"THERE ARE OTHER WAYS" There is a knock at the door. You go to the door and open it, and a tall, dark bronze colored, handsome man is there. You are immediately impressed with the gentleness in the face of this man and the loving compassion that touches you as your eyes first meet.
He introduces himself,
"Hello. I'm Jesus of Nazareth. Could I come in?"
"Jesus of Nazareth," the words stumbling out of your mouth, and you find yourself saying, "yes, sure, come on in."
You stumbled around because it flashed through your mind, "Is this a joke? Oh, boy this must be one of those whackos who thinks he's Jesus". At the same time, there was such a compelling force of love and compassion, you just heard yourself inviting him in.
So, he comes in and you invite him to sit down.
He sits down and you both engage in some nice small talk about the family and how everybody is doing, while all the time, your mind is wondering if you are dreaming or if this is real, yet, there is such a knowing inside that it is very real.
Then, as though knowing the struggle going through your mind, Jesus stands to his feet, and gently says to you,
"Loved one, let me show you why I have come to visit you."
Then, as he holds out his hands, you see two scars, and it is as though a full-color 3-D movie begins to take place right before you. You realize that Jesus is still standing there with his hands extended to you, yet, you are seeing this real-life movie going on in your own heart.
You see Jesus crying out in the Garden of Gethsemane under such mental and emotional anguish that great drops of blood form on his forehead, run down his face and drop into the dirt. You hear him cry out to his heavenly Father that if there is any way possible, let him not have to go through what he must go through. Then you hear him, after he silently waits upon God, affirm with his mouth.
"Neverthless, not as I will, but as you will."
Then it moves quickly. You see him taken from the garden by a great multitude of angry, armed people, taken to the kangeroo court, "tried", mocked, spit upon, and beaten. They press a crown of thorns into his head, with the blood streaking down his face.
You see the cat-o-nine-tails rip across his body and the blood and chunks of flesh flying everywhere while demonized religious onlookers watch with glee. "This is the guy who said he was the way, the truth, and the life--ha, ha, ha!" With the careless and repeated lashes from the whip, his face is torn to shreds so that he cannot be recognized as Jesus.
You see the cross laid across his back and him compelled to carry it up the long street toward the top of a hill outside the city of Jerusalem called Golgotha. You see him fall beneath it's load from exhaustion and loss of blood, and Simon takes up the load to carry it the rest of the way up the hill. Jesus can barely carry his own weight at this point.
You see them lay him on the cross at the top of the hill and take spikes and a large hammer and nail him to the cross, his body writhing with each blow.
You see them lift him on the cross into the air, the weight of his body pulling down against the nails, and then, they slam the cross into the bottom of the hole with a thud. The pain cannot be described.
You see the religious leaders mocking, "You saved others. Now, save yourelf--ha, ha, ha!"
It is all happening so fast, it is like a video on fast forward, yet it is all very clear, then suddenly, it stops. There he is, and you hear him cry out,
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Again, you see everything happening around him as it goes on fast forward again, then it stops again, and you hear him cry out,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Again, you see everything happening around him like it was in a fast forward motion, then again it stops, and you see his body convulse, and with one last burst of strength with incredible volume from his weakened condition, he shouts out,
"It is finished!"
And he falls limp on the cross--dead.
You find yourself again looking at Jesus face to face standing there in your living room. The whole "movie" happened in a matter of seconds, and as you now look at him standing before you, he calls you by name and says,
"Loved one, I did that for you to take all your sins away so you would not be separated from me and go to hell, but be with me in heaven forever. Hell was made for the devil and his angels. It is sin that makes you one spirit with satan. If your sins are not taken away, then your sins keep you linked with satan's destiny for all eternity, and that is hell. That is why I did what I did. I took all your sins for you on that cross, and I bore all the consequences of sin for you, so that you won't have pay for your own sins.
"If you will receive my word and confess me as your Lord, sin, and satan's power over you, will be broken, and we will be of one spirit both now, and for all eternity.
"Turn your life over to me. Confess me publicly by being baptized in water. I will put my spirit within you and upon your life so you can live in my victory, joy, and peace every day, and have the power to accomplish the beautiful plan I have for your life.
"Loved one, will you do this now?"
You are startled by his asking a response from you. You collect your thoughts and remember what you believe, knowing that your parents had believed the same way you believe, and they are dead and gone, and you can't face the fact that they could have been wrong. So, you stumble a bit and reply,
"Well, I believe there are other ways..."
Suddenly, Jesus is gone. He just vanished.
You sit there alone.
A sickening dread comes over you. You are nervous.
"Was I dreaming?" you ask yourself.
"No, this was real. Oh, it can't be."
You feel so empty. Your mind races and reviews all that has happened. You reason, and reassure yourself, that you don't really know if this was real or not.
"Besides, my Dad taught me that there were other ways. I know he's not in hell. He couldn't be. My Dad was a good man. There are many kinds of religions in the world, millions of people, and they all believe in one supreme being. I enjoy life. I have a good time..."
With decision you say out loud, "I believe there are other ways."
Either what Jesus did is right, or the belief that there are many ways is right. One of them is a lie.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me" Jn.14.6.
God will be the judge according to His Son, Jesus Christ.
"But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement..." Heb.9.26.27.He will be Jesus your Saviour, or Jesus your Judge.
He gave His all for you.
The choice is yours.