Hey Brookies! What are you doing tonight around 6:00?

‘Nothing much,’ you say? Come on, you know that’s the standard answer–but maybe it’s also true. Maybe you’re just sort of hanging out tonight with friends or by yourself. Well, why not try the new Saturday evening service @ Southbrook Church?! Only 2 weeks into it and several hundred will never go back! Some work on Sundays. Others just prefer to worship on Saturday evening. Whatever the reason, now you have one more to check out Southbrook and invite your friends.

Hope to see you there!

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A very special weekend is almost upon us @ Southbrook Church! This weekend I will share with you the early metamorphosis of a true believer. Let me explain…

As you often hear me say, despite a majority belief around the world that we must do good works to get God to notice us and gain entrance into His kingdom–salvation always has been and always will be a merciful and gracious work of God alone.

Period.

There’s nothing we can do to earn it.

So how do so many come up with this potentially damning false idea? Well, they follow human reasoning rather than the plain truth of God’s Word. The end result of man going with what makes sense to them rather than what God says is true is plainly spelled out in scripture:

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

Let’s face it, we’re suspicious of something for nothing, and that’s what this deal sounds like to some. When we hear that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor, we almost immediately default to trying to find at least something we can bring to the table to feel like we did our part. But that’s just it, the only part we played was sinning in the first place and creating this whole mess of a fallen world! We should then be thankful for a God who loves us so much that He was willing to take the fall in our place so that we could be rescued.

“For Gos so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

So, for those of you who want to feel better knowing something was brought to the table–know this. SOMETHING WAS! Or I should say, SOME ONE was. God gave the very best He had–His one and only Son. How in the world are we supposed to earn that?! How are we supposed to jump high enough, help enough old ladies across the street or even live enough like Mother Teresa to pull even with the sacrifice God made in sending His one and only Son to die?!

Answer?

We’re not. We can’t, and God doesn’t want us to even attempt it. It’s insulting, really! Instead, we can only fall to our knees, confess our sinful condition to God and receive His love and forgiveness–his grace and new life provided by the sacrificial death and substitutionary atonement of His Son.

Period.

And then…

And then?

“‘And then?”"Pastor Rob? You said it was faith plus nothing,”

And I meant it, but now for the main reason I wrote this post today. By, ‘And then,’ I am referring to the change. Listen to what God’s Word says about all of those who place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation:

“…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us…” 2 Corinthians 5:17=18

There is a change, a complete metamorphosis away from what you were to something entirely new. You are a new person inside. Here’s another thing you’ve heard me say on several occasions, ‘much of Christianity is descriptive rather than prescriptive.’ Which is just another way of saying that a true conversion is always accompanied by this change.

Always.

No change, no salvation–period.

I’ll have more to say on this next week, but let me tell you why I believe weekends like this one are so important in light of all I just said…

Jesus says our first move as a new believer is to profess Him through baptism–to stand up and be counted as a true believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Honestly, every new believer ought to be practically tripping over themselves to get to the water and declare their new allegiance with God and His people.

Were you one of the 126 who gave their lives to Jesus over the last couple weeks?

Then why not stand up and be counted this weekend? I will be sharing part 3 of our, ‘Diary of a Wimpy Christian’ series ( a shortened message entitled, “Kill Will”) followed by a massive baptism celebration with our newest believers in Christ. You can be baptized at any one of the four services (Three @ Weddington and one @ our Monroe Campus) And, if you consider Southbrook Church your home, come support all of these and bring a friend. Few things are as powerful a testimony as these baptism services!

See you there!

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Many of you never get the chance to hear the stories behind the numbers when we have these big days @ Southbrook. Truth is, every single salvation is a beautiful story. And no one randomly wandered in by some cosmic accident–God was at work in each individual’s life–sometimes for years.

Sometimes for decades.

All to get them to that moment of truth–that bending of the knee to Jesus Christ and the adoption into the very family of God! What could be greater? What could ever be ,more important?!

This week I will be sharing some of the stories with you and also asking those of you who made decisions for Christ over the last two weeks to share your stories with me. The greatest moments in life should not be kept secret. Let’s tell the world what Jesus did for us!

Ok, I’ll break the ice. The first story is short and sweet–I know very little about this individual except that her brokeness and true repentence will forever be etched in my mind and on my heaet.

Week one of Wimpy Christian say nearly 100 people give their lives to Christ. And I really beleive these weren’t flippant, meaningless acknowledgments because I really went there about taking up your cross and following Jesus. This isn’t about standing up, raising your hand or coming forward. This is about coming to the end of ourselves and the beginning of God.

So, I really stressed repentance.

REALLY.

Saying that true repentance drives us to our knees. I was trying ot paint a picture of brokeness.

Some would argue that I went too far–perhaps scaring some away. Understand that I know there are those who wish to make that moment as easy as possible–anonymous, just do what everyone else is doing, having others walk the isle to sort of prime the pump, etc. But I just don’t see this in the Bible. Jesus was always full of love and mercy when He presented the gospel, but it’s not like He promised everyone who raised their hands a free pass to Carowinds theme park! Deciding to follow Jesus doesn’t come cheep (and should never be presented that way). Truth is, it will cost you something–actually, everything! Jesus wants all of you, not just bits and pieces. In fact, for the most effective presentation of the gospel I know of we can look to Acts chapter 2 and Peter’s sermon. If you want to read it now, click here. But I want to draw your attention more to the end result. Here is the people’s genuine response…

^“37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  ³⁸Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ”

Cut to the heart? Now that’s wht the truth ought to produce!

Ok, back to 2 weeks ago…

Well, when the moment came to invite people to come to Christ, one woman could not wait. As I started to pray with them, she dropped to her knees, weeping and cryed out to God.

No, not screaming or anything–just from her heart. But if you saw her, you would have no doubt that God heard and she would never be the same.

If you’re reading this, ma’am, I would love to hear about the journey that brought you home to Jesus that day. Send me an email so I can celebrate with you.

And that goes for all 126 of you. Tell me your story that God’s Son would receive all the glory!

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