Most Christians know that Jesus said we are to be salt and light in our world. But, often, there is not much of an effort made to impact society. Perhaps this is because we simply don't know what to do.
There is one issue in America that every person of faith should have a voice in: That is the heinous practice of abortion! The slaughter of the innocent will bring the judgment of God upon this, or any, nation! I recommend that every Christian carefully read II Kings 24:1-4. In this passage we see that even the chosen people of the Lord were taken into captivity because they had covered the land with innocent blood, which the Lord would not forgive!
Sadly, the vast majority of Christians never speak out on this issue. And, when it comes to voting, there is more concern about issues of monetary impact than about the recovering of Biblical morality in our land.
Unless God changes His character, America must be judged for the 50,000,000+ innocent babes who have been murdered since 1973! Judgment is inevitable, but I believe that it can be postponed IF Christians will intercede, and IF we will begin to be the voice of conscience that we are here to be!
If, indeed, the Lord means all of that stuff that He says in the Bible, then we had better repent (turn around) from our own selfish pursuits and engage our generation in light of the fact that we are here to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ!
What will it be like when I stand in His holy presence and He calls upon me to give an accounting of the way in which I chose to live my life!
May this be food for thought!
God bless.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
How "At Home" Are We?
Have you noticed that the "blessed hope" isn't really much of a hope for most church folks nowadays? It seems to be all about eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, etc. In other words, business as usual is the order of the day.
Remember when living in light of eternity was a major theme in the church? Sermons regularly challenged people to live godly, separated lives, and sin was soundly rebuked and warned against?
Today, people seem to pride themselves on the fact that "their" preacher is not one of them hell-fire and brimstone preachers! It's as if being polite and socially acceptable is of more importance than warning people to flee from the wrath to come!
The collective Christian mind in America is occupied with working less, making more money, accumulating more material goods, and learning how to feel good while the mandate of the Lord to reach the lost is somewhere on the back burner of the church!
Beloved saints, God is sending a wake up call to all will hear! Eternity is rapidly overtaking us! Either Jesus is coming or we are going by way of death! Either way, we will stand before the King and be constrained to give an account for the way in which we have spent our time, energy and resources while here on earth!
Perhaps it is time to dust off the lyrics of the old spiritual that says "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through...".
God bless
Remember when living in light of eternity was a major theme in the church? Sermons regularly challenged people to live godly, separated lives, and sin was soundly rebuked and warned against?
Today, people seem to pride themselves on the fact that "their" preacher is not one of them hell-fire and brimstone preachers! It's as if being polite and socially acceptable is of more importance than warning people to flee from the wrath to come!
The collective Christian mind in America is occupied with working less, making more money, accumulating more material goods, and learning how to feel good while the mandate of the Lord to reach the lost is somewhere on the back burner of the church!
Beloved saints, God is sending a wake up call to all will hear! Eternity is rapidly overtaking us! Either Jesus is coming or we are going by way of death! Either way, we will stand before the King and be constrained to give an account for the way in which we have spent our time, energy and resources while here on earth!
Perhaps it is time to dust off the lyrics of the old spiritual that says "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through...".
God bless
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sudden Changes
As I write this post, I'm preparing to go to church; but I am thinking about the devastating earthquake that Haiti experienced this past Tuesday.
people as this area were going about "business as usual", with no idea that this tragedy was about to overtake them. If I can draw from the words of Jesus: "They were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage...", until this death-dealing quake, literally, shook their world!
Had they been warned would they have taken it seriously? Would there have been those who said, "we've heard these warnings all of our lives!" As they continued an in their own blind pursuits?
The truth is, that humanity, by and large, is choosing to ignore warnings of far more devastating consequences than anything ever before seen! Eternity judgment is rapidly overtaking every single human being, and there is little concern among saint or sinner that this inevitable reality is at the door!
An old song of the Church says "Judgment is coming, all will be there, each one receiving justly his due; sprinkle your soul with the Blood of the Lamb, and I will pass, will pass over you."
Have you fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before you in Jesus Christ! If not, I beseech, before the unavoidable judgment of God come, give your life to Jesus Christ! He, alone, can keep you safe in the face in the coming storm of God's righteous judgment!
God bless.
people as this area were going about "business as usual", with no idea that this tragedy was about to overtake them. If I can draw from the words of Jesus: "They were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage...", until this death-dealing quake, literally, shook their world!
Had they been warned would they have taken it seriously? Would there have been those who said, "we've heard these warnings all of our lives!" As they continued an in their own blind pursuits?
The truth is, that humanity, by and large, is choosing to ignore warnings of far more devastating consequences than anything ever before seen! Eternity judgment is rapidly overtaking every single human being, and there is little concern among saint or sinner that this inevitable reality is at the door!
An old song of the Church says "Judgment is coming, all will be there, each one receiving justly his due; sprinkle your soul with the Blood of the Lamb, and I will pass, will pass over you."
Have you fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before you in Jesus Christ! If not, I beseech, before the unavoidable judgment of God come, give your life to Jesus Christ! He, alone, can keep you safe in the face in the coming storm of God's righteous judgment!
God bless.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Feelings vs. Faith
My observations of the Church in America lead me to the conclusion that most members are living by feelings rather than by faith. This, at least partially, explains the anemic condition of the "saints" today.
Consider the content of most services: A lot of music, mostly geared toward leading the singers/listeners into a state of "feel-good".
Then, the "message" is carefully built with concern that no one be made to feel judged, or "sinful".
End result: Millions of church-goers are getting their weekly fix of feel-good, positive-thinking psycho-babble that appeases the conscience, but does absolutely no good as far as preparing eternal souls to live Godly lives!
