Do All Roads Lead to God? Are all religions basically the same?

In a video based on his book 3:16 Stories of Hope, Max Lucado illustrates the odd nature of the statement that "all religions lead to God":

All roads lead to heaven. Well, the sentence makes for a good talk-show, but does it make sense? Can all approaches to God be correct? How can all religions lead to God when they are so different? We don't tolerate such logic in other matters. We don't pretend that all roads lead to London or all ships sail to Australia; all flights don't lead to Rome. Imagine your response to a travel agent who proclaims they do. You tell him you need a flight to Rome, Italy. So he looks on his screen, and he offers, "Well, there's a flight to Sidney, Australia, at 6:00 a.m."

"Does it go to Rome?" you ask.

"No, but it offers great food and movies."

"But I need to go to Rome," you say.

He says, "Well, let me suggest Southwest Airlines."

"Southwest Airlines flies to Rome?"

"No, but they win awards for on-time arrivals."

You're getting frustrated, so you reiterate: "I need one airline, to carry me to one place—Rome."

The agent appears offended: "Sir, all flights go to Rome."

Well, you know better. Different flights have different destinations. That's not a thickheaded conclusion, but an honest one. Every flight does not go to Rome. And every path does not lead to God.

•  No one tolerates this type of logic in any other matters
•  If there are so many different religions, how can they all lead to God?
•  We don’t pretend that all roads lead to Rome. ( Example of Travel Agent)

Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ stated that only 2% of American Christians today are sharing their faith on a regular basis. Does that sound like the book of Acts to you?

We of the church today have made sharing our faith an optional part of Christianity. We have formed a type of Christianity that did not exist 2000 years ago. Brothers and sisters in Christ it was never an option for the Disciples of Christ. Can you imagine Matthew, Mark, Luke or John?  Was it an option for them? Do read anywhere in the New Testament where sharing their faith was an option? What is it going to take for you to get out of your comfort zone?  

For me it was seeing thousands of people in Thailand worshiping idols. It was knowing that 95% of the 60 million people of Thailand do not know the true and living God. I had to ask myself some serious questions. Am I going to continue living my life in the same ol’ same ol’? Am I going to keep on with the same mediocre Christian life, Ron?  When are you going to get out of your comfort zone Ron Powell and begin living for the God and savior of this universe like you’re supposed to? That’s when the defining moment in my life to get out of my comfort zone and start living for what I believe in no matter what the cost. Is there a cost when you stand up for it? Is there a cost when you stand up for it? Is there a cost when you stand up for it?! You better believe there is a cost for it. Jesus Christ knew it but He knew His dad was worth it. The question is when am I going to get to the point where I know my God is worth it. No matter what the cost.

Every second seven people die, by the time we put our head on our pillow tonight over 600,000 people have walked off into eternity… Heaven or Hell? Simple question, “do you care?” Much tougher question though, “do you care enough to do something about it?” 

If we do not engage our culture the culture will engage us! If you don’t believe me look around at many churches today. Many churches have become more of a social club than a house of worship. Many churches have abandoned pure doctrine. They are tickling the ears of people with what they want to hear and disregarding the truth of God’s word.   

If the church does not engage the culture, the culture will engage the church! -Mark Cahill

Before we look at a passage in Acts, I want to have you look at a few passages in Genesis, starting in chapter 13. Notice a few of these verses! Verse 10- Lot lifted up his eyes…,(lust of the eyes) vs. 11 so Lot chose for himself…(selfishness) vs. 13 the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly…(sinfulness) Genesis 14 there is war and things get bad in Sodom where Lot and his family are living (vs. 11, 12). But worse yet, jump ahead about 20 years. Chapter 19:1 Lot is sitting in the gate of Sodom… Now remember we just read in chapter 13 Sodom was an exceedingly wicked place… but he is just sitting there. Listen! If we do not engage our culture the culture will engage us! If you walk out of here and just sit back in your home, and just sit back at your mall, and sit back in our coffee shops, and you just sit back at your sporting events, and you SIT and take up space; here is the danger in that…verse 32… “Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father.”

Not only had homosexuality become a norm for the culture (vs.5), not only had fornication (sex outside of marriage) become a norm for the culture (vs.8), even incest became acceptable.

 Within 20 years of living in Sodom, the daughters of Lot had become so influenced by the culture that they thought it was an okay thing to get their dad drunk and rape him in order to carry on the lineage of their family (19:30-36) In our culture today, we have children killing there very own parents. This is far worse than what Lot’s daughters did. These murdered parents are being sent into their eternal destination.       

Listen again! If you do not engage your culture that culture will engage you!

