"There Is Hope...Make The Call"

White letters on a blue background. This sign is posted above phone boxes on & around the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, in an effort to prevent people from committing suicide by leaping off the bridge. Over 1,600 people have done so since the bridge opened, with a record 46 people last year. This past week, the Golden Gate Bridge Authority approved spending in excess of $70 million to install steel safety nets, to prevent or catch people who might attempt this in the future.

As a Christian, I know that human life is precious: we are made in the image of Almighty God, created by Jesus Christ to have a living relationship with Him. I also know that, while Jesus tells us that He came that we might have life, and that more abundantly (John 10:10), in that same verse he tells us that the Thief - that is, our adversary, the Devil - comes not but for to steal,and to kill, and to destroy. That is Satan's "wonderful plan for your life"...to get you so messed up in your mind both through sin and through living in this fallen, groaning creation (Romans 8:21-23) that you would run away from God, kill yourself without receiving the free gift of forgiveness in Jesus Christ, and end up in eternal Hell forever. So, I am all for installing a safety net under this landmark bridge.

AUDIO LINK

I used this piece of news as an illustration in my open-air message at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market on Saturday: how that Jesus Christ is the "safety net" provided by God for all of humanity, to catch us up in his mighty nail-pierced hands, and save us from falling into Hell. While not a perfect analogy, it provided a framework to speak to my neighbors down on Court Avenue about sin, death, and Hell; the gospel and the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary; justification by faith alone in Christ alone, and the gift of eternal life. Click on the link above & listen. 

I also had 2 very good gospel conversations at the Market, with a Hispanic Roman Catholic family, and with 2 Hindu men from India who were enjoying the Market with their families. I really appreciated the cordial conversations we had, and if the audio is any good, I may post them later.

Feel free to post comments. Maranatha.