Beloved, unless I totally misunderstand the clear teachings of God's word, this nation is in for some very challenging times! We have sinned against more light, as a nation, than any other people in history! If the Lord is to be true to His character, as revealed in the Bible, He will judge this nation!
When the shaking begins the spiritual fluff that "Rev. Feel Good" has become rich off of will be revealed as inadequate, as far as sustaining those who have chosen to embrace such!
The solution? Get into the word of God! It is unconscionable that Christians who have been in "the way" for years have never read through the Bible! If this speaks to you, tell me, how do you expect to stand in the evil day when you are so lacking in the armor of God? (Eph. 6).
Faith, keeping faith, has no other source than the word of God! His word is the revelation of His will & purpose! You're either feeding your faith on a regular, frequent diet of Scripture, or you really have no faith!
Jesus said that "many are called, few are chosen." The chosen are those who have chosen to follow Him according to the truth of His word!
He that has an ear, let him hear!
God bless.
Consider the content of most services: A lot of music, mostly geared toward leading the singers/listeners into a state of "feel-good".
Then, the "message" is carefully built with concern that no one be made to feel judged, or "sinful".
End result: Millions of church-goers are getting their weekly fix of feel-good, positive-thinking psycho-babble that appeases the conscience, but does absolutely no good as far as preparing eternal souls to live Godly lives!
Beloved, unless I totally misunderstand the clear teachings of God's word, this nation is in for some very challenging times! We have sinned against more light, as a nation, than any other people in history! If the Lord is to be true to His character, as revealed in the Bible, He will judge this nation!
When the shaking begins the spiritual fluff that "Rev. Feel Good" has become rich off of will be revealed as inadequate, as far as sustaining those who have chosen to embrace such!
The solution? Get into the word of God! It is unconscionable that Christians who have been in "the way" for years have never read through the Bible! If this speaks to you, tell me, how do you expect to stand in the evil day when you are so lacking in the armor of God? (Eph. 6).
Faith, keeping faith, has no other source than the word of God! His word is the revelation of His will & purpose! You're either feeding your faith on a regular, frequent diet of Scripture, or you really have no faith!
Jesus said that "many are called, few are chosen." The chosen are those who have chosen to follow Him according to the truth of His word!
He that has an ear, let him hear!
God bless.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Our Plan vs God's Plan
Well, here we are, it's 2010! I'll have to get used to writing that when I write the date.
The first few days of a new year are always times of reflection for me; times of considering the past, looking at my present situation, and planning for the future. I believe that the changing of the year is a golden opportunity for us to think upon such things.
Just this morning, while jogging in single digit weather, my thoughts turned to the state of the Church; it's past, present, as well as it's future. As a result of this meditation, I want to share some of my thoughts with you.
We read about Church history in the Book of Acts, and in other writings that have chronicled Church events over the last 2000 years. The Church had a glorious start! A mighty rushing wind! Cloven tongues like as fire! Believers turning their world upside-down as they laid down their lives for the cause of Jesus Christ!
Throughout her history, the Church has known mighty revivals which have reignited that holy flame, and propelled disciples to the ends of the earth with a desire to introduce a lost and dying world to their King and Savior!
But, what about today?
It is my persuasion that the Church today, in general, stands in need of another great awakening! We have a preponderance pf "preaching" that is doing little more than telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear! It seems that so many preachers and Churches are more concerned with not offending people than they are with the fact that all without Christ are doomed to spend eternity in a place of unimaginable torment!
So much of what passes for ministry today is packaged and presented to make people feel good, when, all the while, the Lord is concerned with us being good! Turning from sin, embracing holiness, presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, in order to fulfill His calling and commandment to reach the world with the Gospel!
The future of the Church is bright! The true Church, that is. The Church triumphant will reign with Christ forever! There is absolutely nothing that can stop that from happening!
The crucial consideration is this: Am I a part of the true Church? Is Jesus Christ the Lord of my life, or have I bought into the lie that He will be my Savior without being Lord?
Food for thought! I have been thinking upon such things; I hope that you will too!
God Bless
The first few days of a new year are always times of reflection for me; times of considering the past, looking at my present situation, and planning for the future. I believe that the changing of the year is a golden opportunity for us to think upon such things.
Just this morning, while jogging in single digit weather, my thoughts turned to the state of the Church; it's past, present, as well as it's future. As a result of this meditation, I want to share some of my thoughts with you.
We read about Church history in the Book of Acts, and in other writings that have chronicled Church events over the last 2000 years. The Church had a glorious start! A mighty rushing wind! Cloven tongues like as fire! Believers turning their world upside-down as they laid down their lives for the cause of Jesus Christ!
Throughout her history, the Church has known mighty revivals which have reignited that holy flame, and propelled disciples to the ends of the earth with a desire to introduce a lost and dying world to their King and Savior!
But, what about today?
It is my persuasion that the Church today, in general, stands in need of another great awakening! We have a preponderance pf "preaching" that is doing little more than telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear! It seems that so many preachers and Churches are more concerned with not offending people than they are with the fact that all without Christ are doomed to spend eternity in a place of unimaginable torment!
So much of what passes for ministry today is packaged and presented to make people feel good, when, all the while, the Lord is concerned with us being good! Turning from sin, embracing holiness, presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, in order to fulfill His calling and commandment to reach the world with the Gospel!
The future of the Church is bright! The true Church, that is. The Church triumphant will reign with Christ forever! There is absolutely nothing that can stop that from happening!
The crucial consideration is this: Am I a part of the true Church? Is Jesus Christ the Lord of my life, or have I bought into the lie that He will be my Savior without being Lord?
Food for thought! I have been thinking upon such things; I hope that you will too!
God Bless
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