Don't Demonize Denominations

            Before I begin this blog post, I want to say that I am not perfect and have been very guilty of what I am about to write about. However, as of late this has been bothering me, so I thought I would write a blog post about it.

            Recently, Harvest had a worship night for young adults. That’s all it was, a night to worship God with people of the 18-30 years old age range. Anyways, it being a worship night, and because Harvest was sending a bus specifically for Tyndale students to come and worship, I thought I would ask a few people in the halls if they wanted to come. Most of the responses were the usual “I have homework”, which is understandable. I have been there. However, one response from two students at Tyndale caught me very off guard. I was explaining the event, and how it was a night of worship, prayer, and hearing the Word of God, and one of them stopped me mid-sentence and said: “Sorry, it’s at Harvest, and Harvest doesn’t support women in ministry, so we don’t support Harvest.” I was so shocked; I had to just walk away. I thought to myself – when did I invite you to worship Harvest? I just invited you to a night to worship God, which has nothing to do with Harvest, but rather your heart attitude of worship.

            Why do we do this? Why is it that when we hear a certain denomination does something that is a little different from the way we think, we demonize them? By demonize, I mean put them into a category where whenever we hear that denomination or know someone goes there, we think less of them or the denomination. I am not talking about heretical stuff like whether Jesus actually rose from the dead or did miracles or Trinitarian theology, because I think that is a different story all together. I am talking about things like spiritual gifts, charismatic movement, baptism mode, style of worship or other things that if you went to a church, they should not affect how or even if you worship God. When did we become so arrogant to think that because a certain denomination baptizes babies or uses the sprinkle instead of immersion method, that God isn’t worthy to be worshiped there? Because they do things a certain way, we can’t worship with those people. That is basically saying that anyone who has slightly different views on certain things can’t worship Jesus properly. That is pride at its finest, and it needs to stop.

            This kind of behaviour is straight up causing divisions in the church. Why has it become acceptable for the eye to say to the ear, “You’re not worthy”, or for the head to say to the feet, “You’re different, so you’re not good enough to be a part of the same body as us”? Why is that ok? We are one body, in Christ. We are not many bodies that make up a crowd, but rather many parts that make up one body.

            This applies to all Bible-believing denominations. We should have no problem walking into a Baptist, Pentecostal, Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Alliance, or Non-Denominational Bible-believing church, and worshiping Christ the same way as if we were in our home church, without being disrespectful of the worshippers around us, of course. But we do have a problem. Why? The differences in the Bible-believing denominations are so small, and do not have an effect on our salvation, so why make them points of contention?

            Maybe it’s time we stopped this nonsense. Why fight about little things, when people’s souls are at stake? Why make enemies with our brothers and sisters, while the real enemy mocks us because we are doing his work for him? I know this is just a blog, and it won’t change the world, but I really just want us all to glorify God, because He is worthy to be praised.

How do we glorify God in all of this? Here is a big picture (forgive me, I am a dreamer). Why don’t we stop demonizing each other, and start loving each other? If you don’t know, I’ve been at Tyndale, a multi-denominational Christian school for the past four years. One of the greatest things about this is that I can worship with people who baptize differently, worship differently, speak in tongues differently, choose different people for leadership, and do Church differently than me. And we worship the same God! I’m not worried about if my brothers and sisters around me do different things, because we worship the same God! Can we talk about those things? Absolutely! Talking is a great way to both strengthen your own beliefs, but also be open to the Holy Spirit, and where He is leading you. It just becomes arrogance and pride when we start disliking people or denominations because of these little differences. Brothers and sisters reading this – let’s glorify God together, as one body, united by Christ Jesus, our Lord.

A House Divided Will Fall

So this has been on my heart a lot lately because I have seen a lot of posts, heard a lot of insults, and just ben generally perturbed by what has gone on. 

