Due to a tragic incident that involved a member of my family, I was not able to compose an article these past two weeks as I had hoped. I have been working on several ideas and pray that I will be able to post those articles as the Lord leads.
Instead, I would like to make some observations regarding our church service this past Sunday. We had a guest speaker and some guest visitors. I won't be long, but just wanted to share a few thoughts about these two.
First, the speaker. He sat in his wheel chair with his disfigured appearance, blind, limbs missing; all evidence of the horrific 3rd degree burns he suffered approximately 10 years ago. The speaker, Brian, a man in his late 20's, had been involved in an accident that resulted in more than 90 percent of his body being burned. Why was he sitting there with a microphone positioned in front of him to amplify the words he would speak? When he was finished, there was no doubt that he was being obedient to what the Lord had spoken through the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:15, where Peter wrote, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;" For approximately 45 minutes, Brian praised the Father and attributed all glory and honor to His Son, Jesus, as he spoke with power from the Holy Spirit. Truly, with gentleness and reverence, he had made his defense as he gave an account of the hope that was in him!
The visiting guests. They sat in their chairs listening intently. Hearts heavy with a burden they had been bearing for more than a week; a burden like none they had ever experienced before. Their fallen countenance and their red and swollen eyes were evidence of the cares that needed to be cast at the feet of One who could bear them. Why were they there? Sure, they had been invited, but why were they there? It became clear that the reason was simply that they needed to hear Brian's defense and his account of the hope that is in him. They needed to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ, the source of this hope. They had heard it from others but they needed to hear it from Brian as the Lord spoke to their hearts through him.
In John 16:7, Jesus said, "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." The Helper had spoken through Brian and I believe He had not only brought the visiting guests to hear him, but that He was working in the hearts and minds of the visiting guests as well. The Helper had brought together one who was ready to give an account of the hope (Jesus) that was in him with those who were desperately needing to hear about the surpassing hope that is found in Christ. The meeting of these two could not have been better scripted by a master choreographer. A man could have studied and prepared for months to preach to this group of guests and never have spoken the message that the Helper used Brian to speak.
Why was I there? I know I am there each Sunday, but why was I there that Sunday? I also needed to hear Brian's defense and the account of the hope that is in him. I needed to see God using His people to speak and minister to others.
When Brian spoke of the great scripture verse regarding God causing all things to work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose; this truth was sitting before us in a wheel chair. The great truth that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly, beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, was seen in this child of His as he ministered to us.
If you haven't forgotten it, you may be wondering about the title of this post. One of things that Brian shared, was that when he was taken to the hospital after being burnt and after assessing the severity of his burns, his doctors had given him a one tenth of one percent chance of survival. Praise God that the Lord Jesus Christ was that one tenth of one percent!
Father, I thank you for your servant Brian. I thank you that you intervened against all human odds and not only kept him alive but you gave him abundant life where it shouldn't have been. Thank you for the Helper. Help each of us to be reminded of the hope of our faith, and with gentleness and reverence, be ready to give an account of that hope to others who need it. Continue to work in the lives of my family members who so desperately need you and in the lives of those who may already know you but need to get right with you. Thank you for how you work in people's lives.
1 comment:
“One tenth of one percent” restated according to statistical theory, or written as a probability, is “one in one thousand.” I find that the significance of this numerical expression (1/1000) varies tremendously depending on an individual’s perceived circumstance. For example, in Brian’s case, lying in an emergency room with attending physicians stating that the odds for his survival were only “one tenth of one percent” would sound like such a small number that death would seem certain and sheer hopelessness would likely set in. On the other hand however, if a person was standing out in an open field with 999 other people during a thunderstorm, and they were told that lightning was going to strike someone, all of a sudden, “one in one thousand” would become an alarmingly huge number and sheer panic would likely set in causing them to immediately run for cover!
Scripture does not deal in absolute mathematical probabilities nor does it objectively give numerical odds for any specific individual’s chances of ultimately going to Heaven, but Luke 13:24 tells us, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” and Matthew 6:13-14 warns, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” The “life” being referred to is an individual’s eternal spiritual life and the descriptive words God has chosen here; small gate; narrow way; and, few who find it, suggests that “one tenth of one percent” or “one in one thousand” might serve to approximate the actual percentage of humanity that will enter God’s glorious Heaven.
Please understand that I am speaking to those who believe in God’s existence, but remain unsaved because the true meaning of the small gate and the narrow way have not yet been disclosed to them. The “way” refers to Jesus Christ, and in John 14:6 Jesus says “...I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Simply believing that God does exist, or that we are basically good and worthy will not grant eternal life to anyone. All men and women are sinners and as such, “…fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23. Jesus is The Way because He paid for the sins of all with His blood, and if we believe on Him with all of our heart, He will claim us for His own and then, by the Grace God, eternal life will be freely given to us.
Now think about the situation that your mortal soul is in. Is your soul out there in that open field commonly referred to as the secular world, along with 999 other souls, unprotected and subject to the raging thunderstorm of sin that Satan commands? If so, the bad news is that this time the odds are reversed and lightning will strike and set afire all of the souls, but one. That means that your soul has a “one tenth of one percent” chance for eternal survival! You would run for cover to save your temporary, fleshly body from harm, would you not, so why would you not rush your eternal soul to the safety found in the arms of Jesus? The good news is that The Bible gives us a 100% guarantee that we will have abundant and eternal life if we know Jesus Christ in a saving way. No odds, no gambling, no doubts. God’s promise is a sure thing!
Heavenly Father, thank You so very much for Your Son and His unwavering obedience to Your will that can lead us directly to Your greatest gift, the gift of Salvation, if we will only believe and have faith in the One Whom You sent. I ask that You would open and warm the hearts of those who would read these truths and that Your will would be done for Your Glory and good pleasure. The love that You have placed in the hearts of all believers for their fellow man hopes that every soul out in that open field will, in Your good time according to Your Master Plan, seek safety and refuge from the storm within the arms of Your beloved Son and our blessed Lord, Jesus Christ – amen.
Bob
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