God addict…….and He does that by NOT CONDEMNING the sinner! (Rom 8:1-2)
Indeed, GREAT revivals are GRACE revivals!!!
Never forget: GRACE is the ACTUAL GOSPEL which you must NOT be ashamed to teach at any given time!
Glory to Jesus.
Amen.
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