In late August, a group from our church went to Mexico City to conduct VBS at Capital City Baptist Church. One of the most difficult parts of the trip is crossing the border. We must obtain visas for every member of the group, register the van and the trailer, and pay for all of these items. The first thing we do is acquire our visas. Everything was going smooth until I handed the immigration official the church credit card. When he ran it, the card was declined. We had paid the card as we do every month and had plenty of credit line on the card to pay for the visas, but it was rejected again when I asked the man to try it again. Upon investigation, I found that the bank had rejected the card because it was trying to be used in Mexico. I had not informed them that I would be leaving the country so they automatically declined the request. We got that cleared up, but only after we returned from Mexico.

Has something like that ever happened to you? Have you ever given a credit card to a waiter or sales clerk only to find that you couldn’t use the card? That has happened to many people. It can be very embarrassing! Who really knows why it is rejected? It could be over the limit. It could be a safety issue; it could be a computer issue with the bank. Nevertheless, it is rejected.

Something similar, but far worse, has happened time and time again. The consequences are much worse than a few minutes of embarrassment. It happens when some people stand before God and present themselves as Christians, only to hear Jesus says to them, “I never knew you! Depart from me.” They ask Him to check again, still, they are rejected. In Matthew 7:21-23 this scenario plays out like this: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but [only] the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’” These people will not only be shamed, but they will be condemned to hell.

Jesus speaks of these people being allowed to live out their lives in the church in Matthew 13 . He told a parable about wheat and tares growing together in the same field. Of course, we know that this is happening in the world today. It happens in abundance in our area of the country. We live in a region of the country where going to church is still the socially acceptable thing to do. We call it the Bible belt. East Texas could be considered the buckle of the Bible belt. As you talk to people about Jesus, most of the time the conversation goes to church membership. The overwhelming majority of people in our area claim some affiliation with a church. I remember reading the obituaries recently and seeing someone listed as a member of Southside, yet they had not attended in over a decade. It is this kind of commitment to Christ that concerns me. Do these people really have a relationship with Jesus? My fear is that when these people present their credentials to enter the gates of heaven, they will be declined.

How sad. Can’t you just see the shock on the faces of those people? Some people claim Christianity based on a decision they made to join a church years ago. Some live a life of works and religious activity all their lives and then find out they never had a relationship with Jesus. With so many of these people in our area what are we to do about it? How do we “make every effort to confirm your calling and election?” Looking at the disciples, especially those who were the Apostles of the early New Testament church, we get some idea of what a relationship with the resurrected Christ looks like.

Remember what they did after the crucifixion of Jesus? They were in a room, afraid that the authorities would come after them. What would they do now?

They had spent three years with Jesus. They followed Him everywhere He went. Now He was dead. What to do? Then Jesus appears to them. These people who were scared of the authorities now become emboldened and empowered by the resurrected Christ! They were no longer walking in fear of authorities but seeking to win them to Jesus.

That is what an encounter with the resurrected Christ does. It is not a decision to become part of some institution, but it is a meeting with the Savior that changes your life, your focus, your activity, forever. Those of us who are believers in Jesus must be examples of what it looks like to be a Christian. We must let our encounter with the resurrected Christ guide everything we do. The more that we do this, the more the “tares” will realize there is something missing in their lives. If we are to reach the lost of Lufkin, the first thing we must do is “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” Will you covenant with me to begin praying for those who have some false sense of security concerning their relationship with Jesus Christ? As we continue to reach the world for Jesus, let’s not forget Lufkin. As we try to reach Lufkin, let’s not forget those who claim church membership but have no relationship with Jesus.

Blessings,

Pastor Jeff