Are You Lost On The Way To Glory?

Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it".

People hold varying ideals about what constitutes Christianity. Few who profess Christ actually know what he taught and even fewer practice what he preached. As a result most people believe Jesus way of life is impractical and unworkable in the real world. But this is not based on what the bible actually teaches.

 

 Many think as long as they believe in Jesus, attend church occasionally and are basically good people, they are pleasing God and have their ticket in their hand. Religion to many is more or less whatever they want it to be, and this is taught in many congregations today by leaders who are more interested in filling the pews than saving the souls. They think that any personal religious preference or practice, as long as it is motivated by good intentions is acceptable to God. They see modern christianity as being a mile wide and a inch deep, but mile wide Christianity is not the path to God's kingdom,  according to Jesus it is the highway to destruction.  It is taught that all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you go to heaven, there is no need for change just  believe. But remember the devil believes, so is the devil going to heaven? It has become acceptable to believe we are free to worship God the way we want, to refashion God in our own image, and to taylor his word to fit our life style. But I ask, is this the godly way of life? Is this traveling on the narrow road ?Is simply believing on Jesus as Lord and savior enough to enter eternal Life? Jesus said not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but them who do the will of the Father. 

 

God said "your ways are not my ways"; Man believes with his mind, but God's word says to believe in thine heart. See our belief in Jesus must be in the heart so that it can change our heart. It is when we believe in our hearts that we can truly deny ourselves, and follow Christ on the narrow road. It is when we believe in our heart that we can honestly and boldly confess with our  mouth that Jesus is Lord. Then we can live by faith, a faith that will keep us when the cares of this world try to lead us down the broad road.

He Saw Me In Spite of....

Luke 15:20 "But when he was yet a great way off, His Father saw him,and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him."
While in darkness, a servant to sin and the various lust it powers, my Father saw me. While a great way off, while still in my degraded needful condition, while I was yet a sinner, My Father saw me and a great thing happened. He loved me.

Before the foundation of the world he called me from darkness into his marvelous light. While still waddling in the pig pen of life, he looked beyond my faults and saw my needs. When everyone else around could only see the worst in me,  He saw the best in me . While I was yet a great way off, my Father saw me, like a concerned parent awaiting the arrival of his child, looking in the direction he should come.While a great way off my Father saw me, the eyes of mercy looking on his lost son, while I was yet a sinner. When he saw me, my Father had compassion on me,had pity on my fallen condition,forgiving me for I knew not what I was doing.My Father ran to me,as I was burden down with guilt,sin ,shame and fear. I came slowly,but he ran to me with the urgency of salvation.He met me with encouragement, he gave me hope,comfort and peace as he accepted me into his rest. The arms of mercy stretched out to embrace me. He fell on my neck, even though I had just gotten out of the pig pen of life, covered with the stench of sin and filth, the Father takes me in his arms and falls on my neck.

He lays me in his bosom, The bosom a place of honor, like lazarus in the bosom of Abraham,The bosom a place of the beloved, As John the beloved, the disciple Jesus loved, laying in Jesus bosom at the last supper. The bosom the place of the blessedness, as Jesus the only begotten of God, rest in the bosom of his Father.Then He kissed me, not only assuring me of my welcome, but also sealing me with my pardon. My sins forgiven, never to be mentioned again. He cleans me and dresses me in new clothing, as I am a new creature, reconciled back to my Father.Because he saw me ,God gave his only begotten son, who was whipped in my place, punished for my transgressions,and died for my sins, while I was yet a sinner. He rose with all power in his hands, that I might have ever lasting life with him in his Kingdom. Because he saw me. Thank you Jesus!

Soul Saving Word

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful,and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and morrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart:"

 

The word of God is a name for Christ. It is the essential word that in the beginning was with God and was God. But it is also the scriptures, the written word of God, but the Lord Jesus is never separated from them. He indeed is the substance of the written word. Scripture is what it is because Jesus himself embodies himself in them. He comes in the vol. of the book.

 

So we have the word of God, which is the power of God and the sword of God. It is the sword of peace and rest, and also a sword of salvation and judgment. It is the instrument by which we are set free from the bondage of sin and death, but by this same instrument the world will be judged and condemed. It is the truth which makes us free, yet because of unbelief all are not free, many wonder aimlessly in a vast wilderness, a prisoner of our own doubt not trusting or believing God's word. Many right now are wondering, lost in the wilderness of worry, because of unbelief, some are lost in a wilderness of despair and depression, trapped by the cares of this world all because of unbelief. Remember Jesus God's word made flesh said be of good cheer for He has over come the world said he overcame the world.

 

This word is revealing, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, revealing even the most secret thoughts and design. This word will turn a sinner inside out, and let him see all that is in his heart, turning a sinner into a saint. The word of God,our power,our sword. Jesus Christ,the power of God unto salvation

Word Power

Acts 19:20 "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed".
The word Of God; the power of God unto salvation. If we just once again trust in this word like the saints of old did what a wonderful world we would live in. In these times God's word is so badly needed, yet we seem to share everything but the truth and purity of God's word. We agree and disagree with it as it relates to us and what we are doing or trying to do. If it goes against our agenda's we don't want anything to do with that part and will de-friend and remove people from our sights because we're convicted by God's word. How can we lead the lost to Christ when we who profess Christ can't follow one another to his truths. We must continue to share God's word and  we will see the Word of God grow and prevail.

The gospel is the same as it ever was, God hasn't changed. There are still sinners in the world, the sins that need to be overcome are the same, and the Holy Spirit is just as mighty to convict and renew, but we have changed how we share this good news. We must understand it is a blessed time in the soul, a blessed time in the family, a blessed time in the congregation and in the country when the word of God grows mightily and prevails in the hearts of the people. But Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God. But to many are sharing their books, motives, ideals and philosophies over the truth of God's word, thus giving birth to so many faithless Christians. It is a blessed time when the open sinner is seen leaving his sinful ways and seeking the salvation of the Lord. When men are seen giving up their unholy gains, and changed their lives to follow the word ,will and way of God. When the leaven of the gospel begins to work, there will be no need of  arguments to prove how unworthy it is for a Christian to turn to the amusement of the books of the world or those who proclaim the messages of said books.

 

There is no other power in the ministry which we have been called into that will equal that which is produced when one hears the truth of God's word. If you plant it, it will grow;" So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed". It won't come back void! 

Witness To The Light

John 1:7-8 "The same came for a witness,to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not the light, but was sent to bear witness of that light."

We have been called out of the darkness into God's marvelous light that we might lead others out of the darkness. Let us let our light so shine before men that they will see our good works, and seek the true light and the salvation of the Lord.

 

Too many today deny being associated with Christ and thus lose the chance to bear witness that He lives. People see us in church, or associating with other believers, and when the chance to witness is present, we deny any association to Christ. We deny him in the way we live our lives, the way we don't show our love for one another, in our inability and unwillingness to forgive one another, and give to one another. We deny Him when a chance to witness is presented. We deny Him by not learning His doctrine, and by not proclaiming His teachings, we may not verbally deny Him as Peter did, but we deny Him in our actions. In a world were most religions allows man to be as he is, to do what he wishes and still feel acceptable to God. Just think for a moment, what this world would be like if all who professed Christ was to bear witness every time the opportunity presented itself, if we proclaimed the true doctrine of Jesus Christ. So few are willing to sacrifice their lives and bear witness to the Savior of the world

When we deny Christ, we deny the lost the chance afforded us, to know Christ and have a chance at salvation. How can we truly say we love one another yet deny each other Christ. How can we say that we love the Lord with all our heart, soul and life,and yet let His blood be trampled under foot, for when a witness is needed, when we need to stand up and speak for Christ, we hide in the crowd and deny Him. 

Give First, To Him That Is First

Ezekiel 20:19 "I am the Lord your God; walk in my statues, and keep my judgments, and do them"

Are you serving God and God alone, or have you begun to spend more time serving things and stuff.
Without being fully aware of our actions, blinded by the need of self gratification, we can begin to serve, worship and make sacrifices, to whoever or what ever energizes and controls our lives. We can become more concerned about our bank accounts, the jobs we hold and sometimes even the titles and positions we chase after, and find that we are spending less time with God.

There are a lot of things we move in front of God, not realizing we have done such a thing. Look at those in Government or business how they have fallen prey and now worship power. Look at the scholars and highly educated in great universities around the country, knowledge has become their throne. To those of us who live a simple life, we put more thought, effort and sacrifice in our jobs, children, or spouse. We strive and work hard to make sure they have the best things in life, and at times worship the blessing at the expense of the one who blesses. He tells us to walk in His statues, keep His judgments and do them and He will bless you according to His will, riches and glory.

We must remember that it is God and God alone who deserves our worship and praise. Without God we can do nothing nor have anything. The best thing we can do for our families, jobs, careers or anything else we seek or have been blessed with, is to make sure God is first in our life and His glory is the motivating factor for the things we seek after. Let us worship Him with our life and praise Him with our living that ours might be a testimony pleasing to Him. Glory to God and God alone.

Give it to Jesus

Matthew 11:28 " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,and I will give you rest".

 Carrying the weight, This is what Jesus did for the people in His day who carried the heavey weight of all the additional laws the religious leaders had added.They also carried the guilt of not being able to obey everything.Jesus came to relieve the people of these ridiculous rules. Jesus spoke about having a close intimate relatioship with the Father,with no secrets between them.Jesus wanted others to know about their closeness and to know that He has a yoke that is not legalistic and wearying. He tenderly gives an invitation that offers relief, rest, and joy for the weary.

The invitation, Jesus said "come" to him, a different command than the pharisees' always saying "do this or that". Jesus offered a different kind of yoke.Jesus is asking us to come to Him so that we could recieve a well fitting yoke, one that is not a burden, but will bring us rest.Jesus yoke is tied to the grace of God and results in salvation, based on faith, and not on personal effort, only believe. Jesus wants those of us who follow him to throw off the yoke of legalism we were once hitched to,to quit worrying about our circumstances,and take on his yoke. To cast all of our cares,concerns, problems, and our circumstances on Him. Jesus' plan to lift the yoke off all who are shackled to their circumstances.

To Seek and Save The Lost

Luke 15:4 " What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it"?


God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die that we all might be saved, but the truth is, if it was only one lost soul in the world Jesus still would have died to save that one. Every soul matters to God, He shed just as much blood to save the least as He did to save the greatest. Jesus after He had fed the 5000, instructed the disciples to go gather up the fragments that none be lost. Gods' will is that none be lost and we must be willing to leave the ninety nine to seek after the one lost.

This is a long journey we are on, and many will fall along the way. But they are the lost sheep of the Lord. They have gone astray. They are lost to God, lost to the flock, lost to themselves, and not only do they not know where they are, but they are lost to who they are, and wanders endlessly exposed to the danger and attacks of the enemy. But the lost souls too matters to Jesus, for Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. We the servants of God must go out into the hedges and the highways and compel the lost, the backslider, and the wandering sheep to come back into the fold. So many times we are so focused on the ninety nine that we lose sight of the one. We tend to preach messages and teach lessons which will  please and appease the ninety nine, but they don't reach out to that one which is lost, and it is possible they are lost within the congregation.

We must be careful not to lose sight as to what is important in the eyesight of God. God is not moved or impressed with dollar amounts, the size of the congregation or the beauty of the building, no God is interested in the saving of lost souls, and every soul is important to God. So we must be willing to put aside the ninety nine and reach out to the one who might be wondering lost in a dark world....  

Run Free

Galations 5:7 "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth"?

This christian race is by no means easy.We are hindered in running the race which is set before us, because of our sinful nature still remains in the holiest of us.

The entanglements of the world,like heavy or tight fitting clothes,hindering the runners ability to run.Our weakness and infirmities,wear us out, because the race is long and the road can get rough. Some are to busy,they run around to much to run this race well.Some run to fast at the start and are soon out of breath.We have fallen off in the areas of  reading God's word,and family prayer.We have lost God's word in the mist of various other books about the bible that seems to occupy so much of our time, we find no time to read the truth of the bible. Many have read biographies,and comentaries written by religious leaders and famous preachers, but have never read the biography of Jesus Christ, the bible.Many are hindered by the many worldly friends in our lives, none can help us in this race but those who are themselves running it;every one else is a hinderence. When a christian forms a intimate relationship with a ungodly person,from that moment all progress is at a standstill.See the ungodly person is going in a different direction,so to walk with them you must turn from the direction of God.

