GOSPEL LIGHT #698

The Gospel According To "Saint John" The Methodist Circuit Rider 

He is one of the unsung heroes of Church History. His name is not well-known. They just called him "Saint John." He would travel on a regular circuit, visiting multiple towns and settlements, preaching the Gospel to the people he would meet.

One of his methods in sharing the Gospel was this --- He would go out into the mines and inquire for the names of miners who went down sick the longest. And then he would volunteer to work for their shifts. Dark, dusty, and sooty, there he was working hard down in the mine. There, he would preach the gospel to other other miners and then he would emerge out from the mine after some days and then he would go to the sick miner's house and give the money to him. He would sit down with the sick miner by the fire and preach the gospel to him, using what he did as an illustration of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for sinners. Many people came to Christ because of what "Saint John" did. 

The world right now is upside down. People like "Saint John" should be the heroes of the world, acknowledged, celebrated and applauded. And yet "Saint John" rode into the sunset of his life largely unrecognized. In God's kingdom, God will turn it right side up. And nobodies like "Saint John" will forever be somebodies there. I am curious to know his real name.

Here's the gospel according to "Saint John" The Methodist Circuit Rider:

We are the  miners down in this dark, dusty and sooty cave called the world. Down and out, we could not do anything for ourselves. But the Lord Jesus came and took our shift. And there on the cross earned salvation for us. And He comes to us offering us salvation for free. All we have to do is to receive it freely from his hand by faith. 


    

GOSPEL LIGHT #697

 "You have to put yourself in a situation wherein all you have is God and His promises that if He does not deliver on what He said you are sunk." That's what one said when asked as to why he was leaving the United States for Africa. At least that was one of his reasons.

Let's apply what he said to saving faith --- You know, saving faith is like that. Saving faith is depositing and entrusting your self and your eternal welfare on what Christ did on the cross that if what Christ did on the cross was really worth nothing then you are sunk. But, the good thing is this --- you know that it was not worth nothing. You know that it was worth everything to God for the sinner's salvation.

GOSPEL LIGHT #696

The Day When God Lost His Breath

GE 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Mr 15:37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

Notice here that God breathed into man the breath of life. In order to bless man with life He breathed into Man. But Man fell into sin and God’s justice must be upheld. His justice demanded the breath or the life of Man. So what does God do? Mark 15:37: “Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.”

On the cross, He "lost" His breath; He breathed out His own life so that Man might be blessed with the breath of eternal life. In Genesis, He breathed life into Man. In Mark, He breathed out His life for Man. If it is said in the creation of Man that God breathed into Man’s nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being, so in the new creation of man in salvation it can also be said that God, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, breathed out His life for fallen Man so that Man can become eternally living.

If you are still unsaved, the Lord Jesus wants you to simply breathe in the eternal life He breathed out for you at Calvary. He wants you to trust in what He did on the cross for your salvation.

GOSPEL LIGHT #695

A View From The Top If you could only you see yourself as God sees you (a depraved and helpless sinner unable to save yourself) what despair would have swallowed your heart.

If you could only see how God sees Christ and His work for you on the cross of Calvary (that it eternally satisfied Him) what unspeakable joy and peace would have flooded your heart. The measure of our acceptance with God is directly proportional to the value in which He attaches to the blood shed on the cross for us. My friend, get a right view of yourself and the work of the Savior. View it from the the top through the lens of the Word of God, the Bible.

GOSPEL LIGHT #694

 
The standard required to be justified by works is perfection. The sacrifice required to be justified by faith is that of the Savior. If you are confident enough to achieve perfection then, by all means, work your way to justification. However, if you are convicted enough to realize that you are a sinner who just can't do it then your only chance is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ for all your sins. Trust in it! 

GOSPEL LIGHT #693

Come Before Winter 

2TI 4:21 Make every effort to come before winter.

We have Paul here the prisoner writing with urgency that Timothy should make every effort to come before winter.

The apostle Paul was in Rome about to be killed and martyred for Christ. To go to Rome, Timothy would have to pass through the Mediterranean Sea. But, during winter time, travel by ship would be difficult, if not impossible. By then, large bodies of water would have turned to ice along with violent winter storms that would threaten ships.

So, if Timothy fails to come before winter, all may be too late; Paul would probably be dead by that time. Hence, Timothy should do his utmost best to come before winter.

Let’s apply this to salvation:

If you are still unsaved right now, and you sense the need to repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, don’t put it off.

Come today! Come now! Come this moment! Be urgent in coming to Him! Come now while God has granted the warmth of spiritual summer to your soul.

Don’t delay! The spiritual warmth of your spiritual summer could give way to the chilling cold of spiritual winter; when your heart is freezing cold --- when it is just all too late and impossible to come.

Come! Come before winter!

GOSPEL LIGHT #692

 
Question: "Why doesn't God just save everybody?"

Reply:

Closely related to salvation is also man's need to be reconciled to God. You get one you get the other. Reconciliations are not forced. They are offered. A forced reconciliation is no reconciliation at all. Genuine reconciliations are freely entered into by both parties. In His sovereignty, He allowed man to make a free choice made possible by His enabling grace.

On God's part, God is calling everyone to be reconciled to Him. The problem is --- not everyone wants to repent and be reconciled to God.

2Co 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

How about you? Have you repented and trusted in Christ for salvation and reconciliation with God?