WHY SO MANY "ALMOST"?

WHY SO MANY “ALMOST”?

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Mark [GW] 16:14-16 Still later Jesus appeared to the eleven apostles while they were eating. He put them to shame for their unbelief and because they were too stubborn to believe those who had seen him alive. Then Jesus said to them, "So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 4:5-12 The next day the Jewish rulers, leaders, and scribes met in Jerusalem. The chief priest Annas, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the chief priest's family were present. They made Peter and John stand in front of them and then asked, "By what power or in whose name did you do this?" Then Peter, because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and leaders of the people, today you are cross-examining us about the good we did for a crippled man. You want to know how he was made well. You and all the people of Israel must understand that this man stands in your presence with a healthy body because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified Jesus Christ, but God has brought him back to life. He is the stone that the builders rejected, the stone that has become the cornerstone. No one else can save us. Indeed, we can be saved only by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person."

Acts 26:27-29 [The Apostle Paul, having just shared the gospel, asked] King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe them!" Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think you can quickly persuade me to become a Christian?" Paul replied, "I wish to God that you and everyone listening to me today would quickly and completely become as I am (except for being a prisoner)."

2Corinthians 5:14-20 Clearly, Christ's love guides us. We are convinced of the fact that one man has died for all people. Therefore, all people have died. He died for all people so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the man who died and was brought back to life for them. So from now on we don't think of anyone from a human point of view. If we did think of Christ from a human point of view, we don't anymore. Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence. God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships. In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn't hold people's faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others. Therefore, we are Christ's representatives, and through us God is calling you. We beg you on behalf of Christ to become reunited with God.

  As Christ’s representatives sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ the one and only Redeemer, why do so many hearers reject His freely offered gift of present and eternal deliverance?

EBB4