November 26, 2021

Dear Grandchildren:
 
Some of you have asked me the question, “When did you know you were a Christian?” The answer is fifty years ago when I was twenty-eight years old. Until then, I sincerely thought I was.

I was baptized at ten because that’s what my church expected you to do. And for twenty-eight years, I believed in God and Jesus. I heard the many Bible stories and attended church on Christmas and Easter like everyone else in my family. But that was the extent of my understanding of God as I basically did my own thing until I was twenty-eight years old.

“So Grandpa, what was different? How did you change your approach to God?”

I compare my spiritual journey to playing baseball. You have first base, second base, third base, and home plate. The object of baseball is to score a run by making it to home plate. Just ending on first, second, or third base isn’t very successful. In my spiritual example, ending up on first, second, or third base shouldn’t be a Christian believer’s goal. I believe that many sincere people in the church today are ending up short of home plate.

Let me explain.

John 3:16 (NLT) says, “He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” 

• So the first base in my spiritual understanding is to believe. For twenty-eight years that’s what I did. I believed in God. But, believing in God or in Jesus only isn’t enough in our example. We must believe the gospel story that Jesus came to the earth to save me and everyone else from their sin. In my understanding of believing, I must realize I needed a savior (Jesus) to wash away my sin.

• So second base is: I need to repent from my sin and believe that Jesus took my sin to the cross on Calvary over two thousand years ago, and three days later, everyone, including myself, was resurrected with Jesus who paid for everyone’s sin.

• Third base in my spiritual example is, I need to personally receive Jesus Christ into my heart and into life as my personal savior. This is a personal decision I must make for myself, and then we receive the gift of salvation. The scripture in John 3:3 calls it being born again. Jesus states unless you’re born again with the Holy Spirit, you cannot see the kingdom of God.

Keep in mind I believe we’re still on third base waiting to go to home plate. To accomplish this, we must decide to follow Jesus and allow him to be our Lord and Master. This step is a decision we personally have to make to allow him to direct our life. I believe many in the church today have failed to take this last step of faith. Unfortunately, we become lord of our life.

 
The Scriptures says that at this time we have a new worldview and a new understanding of who God the Father is, who Jesus Christ is and what he came to accomplish, and who the person of the Holy Spirit is and why he lives within his new believers. Also, we begin to realize how much God loves us.

• Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God (1 Corinthians 2:12 ESV).

• By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:13-16 ESV).

 
Grandchildren, this is my understanding of how a person becomes a Jesus person. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to text or call me. Hopefully, you have made decisions to bring you to home plate with Jesus.
 
Always remember how much I love you,
 
Grandpa
 
P.S. I was talking to a friend about this letter and he added this comment. There are many people in church who stand on the sidelines and never join the game. Wow! How sad is this?

Featured Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay