Sharing God's Gift--Another Update

Once again, I attended Sharing God's Gift today. While the other classes have been good, I thought today's lesson was really good and helped to explain some things. The main topic we discussed today was the matter of giving the person to whom we are giving the Gospel the opportunity to pray for salvation, and all that this step involves.

One critical point Pr. Ron made and emphasised time and time again, is that you don't invite the person to pray to "accept Christ" unless they really seem to be following what you're saying, understanding it, and you feel you are being led to do so. Otherwise, you will be giving them what Pr. Ron called "Christian innoculation."

This particular term is very appropriate. Let me explain: what is an innoculation supposed to do? If you're given a vaccine for something, you are given a little bit of the germ (that is dead)--this is not enough to make your sick, yet just enough to make your body become resistent to the real thing that might come along in the future. In the same way, by leading someone in a prayer to receive Christ without them really understanding or seeing their need for Christ, they will have "prayed The Prayer," yet may not have genuinely received Christ. However, because they did pray--which isn't at all what saves one, rather it is one's belief in their heart that Christ died, was buried, and rose again for their sins (Romans 10:9-10)-- anytime after that, whenever asked if they're saved, they will say "Why sure, I prayed to receive Christ one day."

While we are not the ones to say whether one is saved or not, it is very likely that such a person may truly be lost yet, but because they prayed a prayer, without any sincere belief in their heart, they may live all their life believing that they are headed to heaven, when in reality, they're on the path to eternal death. They will have been innoculated from ever receiving the saving grace of God, unless they allow themselves to open their eyes to the Truth!

Just now, as I was writing this, I realized that such an "innoculation" happened to me: Because I was born into a Christian family, I was surrounded with the Gospel message from little on up. My parents tell me that I made a decision to follow Christ at a young age, but, to be honest, I really don't remember that day. However, for many years, I believed them, and never really questioned my salvation! "I prayed, right? So, I do not need to worry about where I'll spend eternal life!" I truly considered myself to be a Christian.

It wasn't until I was thirteen that a friend of mine asked me the question: "So, Angie, how did you get saved?" I fumbled around for a response, trying to come up with a convincing answer when I couldn't even remember that I had ever done such a thing!

God used her "out-of-the-blue" question to make me start thinking about my salvation. "Am I really saved?" "How come I don't have the joy that other believers talk about?" "What if the reason I really can't share much about my conversion is because I really haven't trusted in Christ?" All of these questions, and others, swirled around in my head. While I cannot say for certain that I was not saved then, I will say that I do not know that if I had died then, I would have gone to heaven. That is kind of scary. Thankfully, God had mercy on me, and finally, after years of believing that I was saved, I came face-to-face with the possibility that my "conversion" probably wasn't genuine. That day, when I was almost fourteen years old, I cried out to God to save me and to forgive me for my sins. Now I know that I've been born again, and will spend eternity in heaven one day!

While it isn't necessary that one understands everything about God and His Word before he can become a believer (no one will ever fully understand God!), it is essential that one understands and believes four things before he prays to receive Christ:

1. Christ died.

2. He was buried.

3. He rose again the third day.

4. He was seen by hundreds (physical evidence and proof that sets Him apart from every other religion, whose leader has died, yet has never risen again.)

And, this He did all because of our sin and His immense love for us!

I am just so excited about this all. My prayer is that in reading this, you have perhaps either been encouraged in your spiritual walk or gently prompted to re-consider your spiritual condition.

In Him,

~Angie