Make Peace With God

Lots of people today are religious! They go to church! They assume that since they are neither Jews nor Muslims, they are Christians. Many have grown up in the church or, at least, were baptized as an infant. By the standards of the world they are pretty good — a whole lot better than most. But is that enough? At the same time there is a whole generation of young men and women who have grown up with… well, nothing. Money, sexual fulfillment, and accomplishment still don’t satisfy. Within their heart is an emptiness which cannot be satisfied. No matter where you are on the spectrum of life, the following story may well be a reflection of the emptiness in your life. If so, there is good news!

It was an old historic church and I was a young preacher who was honored to have been invited to speak for the Sunday service. My host was a gray-haired gentleman who had been in that church for more than 60 years so it was only natural that I wanted to extract as much wisdom and personal experience from him that I could muster.

“How many years have you been a Christian?” I asked. He replied telling me that he had been a member of that church for more than 60 years. He began to tell me about the high days during that period of time, the boards and committees he had served on, along with some humor and anecdotes. I was impressed but I didn’t get a clear answer to my question so I rephrased it.

“Was it in this church that you became a believer in Jesus Christ?” “Joined the church at age 12,” he said, embarking on another long discourse. By then I was really puzzled. It reminded me of asking a question of someone who was from a foreign country and didn’t understand the language I was using.

“Tell me about how you came to faith in Christ,” I asked a third time. With this question, his eyes fell to the ground, and in an instant, I knew he had understood my first question.

He quietly said, “I hate to admit this, but I’ve never really become a Christian. Joined the church, you know, and served on every board and committee there was, but I could never bring myself to admit that I was a sinner and needed to be saved.”

What a tragedy! This man knew the language, he knew the songs, he knew the workings of a church; but he didn’t know Him who told Peter upon his confession that He was Lord, He would build His church.

Are there many like this? And more pointedly, are you one of them? Jesus spoke words of warning saying, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22,23).

If you don’t want to be left behind when Christ returns, you had better learn what you need to do to become God’s child. If it isn’t joining the church, serving on boards and committees, and being a good person, what is it?

Simply put, three steps are necessary. They are the same things whether you have grown up in a church or have never darkened the door of one. To make peace with God, you need to take three steps.