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A Choice, a Challenge, a Change

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Freud, the great psychiatrist in Europe, said that people change by renewing their fixations; Adler said that people change by renewing their goals. But that’s not it. People change when they come to Christ, because Christ changes them and makes them a new creation, a new creature. Changing from a defeated, problem-oriented person will depend upon first changing your mind and your heart by receiving Christ.

And then, third, a Christian is a person who has accepted a challenge. Will you accept the challenge of Jesus? He challenged the people of His day to come and follow Him. Some fishermen out fishing left their nets, left their fishing, left their businesses and followed Jesus. Jesus would walk down the streets of His day and say, "Follow me," and they would follow Him. Many of them quit following Him, however, when they learned that He was going to die. You can’t be neutral.

Many people during the Civil War in America tried to be neutral. I read about one man who put on a blue coat and gray trousers because he was not going to take sides. They shot at him from both sides.

You have to make a choice. You have to accept the challenge. And it will cost you.

I remember when I received Christ. I went to school the next day and things were different, but I couldn’t tell you what was different. I couldn’t tell you what had happened to me. I knew something had changed, but I didn’t know what. At school, one of the teachers made a remark. She said, "I hear we have a preacher in our midst today." And several people looked around at me, including a girl I liked a lot. And I knew that I was paying my first price.

You may not be the most popular guy when you take your stand for Christ. You hear some of these great football players and some of these great athletes and some of these great stars talk about knowing Christ. They pay a price that you don’t even hear about, but they’re willing to follow Him and live for Him. Some things will drop off, but other things will come that will last for eternity.

I’m going to ask you to make a decision. I’m going to ask you to say yes to Christ. Say right now,