Several months ago, my family and I took a trip to Six Flags Over Georgia. We took some Gospel tracts with us and made it not only a family outing, but also a mission trip. It was great working with my boys to pass out Gospel tracts. But there is a personal experience I want to share with you.
While my wife took the two younger boys to enjoy some time in the Looney Tunes section, my older son and I went to partake of Batman The Ride. It is a crazy roller coaster that travels at speeds reaching 55 mph. As we were waiting in line I heard someone comment that this was the ride involved in the death of a teenager recently. Suddenly that became the talk of some in the crowd, as they began speculating and discussing how the tragedy took place. Yet as they discussed, there was a steady movement toward the ride. Finally, after a long wait, we got on the roller-coaster and fastened in so tight that there was barely room to breath. Then we were off, twisting and turning at high speeds. Then suddenly it was over. The ride lasted what seemed to be less than a minute. But then it happened! As we were pulling back into the terminal, the ride broke down. The operators began putting on their orange vests and came walking down to let us know that we would not be able to get off the ride until the maintenance man arrived and let us off.
While my wife took the two younger boys to enjoy some time in the Looney Tunes section, my older son and I went to partake of Batman The Ride. It is a crazy roller coaster that travels at speeds reaching 55 mph. As we were waiting in line I heard someone comment that this was the ride involved in the death of a teenager recently. Suddenly that became the talk of some in the crowd, as they began speculating and discussing how the tragedy took place. Yet as they discussed, there was a steady movement toward the ride. Finally, after a long wait, we got on the roller-coaster and fastened in so tight that there was barely room to breath. Then we were off, twisting and turning at high speeds. Then suddenly it was over. The ride lasted what seemed to be less than a minute. But then it happened! As we were pulling back into the terminal, the ride broke down. The operators began putting on their orange vests and came walking down to let us know that we would not be able to get off the ride until the maintenance man arrived and let us off.
It was hot out there and I remind you we were fastened in extra-tight. An extra bonus to our situation was a crew of young teenage girls screaming and singing really loud. I have never suffered from claustrophobia, but I began to understand what it is like. I could hardly breath and the sound of the screaming was becoming unbearable. Dallton was handling the situation much better than I was. I began to pray and quote scripture silently (Phil 2:5-11)...and after several minutes, the maintenance man arrived, fixed the problem and then we were set free.
I got to thinking about how that experience is much like the life of a lost person. We had spent 45 minutes waiting in line to get on a ride, all while ignoring the warning signs and tragic stories, and all for a one minute thrill that ended in suffering. But the difference maker was the messenger who came to tell us of our condition. The message was, “You are stuck here and there is nothing you can do to free yourself, and no one can help you, except the maintenance man.” The messenger enlightened us to the problem and then told us about the remedy; the maintenance man. Suddenly the maintenance man was the most important person on earth in the minds of everyone on that ride.
Friend, that is the Gospel. We live in a world filled with people who are going about life, experiencing little thrills here and there and ignoring the warning signs. Our job is to be the messengers that enlighten people to their problem and point them to the solution. This is the message, “You are in trouble! You are lost because you have sinned against God! You have broken God’s law! There is nothing you can do to save yourself and no one can save you, except Jesus Christ!” Suddenly that enlightens people to the reality that Jesus Christ is indeed the most important person in life, because He is indeed the Savior. A little while later, my son and I were walking through the park and we came upon the Superman ride. We looked at the long line and thought about partaking. But then we noticed that the ride was broken down and people were trapped. Of course we had learned our lesson, so we turned and walked away. And as we did, I thought to myself, “The maintenance man is coming.” And I looked at the sea of people walking the park, many will die without Christ. It reminded me that we have a big and important job...to be messengers of the Lord Jesus Christ!
I got to thinking about how that experience is much like the life of a lost person. We had spent 45 minutes waiting in line to get on a ride, all while ignoring the warning signs and tragic stories, and all for a one minute thrill that ended in suffering. But the difference maker was the messenger who came to tell us of our condition. The message was, “You are stuck here and there is nothing you can do to free yourself, and no one can help you, except the maintenance man.” The messenger enlightened us to the problem and then told us about the remedy; the maintenance man. Suddenly the maintenance man was the most important person on earth in the minds of everyone on that ride.
Friend, that is the Gospel. We live in a world filled with people who are going about life, experiencing little thrills here and there and ignoring the warning signs. Our job is to be the messengers that enlighten people to their problem and point them to the solution. This is the message, “You are in trouble! You are lost because you have sinned against God! You have broken God’s law! There is nothing you can do to save yourself and no one can save you, except Jesus Christ!” Suddenly that enlightens people to the reality that Jesus Christ is indeed the most important person in life, because He is indeed the Savior. A little while later, my son and I were walking through the park and we came upon the Superman ride. We looked at the long line and thought about partaking. But then we noticed that the ride was broken down and people were trapped. Of course we had learned our lesson, so we turned and walked away. And as we did, I thought to myself, “The maintenance man is coming.” And I looked at the sea of people walking the park, many will die without Christ. It reminded me that we have a big and important job...to be messengers of the Lord Jesus Christ!
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