I can think back to a time in my life when I was involved in church and my junior high youth group. I professed to be a Christian, but if people looked at my life they would not have been able to tell if I was a Christian.
There are people who go to church who think they are going to make it into heaven because they are involved in church or a “good” social group. But in my own life, I found that this is not the case. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.
Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). He is making the statement that we must know Him, not a pastor, a priest, or some other person we think is a Godly man.
Think of it this way. My favorite baseball player is Ken Griffey Jr. I can know all the stats about him. I can know how many home runs he has hit in his career, where he was born, or anything else about him.
But if I went up to him after a baseball game and tried to shake his hand and act like I knew him, he would tell me that he did not know me. I am in no way saying Ken Griffey Jr. is God, but Jesus is the same way.
We can know all about the life of Jesus. We can know the Gospel message backwards and forwards, but if we do not have a relationship with Jesus we will not make it into heaven.
The Apostle Paul learned this first hand on the road to Damascus. He was a man who hated Christians and killed them. But he was on his way to Damascus and Jesus appeared to Paul and asked why he was persecuting the Christians.
That day, Paul had an encounter with God and realized that he needed to change his ways. That day kick-started a relationship with Christ that affected the world for God. Paul’s letters and epistles make up much of the New Testament, and the words that God spoke through Paul ring loud and true still today.
With many different organizations on campus and in the surrounding community all of us have countless opportunities to get involved in Christian activities. A lot of these organizations are good and help people to grow in their faith in Christ.
But we are not saved or going to heaven because we are involved in a Christian church, club, or group. The reason we go to things like that is because we do have a relationship with Christ. We love Jesus, so we want to be around people who also love God and to help us grow in our faith.
But many times people try to hide out in these organizations, churches, and clubs and tell themselves they are okay. There are people who think they can live any way they want or not really know Jesus and still make it into heaven because they are involved in an organization.
I am in no way saying that being involved in clubs, churches, or organizations are bad. But if someone thinks they are going to make it to heaven because of their involvement in church or an organization, then they are wrong.
Paul states that to be a Christian, a person must confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). He talks about how we must repent from our sin, which means to turn from, and know that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
In junior high, I came to the realization that I could not hide out in my “Christian World” anymore and that I had to make Jesus my personal savior. I learned that I could not go to church on Sunday or to my youth group meetings and then go to school and be a totally different person. I had to repent from my sin and make a commitment to follow Christ all the days of my life, not just one day a week.
May each one of you realize the importance of knowing Jesus and allowing Him to truly be your Savior. Get involved in churches, clubs, and organizations, but above all else love Jesus and learn His ways. He will open your eyes to truth and show you what living is all about.
E-mail Brad with comments at [email protected].