Speaking God's Truth in Love "Tough words"

Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Titus 2:14
14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

There has been a plague on Christianity for the last several decades.  I am afraid that the plague has been propitiated by our focus on the end result of salvation and our final destination rather than on our journey through the kingdom at hand.

We seem to all breathe a collective sigh of relief when someone accepts Jesus, but after the initial experience many times we lose contact with them or fail to follow up with them.  In my pastoral experience I have seen a large number of people that have professed salvation, but never have followed in obedience of baptism.  As a matter of fact, their entire Christian journey consisted of one prayer for salvation and then it was back to business as usual in their lives.

I am not here to judge anyone’s salvation experience; I simply want to make Christians aware that salvation is not just about the final destination, it is also about the journey to that destination.  Jesus gave Himself to redeem us from this sinless world so that we might be zealous for good works. 

There is nowhere in Scripture that ever speaks of punching your ticket for heaven and then sitting on the bus until the ride is over.  So, if we believe what the Bible says, then the question is when are we going to become zealous?  That word “zealous” means, unreservedly enthusiastic.  Not what I would call most of us.  The truth is we are unreservedly apathetic.  I wish that wasn’t the case, but we all know that it is. 

If you are reading this then you will never be able to stand before the Lord and plead ignorance.  Instead you will have to stand before Him someday and explain why He would go to His death for you, and yet you would not live for Him.  These are tough words I know, but how can I not Speak the Truth in Love.