Written by Pastor Mark Driskill
October 3, 2011

Read Ephesians 2:11-13

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ…”

It’s dangerous to become so used to your salvation that you no longer remember why you needed it in the first place. Paul encourages us to remember that at one time we were cut off from God by our sinfulness. We had no part in his kingdom, and no right to call ourselves children of God.

When we forget what we once were we begin to presume on God’s mercy and grace, and begin to live carelessly in his presence. One of the terrible effects of this is that we begin to look down on those who are not yet in the family of faith. As familiarity grows and our memory fails our compassion for the lost begins to suffer.

Rather than pleading for those outside of Christ we become critical of them as if we had never been apart from Christ ourselves. We begin to draw lines in the sand, erecting walls where bridges ought to be instead. The lost become subject of criticism rather than the subject of our prayers. They become the object of our jokes rather than the object of our love. We laugh at our Gay jokes, Atheist jokes, and Hostile parody’s of other religions. Then we wonder why no one wants to hear about our Jesus.

The words of Gandhi echo in the background, “I have no problem with Jesus, it’s Christians I can’t stand. They are nothing like him.”  We think we were born saved and forget that we had to be born again because of our dead condition.

Have we forgotten where we came from? Are we like the ancient Israelites in the desert, who so quickly forgot their bondage in Egypt? Are we walking around in circles grumbling at bread from heaven? Have we gotten used to the one who delivered us from bondage? Are we beginning to think we saved ourselves?

We must never forget that, as Paul tells us, we have been brought near, “by the blood of Christ” not by our pedigree. It was with great sacrifice that any of us have been redeemed. The same love that made the saving difference for each of us is calling to the lost ones we live and move around each day.

So let us put away the jokes, the criticism, and the highbrow attitude we have toward “them”. Let us step back for a moment and take a hard look at the cross and the sinless one who was slain upon it. Let us remember that at one time we were in total darkness, children of wrath, until the kindness and mercy of God found us. Let us not for one second imagine that the mercy of God ran out as soon as we were saved. It still flows like a mighty river toward the lost, the broken, and those without the hope we have been sleeping in.

Awaken us oh God to your mercy. Forgive us when we forget where we came from. Do whatever it takes to have us standing once again in awe of your mercy toward us. Fill us with the same love that saved us and send us into the world. Help us remember that there is more to being a Christian than being right.

Pastor Mark Driskill
Web Minister of Begotten By the Word web ministry
See our website at http://ourchurch.com/member/b/bbtw
and
www.facebook.com (to group “begotten by the word”)
Begotten By the Word is a ministry of Helping Hands Christian resources-Evangelism Outreach
www.hhcr05.org
(Feel free to copy in any way that will bring glory to God and further his kingdom.)