Shooting in Aurora colorado

Saints,

The tragedy at the Century 16 multiplex in Aurora, Colorado is devastating. The loss of life, twelve people lost their lives in the blink of an eye, along with fifty-eight injured with eleven of them in critical condition, is eye opening. We should all be praying for those left behind; for salvation, for hope, for this to open their eyes to their own mortality. We also need to make sure to pray for James Holmes, the purpitrator, and his family.

Denver press

This should also give those of us that are not near the situation pause. What if that was us? What if it was one of our loved ones? If there is someone in your life that you've been meaning to share the Gospel with, now is the time. When entering that theatre, death was the last thing on any of their minds. Each went in to get away from the reality of this world and before the movie was even half way over, every single one of their lives were effected in some way. None of them will ever be the same.

For those who are seeking answers of where was God when this happened... I understand why you would feel that God abandoned them. We often think that because God is all powerful, He should rid the world of evil. But there is a problem with that line of thought. If God rid the world of evil, we would all be gone.

What James Holmes did is atrocious. It is evil pure and simple and there is no questioning that. Every day in the world, evil abounds, tragedy strikes, loved ones are gone and we are left in the after math. But if God rid the world of all evil, there would be none left to see how it turned out. How can I say this? Good question...

The Bible shows us that there are two standards of morality:

1. The standard of the world. This standard of morality is based on how people feel and the litmus test is normally comparing ourselves to someone we deem as evil.

2. The standard of God. This standard is set in stone, with no room for debate, and the litmus test is comparing us to the perfect sinless God of the universe.

You see, the Bible tells us that God has written His law on our hearts (Romans 2:15). Every one of us has a conscience that tells us right from wrong. When we ignore that conscience and act upon our sin, we violate God's law, the Ten Commandments. Everyone of us has done this (Romans 3:23). We are all guilty of sin. For example;

1. Have you ever told a lie?

2. Have you ever used God's name in vain?

3. Have you ever stolen anything?

That's just three of the Ten Commandments and already we see that some laws have been broken. With that in mind, let's look at James 2:10; “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.” Now we're at the heart of the matter. By breaking one law we become guilty and are therefore law breakers and deserving of punishment under God's legal system. The Bible declares that we must repent, to turn away from, our sins.

“And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.” Luke 13:3 (NLT)

Thankfully, God has made a way for us to be set free, it's the good news of the Gospel.

That brings us to number two, you must have a correct understanding of who Jesus is and what He's done for you.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10 (ESV)

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV)

God sent His Son to take the punishment we rightly deserve by dying on the cross. The Bible shows us that;

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NLT)

Now, because Jesus has payed our fine, we can legally be set free and declared righteous before God. We are adopted as children of God!

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13 (ESV)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:4-6 (ESV)

Now what you have to do is come to God, confess and repent of your sins, then place your trust in Jesus. If you do that, you will be forgiven of all your sins. You will become a child of God!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

The big question is, when are you going to do that? Don't wait because you never know how long you have. Every day, 155,000 people die in this world. I don't want you to be one minute too late. Repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus today.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Just leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

My prayers go out to the victims and their families in this tragedy.

Repent and believe before it's too late