At the church where I attend, a beloved member, who went to be with the Lord shortly after his conversion, one day exclaimed in a mixture of frustration and determination that "There oughtta be a warning label on this thing called Christianity!"
God never promised that He would take away all the troubles that you will have to face throughout your life. He never promised life would be easy. He never said, "Believe in me and I will keep evil away from your doorstep." Nay, to do so would be to rob God of His glory!
No, what God did promise, however, was that He would walk through the fires of your life with you. He would show up and show out any time you called on His Name. He would guide you and keep you during the darkest and most fiercest storms of your life. Finally, no matter how bad you mess up, He would never let go of the life-line He's thrown you. All you have to do is grab it.
Jesus warned what would happen to you if you chose to follow Him.
Luke Chapter 21:
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
and
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
This is kind've scary, huh?
In the same breath, Jesus said in Luke Chapter 21:
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
AND
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
In Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus said:
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Yes, when you become a Christian, you should be ready to stand persecuted, spit on, walked over, and hated simply because you are Christian. The reason for this is that Satan is angry when he loses a good sinner. He is going to do everything in his power to get them back.
So, in honor of the beloved convert who exclaimed that a warning label was in order, here is your warning:
When you become a Christian, you dive headfirst into the fight of your life for your eternal soul. And, as if that isn't enough, the only thing you can do in return for the ill treatment is:
Matthew 5
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
What does God promise to those who accept Christ as Lord and Saviour and determine to "endure until the end"?
Peace (Ezekiel 34:25)
Joy (Isaiah 29:19)
Abundant life (John 10:10)
Eternal Life (Romans 6:23)
Daily provision (Matthew 6:30)
These are just a few of God's promises to those who believe and obey.
Where Praising God Comes Natural!
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Shocked...
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money! twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought;
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why's everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
JUDGE NOT.
Remember...Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.
every saint has a PAST...
every sinner has a FUTURE!
(Author unknown)
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money! twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought;
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why's everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
JUDGE NOT.
Remember...Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.
every saint has a PAST...
every sinner has a FUTURE!
(Author unknown)
Thursday, March 26, 2015
It's okay to be angry at God...
This was posted earlier (January 15th) on my personal blog. I thought it fit here...
God doesn't care if you are mad at Him, so long as you are still obedient.
Read about Jonah, if you want proof. He stayed mad at God, and what he did for God, he did grudgingly.
I guess Jonah's story would be like God telling us Patriots to go to the land of Islam and tell them that God loves them, and if they don't repent and change their ways and follow Him, they are going to be destroyed. Many of us would say, go ahead, God, destroy them! But, it isn't the Christian thing to do.
It isn't what God would have us do, like it or not. And, when they have murdered our sons and daughters and tortured our loved ones and profaned our animals and our property...and THEN decide to turn and change their ways because one of us went to preach the love and mercy of our God to them, how many of us would be SOOO angry that God didn't still destroy them?
Jonah stayed angry at God. Will you?
God doesn't care if you are mad at Him, so long as you are still obedient.
Read about Jonah, if you want proof. He stayed mad at God, and what he did for God, he did grudgingly.
I guess Jonah's story would be like God telling us Patriots to go to the land of Islam and tell them that God loves them, and if they don't repent and change their ways and follow Him, they are going to be destroyed. Many of us would say, go ahead, God, destroy them! But, it isn't the Christian thing to do.
It isn't what God would have us do, like it or not. And, when they have murdered our sons and daughters and tortured our loved ones and profaned our animals and our property...and THEN decide to turn and change their ways because one of us went to preach the love and mercy of our God to them, how many of us would be SOOO angry that God didn't still destroy them?
Jonah stayed angry at God. Will you?
Being Single in a Couple's World as a Christian
by Shonda Ponder
I sat there listening to Christian Talk Radio which hosted a question and answer show about daily life as a Christian. This last question about a woman who recently lost her husband and is considering dating again made me feel ... odd.
On the show, they made the statement that "This is a couples world, and although there are a lot of single people out there, the overwhelming desire of singles is to have someone to 'belong' to, i.e. the desire for marriage."
I am not desiring to "belong to" anyone but God and I certainly am not looking forward to ever getting married again at this point. Does that make me strange?
