Salvation isn't the ultimate goal

I’ve been around the church world a long time. I was practically born under a pew at church. Ok… that’s probably not true and definitely way too graphic of a mental picture. My parents have been pastors all of my life and are now currently the directors of the School of Global Leadership in Trinidad (right off the coast of Venezuela). My grandparents were pastors and my great grandparents were pastors. Pretty much all of my Uncles and Aunts on my dad’s side as well as many of my cousins have been in active ministry in a local church. A common theme in the church world, at least since I’ve been alive, has been “we must get people saved!” I tend to agree with that statement… well, actually I agree wholeheartedly with that statement.  I just have a slightly different perspective to share that I believe the Bible is really clear on… and most people miss it.

Salvation isn’t the ultimate goal. I don’t mean this as a shocker statement to get people to read this, I actually believe this is true. For years we’ve acted like we’ve accomplished the “Great Commission” (the final instructions of Jesus) if we get someone to say a prayer and “ask Jesus to come into their heart”. I’m not trying to make light of well intentioned people, because I know that the Lord by his grace has used some of these methods of old to bring people into His Kingdom. However, the last time I looked, Matthew 28 (Jesus speaking) says, “Therefore go and make disciples…” Jesus’ last words to his disciples that he hung out with for 3 ½ years was “now you go and make more disciples”. The “salvation prayer” is just the first step.

I believe that Salvation (in the traditional sense) is the very basic entry into the Kingdom of God. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about levels of Christianity or a works mentality. I’m really talking about identity and a quality of life that’s available for every believer. The Greek word for salvation is “sozo” which means to be saved, healed, and delivered.  The work of the cross not only accomplished more than just giving us a ticket to heaven or fire insurance, but it provided access to a life of freedom and power that I can tap into daily. We try so hard to “get people saved” so that they can go to heaven which is good, but a better approach is Matthew 6. Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray and he said, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” Not only do we get to go to heaven someday, but Jesus instructs us to bring heaven to earth! We have the ability to bring heaven to the people we are ministering to.

My wife and I recently started a campus ministry at the University of Nebraska at Kearney called Vantage Point. I was praying for direction as this ministry was being birthed and I felt like the Lord led me to Ezekiel 47. I felt that it was a strange passage for the start of a campus ministry, but as I meditated on it the Lord gave me huge revelation. The glory of the Lord returned to the temple in this open vision that Ezekiel had.  The glory was in the form of a river flowing from the temple. Ezekiel was led first to water that was ankle deep, then to water that was knee deep, then waist deep, then the water was deep enough to swim in. Then finally Ezekiel was led back to the bank. I felt like the Lord told me that his desire is for people to get to the deepest part of the river and encounter him at a level of relationship that they’ve never known before… but… Every person has a starting place.

The ultimate goal of salvation is to experience, how high, and how wide, and how deep is the love of God and to understand our identity as sons and daughters of the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords. There is so much in store for people who chose Jesus, but as a minister I can’t get so caught up in the deep end that I never go back to the bank to reach people, and I can’t get so caught up in the ministry on the bank that I never get to the deep end.   

May my ultimate goal as a man of God be to get as many people from the bank to the deep end as possible!