Are You Saved?

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     John 3:16-17 says, “ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

     Evangelism is a vital part of the church ministry but also one that is probably lacking in  many churches.  I got involved in a course in evangelism on how to witness without saying anything.  It seemed easy to me so took the course at the church.  You would wear a button that simply said, “Ask Me”  When someone would say, “Ask you what?”  I would simply hand t hem a track that had the title, “Since You Asked.”   I didn’t have to say a word but simply have the button on and a pocket full of the tracts to pass out to those who did ask.  It was an okay course so to speak and involved several different projects involving evangelism.  Eventually, you will need to say something when the time is appropriate.  Of course, the longer you wait, the more chance you will not have the opportunity since it just slipped through your fingers.

     We often focus on John 3:16 and perhaps don’t say too much about the next verse.  We use terms like, “You need to be saved.”  The question may come up, or at least should come up, “Saved from what?”  I was teaching a group of children and asked the question, “Has anyone been saved?”  One girl raised her hand and said that she was in a swimming pool and a lifeguard saved her. Well, that was a true story and shows how somehow we have not given the “saved from what” part as well as we should have.  Verse seventeen goes on to say that Christ came not to condemn the world but that through Him, they would be saved.  Further investigation reveals that there will be a series of judgments tht will end up sending souls to a Christless eternity.  That is the longest of times.  It is not temporary nor is it a time to work offf your mistakes for a period of time and then be released by a “pardon” by God of the universe.  No, it is forever.  It is eternity just as it says.  Further inviestigation describes the place to which people will arrive who have not been saved.  It is like utter darkness, so it will be loneliness beyond compare.  It will be a place of burning fire that does not consume you but just keeps burning and forcing you to anguish  in that unquenchable fire.  There will be no laughing, or singing, or drinking beer in the corner or speaking with you lost buddies.  God will be absent from that place of torment. There will be no light as the light of the Son of God will be in heaven with those who are saved.  While eternal separation from God is unpleasant to think about, we must still do so so as to create in ourselves a desire to reach the lost before it is too late.  Five minutes from now will be too late for many souls.  Many die every second and the time it took you to read this, thousands of people slipped into eternity.  Praise God for salvation.  Have you been saved?