I think that it is about time that Christians stopped ripping down Christian leaders and their ministries. Here is an example: I recently went to Act Like Men, a conference that was meant to show men how to be godly men, and how to glorify God in that. This was put on by James MacDonald, and the speakers were Matt Chandler, James MacDonald, Mark Driscoll, Eric Mason, Greg Laurie, and Lecrae. Obviously not everyone agrees with what they say or their theology or how they do things. However, is that an excuse to rip this conference apart because it is aimed at "one type" of men, demean these leaders because they want to make godly men, or generally slander the ministries of these guys? NO! Just because you don't agree with someone, does not mean you can slander them, especially if they are faithfully preaching the gospel and God is saving people with and through what they are doing. Will all ministries and churches look the same? No, and praise God for that. However, it's time we stop criticizing the way these leaders preach the gospel, and start praying that MORE people come to know Christ.

Jesus says in Matthew 12:25 that every house that is divided shall fall. Let me say this - if you are spreading hate towards a certain Christian leader - you are the one dividing! Listen, I know not all beliefs within Christian denominations are the same. I do not believe everything that Rick Warren says, but will I tear down his ministry? No, because that is wrong - if he is being faithful to the Bible (Which I believe he is). Should we call out heresy like universalism, prosperity gospel and other things? Absolutely, because we as Christ followers need to be faithful to the Bible. (Let me be clear that I was NOT equating Rick Warren with either of those heresies.) 

I have seen far too many posts tearing down our Christian pastors for mistakes they make, beliefs they have, the way in which they preach, and so on. If you are not being a sheep who is working towards the betterment of the Kingdom of God, then you are being a wolf! Instead of trying to get in the way of what they are doing, why not get behind something good (there are many good churches, not just Harvest, in case some of you are wondering if that's what I am saying) and work hard at it for the glory of God? What good is it if you tear down Christian ministries? You are helping the devil! But what good is it if you get involved with a good Christian ministry, and pray for the ones that you're not in? You are doing the will of God.

The gospel is being preached in a lot of churches. The way it is preached changes. As long as the message stays the same, the messenger doesn't matter. God will take care of how His Church grows, and regardless of whether you think a pastor is correct in what he preaches, the gospel will change lives, because God is the gospel!

Listen to what Acts 5:33-39 says: "When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” 

If these ministries and leaders that many people are vehemently opposed to are just men, and from men, then they WILL fail. However, if these leaders and ministries are from God, then you need to be praying for them, get involved in them, and stop tearing them down. The Bible says that if you are against these Christians and their ministries of faithfully preaching the gospel, then you might be found opposing God! 

Enough with tearing down these pastors (not just the ones from Act Like Men, but others as well). We are the body of CHRIST! Stop trying to cut arms, fingers, toes, ears, and the rest of the body parts off! Non-Christians think we are fools because we fight so much. They are supposed to see Christ because of the way we love one another, not be turned off because of the way we fight one another. 

Imagine we put as much effort into praying for the Church, as we do into tearing down different leaders. Wouldn't the Christian Church just boom if we weren't tearing down someone for his "chauvinistic" views, or for her yelling at people, or for this conference, or for that podcast, but instead praising God for the lives changed by Christ, the baptisms by her, the churches planted by him, or the many other things to praise our Great God for? That would be amazing!

Christians - get off your critiques, and onto your knees. Get out of tearing down with your flaming tongue, and get into building up with streams of life. Church, and the human life, is meant to GLORIFY GOD! Instead of tearing down, glorify God.

(This was a heavy blogpost, and if you feel like commenting, do so. However, if you know me personally, then talk to me in person, and not on this blog. If you don't know me personally, email me at giesbrechtj@mytyndale.ca)

Just A Shadow...

This is probably just going to be one of the posts I make because of the Act Like Men conference. I was wrecked by the gospel, amazed by God, and super encouraged by all of the other men there, so you might hear a bit about it.

Anyways, one of the things I loved about the conference was the times of worship, led by the Vertical Church Band. There really is nothing like a stadium full of people worshiping the living God for all of the amazing things that He has done. Honestly, to be in a stadium full of just men worshiping God, it broke my heart and made my heart fill with joy.

As I was worshiping, I had this thought that it was just amazing to worship God, and to be there with all of those people in unity singing to one God. The music was pumping, my hands were pumping, the lights were flashing, I was singing at the top of my lungs (probably not the best for people around me since I have no musical ability), and it was just amazing, and I was loving it, and I took the time during a song to just thank God for the amazing grace that we have to worship Him freely.

