Across the Pastor’s Desk

In a world filled with the message of no absolutes, I find it necessary to share with you there really are true concrete absolutes in life. Today there is a complete onslaught of messages on the topics how to find God and how to get to heaven. As a pastor I hear it all the time. Everyone from children to the president has their own opinion on how to find God. Our president claimed Christianity as his faith but in the same sentence made the statement he believes there are many ways to God. In essence, anyone can believe however they choose, and we will all somehow end up in the same place in eternity. A very popular talk show host who has done so much good for humanity shared a few years ago on her show she no longer held true to the teachings given to her as a child. She no longer believes that Jesus is the only way to God; that we all walk different roads but we are all going to the same place. She introduced her new mentor and his teachings of looking to the “god” within you, finding peace and serenity through the power of “self.” Larry King’s guest, a prominent pastor in America, was asked, “Is Jesus the ONLY way to God?” The pastor struggled for words and in the end said, “I don’t know.” My friend, no matter how well-meaning people are; no matter the amount of good a person may do in life, the worst advice a person could ever give is the idea it doesn’t matter the road taken, we’re all going to get to God in our own way. This kind of thinking aligns itself to the notion that “all roads lead to Rome.” If Rome is your destination, then you might be safe in believing such a notion, but if you are looking for real, lasting peace between you and your creator, you cannot look any other direction than Jesus Christ, the sinless son of God!

Consider this. If you were driving from Albert Lea to New York, you’d have resources in finding directions. You could Google it, consult your atlas, ask a friend, or simply enter it in on your GPS. There are different resources to find your way, but at the end of the day, you can’t get to New York going west. If God’s heaven is your final destination, you don’t have to wonder about the right way to get there. Jesus made it plain, “No man comes to the father (Jehovah God) except he comes through me.” It’s really that simple!

So it is in getting to heaven. You have resources to use. First, the Bible, the best place to look because it is the road map to eternal life. David wrote, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105. The disciples of Jesus said in John 6:68, “Lord, to whom shall we go for you alone have the words of life.” You could consult your pastor, but I must warn you many pastors even in the “Christian” church are wavering on holding true to the word of God and its principles. Many pastors today seem to be more interested in filling the pews than filling the hearts of people with the word of God. They end up diluting the instructions of the infallible word of truth to gain a crowd. It can thin a congregation down when you are more interested in pleasing God rather than men. If you ask your pastor if Jesus is the only way to God, and they say no or there are many different ways to God, RUN! Find yourself a pastor who will tell you the truth from the word of God, the Holy Bible! Another resource is nature. The Bible teaches us “The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shows forth his handiwork.” Through nature, God the creator speaks to mankind. There is no person who will one day stand before God and be able to give the excuse they didn’t know, or no one ever told them about God. Nature itself teaches humanity there is a creator and one that set order to the universe. That one, my friend, is Jehovah, the God of the Bible. There is no cosmic power outside of him that created the heavens and the earth. The theory of evolution is false. One last resource I’d like to suggest is the person whose life is being transformed by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit! Talk to someone with a testimony of how Jesus Christ saved them from their sins and from themselves. You will hear how personal this great God really is. You will see the evidence of what a true relationship with Jesus Christ the savior can do in a person’s life. I receive a lot from studying the Bible, but it seems to become much more personal when I see the works, promises and principles of the Bible lived out in ordinary people’s lives.

This coming Sunday, at 10 a.m., at Grace Christian Church, you are invited to come and hear the Minnesota Teen Challenge Choir sing and give their personal testimonies of how their lives are being transformed by the renewing of their minds by the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Your heart will be touched as you hear from the students describe their lives destitute of God and since coming to Teen Challenge and surrendering their lives to Christ. The old is gone and new life has come. You are invited to join us as we celebrate lives changed by Christ’s love and amazing grace.

My message to you is not written in judgementalism or condemnation because I am a sinner being saved by the grace of Jesus. However, it is written in a spirit of declaration. There are many voices speaking many things in our age. A good many of those speak from a spirit of anti-Christ declaring that the old ways of the Bible simply don’t apply today. Not true! God declares in his word, “I do not change!” The word of God is forever settled in heaven. No man can take from or add to God’s word without serious consequences from God himself. This article is from the heart of a local pastor who loves people and understands that people are God’s No. 1 priority! It’s why he was willing to sacrifice his own son to come to earth and to give himself as ransom for many. You cannot work your way to heaven, for no human is good enough to earn salvation. You cannot buy your way to heaven by giving large sums of money, even though it seems like that by the messages on a lot of Christian television. You cannot clean yourself up and then come to God. The only way to true salvation and freedom from sin is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, turning to him and asking him to forgive your sins, and surrendering your life completely to his lordship over your life. The Bible declares “All those that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!” When you do this, God’s word promises you become a brand new creation. The old is passed away and everything becomes new! This is the miracle of salvation that can only come through the savior, Jesus!

Friend, if you have wrestled with the thoughts of getting to God or what is the right way to God, struggle no more, your answer has come. It may not be the answer for which you think you’ve been searching, but in the end you will be so glad you followed the path God laid out for you in his word, the Bible. Jesus is more than a prophet or a good teacher who did good works. He is the one true living way to eternal life and salvation for your soul. Look nowhere else other than to the one who lived, died and rose again! And because He lives, you shall live also! He has been calling out to you, can you hear him?

The Rev. George Marin, Grace Christian Church Albert Lea.