Pastor Charlie Rousey
John 1:43-46, "The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see."
I remember watching commercials in the early 1990s of a 12-year-old girl with an Austrian accent talking about a new highway that was coming soon. She said that this new “highway” would not take you from here to there because there would no longer be a “there” - we would only have “here.” I remember thinking to myself, “How much could this new Information superhighway really change things?”
I have watched over the last 30 years as all of our lives and everything we do has become entrenched in this highway that is the internet. I jokingly tell people that teenagers have three basic needs: air, water, and wifi. Occasionally, the highway will be shut down here at school, and it amazes me how much of our day-to-day lives are spent interacting and depending on this highway.
Not long after the world became wired, I noticed that many times my personal searches about religious topics would lead me to articles that were attempting to challenge my faith. Many of these ads are half-truths and use an emotional appeal to guide us to an “enlightened truth” about God. This very old lie - the oldest lie, in fact - declares that God can only be discovered within ourselves. The siren call of Satan in Genesis 3 to humanity was, “Ye shall be as gods,” and it is amplified in our modern media and internet.
However, I have seen in the last few weeks this highway being used by many to bring the Gospel into homes around the world. This medium is being used to take God’s Word to places that would not have heard otherwise. People in need are being encouraged and offered spiritual and physical help. This highway doesn’t have to be written off as a tool of the world; this highway can become a powerful tool for the church today.
This week is a special opportunity to show the people in your life that “you have found Him” and to invite them to “come and see” for themselves. Is He truly the Son of God? If He really did rise from the grave, what does that mean for me? What do I do with the knowledge of Jesus and His sacrifice for me? You have the great opportunity of getting on the highway, inviting your friends to digital services and blogs (like this one), inviting people to church and Bible study opportunities, and telling them the wonderful things He has done for you.
I challenge everyone reading this to reach out and invite someone to this year’s Easter service. This week, let’s make this highway the King’s Highway!