When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. 

—Titus 3:4–7

Scripture:

Self-righteous people don’t think they need forgiveness. Self-righteous people don’t think they need Jesus. A self-righteous person will say, “You go preach that gospel in the prisons and on the streets and to the criminals. But don’t bother with me. I’m an educated and intelligent person. I’m a moral person. I don’t need it.”

The Bible takes a different stance on the matter. The apostle Paul wrote,

“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” (Titus 3:4–7 NLT)

Self-righteous people are different from what I would call garden-variety sinners. Self-righteous people are kind people. They are considerate people. They volunteer and help wherever they’re needed. They do benevolent things. We all know people like this. In fact, I’ve met some non-Christians who are nicer than some Christians I know.

It isn’t wrong to say that there are some relatively “good” people from a worldly perspective, because there are. The Bible acknowledges that, in a human sense, some people appear more moral than others. But the Bible does say that no one is good enough to get to Heaven. We don’t get to Heaven based on niceness. Heaven is not a place for near-perfect people; it’s a place for forgiven people.

We see classic examples of this in John’s Gospel. In John 3, we’re introduced to Nicodemus, who was an upstanding, respected, religious, moral guy. In John 4, we’re introduced to a Samaritan woman, an immoral person who was living in sin. What do these two have in common? They both encountered Jesus. And they both were confronted with their need for Him.

Their encounters remind us that everyone needs Jesus—both the moral and the immoral, both the down-and-outer and the up-and-outer. That message is at the center of our Harvest Crusades. It’s why we do what we do.

Look around at the people in your life. Every one of them who hasn’t received Christ as Savior and Lord needs Him, whether they realize it or not. Your mission is to help them recognize that need and then lead them to the One who can fulfill it.

Will you accept that mission?

Reflection question: How can you convince an unbeliever of their need for Jesus? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 

—Romans 3:23

Scripture:

Years ago, I was a guest on a morning television show. The host and I were having a nice chat when, near the end of the program, he dropped a bombshell. He said, “Greg, I have a question for you. You believe that most of the world is non-Christian and that because of that, they are going to burn in Hell for all eternity. What kind of loving God would ever create such a scenario? Is that like a petty boss that some people have created, not understanding God?”

I had about two minutes to respond to that question. But after the show ended and the cameras stopped rolling, our conversation continued. He went on to ask me about good people and how a God of love could allow them to face judgment.

I pointed out that we must define what “good” is. As humans, we have a sliding scale of good. Everyone seems to believe that they are good. They are always the moral center of their universe. They immediately give themselves a free pass and believe that other people aren’t as good as they are. The problem is that we have conflicting views regarding what is good.

So, how do we determine what good is? We all have the answer, and it’s found in the Bible. God says, “No one is righteous—not even one” (Romans 3:10 NLT). This doesn’t mean there aren’t good people in a broad sense; it means no one is good enough to get to Heaven on their own merit.

In the end, it’s not our standards of goodness that matter; it’s God’s. And, as the apostle Paul makes clear a few verses later in Romans 3, God’s threshold for goodness is much higher than ours. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (verse 23 NLT).

Our efforts to be “good enough” on our own don’t impress God. Isaiah 64:6 says, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (NLT). Our good deeds can’t help us escape the judgment we deserve for our sin. Only God’s forgiveness can do that.

From an eternal perspective, being good isn’t about being the nicest person or the kindest person. It’s about being a forgiven person. That’s who will be in Heaven: forgiven people.

If you’ve always put your faith in your own goodness, now is the time to reevaluate. Consider the warnings of Scripture carefully. Admit that your best isn’t good enough. Confess your sins to God and ask for His forgiveness. Trust in the righteousness of Christ for your salvation.

If you’ve already done that, embark on your own personal mission to take the gospel message to the people around you. Help them understand why good isn’t good enough.

Reflection question: How would you respond to someone who believes that they’ll go to Heaven when they die because they’re a good person? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 

—2 Chronicles 7:14

Scripture:

I think we can all agree that the United States needs a spiritual awakening. Over the years, God has done a powerful work through the Harvest Crusade—through worship, the preaching of the gospel, and many responding in faith. And we look forward to another crusade this coming July. But our role doesn’t end there. We can also pray for a spiritual awakening.

Look at God’s Word in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (NLT).

In the Old Testament book of Jonah, we see what happens when a national spiritual awakening is ignited. When the prophet Jonah went to Nineveh, he delivered a message of judgment, according to God’s instructions. The message was this: If the people of Nineveh didn’t repent of their wickedness, their city would be overthrown in 40 days (see Jonah 3:4). There was no explicit promise of forgiveness in Jonah’s message nor any mention of God’s love. Jonah basically was saying, “You’re all going to die.” And he was okay with that outcome—more than okay, actually. The Ninevites were the despised enemies of Israel. Their wickedness was well-known. Jonah believed that judgment and destruction were exactly what they deserved.

But a funny thing happened on the way to judgment. The people of Nineveh listened to Jonah and repented, much to the prophet’s bitter disappointment. Jonah 3:10 says, “When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened” (NLT).

Nineveh’s turnaround may have been the greatest revival in human history. And it started with a message from a flawed messenger.

Like Jonah, we are flawed messengers. But we have a perfect message. It’s the Good News of Jesus Christ. We can tell people that God loves them, that God will forgive them, but that they are separated from Him by their sin. We can tell them that if they will turn from their sin and put their faith in Christ, they can be forgiven.

To do that, however, we must be willing to go to our own figurative “Ninevehs.” One mistake many Christians make when it comes to evangelism is “staying in our lane.” We look at the people in our orbit, decide which ones might be receptive to the gospel message, and focus our efforts on that specific group. But as Jonah discovered, genuine, impactful revival comes when we step out of our comfort zone and into situations we never would have imagined possible.

If we can’t do that physically, we can do it with our prayers. So, here’s my challenge to you: Don’t isolate. Infiltrate. As I’ve often said, Jesus didn’t call the world to go to church; He called the church to go to the whole world.

Reflection question: What would a quest for revival look like in your life?Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie