BBD 02.24.11 Just Pretending

#1 · February 24, 2011, 7:28 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on February 24, 2011, 7:28 pm
Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net
www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of Gods Word to more than 14,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails then the Burning Bush Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 1752 new subscribers since January 1, 2011!!
There were 4010 new subscribers during 2010!!

02.24.11

Just Pretending

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! - Matthew 7:21-23.

When I was growing up on the farm, I remember hearing an amazing thing about one of the bankers in the area. The man had bought two new tractors, but he was not going to actually farm with them; instead, he bought them to depreciate their value. Somehow, he had found a way to improve his tax situation. He was pretending to the IRS that he was using those tractors to farm. Since then, I have heard about others who really dont farm as we would think of it.

There are others who have an acre or two of land, and try to use that to claim falsely to the IRS that they are farmers. We would not think that these people were real farmers - would we? I think we could call these people pretend farmers. I wonder how many young people, who actually want to farm - how many of them plan to grow up to be pretend farmers? None of them. Of course not! If youre going to farm, you plan to really farm. Spiritually, there are people who are similar to the pretend farmers. We could call them pretend Christians. These pretend Christians say they are Christians, but they never do any of the things that real Christians do. They rarely if ever come to church, they dont read their Bible, they dont pray, they dont witness, and they dont serve.

Now there are some exceptions, because the pretend Christian will come to church, will read their Bible, will pray, and will witness, and will serve - If, someone they want to impress is watching. Kind of like the relationship of the pretend farmer, and the IRS.

What does the Bible say about pretend Christians? Jesus is talking about them in Matthew 7:21-23. In one of the most famous sermons ever preached, Jonathan Edwards at Enfield, Connecticut used as his text Deuteronomy 32:35, and I think he was talking about pretend Christians. At least it was meant for the Israelites who were Gods people, and who were not living like Gods people. Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them (Deuteronomy 32:35). Edwards had these words that he spoke quietly to the people gathered there: In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites, who were Gods visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who, notwithstanding all Gods wonderful works towards them, remained void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Edwards went on to say, Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell....they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it...the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them. Edwards completed his sermon by saying, Therefore, let everyone that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to come.

If you have just been pretending to be a Christian, I would say to you as Edwards did, let everyone that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to come.

Copyright © 2011. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this link: www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me reach out to them.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on Godtube at: connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may SUBSCRIBE to the html text group by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may UNSUBSCRIBE by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net
http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of Gods Word to more than 14,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails then the Burning Bush Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 1752 new subscribers since January 1, 2011!!
There were 4010 new subscribers during 2010!!

02.24.11

Just Pretending

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! - Matthew 7:21-23.

When I was growing up on the farm, I remember hearing an amazing thing about one of the bankers in the area. The man had bought two new tractors, but he was not going to actually farm with them; instead, he bought them to depreciate their value. Somehow, he had found a way to improve his tax situation. He was pretending to the IRS that he was using those tractors to farm. Since then, I have heard about others who really dont farm as we would think of it.

There are others who have an acre or two of land, and try to use that to claim falsely to the IRS that they are farmers. We would not think that these people were real farmers - would we? I think we could call these people pretend farmers. I wonder how many young people, who actually want to farm - how many of them plan to grow up to be pretend farmers? None of them. Of course not! If youre going to farm, you plan to really farm. Spiritually, there are people who are similar to the pretend farmers. We could call them pretend Christians. These pretend Christians say they are Christians, but they never do any of the things that real Christians do. They rarely if ever come to church, they dont read their Bible, they dont pray, they dont witness, and they dont serve.

Now there are some exceptions, because the pretend Christian will come to church, will read their Bible, will pray, and will witness, and will serve - If, someone they want to impress is watching. Kind of like the relationship of the pretend farmer, and the IRS.

What does the Bible say about pretend Christians? Jesus is talking about them in Matthew 7:21-23. In one of the most famous sermons ever preached, Jonathan Edwards at Enfield, Connecticut used as his text Deuteronomy 32:35, and I think he was talking about pretend Christians. At least it was meant for the Israelites who were Gods people, and who were not living like Gods people. Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them (Deuteronomy 32:35). Edwards had these words that he spoke quietly to the people gathered there: In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites, who were Gods visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who, notwithstanding all Gods wonderful works towards them, remained void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Edwards went on to say, Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell....they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it...the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them. Edwards completed his sermon by saying, Therefore, let everyone that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to come.

If you have just been pretending to be a Christian, I would say to you as Edwards did, let everyone that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to come.

Copyright © 2011. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this link: http://www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me reach out to them.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on Godtube at: connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST http://www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may SUBSCRIBE to the html text group by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may UNSUBSCRIBE by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org