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Tag: God’s word

Why God Chose Us—Not the Angels—to Deliver the Good News

Written by amerrill on . Posted in Blog. No Comments on Why God Chose Us—Not the Angels—to Deliver the Good News

If God were to ask me, “Dudley, who do you think should carry the message of salvation to the world?” my answer would be an easy one. “Angels!” I’d say.

Why not? Angels have been used by God throughout the Bible to bring very important messages to people. In fact, the Greek word for angel can also mean “messenger.” In Luke 1:13, an angel delivered a message to Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to John the Baptist, even in their old age. An angel told Mary she was going to conceive and bring forth a Child (Luke 1:35). An angel warned Mary and Joseph about Herod’s plot to kill their child and instructed them to leave the country (Matthew 2:13). The night sky lit up as angels announced the Messiah’s birth to the shepherds (Luke 2:13).

From the beginning of creation, angels have been very busy carrying God’s messages. Today books are written about them. Hollywood has put angels “in the outfield” and imagined people in crisis being “touched by” them. There’s even a baseball team in Los Angeles named after them! With all of their experience and fame, it just makes sense that angels would be the obvious choice to herald the message of redemption to the world.

But think about it. How many people do you know were saved because of an angelic visitation? Probably none. And I think there are two very important reason why God has chosen us—not angels—to share the Gospel with the world.

First, angels are busy with their own tasks.

Ephesians 6:12 reveals that there is a spiritual battle going on in the heavenly realms, dark against light. God’s angels are very likely involved in this battle (2 King 6:17; Jude 1:9; Revelation 7:1). Angels serve God (Psalm 103:20; Revelation 22:9). They are also busy praising and worshipping Him (Psalm 148:1–2; Isaiah 6:3; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8–13).

The second and perhaps greater reason angels are not modern-day messengers of the Gospel is because angels do not have a testimony.

God has chosen us, not angels, to be His ambassadors of the Good News because angels have never experienced the weight or consequences of sin. They have never heard a sermon on salvation and then felt the convicting Spirit of God tugging on their hearts. An angel could never sing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” Why? Because they have never been a “wretch.” They’re angels—not humans who live in a fallen world.

We, on the other hand, have a testimony and an ability to say to others, “Hey, my life used to be a wreck. I was trapped in sin just like you. Then one day I met Jesus Christ, and He changed my life. The same way He changed me, He can change you too.” This is important because people tend to be more receptive to someone they can relate to—someone who has been in their shoes. This is empathy, and it serves as an amazing bridge between two people.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of this:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Though we are not perfect like our Savior, the sin and struggles He saved us from are all part of our testimony. Jesus said that those who have been forgiven much, love much (Luke 7:47). Because of this, I believe forgiven sinners are powerful witnesses for God’s grace. David Wilkerson, the late pastor and writer, once said, “God uses people. God uses people to perform His work. He does not send angels. Angels weep over it, but God does not use angels to accomplish His purposes. He uses burdened broken-hearted weeping men and women.”

You and I may never be able to open up prison doors like the angels have done, or speak to prophets, or shut the mouths of lions, or ascend and descend on a ladder from heaven, or minister to Jesus in His darkest hour. But we have a song that the angels cannot sing! We have a message they are not qualified to deliver. As much as they probably would love to, and as much as they would obey, the Bible says God has given us—not angels—the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). God deemed it our responsibility to deliver His message to the world. You and I are called to be the spokespersons on His behalf and on behalf of His precious Gospel!

 

Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the author of “Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith” (available on Amazon) and the senior pastor of Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, California, which has four campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can connect with Dudley at dev.fishhookcms.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

How Christians Can Live a Life with No Regrets

Written by amerrill on . Posted in Blog. No Comments on How Christians Can Live a Life with No Regrets

Life is full of many different pursuits and possible achievements, but as followers of Christ, how do we live our lives to reach our full potential so that, in the end, we will have no regrets? I will never forget something an elder in our church told me right before he died. He had served the congregation faithfully for sixty years, and as his frail body prepared to step into eternity, he told me, “Dudley, one of my biggest regrets in life is that I cannot recall actually leading someone to Jesus Christ.”

My heart grieved along with his. This man had knowledge of the Scriptures. He knew the Lord. He had likely sat in more than three thousand church services in his lifetime, sang worship songs, tithed, and served others. But one thing was missing: he never used what he knew to bring salvation to one person. Not one.

Friend, this does not have to be the deathbed regret of any Christian. With every fiber of my being, I believe we serve a mighty God who invites us into a powerful partnership with Him and will equip us to do His will here on earth.

Hope of the World

As believers, we have the hope of the world living inside us. The most pressing crisis at hand is that there are people who are lost without Jesus—prisoners to their sin, searching for answers, lonely, hurting, confused. Some are suicidal, thinking there is no way out of the situation they’re in currently. Many need healing spiritually, physically, and relationally. The message of the cross is lifesaving, and I’m convinced beyond any doubt that the best life anyone could possibly live is one that serves God and obeys His Word. This includes sharing His Word with others.

My passion is to see this current generation of believers become so compelled by the love of Christ that we cannot help but try to persuade our fellow man that He died for all. I want to see the modern-day church more closely resemble the early church, which was fearlessly and singularly focused on spreading the Gospel—to the degree that the early disciples were accused of turning the world upside down by those who opposed them (Acts 17:6). With all my heart I believe that same boldness can be mustered in the church today to transform the world for Jesus!

Life and Death

For these loved ones and acquaintances of yours, hearing the Gospel is a matter of life and death. Paul explained unequivocally in Ephesians 2:1–3 that without Christ, we are dead in our transgressions and deserving of God’s wrath. That’s bad news—a tragic reality for everyone on this planet who has not put their faith in Jesus Christ. Now let me show you what Paul wrote in the very next few verses, because it is unfathomably good news:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (vv. 4–7)

Paul also explained this same idea more simply as this: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

We have been saved by the excessive love, mercy, and grace of God. And since it exceeds us, we should not keep it to ourselves. The greatest assignment we have ever been given by Almighty God is to grab a hold of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of us—which is sharing the Gospel with others before they enter into eternity.

Extravagant Grace

Our God wants everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:4–6). Through His extravagant grace, your heavenly Father has made a way for everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to have everlasting life. Even the difficult people in your life.

Yet many people have never heard a clear and simple explanation of how forgiveness and redemption take place through faith in Christ alone. It’s our obligation to tell them. Paul left no room for debate when he wrote,

How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15 NLT)

You have a once-in-lifetime opportunity to pick up the Gospel and take it to desperate souls. No one is out of God’s reach, and He uses Christ followers like you to carry His message of truth.

This is how Christians can live a life with no regrets!

Starting today, may you look around and truly see those around you, asking the Lord for the courage and the opportunity to share the Good News with them.