We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

The church has been established by Christ to be an army…(but) armies, in order to be effective, must be very sensitive in caring for their wounded… There is always a major work to be done within the church in terms of ministering to the needs of the people.
R.C. Sproul

People need to be discomforted and delivered over to distress by indomitable preaching that insists that if they refuse the love of God extended to them in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are going to be physically tormented! … God is so seriously in earnest about this that during the Tribulation, He will warn people through the loud voice of an angel. This angel will tell them that if they worship the beast or his image or receive his mark, they will be “tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb” (Rev. 14:9-10). You are on the wrong side of this issue if you ridicule sincere preaching that warns “with a loud voice” about the dreadful hurt of hell!
Mark Minnick

    • So You Are Going To Wait

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    So You Are Going To Wait

    SO YOU’RE GOING TO WAIT?

    YOU’VE HEARD ALL THE FACTS ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE

    You even accept the reality of a heaven and a hell. You were exposed to the Christian life through people who appeared to understand and live in accord with the Bible. Someone may have asked you directly if you would invite Jesus Christ into your life. The response that you have given to yourself and others is “I’m going to wait!”

    YOU HAVE A DEEP CONCERN FOR INTEGRITY

    If someone were to ask you why you have made such a decision, it is quite likely you would respond in the following manner. “My decision is motivated by a deep concern that I have for honesty.” Too often you have seen people not following through in their commitments. You’ve promised yourself not to make such an important decision without full commitment. When you make your positive decision it will be one that you will be ready to keep.

    You may be interested to know that your concern for integrity is shared by God. He wants our sincere commitment. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Matt. 23:25

    GOD DOES NOT WANT EMPTY PROMISES

    It is God’s desire for us not to say things that would appear to please Him when we have no real desire to keep the commitment. He would like us to have sincere hearts. It is clear that the Scribes and Pharisees were less than sincere. They looked good and pure from the outside because they went to religious services, but they were not pleasing to God. They sought to hide their non-religious behavior by putting on a “religious” outside. As you have well seen, it does not work. Many see through it”

    Your understanding in this area is quite vital to a good understanding of the importance of the Gospel. Perhaps the following will aid you in your decision making. One of the assumptions that you have made is incorrect.

    NO ONE CAN CLEAN-UP HIS/HER OWN ACT

    If I may guess at your view of becoming acceptable to God, you may believe that with enough effort and commitment you can become good and acceptable, etc. See what Jesus Christ has to say concerning this matter. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. John 15:4

    Being good and doing good things can only take place if we are connected to Jesus Christ our Savior. He makes right behavior possible. Apart from Him we can only do some humanly acceptable deeds, but they will not be acceptable to God. The very next verse clearly states what happens to those who do not abide (live) in the Lord.

    If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:6

    THE ORDER IS JESUS FIRST AND THEN ACCEPTABLE DEEDS

    Your concerns are correct, but the order is not. Everyone must accept Christ as Lord and Savior first. The acceptance is an asking of Him into your life and requesting forgiveness of all past sins. This in the terms of John 15 is becoming attached to the vine.

    The vine is Jesus and those who have asked Him to come into their lives are the branches which are grafted on. Hebrews also tells us that without belief and faith (in Jesus) it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6

    The next step is to be sincere in Your belief. Now that you are saved by the Lord you can be controlled by Him also. Now you have the power to overcome those deeds which need to be overcome. The Spirit of God takes up residence within you as soon as you receive Christ. He, the Holy Spirit, provides the guidance to know what is wrong and encourages us to want to overcome.

    Your interest in sincerity is very good. But it has no value to God unless you accept His Son. There remains, however, one more important area to be considered

    NO ONE KNOWS WHEN CHRIST WILL RETURN

    If you continue to wait, you may be surprised by Jesus Christ’s return. He said of His return to the earth:

    But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Mark 13:32

    The risk is dangerous and the potential is real. By waiting you may run out of time. It could be tomorrow, in a month or in a year Since we can’t know we can not afford to wait to accept Christ as Lord.

    Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. Mark 13:33

    Now that you have considered some additional truths, you are armed with information necessary to make a wise decision. Integrity remains an important issue. You wanted to be sincere?

    Receive Christ as Savior now and begin a sincere walk with Him forever.

    Robert Suggs

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