That is the problem! Our society today; we are sitting back in our Christian circle of friends, we are sitting at our bible studies, our Wednesday nights and Sunday services and we will not engage our culture! Because we refuse to engage our culture, Satan says thank you and continues to push his agenda forward.  

Text: Acts 4:1-31

IMPACT Ministry that makes a difference

Purpose: To show how extreme faith results in extreme outreach

Relevance: Whether it's because we are fearful of rejection or don't know what to say, the contemporary church often struggles to publicize the transforming message of the gospel. The early church, on the other hand, couldn't keep quiet about Jesus! Because the first believers were generous, holy, courageous and bold, they brought many new believers into the fold. In the same way, our outreach will be most effective if we first practice extreme faith within our church community. As long as the church is faithful to the message of the gospel, God will preserve his people and accomplish his goals. The story of Peter and John in the Book of Acts reminds us that when the Lord transforms your life, it is impossible to keep silent.

Whenever and wherever we represent Jesus, we can expect a challenge. There is a cost!

Big Idea: The church's greatest testimony is its stories of transformation; when our ministry is transformative, the world will take notice. The message of the Cross is offensive, so we shouldn't be surprised by conflict; but when our message is Christ, our guardian is God.

Silence is Impossible!

We cannot withhold the Good News!

The book of Acts is about mission. You might say the book of Acts gives the church its marching orders. Its subject shows us the power of God for evangelism. (A key verse that summarizes this is Acts 1:8)

The Purpose of the Christian church was to bear witness to Jesus and show how transformed lives provide opportunities for evangelism. Remember evangelism is sharing the good news of Jesus. That is just what Peter and John did. They said, “Hey we can’t stop talking about what we saw.” That is what happened to me when I came back from my first trip to Thailand. I saw the idol worship, I saw the sinfulness, and I saw how thousands and thousands of people were living a godless life. At the same time, I also saw the changed lives. I saw first hand those who had been transformed from their life of godlessness to a life of living and believing in the true and living God!

So, what is the relevance of all this? What is the relevance of this story in Acts 4? Whether it's because we are fearful of rejection or don't know what to say, the contemporary church often struggles to publicize the transforming message of the gospel. The early church, on the other hand, couldn't keep quiet about Jesus! The story of Peter and John reminds us that when the Lord transforms your life, it is impossible to keep silent. 

Big Idea: Telling others of how Christ has transformed us is the church's greatest means of evangelism.

• To be part of the church of Jesus Christ is to be part of something that makes a difference.

• Early Christians received a lot of attention when Peter and John healed a 40-year-old man who had been crippled from birth.

• The apostles used the healing as an opportunity to talk about Jesus.

Opposition is inevitable. 

• The Sadducees didn't believe in the supernatural or the Resurrection; as a result, they were furious over the message that God raised Jesus from the dead.

• If we're going to get in trouble for anything, let it be because we declare that Jesus is alive!

• With Peter and John in jail, the church became a mega-church.

• The leaders could not deny that healing occurred, but they questioned the power that did it.

Silence is impossible! 

• Peter answers the Sadducees' questions by the power of the Spirit, turning attention from the healing to the healer.

• When someone asks how or why, the Spirit of God will give you the courage, the message, and the grace you need to respond.

• In Acts 4:13–18, the Sadducees are astonished by the courage of Peter and John.

• Contact with Jesus develops us beyond human experience.

• Although the Sadducees ordered Peter and John to stop preaching, they couldn't keep silent (verses 19–20).

• As Christians, we cannot give up speaking about Christ.

• In verse 21 and 22, the indisputable healing makes a huge impact on the community.

• Transformed lives are the greatest testimony.

Conclusion 

• Jerusalem was talking about Jesus because the church couldn't keep quiet about him.

• We do not want to be known for things we oppose but for what we promote: the risen Jesus.

Illustrations and Quotations

Man Refuses to Deny Jesus While under Attack
Following Sunday worship services on January 8, 2006; five young men attacked and threatened to kill a Protestant church leader in Turkey's fourth largest city. Kamil Kiroglu, 29, had just left his church in Adana when he was ambushed and beaten so severely that he fell unconscious twice.

"They were trying to force me to deny Jesus," Kiroglu said. "But each time they asked me to deny Jesus and become a Muslim, I was saying, 'Jesus is Lord.' The more I said, 'Jesus is Lord,' the more they beat me." One of the attackers pulled out a long butcher knife and threatened to kill Kiroglu if he did not deny his Christian faith and return to Islam. Kiroglu refused.

After the incident, Kiroglu said, "I am praising God—not because he saved me from death, but because he helped me not to deny him in the shadow of death."

Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois; source: Compass Direct (January 2006)