Just then, God spoke to me clearly, and said - "You think this conference is amazing? You just wait till you're singing before my throne. This worship set is a mere shadow of what will come. You like the lights? I am brighter. You like the sound system? Try the booming of millions of saints crying 'Holy, Holy, Holy'. You think you're into it now? Just wait until you're actually standing in my presence. You think you're singing now? You have eternity to praise me - just wait."

Is that not amazing? I know sometimes we have great worship sets or great experiences while singing, but do we realize that this is NOTHING compared to how much we will praise God when we are in heaven? Shame on us for ever thinking that a worship set is going long, or that we have sung enough, or that we don't like a song. I know I am guilty of that.

First Corinthians 13:12 says, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." Everything in your life is from God, and what an amazing thought that even the absolute best thing in our lives is seen as in a dim mirror. When we are finally face to face with the Almighty God, we will be fulfilled in everything, and to it's greatest measure, because we will be fulfilled in God! I am not sure about you, but I am overjoyed just thinking about that!

In light of that, what does it mean to glorify God? It means God deserves my full worship - hands, feet, voice, body - everything! In heaven, we aren't going to stand with our hands in our pockets or just barely saying the words or checking our watches to see when worship will be over. We will be jumping, clapping, kneeling, singing, laying on our faces in worship to God! Honestly, let's do that now! Glorify God today! He alone is worthy!

God, I pray that, God...

My last post on this blog was about reverence for God. Click here for it. This one is along the same lines, but with a more specific focus on prayer.

First - I want to say that I cannot see hearts, I can only see what happens on the outside. I am not God, and I do not claim to have all of the answers. However, I have recently made some observations (probably not the first one to make these since there's nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9) ) about prayer, and specifically about praying in groups. These are just my opinions, and feel free to comment or message me to talk about what was said here. :)

The title for this post is an awkward one to say is it not? God, I pray that, God... Interesting sentence in a lot of ways. Have you ever heard anyone pray like this? Every other word is Lord, God, Father, Jesus, or some other derivative of our Holy God that we come to in prayer. You might laugh or even scoff at me for even recognizing this, but it is true of quite a few people when they are praying. I have heard quite a few prayers that go like - God, I pray that, God, you would change hearts, God; Lord change lives, God; God do this, God; God do that, God. Think about it - you know you have heard (maybe even said!) this prayer.

Let me qualify this, because I am not trying to be offensive in any way. A while ago I was talking to a friend about prayer, and he pointed out to me that a lot of people use the Name of God as a filler word in our prayers. This was pointed out to him by a friend who noticed him doing it. Anyways, I kind of laughed at him, because he told me that the friend who pointed it out to him counted something over 50 times that he said some form of the Most High Name of God in less than five minutes of prayer. That's crazy! However, as I prayed more, I realized I was quite guilty of this. Then, as I was praying with some other people, I stopped counting during someone's prayer when they reached over 100 times within 5 minutes. I'm not kidding! I can hear some judging me and saying - you should have been praying - not counting how many times...blah blah blah. However - it gets very distracting and very confusing to others around when every other word is God, Lord, or some other Name of God.

Anyways, the reason I am pointing this out is not to judge the way people pray, and certainly not to stop people from calling upon the Name of The Lord. I am pointing this out because I think we need to be a lot more careful in how we use the Name of God. Think about it - are you guilty, as I have been, of using God's Name as a filler in our prayers? Ecclesiastes 5:2 says this: "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few." Think about that for a second. Think about the weight of that. God is in heaven, and we are really specks of nothing on this earth (yes, loved and valued by Him, of course). Let your words be few. Once again, God is not your homeboy - He is the Sovereign God of the universe. Think about how you are talking to Almighty God!

Now, of course I understand that not everyone is a master at poetry, or an English major, or that people are new to praying because they are new Christians, or even that they are fluent in any language at all, and all of those things are fine because God knows the heart behind the prayer (this is why I don't judge hearts, I can only see what happens on the outside and I am simply making an observation). I just think it is wise to choose words carefully when speaking to the our Saviour.

