Every year we had a revival service at our church. I can still remember sitting in the pew waiting for old Mr. Crowly to stand up and testify about the day that Jesus came into his life and changed him forever. Then Mr. Crowly would sit down and fall fast asleep. We would not hear from him until the following year’s revival meeting. Who knows what Jesus was doing in Mr. Crowly’s life during the remaining 364 days of the year? All we knew was one experience. Did his walk with Jesus powerfully influence every day of his life? Was his revival eternal?
A GOOD STORY WHICH WAS NOT TRUE
I don’t remember much about that revivalist’s message (come on… that was 60 years ago), but I do remember an illustration repeated every year. The evangelist said, “Now imagine you’ve fallen into the lake, and you are starting to drown. You scream for help, but you can feel yourself slipping away. Then someone on the shore tosses you a life preserver. You grab the life preserver, and he pulls you in! Jesus is that person along the shore. The life preserver is the truth of the gospel.” It was a good story and left a lot of people squirming in their seats. But there was just one problem…..It was a lie!
WE NEED RESURRECTION
Dane C. Ortlund observes in his book “Deeper”: “As sinners we are not wounded but dead in our trespasses, and we need not merely strengthening, or helping but resurrection, a full-scale deliverance!” I know what the evangelist meant, but he presented a false picture of Jesus. We did not fall into the lake; we were born there. Ephesians tells us we are “dead in the trespasses and sins.” We have no life preservers to grab onto until help comes and rescues us. We are dead, lifeless, lying at the bottom of the lake with no hope of ever saving ourselves; we need a Savior. Someone must dive into the water, go to the bottom, and scoop us up into His arms. What is dead is dead. We need full-scale deliverance!
ONLY THE BEGINNING
Jesus isn’t just the guy who saved you at the lake; He also intercedes for you every day. Many people today have the wrong idea of who Jesus is (just like Mr. Crowly). They assume salvation is a once-and-done thing. Wrong! Your experience of salvation, when Christ gave you life, is only the beginning.
ONGOING RELATIONSHIP
What does Jesus want from you? He wants to walk with you and guide you in every aspect of your life. (Sounds scary, doesn’t it!) In John 15:15, He said, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Does that sound like someone who only saves souls? Does He then say, “Good luck with the Christian life,” then move away to the next person, then the next? Jesus wants to be our Savior and friend. It is an ongoing relationship.
HE IS TRUSTWORTHY FOR THE LONG JOURNEY
How about you? Do you need a friend? Someone who will listen when you have questions? Someone who can comfort you when you are feeling lonely? The same Savior who came down into that water to resurrect you will carry you through, no matter how difficult life gets. He not only saves souls; He also sanctifies them, bringing them to full maturity in Him. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). What about you? Can you trust someone who has proven faithful, loving, and honest? Why not let that revival take root in your heart today and continue into eternity?