"A GENUINE RESPONSE"

Jesus is never outwitted by the illusion of success that great numbers of His following give. Neither is He impressed with a consumer oriented Gospel that finds out what people want and then cloaks it in Christian doctrine and jargon. Jesus was never driven by His audience or their intentions. The sole agenda of Jesus was spiritual reality. He is none other than the Son, the Second Person of the Godhead, the eternal, living Logos, the long promised Messiah, who has now come cloaked in His incarnate humanity, that He accomplish reconciliation between God and mankind by presenting His sinless life, perfectly fulfilling the Law, when He would be slain for the sins of the world on a cruel Roman cross in the area known as Palestine.

Only a few among the vast crowds surrounding Jesus were in tune with Him. That is why He said to His disciples, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom has been given to you, but not to them" (Matthew 13:11). What did the disciples have the others did not have? I suggest what they had was an intimacy with Jesus. And because they had this intimacy, they understood what Jesus called, "the secrets of the kingdom." The word of God in the life of a New Testament believer is designed to create in us a greater appetite for Jesus and godliness, which, in turn, produces fruit in our hearts which in turn producers fruit in our daily lives which points out the activity of God in a fallen, sinful world.

One of the biggest problems in the church today is what one might label "the popular fire insurance definition of saving faith," which says, "Invite Jesus into your heart and you will be forgiven of your sin and assured of eternal life in heaven." As a result, many individuals think that once they have said the right words, they can live as they please, and when the final curtain falls, they will be okay. Nowhere in the New Testament does it say, "Ask Jesus into your heart," but it does tell us He will come in on the basis of repentance and faith. That involves more than simple words of a rote prayer insincerely offered up. Prayer is to be an expression of a change of heart, and if that change is not there, our prayers will be fruitless, they will not produce mere fire insurance. The doctrine of assurance the New Testament gives involves the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirits that we are children of God. This takes place internally, and is something only the Spirit can give. It then becomes evident because suddenly we will love Jesus, and develop a hunger for His righteousness.

The Bible warns about false securities. It is long-term growth, not the short-term response that gives evidence of a genuine work of the Spirit of God. A decision is the beginning of the response, but Jesus is not looking for short term decisions. He is looking for disciples, life long, life changing disciples; none other need apply. If we are serious about God, we cannot settle for the minimum, but we need to allow the word of God and Spirit of God to penetrate our lives, and begin to produce in us the moral and societal character of Jesus.