That being said, another issue I have observed is praying for other people to hear, rather than praying to God, for His glory. Once again, I am and have been guilty of this at times. We have all heard it - the prayer who prays "eloquently", or that prays so another person will feel better because of that prayer, or prays with increasing tempo, loudness, fervency, until they finally get the resounding "Amen" that they were looking for. Or how about that person who knows about something wrong in someone's life, and prays against that thing, hoping that they will be convicted by the words they say, instead of by the Holy Spirit. For the third time, I can't see hearts, but I know my own, and how much of a sinner I am, and my heart is still made of sinful flesh, and I know I am not the only one who does this.

What I am trying to say here is that we need to be careful to pray to God and for God. We shouldn't be praying for the approval of people around us (Galatians 1:10, Matthew 6:5). We pray for the people around us, sure, and even with them. Thank God for people? Absolutely! But not so they feel better. Thank God for them because you are thankful to God for them. Prayer should never point to us, it should point to God in every way. God creates, sustains, gives peace, heals, restores, gives joy, gives strength, convicts, renews, and so much more. Prayer that elevates us in any way is idolatry, and you're trying to be the idol. "Look at me - I can pray with volume, eloquence, fervency, and for days!" I am not saying those things are bad - if they are done for the glory of His Name. I am saying that we need to check our hearts even before and during our prayers. God wants us to come before Him, knowing we are sinners (saved by God's grace of course, but that's another blog post), not thinking that we are amazing (Luke 18:9-14). God honours and blesses the humble heart, not the proud heart.

Should we pray? All the time (Ephesians 6:18)! Just make sure it is to glorify God in every way, and nobody else, including yourself, in any way. After all, the chief end of man is to glorify God...

Jesus is NOT Your Homeboy

It's been a long time, but I have a friend who I talk to that keeps encouraging me to write, so here I am on a Saturday morning doing it.

This post is coming from a combination of reading Isaiah 6 and realizing how foolish I have been in the past with how reverent I am towards God. Take a few seconds and read Isaiah 6:1-7. This is no joke. Isaiah doesn't get called into God's presence and give God a high five and say "What up, Holy One?" He falls on his face and says that he and his people are unholy and not worthy of being in God's presence. Being in the presence of God is a serious thing, and we need to take it seriously. This post is not saying we can't have fun, because that would be silly. This post is just trying to say we need to be a lot more careful what we say and do in the presence of God.

First, when we handle Scripture in any way, it is not a light thing. It is the very Word of God, breathed out by Him, and given to us for teaching, correction, reproof, training, and so much more (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So why is it, if we know God's Word is directly from Him, that we often treat it with flippancy? I know in my own life I used to quote verses to people just because I thought it was funny because they oppressed a certain group of people at the time (like I said, foolishness). How about when we read the Bible and have not prepared our hearts at all for the feast that God has laid out before us? God wants to show us so much from His Word, but I think it's kind of hard for us to receive it when our hearts and minds are full of so much other trash. We need to handle God's Word with humility because we are nothing in comparison to Him, and with trembling, because it's something to be taken seriously (Isaiah 66:1-2).

The next example I want to give is actually physically going to church on whatever day it happens to be on. Do we truly believe that God wants to (and does) show up in our churches every Sunday morning through biblical preaching and worship that glorifies only Him? Let's flesh this out a little bit.

If we believe that God shows up and is glorified through our worship, why do we not lift our hands or clap or do anything else to worship God? I don't remember where I read this, but it's true: It's pretty sad when the local concert can drown out the victory song of the children of God. A preacher I know says this quite often, and it convicts me every time: "We get more excited about the Blue Jays winning than about the fact that God has saved us." Why is that? Why are we not more excited about God's presence in our churches? God delights in us loving Him. God delights in us worshiping Him with all of our body, mind and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5). (I'm not talking about foolish craziness here, but that is another blog for another time.) We should be excited and clapping our hands and making our voices hoarse from singing praises to our Saviour, rather than worrying about what the people behind us or beside us will think. If God has saved you, you have every reason to raise your hands and worship Him.

