October 18, 2019 – Click here to listen
C. S. Lewis wrote: ‘Niceness’ — wholesome, integrated personality — is an excellent thing. We must try by every medical, educational, economic, and political means in our power to produce a world where as many people as possible grow up ‘nice’; just as we must try to produce a world where all have plenty to eat. But we must not suppose that even if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world — and might even be more difficult to save.
For mere improvement is not redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better but like turning a horse into a winged creature. Of course, once it has got its wings, it will soar over fences which could never have been jumped and thus beat the natural horse at its own game. But there may be a period, while the wings are just beginning to grow, when it cannot do so: and at that stage the lumps on the shoulders — no one could tell by looking at them that they are going to be wings — may even give it an awkward appearance.
I have stressed time and again with the leadership at the Jesus Alliance not to overemphasize “works,” (a form of niceness,) compared to evangelistic effort. If we were to create a utopia of folks who lacked nothing; everyone would be well-fed, have decent shelter, clean drinking water, material possessions, recreation money, a beautiful spouse, perfect health, and all of the niceties of life, but lacked Jesus Christ as their Savior, they would die and go straight to hell and what would we have accomplished?
First and foremost, we must present to those without Christ the Gospel of life. They will spend eternity somewhere, heaven or hell, and without the blood of Christ covering their sins they will surely bust hell wide open. I was reading with interest Christ addressing the seven churches in Revelation and He mentioned that Ephesus had lost its “first love” which is Jesus Christ. He warned that He would remove their lampstand if they chose to continue in that direction. Jesus begins each discourse to the seven churches by first offering encouragement for what they are doing right. Then He points out their shortcomings and offers His various warnings if they don’t shape up. Interestingly I used to do that with my employees who were in the hot seat. I always began by mentioning what they had done right before laying into them for whatever foul deed had brought them to my attention. I didn’t want to destroy their spirit, but I did want them to change their behavior.
The first address from Jesus to the churches was to Ephesus. At its prime it was a grand trading center with a terrific harbor and was the envy of that part of the world with highways radiating from it. The Apostle Paul personally founded the church there and Timothy pastored it and later the Apostle John shepherded it and by all accounts it was an awesome place of worship. Today it stands in ruins and it has no church. It is apparent that they did not heed the warning of foregoing their “first love,” Jesus Christ, and He removed their lampstand.
Okay no nasty letters puh-lease! I do agree we need to work like the dickens to help those in need just like Jesus taught, but like C.S. Lewis we must remember our highest priority must remain evangelism and then “works.”
Matt. 16:26
What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!