Have you ever looked up churches in the phone book? Or searched for "church" on the Internet? There are literally hundreds of thousands of listings between the two. There are Baha'i churches, Mormon churches, Unitarian churches, and Religious Science churches mixed in with traditional Christian churches. The word "church" does not necessarily refer to a place where believers in Jesus Christ gather. It now refers to a place where any religious body gathers--be it Buddhist, New Age or Christian.

We live in a post-Christian America. All sorts of groups and cults spewing out false doctrine are lumped underneath the umbrella of Christendom. It is hard to find the truth in the spiritual smorgasbord of religion.

I heard a story about a woman who walked into a jewelry store looking for a cross. She told the clerk what she wanted, and as he pulled out a tray of jewelry he asked, "Do you want a plain one, or do you want the one with the little man on it?"

Not only are people looking for truth in all the wrong places, many of them have never even heard the truth. Jesus has been relegated to no more than a little man on a cross.

People are searching for truth in any form. You have what they are looking for--the truth--Jesus Christ. You can tell them who the little man on the cross is, and what He did for them by dying on it. As a pastor, I have the privilege of doing this every week. You have the same privilege. God has given you a specific circle of influence--the people you work with, the grocery store clerk who always helps you, your family, etc. Many of these people never see the inside of a church. Others are involved in New Age mysticism and cults. They are spiritually dead and they are looking for life.

In Mark 16:15 Jesus says: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." We have the truth, and we have the command. Everyone has a God-shaped vacuum in their soul--let's fill it with the truth--Jesus Christ--today.