You Need Jesus

We all need Jesus. Do you know this? Have you accepted Him into your life and heart?  There are those that go to church, many for years, that have not been told they need Jesus for salvation. There is great apostate in some churches that skip this vital part of what Jesus is about: Salvation.

 

John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

 

Have you ever heard this in church? The years I went to various churches I never heard this nor was it brought up.  Why? Are there some churches scared to mention that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Or are they scared they may lose membership if they mention the truth of this matter? I don’t know the motives of preachers of why they avoid this topic but it is important.

 

I question how many people have been going to church for years and years and have never known this truth.  I wonder how many of you reading this have never known this or know someone who doesn’t know this.  It is out there though, the lack of not knowing that Jesus is the way to heaven.

 

In the last church I attended, with the old and new preachers, for five years, I never heard about Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life for everlasting life in heaven. There was always some series about life’s troubles or topics related to worldly things. They did this to draw people to the church with these feel good messages but rarely mentioned Jesus. The new church I go to is a bible teaching church that speaks the truth and talks about Jesus throughout the sermon.

 

Psalms 40:16, “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.”

 

Those people who have been church goers for years but have never been introduced to Jesus is a failure of the pulpit.  These people will be in for a surprise during the rapture and judgment. They will have missed the boat to salvation. They will be left behind and will be judged without the blood of Jesus coving them. It isn’t there fault, but still, it is what it is.

 

There are people in churches and out of churches that know of Jesus. They have great knowledge of the bible and can teach and lead, but they never accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. I wonder why this is?  Why do people not understand and commit this simple act to ensure their salvation.  I don’t know, it is a mystery to me.  In my old church, they would have baptisms once a month. Many months would pass before someone was baptized. I think if churches would commit to teaching the truth of Jesus and His salvation offered to us, there would be a line of people there every month.

 

If you are one of these people who knows about Jesus but hasn’t committed to Him, it is time to do so. You need Jesus.  Time here on Earth is short and with the end times prophesies happening it is vital that you get Jesus now.  Just having knowledge of Christ and that He exists is not enough to get you into heaven. It is accepting Him into your heart, soul, and mind that are the key to salvation from this horrid world we live in. To avoid hell, to escape the grip of Satan, you need Jesus. To be spotless during the judgment, to be in the Book of Life, you need Jesus. Without Jesus, the gates of heaven will be closed to you and you will be lead to the open gates of Hell. 

 

Sounds harsh, right? Well it is truth.  I think a lot of preachers avoid this kind of talk for fear of losing parishioners in their church which means less membership, ending in less money.  They don’t hit on heaven and hell because of fear. I believe if you teach truth of heaven, hell, and salvation, then people will come and the church will grow.  People inherently want to know the truth, even if it hurts their feelings. Some people need to hear about hell to spur them on to Jesus.

 

There are folks out there that don’t know Christ is the way to heaven. They think going to church and listening to feel good messages and helping at the church will earn them a seat in heaven. What they don’t know is that they need Jesus to get to heaven.  What a great thing it would be if preachers taught the truth. Would they lose some of their congregation? Sure, but those that stay will hear the truth of needing Jesus to get to heaven and will be saved. Instead, people are swayed to believe that church is enough, that church makes them a Christian.  You aren’t a Christian until you accept Christ. You aren’t a Christian because you take communion or are a greeter at the door or help with the daycare.  These things are fine and dandy, but without Jesus they are dead works in the eyes of God.  No matter what they do, no matter how hard they try to be good, there is no hope for them unless they have Jesus. 

 

When I pray for people at the altar call, the first thing I ask them is if they are saved and know Jesus as their personal savior. You’d be surprised at how many say no but want prayer anyway. I then pray that God enters their heart for salvation and then pray for their needs.  It saddens me that so many don’t know Christ but want the benefits of being a Christian. 

 

There are so many opportunities missed at church or outside of church. A lot of people that are not regulars come to church seeking help with problems and seek out prayer. But the opportunity is missed to introduce them to Christ in their time of need. They need Jesus, not some prayer to make their problems go away. They get their prayer and then leave, with the missed opportunity to be introduced to Christ. What a shame. 

 

Look, in summary, I just want to get the point across that not everyone who goes to church or says they are Christian are saved and know Jesus.  When we talk to these people, we must ask them if they are saved or not. If they are not saved, it is a great opportunity to introduce Christ to them. By doing so you are reaping and adding to the kingdom of God. By doing His will for us, which is to be advocates and to spread the word of salvation to others we will reap more and more.

 

One thing I like to ask when people say they are saved is to ask for their testimony. If they don’t have a testimony of when they came to Christ, it is an indicator to me that maybe they really aren’t saved and need Jesus in their life.  This is your opportunity to explain salvation and point them in the right direction to Christ, to a true relationship with Him.

 

We all need Jesus. Let’s be advocates to others that may not know them at church or in passing. Let’s get moving and add to the kingdom of God! So the next time you pray for someone or are having a conversation at church with someone, ask them if they are saved. You may be surprised by their response.