Eric Casagrande     /         Genelyn Novabos

 

 

“Left Behind”  Letters

  

I want to speak with you today, concerning a subject which I believe is familiar to most Christians – at least within the confines of North America. It’s about the idea of drawing up what is known as a “Left Behind Letter“.

For the benefit of all my brothers and sisters in the Lord, who may have never heard of such a thing, allow me to very quickly explain how it works. The idea behind the plan, is to create some type of explanatory letter or information packet, which is meant to be discovered and read by people, after the rapture has taken place.

Since the target audience would obviously be those people who missed the rapture, these letters are designed - in theory at least – to give them spiritual guidance and counsel, both in terms of explaining what has just happened (the rapture), and what to expect in the days and years that lay ahead (the tribulation).

While on the surface at least, the idea appears to have a certain amount of spiritual integrity and merit, nevertheless, it would be my submission to you that such a plan is actually rather short-sighted.

My friends, pause and think about it for a moment.

Why would anyone with a revelation of how much God really loves them, as shown through the person of Jesus Christ, wait until after the greatest train wreck in the history of mankind, before speaking up?

Even so - your witness will only be shared once you are no longer around, and it conveniently relieves you from the task of having to defend yourself, and/or to answer any questions.

My friends, would it be alright if I made a suggestion? 

Is it at all possible that a much better idea would be to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who are lost, prior to the rapture taking place - so the person can benefit from it the most? Wouldn’t it come across in a far more effective manner, as you develop personal contact with the particular individual(s) to whom you are witnessing, face-to-face?

Now if you are sharing the great news (”evaggelion“) of Jesus Christ with the lost - Hallelujah! Isn’t it a wonderful, awesome privilege? Keep up the good work! As it says in Luke 10: 2, you are sorely needed:

 

“Therefore he said to them, The harvest is truly great,

but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the

Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth

labourers into his harvest.“

 

So why aren’t there more people sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost?  Well, I would submit to you that it’s because far too many people within the Body of Christ, simply have little to no revelation knowledge of how much God loves them – as shown through Jesus Christ. They have no inner conviction, no joy, no passion, and are far more likely to believe that God is an anger driven, impatient, hostile, and scary God, who is just waiting for you to sin, so that He can really let you have it this time!

But my friends, this view is completely at odds with the Bible, which says in John 3: 16, that God loved the world so very much, He gave up what was His most cherished possession – His only begotten Son - in order that none of us would perish, but have everlasting life! Oh hallelujah!

It’s also completely at odds with 1 Corinthians 5: 19, which says:

 

“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling

the world unto himself, not imputing their

trespasses unto them; and has committed

to us the word of reconciliation.“

 

It is also contrary to 2 Peter 3: 9, which tells us that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all mankind should come to repentance!

But what does “repentance” actually mean? Well under the Old Covenant, it meant that people were required to have a change of heart, and – by way of their own efforts – turn away from all their sin. Now of course the major issue here, was that not one solitary person in all of human history was ever able to accomplish that kind of repentance! Absolutely nobody had the capability of delivering themselves from sin. Nobody!

But under the terms of the New Covenant, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross, the word repent no longer means to have a change of heart, and turn from sin by our own efforts – but rather to have a change of heart, and admit that we cannot do it by ourselves, and put all of our trust and reliance in what Jesus did, alone!

My friends, that is true repentance! To honestly admit that, even if we had a complete change of heart and wanted to turn from sin – we can’t do it by our own efforts! Only Jesus can do it, and we put all our confidence in what He did at the cross! This is the only true repentance, and is what the Gospel of Grace is all about!

Grace isn’t a license to sin — it’s our roadmap to freedom! 

Oh hallelujah! Praise His name, forever!

My friends, if you don’t understand how much God loves you, as shown in the person of Jesus Christ – if it just isn’t clicking on the inside – then get out from that church you’re in, and get down on your knees and ask God to show you one that does preach the Gospel of Grace! For it is the only Gospel, and it’s only through understanding God’s grace, that we come to understand God’s incredible love for us … as was evidenced through Jesus Christ!

If I might address an earlier point, one doesn’t have to be an evangelist, or a pastor, or even a graduate of a Bible College, in order to share the great news of what Jesus Christ did at the cross. In fact, the entire gospel story can be presented in less than 20 seconds:

 

- God created a perfect world.

- Sin entered in and ruined everything.

- Man could no longer reach God.

- So God reached down to man.

- Jesus came and redeemed a sinful world.

- What Jesus did is a free gift to all people.

- No gimmick … no discrimination.

 

My friends, that is the unadulterated Gospel of Grace!

Isn’t that simple? You don’t need to get technical and explain every verse in the Bible – just present the main points in a compact way that anyone could understand. It allows them to easily see the big picture. Then later on if they have some questions, you can go into more detail – such as what occurred in the Garden of Eden – and so on and so forth.

My friends, if you want to have power in your life — share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with other people. For as Paul tells us in Romans 1: 16, the Gospel is the very power of God!

Oh Hallelujah!

 

 

 

 

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