"…that which is known about God is evident within them…"
Romans 1:19
CSI had an ongoing storyline this fall that culminated recently in an episode where two fathers were contrasted. One father, whose daughter was kidnapped by a serial killer, was forced to act on behalf of the killer to save his daughter. The other father made the choice to use his own daughter as bait to catch the killer. He willingly put his daughter's life at risk, with her permission, I might add, to put an end to this man's killing spree.
In the end, the first father (who was a police officer, as well) was sent to prison and the second father was praised, as his sacrifice paid off and the killer was caught. Well…actually he wasn't caught but he was identified and escaped, but I'm pretty sure they'll get him…so the story goes on…
Here's my point today - the gospel is everywhere. Show me a good superhero movie and I'll show you a world who cannot save itself but needs a Savior. Our movies and TV shows are filled with helpless characters who need saving. And then there's the news - the brokenness of this world is the main storyline and occasionally a hero is exalted, though much of our news still needs a Savior. We look to government or the police to swoop down and bring justice, but too often it falls short.
I just read a news report of a man in Georgia who was at a creek with his 9 year old son and heard the cries of a 4 year old girl. He dove in the creek to save her and hit his head on the bottom, cracking his spine and immediately paralyzing his legs and one arm. He was still able to save the girl and now a week later, he passed away in the hospital from complications. Terribly sad story but in it we see sacrificial love - the helpless needing a willing savior and the savior, giving his life for the helpless.
The gospel is everywhere - look for it daily and you will see it.
One of the criticisms of Christianity is that the Father gave His Son - some have said, what kind of father would do that? I've heard God accused of "cosmic child abuse." But when we watched that CSI episode, the father who was willing to use his child as a lure for the killer, fully knowing the risks, he was hailed as the hero, rather than the father who protected his child. It's a crazy world we live in, right?
Friends, I truly believe that the gospel basics are sown into our hearts. Like King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3, God has set eternity in the hearts of men. Deep down we know there is a God, we know He has standards, we know we don't meet them and we long for a savior. It's the plot line for much of our entertainment. So my challenge to you is to open your eyes and look for the gospel in everyday life. When you do this, you will be surprised where it shows up…and remember, this longing is only filled in Jesus, so when you meet broken people in the midst of a gospel crisis, point them to the perfect Savior who will never let them down, miss His cue or fail at rescuing them.
Thank you for this! It's so easy to look elsewhere for that hero/savior when it actually HE is right there waiting for us to call out "Abba, Father!" Thank you for the challenge to be more acutely aware of the Gospel throughout each moment of the day!
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree about the gospel being everywhere and sown in our own hearts. The bible says that eternity is sown in our hearts. True. The gospel? Not so sure. The gospel everywhere? I cant think of any scripture to back that up. Do you have some? I would contend that the desire for a savior is natural and the need is certainly felt, we cannot "see the gospel everywhere". We can only see it when we contemplate the person and work of Jesus Christ as revealed in holy scripture.
ReplyDeleteI think you made my point in your statement: the desire for a savior is natural. My question to you would be, why is it natural? Is it in our nature? That's exactly the point I am making. We are studying Romans in our women's study and from Romans 1 we know that not only creation reveals God but also our consciences are witnesses against us when we reject our Creator. It is this conscience I believe that "naturally" longs for a savior, knowing that we need one. Obviously the gospel for salvation is only through Jesus Christ, but when I said the gospel was everywhere, I was pointing out that in story lines all over the place we see the helpless longing for a savior. Years ago, one of the old Superman movies had Superman saving the world at the cost of his own life, and then falling back to earth in the position like someone on a cross. There was obvious Jesus imagery going on - why would the director do that? If you look, the concept of the helpless needing a savior is in much of our literature and entertainment - I was just proposing to my readers to look for the gospel conceptually in these story lines - not to find salvation in them but to understand that humanity knows it needs a savior.
ReplyDeleteOk, thanks, that makes it a bit clearer. I think the wording just threw me off a little.
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