Dear Friends
Some movies one never forgets. One of those movies
for me was the “Jesus Revolution.” I remember watching it three years ago in a
North Carolina movie theater with Dr. Bob Whitesel, a church consultant friend,
and his wife.
It’s based on a true story about pastor and
evangelist Greg Laurie who following in the footstep of the late Billy Graham
has become one of the world’s most respected evangelists
It’s a powerful story, and if you haven’t
seen the movie, I encourage you to do so. I remember sitting in the movie
theater that night, with tears streaming down my face, as I recalled the time
when my life forever changed when I accepted Jesus Christ while attending a
Fellowship of Christian Athletes Conference in 1962 in Lake Geneva Wisc.
Greg is a southern California pastor who
leads a mega church while also traveling all over the world leading
evangelistic crusades.
He also writes a devotional that I look
forward to reading each day and recently he addressed the question “Why
good people won’t go to heaven,”
I share it with you today in case you happen
to be one of those “good people” who’s anticipating heading to heaven because
of the good life you have lived.
Greg writes, “There will be good people in
Hell. When I say, “good people,” I mean people who trusted in their own human
efforts, people who trusted in their own personal reality, and people who
trusted in the religious things they did.”
“Jesus issued a very clear warning in Matthew
7:22: “On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your
name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your
name’” (NLT).
“If we updated the passage, the people might
say, “Lord, Lord, we were baptized in Your name and received communion in Your
name.” But the answer still would be the same.”
“But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get
away from me, you who break God’s laws’” (verse 23 NLT). These are good people
Jesus is talking to. These people paid their taxes. These people recycled and
put the right trash in the right can. These people drove Priuses and ate kale
and didn’t damage the environment. They’re good people.”
“They’re just not nearly good enough. That’s
why the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8–9, “God saved you by his grace when
you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can
boast about it” (NLT).”
“Jesus never said that if you live a good
life, you’ll go to Heaven. But here’s what Jesus did say: “Come to me, all of
you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew
11:28 NLT). He doesn’t want us to work ourselves to exhaustion, trying to be
good enough to earn salvation. He wants to give us rest and assurance. He wants
us to accept the gift of eternal life He offers.”
“For people with a mature faith, this is a
simple review. A chance to celebrate God’s mercy—that is, His kindness and
compassion—and His grace—that is, His undeserved favor. But it’s also a
reminder that there are people—people you know—who believe that their good
works are good enough for God. People who believe that because their good outweigh
their bad, they will be welcomed into Heaven. People who believe that growing
up in a Christian home and attending church make them Christians.”
“People who will be stunned to hear Jesus’
words in Matthew 7:23.”
“People who need a mature believer to help
them understand what it means to make a personal commitment to Christ: to
confess that they’re not good enough to earn salvation, to turn away from their
sin, and to accept Him as Savior and Lord.”
“You can be that mature believer. You can
share the gospel truth. You can help them see the futility of trying to earn
salvation through good works. You can point them to Jesus’ sacrifice—the gift
of God that makes salvation possible. The question is, will you?”
Yours in faith and friendship,
Tom
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