Sometimes I feel like Christian teachings try to PUSH marriage and dating on people by making them feel inadequate if they don't. It's just WRONG.
Paul was content being single.
THIS is why I cringe at the notion of going to singles ministries. They are all focused on how one should act in a dating relationship. They have FAILED to address those of us who are desiring to wait on GOD's Timing, and need to focus on being SINGLE and content about it. .
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:
6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
This is addressing those who are consumed by their desires, who have not mastered the ability to focus solely on God as their provider, their friend, and their endearing other half. Those who cannot contain themselves in the presence of the opposite sex SHOULD marry. But those who can are blessed in that they focus on the things of God and not on pleasing another human being:
33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
So where are the ministries that ENCOURAGE being single?
This article in Crosswalk.com makes my point about Christian Single's Ministries focusing on marriage. Although, ONE sentence in the article does make MY point:
"After all, every Christian’s first responsibility is to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness "
This statement is over-ridden, however, in the rest of the article. I find this unfortunate:
How can I find out who God wants me to marry?
We need more articles that PRAISE being single, that PRAISE singles who are looking for their sustainability in a God who keeps their heart from loneliness and distraction from HIM.
I sat there listening to Christian Talk Radio which hosted a question and answer show about daily life as a Christian. This last question about a woman who recently lost her husband and is considering dating again made me feel ... odd.
On the show, they made the statement that "This is a couples world, and although there are a lot of single people out there, the overwhelming desire of singles is to have someone to 'belong' to, i.e. the desire for marriage."
I am not desiring to "belong to" anyone but God and I certainly am not looking forward to ever getting married again at this point. Does that make me strange?
Sometimes I feel like Christian teachings try to PUSH marriage and dating on people by making them feel inadequate if they don't. It's just WRONG.
Paul was content being single.
THIS is why I cringe at the notion of going to singles ministries. They are all focused on how one should act in a dating relationship. They have FAILED to address those of us who are desiring to wait on GOD's Timing, and need to focus on being SINGLE and content about it. .
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:
6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
This is addressing those who are consumed by their desires, who have not mastered the ability to focus solely on God as their provider, their friend, and their endearing other half. Those who cannot contain themselves in the presence of the opposite sex SHOULD marry. But those who can are blessed in that they focus on the things of God and not on pleasing another human being:
33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
So where are the ministries that ENCOURAGE being single?
This article in Crosswalk.com makes my point about Christian Single's Ministries focusing on marriage. Although, ONE sentence in the article does make MY point:
"After all, every Christian’s first responsibility is to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness "
This statement is over-ridden, however, in the rest of the article. I find this unfortunate:
How can I find out who God wants me to marry?
We need more articles that PRAISE being single, that PRAISE singles who are looking for their sustainability in a God who keeps their heart from loneliness and distraction from HIM.
Minister Who Denies God’s Existence: I Don’t Appreciate Being Told I’m Not a Christian
A Presbyterian USA minister in Oregon who says that he doesn’t believe in God—and doesn’t require his members to believe either–remarked in a recent article that he is offended by those who assert that he is not a Christian.
“The concept of ‘God’ is a product of myth-making and ‘God’ is no longer credible as a personal, supernatural being,” he wrote in a blog post on his site “Shuck and Jive.” “Jesus may have been historical, but most of the stories about Him in the Bible and elsewhere are legends.”
But Shuck says that although he rejects the Bible as being literal, and denies the existence of Heaven and Hell, he takes offense when people tell him that he’s not a Christian.
However, others state that Shuck’s assertion that one can be a Christian without faith in the saving power of Christ is faulty, and that his words make evident that he does not understand what it means to be a Christian.
Read the whole story at Christian News Network
“The concept of ‘God’ is a product of myth-making and ‘God’ is no longer credible as a personal, supernatural being,” he wrote in a blog post on his site “Shuck and Jive.” “Jesus may have been historical, but most of the stories about Him in the Bible and elsewhere are legends.”
But Shuck says that although he rejects the Bible as being literal, and denies the existence of Heaven and Hell, he takes offense when people tell him that he’s not a Christian.
However, others state that Shuck’s assertion that one can be a Christian without faith in the saving power of Christ is faulty, and that his words make evident that he does not understand what it means to be a Christian.
Read the whole story at Christian News Network
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