What Did God Ever Do Before Facebook?

I was out doing some yard work today and was thinking about some of the nonsensical stuff I had seen on Facebook this morning. Posts that said things like, "Like this post and God will do you a favor" or "Like and share this post if you love God. Keep scrolling if you don't."  If you are on Facebook, you've seen them. They make me want to puke. So anyway, I'm out digging in my muddy back yard today and I can't get these posts out of my mind; and a thought hit me: "I wonder how God managed before the invention of Facebook?"  I mean, isn't it wonderful that thousands of people click "like" to say that they love Jesus?  I can just see Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father and saying, "hey Dad, I got 5,000 new likes today! People are turning to me in droves!" (Before any pharisee attacks me... I'm saying this tongue in cheek!)  Come on... seriously? Does anyone believe that because you clicked "like" on a FB status that all of a sudden you and God are on good terms? Hate to be the bearer of bad news... but the Bible tells me that Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."  I really don't think God is keeping tally of how many facebook likes he gets. The thing is, God is not really so much interested in what you say, or what you post of Facebook about Jesus... what He cares about is, are you walking in obedience to His Word.  I know, I know... the hot "new" teaching is all about grace, and if you believe Jesus is the son of God and he died on the cross, you are saved. If that's it, then I've got a news flash for you. If all you have to do to be saved is believe those 2 things, then Satan himself HAS to be saved!  I'm sorry if I offend anyone. 

I know already some are reading this and screaming "legalist!" Say what you want, but I'll stick with the Word of God and my Bible tells me that there has to be more than a belief that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for our sin.  Just today I picked a man up walking down the street and gave him a ride. On the way I asked him if he went to church. He told me that he did not but that he was saved. Now, the man smelled like  a brewery and I could smell pot as well. So I asked, "how do you know you are saved?" He said, he was saved because when he was a kid, he'd gone to an altar and got saved. I asked him, "Do you live for Christ? Does he live in you? Do you obey his word?"  The man said, "I don't know about any of that, but I believe in Jesus, so I'm saved."  I asked him if he thought the devil was saved. He told me that was a dumb question. So I asked him if he thought the devil believed in Jesus. He said that he was sure the devil believed in Jesus. So I asked him if believing in Jesus meant he was saved, then wouldn't that mean that Satan was saved?  The looked at me for a minute and finally said, "something is not adding up here!"  So I explained that believing was not enough, that being saved means that we've considered the options, and decided to "change teams" and join God's team. So I asked him, "Do you think the way you are living would be what God expects of people on his team?"  He told me that I was messing up his beliefs and that he did not want to talk any more. I slipped him one of my cards and asked him to give me a call when he was ready to talk. I hope that time comes. But the fact is, there are thousands... maybe millions of people who are deceived into thinking that because they clicked "like" on the post that said, "Like if you believe in Jesus" that they are somehow in good standing with God. There are all these people who think that because they believe IN Jesus means they are saved, when the Bible is clear the we must believe ON Jesus and accept the gift of salvation and thereby change teams and live for him. Preachers are not preaching that "living for Christ" part any more. There is a watered down version of the gospel that makes us feel good about ourselves while we continue to live in the bondage of sin. But Christ came to set us free... not just from free from the threat of Hell, but free from a lifestyle that is defeated and full of bondage. 

Go ahead and click "like."  There is nothing wrong with that. But I pray that people are quickened in their spirit man to the fact that they are dead in their sin and that Jesus came to do more than make them feel good about themselves... he came to set them free.