Lift Up Your Savior
"I am the way and the truth and the life" John 14:6.

Have you ever had to sell something you knew was inferior? It's not any fun, is it?

Back in high school, I had a job selling newspaper subscriptions. When my
potential buyers would make comments comparing my newspaper with its chief
competitor, they almost always preferred the paper I was NOT selling.
Needless to say, I found this job discouraging.

At the very same time, my mother got into the encyclopedia business. Her
brand of encyclopedias was the best on the market. Even though Mom had never
considered herself the salesperson type, selling a superior product was a snap.

When it comes to our role in God's mission, we aren't selling anything, of
course. We're offering God's free gift of salvation. This is no second-rate
product. It's the best. What joy is ours to confess a Savior without parallel!

As Easter approaches once again, we are reminded that the greatest source of
outreach encouragement is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Because Jesus paid
for our sins at Calvary and rose from the tomb alive, death is defeated,
done for, a goner. Nothing can ever pep us up more than knowing that the Good
News we proclaim is the Best News anyone could ever hear.

Jesus makes this clear in John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

The words "way," "truth," and "life" are all synonyms for religion. They
describe what people are searching for through spirituality.

• Buddhism's way is a list of guidelines called The Eight-fold Path.
• Islam's truth is the Qur'an, which grants Jesus only a bit part.
• Hinduism's life is the never-ending merry-go-round of reincarnation.
• Atheistic humanism says, "To find life, blaze your own way and seek your own truth."

Each of these ways is a detour from the truth, leading to death--not life.

"No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6), Jesus declares.
Behind His exclusive declaration that other religions cannot save lost people, there stands a latent promise. When the people you and I witness to approach the Father through Jesus, the Gospel surely delivers what it offers.

People finally obtain their goal. Fellowship with their heavenly Father is restored to them through faith in the crucified and risen Savior.

So don't be ashamed to lift Christ up. The Gospel of salvation through faith in His name is the best "product" in the "marketplace" of religion.
Rejoice, because:

• The Way you point to is JESUS.
• The Truth you confess is JESUS.
• The Life you offer in JESUS' name is life indeed.

1. What is your experience in sales?
2. How does it feel to sell inferior items? To sell quality items?
3. In what ways have you found Jesus' Gospel superior to human-made religions?
4. Explore the meaning of this statement: "The greatest mission encouragement is Jesus Christ Himself."