One Way! Really!

Karen and I had just moved to our first church when a senior adult lady invited us to go see a Christmas play at her daughter’s church in Anniston. We took my grandmother with us and had a great time. On the way back, I turned the wrong way onto a one way street which caused the sr adult lady to shout “You’re going the wrong way!” I quickly turned into a parking lot and turned around, thinking all was well. Until the blue lights came on. Looking back on that, everyone involved understood what “one way” meant and no one tried to argue that was too restrictive etc.

That brings me to the words of Jesus

John 14:6 HCSB

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

We need Fresh Conviction

Jesus is not one of many ways.

Religion- trying to get to God

Rules- many people today believe you can be “moral” without Christ, but they define morality in their own terms.

Relationship- No one come to God except through Jesus. No other religion, no lack of religion, no morality, no self-righteousness will ever save anyone.

This is not me being judgmental, this is Jesus being judgmental.

Do we believe Jesus? It is interesting that a growing number of “Christians in America” are no longer convinced that Jesus IS the only way to God.

So let me say this clearly, if there is another way to be right with the Father, then the Father really let Jesus down. The night before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed, let this cup pass from me. But then He went on to the bloody, awful, sin-atoning cross.

If there is another way to get to God, then the cross was the most senseless act ever carried out. But if there is no other way to God but by Jesus taking our place on the cross, let’s not waffle on our conviction about this.

We need Fresh Fire

1 Corinthians 2:14 HCSB

14 But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

We can never forget that God the Holy Spirit s the one to bring conviction and conversion.

No one can give their life to Christ, unless God the Father points them to Jesus, and this is done by a work of the Holy Spirit.

I remember the day I gave my life to Christ, IT WAS SURRENDER. God was dealing with my heart in such a strong way, I was tired of fighting. This is the Holy Spirit at work.

I truly believe God wants to bring a fresh move of the Holy Spirit in power in our church in these days.

I’m praying often for this: God come into our midst in a noticeable way!

All the evaluating, all the planning, all the promoting, all the preaching, all teaching, all the going, will not matter if God doesn’t get in the middle of it.

We need Fresh Fire.

We need Fresh Evaluation

Are church members saved?

Through the years, I’ve heard all kinds of percentages thrown around.

They fall somewhere in the category of 75%-90% of people on church rolls are not really saved.

I’ll be honest, if COVID were used by God as a test to evaluate the authenticity of able bodied church member’s faith, it is a cause for concern.

My concern runs high because I love the people God has caused me pastor. I can’t help but wonder if people are really saved when anything and everything keeps them from church and the things of God.

“Well I can be a Christian and not go to church.” I’ll tell you what, the times I have been closest to God, I couldn’t wait to be among His people, but when my heart has not been right, it was a different story. I’ve never met an on fire follower of Jesus who didn’t long to worship and serve the Lord with other believers.

The Bible says to “examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith”

This is Evaluation. When you examine yourself, are you really saved? Are you willing to stake your eternity on the reality of your faith in Jesus?

We need Fresh Urgency

There is much at stake.

John 3:16–18 HCSB

16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.

We don’t just have good news we have the best news.

Eternal life- Relationship with the Father- will not perish- no longer condemned.

If we believe that Jesus could return at any moment and then it gets really bad, shouldn’t we be urgent in praying for lost people? When’s the last time you wept over someone on the road to Hell? Shouldn’t we be urgent in our message. If John 14.6 is true, don’t people need to know?

Won’t it do them more good than knowing which team you root for? Won’t it do them more good than knowing who you’re voting for?

The Best News: