Myth Busters: Accepting Christ will save you

I have seen many friends “accept Christ as their Lord and Savior”. What does that mean?!? Everyone in the U.S. accepts Obama as President... what does that mean? 5 bucks to anyone who can show me that the Bible says we're saved by "accepting Christ".

I have seen youth raise their hands at praise rallies. I have seen people go down onto the field at Gospel Crusades. I have seen friends come forward at retreats.

I have seen many of the same people walk away from faith and into the ways of the world.

In Joshua 24, the book closes with this intense scene where Joshua’s giving one last speech to the people before he passes on. The scene kind of reminds me of a rally or a some kind of revival meeting. After reminding them of all the crazy things God has done for them in their past, Joshua peforms an altar call: "Now choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... as for me and my household we will serve the LORD."

4x the Israelites raise their hands and cry out: "We will serve the LORD! We choose God!"
Joshua, not too concerned about numbers, pushes back at them and says: 'You can't serve God. He's too holy!"
Yet they insist: "We will serve the LORD!"

One generation later, the Bible says that after Joshua died, "Israel did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals" (Judges 2:11).

It's tragic when we make Christianity merely about "praying the sinner's prayer" or coming forward at a gospel meeting. Seriously, thank God if you were one who made a decision to follow Christ in such a way... I hope you're still pursuing Christ faithfully . But it's a tragedy when we fatally mislead people by telling them that all you have to do is say a prayer and "accept Jesus into your heart", and Wha-La! You're saved!

Being a Christian isn't a one-time commitment. It's a FULL-TIME commitment. Some reading this right now want to stone me because "It's by faith we are saved, and faith alone!"

Amen to that.

But faith isn't demonstrated in an instance in time. It's demonstrated by a life-time of commitment.

Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross DAILY, and follow me." (Luke 9:23). I don't seem to ever recall Jesus calling for passive acceptance... I hear Jesus calling for active obedience, intentional discipleship, and persistent committment driven by faith.

I like Hebrews 4:13. Check it out: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”

In the same way, I want to challenge you, as long as it is called "Today", to face up to Joshua's challenge each day you wake up in the morning: "Choose this day whom you will serve."

Each day, choose him, and chase after him. Pursue Him, because he has pursued you. Then pick up your cross, and follow him... by faith.