This past Saturday I got to witness a good friend get married. It was a great time and I am so excited for their new adventure together.
On our way home from Lancaster, Ohio we were heading southbound on interstate 71 when I saw on the left side of the highway two very large billboards.
An Unfortunate Thing I Saw on Interstate 71
The first billboard read, “If you died today where would you spend eternity?”
The second billboard read, “HELL IS REAL.”
I’m sure some well meaning Christians paid to have these lovely billboards up along I-71 in hopes that people would come to faith in Jesus Christ.
I’m sure they thought, we need to tell people the truth!
I’m sure they thought, this is what God wants us to do!
I’m also sure they were wrong.
A Hopeless Message
…is what these billboards represent. Their intentions may have been spot on, but they did a half-ass job (yeah, I said it) at giving anyone any resemblance of hope. Too often this is the message that people see. Too often hell is preached without offering anyone hope. Hell without hope is not the Gospel! [shareable]Hell without hope is not the Gospel! [/shareable]
I believe in Hell, but I also believe in the One true God who saves sinners from the punishment of Hell through Jesus Christ. I believe that the message God wants the world to know is that He loves them so much that He gave His one and only Son! I believe that the message God wants the world to know is that it doesn’t matter what they have done, He will receive them into His family.
I believe in the God of grace.
I believe in the God of hope.
So, why don’t we share a hope-filled message with the world? Why don’t we talk about the extravagant grace and the radical and relentless love of God? To me, that would be a better message. In fact, that is the message of Jesus.
A Fruitless Message
…is what these billboards represent. It breaks my heart at the thought of the many people who are turning away from God even more because of fruitless messages like this one. How dare we preach judgment without preaching Jesus! How dare we leave people with bad news when Jesus came to bring good news! [shareable]How dare we leave people with bad news when Jesus came to bring good news! [/shareable]
This is not the way, friends. Sharing damnation with passersby is not making disciples.
A Better Way
…is the way we see modeled for us in Jesus’ life and in the early church. The better way is pursuing purposeful relationships. Sure, there’s a time for preaching, but never let your preaching be filled with a hopeless message. Share Jesus with people. If we stick with that, our messages will always be filled with hope and they will prove to be fruit-filled messages.
