Dave spoke tonight on the danger of assumptions, taking as his starting point Luke 2:40-49, where Jesus is at the Temple and his parents have to go back to Jerusalem to find him. They made the assumption that he was travelling with them, but this turned out not to be the case, and Dave went on to speak of the assumption we can have that Jesus is with us when in fact we are not certain of His presence at all.
People assume that they are safe becaue ‘of course I’m a Christian’, but their reasons are often flimsy (believing that to be born in a ‘Christian country’ confers Christian status on us, when in fact no one can ‘accidentally’ become a Christian; this is a conscious choice we make to follow Jesus.) Others believe their upbringing guarantees God’s presence with them (but each child must make their own decision to accept Jesus) or that ‘I believe in God’. James 2:19 reminds us that even the demons do that, but it’s no guarantee of Christ with us. Attending church services is not of itself a guarantee, nor is leading a ‘good life.’
We need to know that we have been born again and that Jesus is always with us, not assume these things. John 14:23 reminds us that Jesus is looking for love and obedience from his followers, but then he promises the presence of God the Father and the Son with those who do these things. We do not become a Chrhistian because of our upbringing, family circumstances or church membership. We become a Christian through receiving Christ as our personal Saviour. When we do this, we have the assurance of Christ’s presence with us and can be reunited with Jesus as his parents ultimately were.