Wednesday, July 12, 2017
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I once spoke for a large youth conference at one of the East Coast's most popular vacation spots: Ocean City, Maryland. The boardwalk, the hotels, the restaurants, the amusements seem to stretch for miles there. My friend told me he'd been coming to Ocean City since the 1970s, when most of what I was seeing wasn't there. Not that many folks used to come to Ocean City at all. I asked my friend what changed that. He said, "Oh, the bridge". The building of what is called the Bay Bridge opened up this beautiful spot to many people who literally had never experienced it before.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Bridge In Your Mirror".
It's amazing what a difference a bridge can make-it literally brings people and places together. And for most people, there needs to be a bridge for them to get to the most important destination of all-to get to heaven. For some people you know, you are that bridge.
Actually, Jesus has bridged the grand canyon between a holy God and us sinners by His death for our sins. And most people will not make it to Jesus unless a Christian they know is the bridge they can cross to Jesus. You see, your lost friends can't see Jesus. But they can see you. The question is: "Are you taking them to Him?" If you don't, they may never make it to Him. They may never make it to heaven
Jesus spells out your role as His bridge in our word for today from the Word of God. First, there's God's part in bringing a lost person to Him. "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ." It might be good to put in this verse maybe the name of someone you know who doesn't belong to Jesus as far as you know. "God was reconciling (put their name in there) to Himself in Christ, not counting that person's sins against them. And He has committed to us (put your name in there) the message of reconciliation. We are, therefore, Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us (that's through you). We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." That's 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.
Reconciling. Well, we know what that is; bringing two people together. I think sometimes we make this business we call "witnessing" way too complicated. You don't have to explain all about Christianity, all about Christians, everything the church has ever done, all about the differences between religions. Because it's all about Jesus. He said, "Follow Me." Not my followers, not my religion, not my rules. "Follow Me." I'm glad it's all about Jesus, aren't you?
So His invitation is still the same, "Follow Me." So your assignment as Jesus' ambassador-as Jesus' bridge-is to bring two people together. You take Jesus in one hand, you take that lost person you care about in the other hand and you bring them together-forever. What a beautiful picture! And what a beautiful eternal tribute to the life you lived here. They'll be in heaven with you.
Will you reach out to a person you know who doesn't belong to Jesus yet? There's somebody you know who doesn't know your Jesus. Would you listen to the Holy Spirit's voice and step up and be their bridge? Would you take them by the hand and walk with them up Skull Hill, and bring them to the bottom of that old rugged cross and let them stand there for a moment and look at what Jesus is doing for them there.
Show them Jesus. Show them His cross, and tell them, "What He's doing on that cross is for you, for every wrong thing you've ever done, and nobody loves you like Jesus does."
You are pointing them to the greatest love in the universe, proven at a cross, the greatest power in the universe, proven at an empty tomb.
If they don't get to Jesus, they're not going to get to heaven. And they may never get to Jesus without a bridge. That is why God put you there.