If we believe that God shows up in and through His Word, like He says He does, then why are we not more reverent about hearing His Word through biblical preaching? I've seen (and been) so many people on cell phones (not on the Bible app or taking sermon notes) during sermons and worship. Really? That text can't wait until after the preacher is done heralding the Word of God? You can't find out movie times after the service? I think this part of our culture is a joke, and Jesus would be disgusted at our lack of reverence when the Word of God is being preached. First Thessalonians 2:13 says this: "When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God." When someone is preaching the Bible, God is speaking! It is not just the voice of Matt Chandler, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, Paul Washer, Beth Moore, or any other servant of God. God is speaking and alive in His Word!

All of this to say we need to be more reverent. I don't think it's an option, I know we should be more reverent. This looks different for everyone, but I think things like "Jesus is my homeboy" and misquoting Scripture on coffee mugs and texting in church are an abomination to God. There are times and places to be fun and silly, but handling God's Word and being in His presence are not those times.

I am not condemning anyone here, but this is meant to make you think. I have done all the things mentioned here, and I am still not perfect. Just think about how you, as a follower of Christ, are handling God's Word and how you are acting in His presence. Our purpose is to glorify God, not ourselves. "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

Amazing Grace...Is it still amazing?

This week, and once in the past month, as well as (Lord willing) a few times coming in the future, I have the privilege of teaching kids at Harvest Bible Chapel York Region. This blog comes primarily from what I taught this week, but also out of other conversations I have had prior to and since then.

This week I taught the kids that when we know how much we owe, we can be amazed at how much God's grace can erase. Catchy right? I didn't make it up. Anyways, the point of the story from Luke 7 was that we should want to worship and love God so much because of what he has done for us - forgiving our sins if we believe and confess those sins (1 John 1:9).

This got me thinking - why don't we love God as much as we should? Why do we do things that rob God of our time, energy, and worship? Think of this week, or even this month. Has there been a time when you have thought that you should pray more or read your Bible more? For me, it's a lot of the time. I do things often that rob God of my affections for him. Sometimes it is blatant, other times I just catch myself thinking, "What am I doing with my time? How is this glorifying God?"

On the car ride back home from teaching kids on Saturday night, five of us got into a conversation about the joys of children and how they worship and love God. Think about it. When we are children, how much do we love God with a truly childlike faith? How much joy do we have in our hearts and minds and actions when we jump around and clap and sing and do crazy actions to songs? But then, as we grow older, we are expected to calm down and "worship God properly" - as if standing there with our hands half raised or in our pockets shows more praise to God.

I will come back to the childlike faith in a sec. For now, I just want to share with you something that was shared with me not too long ago that changed my perspective on worship. Why is it that we don't raise our hands or clap? Why is it that all to often the church is filled with cross-armed people singing half-heartedly? Why don't we raise our hands or get on our knees in worship? When we get to heaven, do you think there will be one single being there not on their knees or hands waving or dancing with joy because they are in God's presence? If we truly believe that God dwells in us, and we expect to meet him every time we worship or pray or sing in church, why do we not act like we want to? Should we not love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5)? We say and sing that we love God with all that we are, and that we desire Jesus and so many more Christian worship lyrics. Do our hearts match our words? Or do we just worship in a more calm environment and with calmer attitudes. Heaven will be a party. A huge party with one purpose - to worship God. We won't be calm then!

This is where it comes back to the childlike faith and love. Look at the kids in your Sunday school classes. Are they joyful? Or do they have their arms crossed? Are they jumping around and excited to be worshipping God? Or do they look like they don't want to be there? I would suggest to you that we have taught our children these attitudes. When they go to a "grown up" church service, and see adults standing around looking very apathetic and not joyous about being in the presence of God, that's how they think it should be. It goes much deeper than this, but I would also suggest that this is why church is portrayed as boring as kids are growing up and as they become teenagers and adults. What message are we sending our kids? Should we not be MORE joyful than the children, because we TRULY understand the depths of our depravity and the eternal suffering that we have been saved from?

(Note: I am not advocating wildness in the church. I am saying there should be far more than most churches do, but also far less than other churches do. If what is happening is robbing God of glory because the focus shifts to humans, then it is not honouring to God. Honestly, I don't know where the happy medium is, but I would say that it is more than standing with your hands in your pockets or tweeting)

Think of this: How often have you heard a friend or family member say that they love someone else or even something else? It could be a couple in your work, school, or church. It could be in a movie. It could be the fact that I love peanut M&M's. How often do we say those things, or hear them being said? Now think of this: How often have you heard this week how much someone loves God? How much do we talk about our first love? We love others deeply and aren't afraid to show it (and there is nothing wrong with that), but we seem to be afraid to show how much we truly love God.

