“Come on, That’s For Sunday”

Well, I just cannot stay away. Twice now I’ve taken a break and twice I have come back. I confess that I have not let my no be no in this matter and have not given a good testimony concerning simple obedience to Jesus’ commandment. Please pray for my faithfulness to His commands.

I just got back home from witnessing with Scott, Keith, and Bobby. It was so cold out that I had to go inside to go through the painful warm-up process, and while I was at Walkers I got a coffee – so I reckon I’ll be up for a while. There was one conversation I had that prompted me to start blogging again.

A girl named Amanda took a tract from me. As she did so she talked about her love for Jesus. Then she stopped a few feet down the line and said, “What about sinning? I love Jesus – I keep on sinning!” She was very emotional – probably a by-product of alcohol – yet she stopped when I asked her if she wanted to keep on talking. The rest of her friends stopped briefly while we talked. I sensed I didn’t have much time so I told her to walk away. If she wanted Christ, she should walk away from her friends who soldier down the broad way that leads to destruction. The Spirit was pleading with her through me to walk away. To separate. Then something amazing happened. Another girl came up and said:

“Come on, that’s for Sunday.”

Now I did not get to talk to Amanda or her friend for that long, but when someone remarks that conversation about Jesus should be delegated only to Sundays, that gives clear evidence of one’s spiritual condition. Amanda’s friend (and ultimately Amanda) hated the light being shone upon them. The girls looked like they were in their late teens.

As her friend took her away I continued to tell her to turn away, that there’s no life in the party scene, etc. Tonight, she chose the world, storing up God’s wrath for herself due to her hard and impenitent heart. Please pray for Amanda to be convicted by the Holy Spirit with repentance that leads to life.

Amanda’s friend, by her words, believed that Jesus was only for Sunday. Saturday morning was not time for Jesus. It was time to indulge in the lust of the flesh. On Sunday, everything could be aired out before the Jesus that forgives but doesn’t hate sin or call people to account.

A regenerated blood-redeemed believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is not going to say that they will render Jesus some time on Sunday morning and that’s all. No, they will confess

JESUS IS LORD

and will live lives reflective of his lordship. Live lives in the power of the Holy Spirit that abase self, seek repentance from sin, and deeper fellowship with the Bridegroom. A saint can say that though he be a sinner like Amanda, he has cast all his hope in Christ’s redemption, and out of love and thanksgiving gives his life for His first love. Christ is the believer’s life, every day of the week.

College-age folks like Amanda and her friend are why we must still preach the biblical gospel in the Bible Belt to people born and raised in the Bible Belt. Many have grown up in churches where God’s justice, wrath, holiness, love, omniscience, and other attributes were never taught, accompanied with an incomplete doctrine of God’s love. Many have grown up in churches where a gospel of sovereign grace as a gift apart from any human effort or work leaves many with a belief that if they prayed a prayer and were sincere, accepted Jesus into their heart and were sincere, attended Christian events with regularity, or obeyed the Ten Commandments as best they could that they are saved. What is the hope for these people?

Preaching Christ crucified and resurrected from the Word of God. Calling people to repent and believe the good news. Not witnessing using a formula to coerce someone into answering, but rather rightly handling the Word of Truth to answer people’s questions and dialogue on God’s terms with His word. Trusting that God the Father will grant repentance that leads to live in the power of the Holy Spirit to those predestined in love to be called sons through adoption – for salvation is of the Lord.