How can we not tell others?

Do you ever have one of those feelings that just won't go away? Maybe it's a conviction. Sometimes it feels more like frustration.

For me, it's that of Christianity in the US. So many people in our nation call themselves Christians. That's a nice thought, but is it true? Nobody knows for sure but Jesus and each person. What continues to bother me are people who profess to be born again, but there is no change in their lives.

I'm far from perfect. I don't claim to be, I never have. I have plenty of faults. I continue to be and always will be a work in progress until God calls me home. But, I can look at my life and see transformation, and I pray God continues to transform my life.

When we have an encounter with Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, how can we not be changed? When we've truly experienced His love, forgiveness, salvation, mercy, grace, kindness, and awesomeness, there's no way we cannot be changed.

We can't live the same way we did before we surrendered to Jesus. It's impossible. We become a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We should look different than the world. We shouldn't be following the ways of the world or living to the world's standards. We should be following Jesus and living to His standards.

Here are three verses that should shake us all to the core and cause us to pause and consider our relationship with Jesus ... are we truly following Him?

The scripture is Matthew 7:21-23. Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'"

Just saying we are a Christian doesn't work. Are we living in total abandonment for Jesus? Are we telling people about Jesus? That's an easy answer. Studies show that 90-95 percent of professing Christians in the US do not share their faith with anyone. That's stunning and extremely disappointing.

How can we not tell people about Jesus? We can talk about football, politics and the weather, but not Jesus. That makes no sense to me. Heaven and Hell are real. With Jesus we go to Heaven. Without Him we go to Hell. If we have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, then we know how awesome He is and that He has given us eternal life. How can a person not share that?

The Christian faith isn't something to keep private. We must tell others. Jesus commands us to proclaim His Gospel. Just look at Matthew 28:18-20, "All authority in Heaven and on Earth have been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them all I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

I like what David Platt said, "Don't patronize Him (Jesus). He is worthy of more than nominal adherence and casual association. Jesus is worthy of total abandonment and supreme adoration. This is not a game. Jesus is saying, "follow me." You either turn and run or bow and worship. You are going to look really different when you truly follow Jesus. Everything changes."

We must honestly look at our lives and ask ourselves, "Has everything changed or beginning to change? Am I being transformed? Am I truly following Jesus?