What a glorious day! We have a new Pastor at Central Park Baptist Church, Dr. Jackie Kay. This is a day many have prayed for going on 14 months. Our church is so blessed by God to be able to have such a godly man and awesome preacher.
The church was packed and a tremendous spirit prevailed. Bro. Jackie received a 99% favorable vote. That is almost unheard of in a Baptist Church. Too often, where 2 or more Baptists are gathered you need a referee! This was just another affirmation of God's working in this situation.
The highlight of the morning, however, was not the great service, and not even the calling of Bro. Jackie. The highlight by far was the profession of faith made by Katie Robertson. "Miss" Katie is in her 80's and has been a church member since childhood. This week she came by my office and we began to talk. She shared with me how that long ago she responded to the altar call during a revival and was baptized. She has been bothered often since then, not feeling any sense of certainty about her salvation. A few weeks ago she attended a revival where Phil Waldrep was preaching and he spoke on the issue that many church members have never truly accepted God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. They might have "walked the aisle" as an emotional response to the invitation, or for some other invalid reason. As a result, they probably think they are a Christian, but may be deceived by a misunderstanding of what repentance and accepting Christ is all about. This is what "Miss" Katie discovered about herself.
When Katie shared these doubts and concerns with me, I must admit that you could have knocked me over with a feather. She is such a sweet woman, and probably as good a person as any. But, as we know from reading God's Word, being good is not a qualification for eternal life, for only One man was ever "good enough." That was Jesus! After talking and weeping together, Katie and I prayed. She confessed to the Lord that she had never asked His forgiveness for her sins, and that she wanted Jesus to be her Savior and Lord. Afterwards she and I wept again as she realized a tremendous relief from the burden she had carried for so long. Needless to say, the waterworks returned this morning as I related this story to the congregation. I'm not ashamed to say that I often cry when I hear of or am a part of someone's salvation experience.
Besides my sharing today's experience, I am writing with this important question in mind. Do you know with a certainty that when you die you will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven? Too many people would say "I hope so" or "I guess I will." There is no need to be uncertain as the Bible tells us that we can know without any doubt. John, the beloved disciple, wrote this to the church in his first epistle: "I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life" (I John 5:13).
Friend, this is too important an issue to allow your pride to stand in the way. If you have doubts or if you cannot point to a very specific time that you repented of your sins and asked Jesus to be your Savior, then please talk with someone. If you know me, give me a call or come by. If you don't know me and you don't know someone to talk to about this, e-mail your phone number to me at kabush@bellsouth.net and I will be glad to call you and help you deal with this issue.
Have a blessed week!
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