When Christ came as high priest . . . (Heb. 9:11)
I BECAME A CHRISTIAN because I wanted to end up in heaven and not in hell when my life came to an end. On the day I made the decision to be a Christian, my heart was filled with great joy. Wonderful peace swept over my soul as I received God’s gift of salvation. I thought, “I now have my ticket to eternal life.”
The problem was that the faith I possessed was very “Jim Lo focused.” It was about me. My relationship with Christ made me feel good. I was now ready for heaven. I awaited the many blessings that were supposed to come my way. To be transparent, my main concern was that I would be “ready.” I really was not too concerned about the spiritual welfare of others.
However, my focus changed when I heard my father-in-law preaching a message about Christians being called to be priests. He shared that the Latin word for priest refers to one who builds bridges. Almost as though he were speaking just to me, he asked, “Are you faithfully being a bridge-builder for Christ? Are you faithfully building bridges for unbelievers to be able to cross over and have a personal relationship with God? Are you actively seeking to be an evangelist?” That day I made the commitment to be a priest—a bridge-builder for Christ.
Don’t be selfish with salvation—build bridges for others to come to Christ.
Jim Lo is the author of Connect with God: The Purpose of Prayer (WPH) and the dean of chapel at Indiana Wesleyan University.
