In my last article, I shared my dissatisfaction with Chrisitan tracts that are printed today and the reasons for it. Today, I want to dive into one of the most popular gospel tracts ever produced: The Million Dollar Bill by Living Waters Ministries. I love the look and feel of it — very eye-catching and truly a piece of art. On the front it displays several websites to which I always point out to get people to search deeper for answers to their questions or if I am running out of time and have to present quickly:
I use this tract and like it. It is my main go-to piece of gospel literature. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it. All I am suggesting is, “Can we do better?”
The message on the back
If we are a post Christian, Acts 17, Greek culture, we need to change the message. Here is the message:
“HERE IS THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION: Will you go to Heaven when you die? Here’s a quick test: Have you ever lied, stolen, or used God’s name in vain? Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” If you have done these things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart, and the Bible warns that one day God will punish you in a terrible place called Hell. But God is not willing that any should perish. Sinners broke God’s Law and Jesus paid their fine. This means that God can legally dismiss their case: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Then Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death. Today, repent and trust Jesus, and God will give you eternal life as a free gift. Then read the Bible daily and obey it. God will never fail you.”
https://livingwaters.com/store/gospel-tracts/million-dollar-bill/
If you’re a Christian and understand the gospel, you are probably wondering what is wrong with that message. Everything in that paragraph is true. And it is. But how would an American who never grew up in a Christian home, has no Christian friends, and does not go to church or never read the Bible, understand what he was just given?
“What and where is heaven?”
I was asked this question several years ago at the Answers In Genesis booth at the Iowa State Fair while witnessing to a Japanese Student attending Iowa State University. It was something she never knew about, and was always told that when she died, she would be reincarnated.
But as a Christian, how do you describe heaven and where it is? Not only that, but heaven for some people might actually be the other place, minus the fire, torture and anguish.
Also, what is in heaven and why would I want to go there? This tract really doesn’t get into it. From this tract all I know is that heaven is not hell, but an escape from hell. It doesn’t show the positive aspect, just the anti-negative one; and most tracts are written like this. With this tract you could read it as if Jesus was not in Heaven; to the person reading it, heaven would still be heaven because it is escape from judgment, not restoration with God. Heaven is really eternal unbroken fellowship with God your Creator which was lost in the fall of mankind due to sin. This tract and others never touch on that truth.
Have you ever…?
The test to know if you will go to heaven when you die is if you have ever done certain things. “Have you ever lied, stolen, used God’s name in vain, looked at a woman with lust?” If you have done these things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, and an adulterer at heart. In which, God will punish you in a terrible place called Hell. All true by the way, but what is missing? Is anything missing? Is it only our actions that send us to hell or does it go deeper than that?
A young man asked me once, “Why does God care so much about what I do anyway?” Because God is the Creator and Lord over us. It was His pleasure to create us (Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11). His standard of goodness is the Ten Commandments. Now, being that God is the Creator and Lord over all of us, and that the Ten Commandments are a mirror and a tutor to show us God’s standard of goodness is and to draw us to Christ (Galatians 3:21-25). But this tract never says that, or implies it. Which brings me to the following…
Who is God?
The tract never says who God is. Take a few minutes and go over the gospel million-dollar bill again. What do you learn about God from this piece of paper?
- God’s name is important (even though we are not told it.)
- God sees me as a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart. What He sees me do, that I am.
- God will punish me in a terrible place called Hell.
- God doesn’t want anyone to perish.
- God gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- God will give you eternal life as a free gift if you repent and trust in Jesus.
- God will never fail you if you read the Bible daily and obey it.
In this tract we don’t see who God is or His holy attributes. As far as this tract suggests, God is a cosmic Santa Claus checking boxes about all the negative things we do.
What could be changed about this message? God is the Creator and Lord of all, and we are His image bearers. His standard is perfection, and can never judge less than that.
They don’t understand Christian lingo
When I was a lost soul on my way to hell, I didn’t know all the lingo. To be honest I have to really stop and think sometimes about what certain words mean. This gospel tract is full of Christian lingo and those who read it might not know what those terms mean.
- Adultery
- Blasphemous
- Sinner
- God’s Law
- Begotten
- Everlasting life
- Repent
Can we explain these things in layman’s terms a little better? Maybe we can skip the lingo and define it within the tract.
Focus on the gift rather than the giver?
Does this message and others like it focus too much on the gift of eternal life and not the Giver of that life, which is God the Father; or the sacrifice of the Son through Whom the gift is made? I often wrestle with that notion. We talk so much about heaven, salvation, and even justification; but we never really talk about restoration: through the blood of Christ not only cleanses us from sin, but restores us to a right relationship to our Creator — God. Salvation is not by doing good things, or not doing good things. Salvation, justification, restoration, sanctification, and glorification can only come through the blood of the perfect spotless lamb of God.
There’s just so much room on the back
It is true that there is just so much room behind a million-dollar bill tract. No doubt if given more space, the message would be different. I would even suggest that us Christians should know the gospel, and explain it better to those who don’t know. That’s why I am not a big fan of distributing large areas with hundreds of tracts. It’s not that I don’t want to reach as many with the gospel as I can; I just don’t want to leave them confused about things they never even thought about. We are to make disciples and followers of Christ who make disciples — not converts (Matthew 4:19; 28:19).
I still have the very first tract that anyone has ever given me. It has Scripture verses, lots of pictures, and laid out in a clear systematic way. When I was a heathen I couldn’t understand a word of it, even reading it about 200 times. I know now that the enemy, Satan, blinds the minds of those who hear the gospel 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). I know that belief, repentance, and restoration are not only gifts, but things that can only be received supernaturally through the Holy Spirit as He comes alongside someone to teach, lead, and guide through the conscience spiritually. I could explain something the best that anyone else has ever done, yet people may not understand because of the supernatural battle that is taking place that we cannot see. As in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23): it wasn’t the seed of the gospel that was different and why people didn’t believe it; it was the enemy stealing the seed or the condition of the soil of their hearts that prevented the seed from growing.
Like I said from the beginning, I use these tracts and many like them. It’s a solid and true message. If you were able to design a gospel tract, what message would you put on it? What would be your focus? I’d like to hear them, because maybe I’m wrong and willing to see it a different way. With all my articles and blog posts I would be willing to change them; but please use Scripture for your basis.
Pens & Wrenches 