1 Corinthians 15:17-18 (New Living Translation), "And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!"
Have you ever stopped to think about where your life would be as a Christ follower if Jesus had not been raised from the dead?
According to the Scriptures we just read, our faith would be completely meaningless and there would be a death penalty hanging over our heads for our sins. Furthermore, everyone who has died believing in Christ would be in hell today.
That's a mouthful to try to comprehend. We cannot fully grasp the importance of Jesus being a resurrected Savior, and it's something we can easily take for granted, unless we reflect on how our lives would be different without Him. For instance, if Christ were not raised from the dead, there would be no such thing as having a personal, intimate love relationship with Creator God. The personal devotions you had this morning would be imaginary and useless.
If Christ were not raised from the dead, there would be no way to overcome our dark side and we would be a slave to whatever our sinful nature desires. How many times have you vowed to God that you would stop doing that one thing? And without a resurrected Christ, you and I would no longer have the ability to love unconditionally or forgive fully. Our love would be based on what others could do for us, and most of our days would be spent rehearsing the wrongs that we have been dealt.
Lost people today need to know there is a risen Savior who died for them personally and wants them to experience His unconditional love and acceptance. But most lost people won't go to a religious place to hear a religious person talk on a religious subject in words they don't understand. So we've got to find a way to go to them with our message.
This is why Hutchcraft Ministries is dedicated to reaching lost people on their turf. After all, Jesus said "Go" in Matthew 20:28. While we are intentional to reach people on neutral ground, it usually takes more than an invitation from us to get people there. It takes a relational bridge that they trust. It takes God's people doing the bringing.
Luke 5 gives the account of a tax collector named Levi who gave his life to Christ. But he doesn't stop there. The story tells us that Levi then used his influence that same night to invite the people from his "tribe" (other tax collectors) to a banquet held at his house so they could also spend time with Jesus.
Levi is the poster child for understanding the importance of using the influence God gives to reach people with the Gospel. I doubt if any priest or religious figure in the town could have gotten all the tax collectors to attend a church service in an effort to present Christ to them. But Levi had their trust.
And God has given you that same trust with the people in your world. He has divinely positioned you to be His hands and feet, and His heart to people that your pastor may never get the chance to influence. What are you doing with the influence God is giving you?
As part of Hutchcraft Ministries' mission statement, we are here to provide you the support and encouragement needed to confidently "go" and lift up the resurrected Savior to the lost world you care so much about. Ron's latest resource, "A Life That Matters" DVD Curriculum may be just the resource you are looking for to assist you in this all-important mission. To find out more, visit www.alifethatmatters.org.