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Please take a good look at the picture above. This is Mary
and Andrew Thompson, known by everyone as a fine Christian
couple, good neighbors and active church members..
Are these people real Christians? They have been married
to each other for 47 years. They have always been members
of the same church since they were children. They both
teach Sunday School. They pay their tithes and give to the
Overseas Orphans every month, like clockwork. They raised
their children to be good citizens. They own a modest
house, drive a modest car, wear modest clothes, eat a
modest and moderate diet, abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and
unsavory language, and drink only one cup of coffee a week
(Saturday mornings while they have their devotions).
Neither of them has ever told a lie or engaged in violent or
otherwise questionable behavior. They do not hate anyone
or think evil thoughts about anyone. They always vote.
They always give to community fundraisers. They talk
politely to their neighbors and they are always in bed before 10
p.m. every night.
Certainly, if anyone can pass the test for being very good
people this couple should be able to pass. And yet they
are both sinners. And what is more important, they are
lost sinners. They have been so busy keeping rules and
doing good things (truly very good things) that they have never
taken the time to go beyond mere religion to a genuine encounter
with God or with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. If they
were to die today, right now, they would be judged according to
their works and found guilty. Even though they have always
lived a good life, they have not been perfect. And the few
sins they have committed (whatever those might be) have never
been taken to God and confessed. They have never asked
Jesus to save them. They have never realized their own
need of a savior. They have never known the Lord in any
kind of personal way.
Now take a look at the picture below.
©2008 GospelGifs
As you can see, it is the very same couple. Same pose,
same hair, same age. Mary and
Andrew are even wearing the very same clothes, their Sunday
best. There is no visible change in their lives at all.
Even though you can't tell by looking, this is a picture of them
after they've come face to face with Jesus Christ. By
"accident" as it were, they visited a little country church
while on vacation last summer, and heard a real Gospel message
for the first time in their lives. Both were soon made to
realize their need of Jesus as a Savior. Right then and
there, in that little country church, they admitted their need
for the forgiveness of sin, and asked Christ to become their
Lord and Savior.
You can't tell by the picture that anything has changed in their
lives. Everything looks exactly as it always did.
You see, when the Spirit of God comes into a life, all the
changes occur inwardly. We do not become physically
younger when we are born again. We do not automatically
become physically healthier. All the changes occur in the
innermost part of our being — in the spirit. With time,
some of these changes may begin to show outwardly. We may
give up old habits and lose certain addictions, or we may have a real
struggle on our hands as we begin to walk in a new way with Christ
Jesus. One thing is certain, we will have plenty of light
for the journey, as Jesus promises in John 8:12, 12:46 and other
places in the New Testament. And we will have the strength
of God in our hearts to provide the will and the determination
to eventually, if not immediately, overcome every obstacle to
our faith.
Mary and Andrew have changed almost nothing in their daily or
weekly routine. They did find a new church, where the
Bible is preached and taught, and where others openly talk about
their faith in Jesus. If you were to meet them before and
after their spiritual rebirth, you would probably not be able to
detect any changes at all. They still dress modestly.
They still pay their tithes and treat their neighbors with
respect. They still drink only one cup of coffee a week
and go to bed before ten. The real changes are all on the
inside.
God's love now fills their hearts. Where once there were lots
of shadows and loneliness, now light and joy overflow. And there is singing.
Singing at home. Singing in the car. Lots of singing
at church. And a lot more laughter. And, every so
often, without any warning at all, they will sometimes say, "Thank
You, Jesus" Right out loud. Even when no one else is
around.
It's true that you usually can't tell by looking who is really Christian and who is not. But the
Thompsons now know that they are real Christians, true followers
of Jesus Christ. To find out what Mary and Andrew
discovered,
click here.
(Opens a new window.)
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personal witness, for church programs, and other Christian
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