From Pastor John Collins:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians
5:17 (NKJV).
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by
Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners
shall be converted to You.” Psalm 51:12-13 (NKJV).
The gang-banger, the drug dealer, the thief, the liar, the
cheater, the adulterer and every other sinner out there is a soul in need of
Christ. We live in a world of despair and fear of our fellow man. We have so
many horrible truths that fill our streets that we are cautious and wary. There
are bad people in this world and many of them do not want to change. I believe
that there are also so very many people that have not been given the chance to
change. Their environments have created a need to survive and there seems to be
so few ways to get out.
There are many outreach programs that are trying to help. I
believe that more can be done. It is not only in the inner cities and slums
that these lost souls reside. The address of a soul in need is not of
importance. Remember the 1 lost sheep and know that our responsibility to each
other is greater than we have owned up to. We are all God’s children and we
should all be willing to enable change in another. Sometimes it is just
believing that change is possible. Sometimes it is faith in helping another
create the desire to change within themselves. Change is possible.
The true hope of the gospel is this change. This is what
getting to heaven involves. We cannot claim to believe and then not change our
lives and ourselves. It is the hope of Christ that allows us forgiveness and
with that forgiveness comes change. We are new creatures and we are no longer
the same person that we were. Sometimes we must bear with the doubt and
judgment of others.
Sometimes we must overcome the doubt within ourselves. I
don’t care what your past was because whatever that past was it is now your
testimony once you have come to Jesus and become His disciple.
This is what we should look for and hope for in others. We
should be encouraging the drug addict, the alcoholic, the cheater, the
gang-banger and the abuser. All these would be terrible sinners are the souls
of the lost until they find the truth in Christ. Each one of us will find in
our lives opportunities to encourage faith in others and we should be willing
to take the chance to do so. Remember Jesus did not come to heal the healthy
but the sick. Do not look down on someone that is a prisoner of Satan’s, look
up to God and pray that the lost be touched by the Lord and drawn to Him. Do
not doubt the transformation that comes with the Cross. That is the beauty and
hope of our faith.
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if
by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans
8:13 (NKJV).