One of my favourite hymns (mostly due to hearing my mom sing it very beautifully while I was growing up) is Amazing Grace. I am pretty sure you all know it. Let me ask you - how sweet is the sound? How amazing is that grace to you? Does it consume you, or does it only come to your mind Sunday morning when the preacher reminds you of it?

Let me confess to you that it is not always all encompassing to me, as much as I desire it to be. As I have already admitted, I do things to rob God of all of the glory that is due him from my life. It's hard to do everything for God's glory. It's hard to love God as much as I should sometimes. I pray that would not be the same for you. I pray, as Jesus said to Ephesus, that you would return to your first love. Have the joy of your salvation renewed. Be in awe of what Jesus did for you, and what he continues to save you from. Glorify God because of it.

The Great Commission

The other day, I found out through the grapevine that two of my really good friends just got engaged. So, I figured I would text him and say congrats, as well as make a joke, because that's just what I do. I texted him and said, "Newfie news travels fast. Congrats bro." After some jovial chuckles and me telling him how it got it me, he made this comment: "Man! If only the gospel spread that fast!" I am not sure a better comment could have been made by him. After a few more "congrats" and "happy for you guys" and other things were said, we stopped texting.

But then I got thinking...why doesn't the gospel get spread that fast? Why are we, as Christians (I always include myself in these, so I am not pointing fingers) so excited when people get engaged or have a baby that we tell everyone we know and the news truly spreads like wildfire? The same can be said of gossip. We are so quick to share juicy secrets or even good news about someone, but how excited are we to share the gospel? I would venture to say that some Christians, even at Tyndale, have not shared the gospel with a single person in their whole lives. Why? Why are we not as excited about the true Good News as we are about people getting engaged or someone's dirty laundry that gets aired out because of "concern" for that person?

At Tyndale, there is a hall dedicated to Oswald J. Smith, who was a hymn writer, pastor, evangelist, and one of the founders of The People's Church on Sheppard Avenue. One of the quotes on this wall goes something like this: "Why should anyone hear the gospel twice before everyone has heard it once?" Think back on this past week. How many times have you heard the gospel? How many times have you shared it? I am willing to bet that they are many in the former column, and few in the latter.

This is not a call to go to Third World or developing countries, because I certainly know that life isn't for everyone. Even doing a Sunday school class can be a conduit for preaching the gospel - those kids need Jesus, too! Just share it with someone!

Some of you might say, "I am not done my degree yet, how can I preach the gospel?" or "I am just not cut out for evangelism." or even "I give money to missionaries, isn't that enough?" Preaching the gospel is not optional - it's a command given by Jesus. It's not based on a degree or money, or even the lack of boldness you have. It's based on the power of God through you, in preaching the gospel to the people who have not yet accepted Jesus as the Lord of their lives. I am sure most people who read this could quote me the Great Commission, but I will paste Matthew 28:18-20 here for those who don't know it. "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” "

So why don't we get exited about the gospel? And why don't we share it? These are questions on my mind, and I know I am perfect at neither one. What does it mean to glorify God with this? Can we ever justify not sharing the gospel? Can we justify not being excited because the great debt that we owed to God because of our sin was paid for in full by Christ being nailed to the cross? If our answer to either of those last two questions is ever "yes", I would say our hearts have been somewhat hardened to the gospel, and that is a dangerous path to be on.

Sources say that Christianity, in all of it's denominations, has around 2-2.5 billion people worldwide who call themselves Christians. That is 30-35% of the population, which is so amazing, and praise God for that. However, what if each person shared the gospel with just two different people? Theoretically, the whole world would have the gospel preached to it. I know it's not that easy, and that there are other religions, but that's nothing new. People have been oppressing God's people since long before you were born.

Let's do what God's will is, and spread that gospel like wildfire. Spread that Good News like other news we get excited for. After all, what excuse do we have not to?

It's all for the glory of God.