 | Pastor Dave grew up in northern New Jersey in a very diverse cultural area. He attended Central College in Pella, Iowa received a BA in sociology and psychology. He was an offensive guard for their NCAA Div III National Championship team in 1974. In speaking for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he sensed a call to full time ministry. Meeting is future wife Sandy at Central, went to Michigan to finish her college while Dave started Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Dave married Sandy in 77 and completed his Masters of Divinity degree in 78. Pastor Dave’s first church was in Fort Lee, New Jersey, home of the George Washington Bridge. Their three children were born there and he also served as a Police and Fire Chaplain for the city. In February 1991, they came to Wichita to start Harvest Community Church. In 2006, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological (Presbyterian) Seminary in St Louis. During that year he gained a daughter-in-law with now 2 grandsons of 3 years and 6 months old. Besides Pastoring at HCC for the past 20 years, he has been Director of the SCSD & WPD Police Chaplains for 11.
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Religion
2008-12-31 10:43:00
Accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Question: All my life I have heard that all one has to do is to accept our Lord Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior, and he or she will be saved. But I also read in James 2:14-16, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” Can someone tell me, saying and meaning you accept our Lord as your personal Savior seems to be a lot easier than doing that plus a non-quantified number of works. What does it really take?
Answer: This is a great question especially in the western culture we live in today. At least 5 driving principles infect out thinking spiritually which can bring about a spiritual still birth rather than true saving spiritual birth. But some of it is universal through all ages as James dealt with in the first century.
First, in our culture we have microwaves and instant dinners that get us used to a quick fix. Second, one can easily compartmentalize by putting things into compartments or shelves, and only use them when we want them or when needed and leave them in their place not to affect other areas. Third, we are also living in a postmodern era where religion and beliefs are personally designed by the individual and made to fit what that person wants to feel comfortable. It’s like going to a religious salad bar and choosing what I like and want to believe that makes me feel good, comfortable and happy about myself. Fourth, it may not even matter whether it is true or not, just as long as it makes me feel good about myself. Fifth, it’s all about me and my feelings. Not what Almighty God thinks or says about a certain thing as the Supreme Ruler and Lord of all. Some preaching today has been crafted to make us feel good and God forbid that any guilt be felt.
Now to help us clarify the issue I want to turn to Acts 16 where the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas in verse 30, ‘What must I do to be saved?” Paul kept him from committing suicide due to his fear of a mass escape of the prisoners by God’s miraculous opening of the prison doors. They answered simply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke to them a little more about the Lord and then the change in the jailor is seen in his washing the wounds of the Apostles and the Baptism of him and his family.
Notice the answer seems simple and similar as our questioner states but in its simple wording are several keys. First the apostles use the word “believe” which means more than just an intellectual assent to some body of knowledge to get me out of a jam or even hell. It means a complete trusting and giving oneself totally to the person of “Lord Jesus Christ.” That title means more than just as savior which is important but now as my Lord, CEO, Ruler and King who I submit to fully. It means letting Him take over the domination and complete control of my life.
I’ve counseled at several crusades and there have been times people have come forward for many different reasons. Some it was the emotional appeal of the preacher or the group that came with them that encouraged others to come down and the words or a crisis in their life that moved them to pray the prayer or even to influence a girlfriend or boyfriend and some because God truly touched their hearts and drew them. However, I’m not convinced a person going forward and saying a few words gives them true eternal conversion. Jesus even talks about it in His parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-11).
Now God can begin His saving work of conversion at a crusade or a retreat or in a locker room or anywhere and anyway He wishes (John 3:8). In that saving, He justifies us by faith in His grace (Romans 5:1) or declares us to have the righteousness of Jesus by the free gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). We become His adopted children who could do nothing to deserve such love and adoption (Romans 8:15). God also begins the washing of regeneration and cleaning us up by redeeming us and washing away our sin through the blood of Christ (Titus 3:5). All this is God’s work on us.
Then while our sinful nature is part of us, He begins the work of Sanctification or working in us through His Holy Spirit by the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26). Purging us from the old sinful habits, patterns and selfishness to make us more and more like Jesus everyday (Romans 8:30). This then is the growing experience we do with the Holy Spirit that most of the New Testament addresses where the scriptures are given to “reprove, correct and train us in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Why, because this does not come naturally and this is why James addresses the congregation the way he does because his church people were not showing Christ-like behavior. So James gets to the heart of the issue by saying that their claim to have faith is not evident or seen. If they had the heart of Jesus, then they would begin helping the poor and not neglecting them (James 2:14-16). Jesus even states in more challenging terms with our moral lives when He says in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” If we continue in rebelling against God’s word, doing what we want and ignoring God, then we have to ask a hard question, “Am I really saved?” Those works do not save us but they evidence that God has saved us eternally and is saving, changing and ruling in our hearts now.
If you are unsure you are saved then just talk to God (pray), 1. Admit that God and His way has not been first place in your life. Ask Him to forgive your sin and rebellion against Him. 2. Believe (trust) that Jesus died for your sins and will wash the guilt of them away. 3. Accept God’s free gift of eternal salvation through what Jesus did on the cross and raising from the dead. 4. Invite Jesus Christ to come into your life and entrust Him to be the Lord, director, CEO of your life. Learn about His way and live it, not your own way According to God’s own words of promise, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” {Romans 10:9} Those words you can take to the {eternal} bank! Saved only by Christ’s grace, Pastor Dave!
