There will come a time...


When people will disappear. Those who have known and claimed Jesus Christ as their Savior will be gone. Poof. Just like that. In light of my post the other day, I felt like I needed to mention something.

You can figure out which one Jesus is; liar, lunatic or Lord. You can decide He's one of the first two. But when the day comes that MILLIONS of people disappear, remember this. It didn't just "happen". It wasn't some random alien that snatched us all away. It was the return of my Lord and Savior for me and those who have called upon His name for the forgiveness of their sins.

I have a deep burden on my heart today. Have for years, but the weight of it has grown over the last two weeks. Normally this blog is more of a discipling tool. It's a little different today. I don't remember who first said this premise, but the first person I heard it from was my former pastor, Jim Johnson (www.justapreacherministries.com). Great stuff from Jim if you want to check him out.

Do you believe the Man, Jesus, lived? If so, what do you believe He was? Think about it for a bit then come back and finish reading once you've got it in your mind what you believe.

You see, many people believe Jesus lived on the earth and died during the time of the Bible. That they don't dispute and history has many facts and artifacts stating it. Now, if He lived, He could only have been one of three things: a liar, a lunatic or the Lord.

Some believe He was a prophet or a wise man. Okay, it's something I believe in part. But if you believe He was a prophet or wise man, how can you say He wasn't the Lord? You can't say He was wise/prophetic, believe SOME of what He said/claimed and throw out the rest. Either He's real or He's a liar. Otherwise, He's not the One deciding what's truth, you are. You only take what you WANT to believe about Him and leave the rest as lies. If I hear a pastor tell me something I know is an outright lie, he has lost all credibility in my eyes. None of what he says is of value to me anymore. So, how can something Christ said have value if you don't believe all of it? Liar, lunatic...

Some believe He was just mad, stark raving crazy. Okay. Claiming to be the Messiah could be considered on the off side of things. If you believe this, it's your choice. Some of what He said, though, came to pass. Many things are documented as having happened. Not quite the ravings of a lunatic. And, again, if you believe anything He said, you can't claim He's a lunatic without being intellectually dishonest. Hypocricy isn't a pretty trait. Liar, lunatic or Lord...

It all boils down to this: if you believe Christ lived, that even some of what He said was true, then He has to be what He claimed. The Son of God. The Lamb of God Who died for our sins. You can't believe some of it and throw out the rest without being untrue to yourself. We humans can't even make the right decisions all the time so how can we trust ourselves to filter something as big as Christ correctly? Especially when there is so much evidence out there that Christ lived, He died and He is still working in the lives of those who believe in Him? Just the name of Christ can break bondages, heal, and calm. Ever wonder why no one curses the name of Buddha? It's only God and Christ which are taken in vain. Why? Just something to ponder.

I don't know where so many of the people I love stand on the issue of faith in Jesus Christ. Dear friends, people I've known most or all of my life. I've watched as their lives go down painful paths. I've prayed and cried. I can't change things for them. I can't make the decisions for them. But I can pray. I can tell them what I know to be Truth. Jesus Christ LIVED. He died on the cross to cover the payment of sin so that I can live FREELY. With joy and peace. Things I long for my loved ones to find.

There will come a time that we all stand before Him to account for our lives. My prayer is for everyone to know Him as Lord before it's too late.