You may be thinking,
"Oh, Brother Lee, the world just thinks
that Christians are arrogant
and intolerant and irrelevant."
Arrogant?
You need to capture this.
Truth is never arrogant.
It doesn't involve arrogance.
Truth is a matter of fact.
Now the delivery of the truth however,
the vessel, the ambassador
can be proud and unloving and arrogant.
That's true.
It's true that our actions and our methodologies
will either substantiate the truth we proclaim
or undermine it.
But the truth itself is never arrogant or proud.
To proclaim an exclusive Gospel
is not the proclamation of a proud man;
it's the proclamation of a man that has been humbled
by the grace of God that rescued him.
Arrogant? No. Not arrogant.
Intolerant? No. Not intolerant.
Really, Christians should be the most tolerant people in the earth.
Paul writes, "Love endures all things."
That's pretty tolerant.
But this tolerance,
this love for our neighbor
doesn't dull the edge of the Gospel blade.
It sharpens it.
What we shouldn't be able to tolerate
that we often do - I, myself included -
what we shouldn't be able to tolerate
is the thought of anyone perishing
apart from hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
That's what we shouldn't tolerate.
We won't embrace the lies of this age.
We won't agree with false religions.
We will stand for an exclusive Gospel
that powerfully rescues men from sin.
We will love our neighbors.
We will serve the needy.
We will minister to the oppressed
and share the Gospel with a dying world
that needs Jesus.
Intolerant? I don't think so.
Irrelevant? God forbid.
The Gospel is the furthest thing from irrelevant.
It's about as relevant as anything under heaven -
likely, exceedingly more so.
It's the only cure for sinners.
Of course, the world would not consider
the only cure for cancer to be irrelevant.
That would be especially relevant.
Well, the Gospel then is no less relevant
to the needy sinner.
How will then they call on Him
in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in Him
of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear
without someone preaching?
It is relevant, church.
So don't let the world put you
into the mold of being unkind, unloving,
unfair or arrogant.
Is it unloving to share the Gospel of reconciliation
with one alienated from God?
I don't think so.
Is it unkind to speak Gospel encouragements
to the broken-hearted?
I don't think so.
Is it arrogant to offer Christ and eternal life
to the dying sinner?
Of course not.
So preach the Gospel, brethren.
Use words.
Love the souls of men.
Why?
Because salvation is in Christ alone.
The Gospel is exclusive.