Dying For Life

Colossians 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affections, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry".(read 3:5-11)

Here this is a violent passage of scripture, a passage that attacks many people right where they are living. In this third chapter of Colossians,we see the violent demands of the believer's new life in Christ. It tells us to put to death the sins that enslaves the body and it's members. The word "mortify" means to put to death or act as though the body is dead. The believer is to take the various parts of his body and put them to death in so far as sin is concerned. How does one do this you ask? He considers his body to be hid in the death of Christ. He lives as though his body is dead with Christ. Remember a dead man cannot sin; a dead man can do nothing.Therefore, the believer is dead to sin, as he lives through Christ.

 

What sins are to be mortified or put to death? The Bible is very specific, for there are some very specific sins which tend to enslave the human body.In fact,note the term "children of disobedience". These particular sins are not only terrible acts of disobedience to God, they are sins that can enslave the human body so much that they make a believer, a child of disobedience. Many are professing Christ here on the social network, yet are living in fornication, worshiping Idols, or using foul language. Some even boast about ungodly acts which they do like they are proud of them, children of disobedience. Rather we like it or not there is a demand put on all who profess this new life in Christ. 

Suffering Glory

Matthew 10:38 "Ye that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, Is not worthy of me".
Cross-bearing is trying, laborious, sorrowful, and humiliating, but it is inevitable to all who will follow Jesus.We are bound to take up our own personal cross, I can't carry yours and you can't carry mine. Your cross might be giving up certain pleasures or indulgences, or any thing that might hinder your walk in complete obedience with Christ. Be it to live in poverty to proclaim the good news to the less fortunate, or enduring hardship and punishment for the good of others, what ever your cross, you must take it up voluntarily and follow Christ. We are to deliberately take it up, not to choose a cross, not to make your own cross, not to complain about the cross given you, not to faint under it,fall beneath it or run from it, but to patiently endure it, for Christ is carrying the heavy end.

 

We ought to be thankful that we only have to bear it, and that it dosn't have to bear us. It is a royal burden, a sanctified burden, a sanctifying burden, a burden which gives communion with Christ. Let not the righteous dread the cross, for it will not crush them. It may be painted with iron colors by our fears, but it is not made of that heavey metal; we can bear it, and we will bear it right joyously, for the reward is glory. No Cross no Crown............

Love Ye One Another

Luke 6:27-28 "But I say unto you which hear,Love your enemies,do good to them that hate you, Bless them that curse you,and pray for them which despite fully use you".


 The love Jesus instructs us to love with, does not result from any merit or attractiveness in the other person, but comes solely from the heart of the one loving, and we are to seek the best interest of that person, despite their behavior toward us. Now this love does not result from a weakness or failure to stand up for truth or justice, it is a purposeful love that flows from a strong heart that seeks the eternal salvation of others. This sacrificial love demonstrates that our purpose for living is larger than ourselves. Jesus commands us to pray for and bless those that offend us. Our natural response is to strike back when mistreated, but Jesus teaches us to do the opposite. Jesus gave two illustrations to show the extent of how far our love for others should go, there is a blow to the face and stolen clothes, in such cases we are not retaliate.The purpose is to reach out in love instead of satisfying ourselves through revenge.

Our love must be strong and purposeful in accepting mistreatment, as it shows our trust in the Lord and his ability to use the situation for his Glory. Jesus not only taught us our love must be strong and purposeful when mistreated, but we must also be merciful to others in our daily lives, as the Father daily pours out new mercy on us.

His Will or Your Want?

Matthew 22:14 "For many are Called, but few are Chosen".

Jesus said," 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". This warning should cause us to carefully consider our relationship with the Lord and the carrying out of the duty he has placed before us.Why? because many who claim to be His followers, who claim to be working on his behalf,claim to be working in his name will be rejected by him,He will tell them I never knew you.There are many claiming to be doing the Lords will ,but in fact are serving their own agendas.

 

God's desire is that none shall perish, that all shall receive salvation. But you are chosen only when you learn and accepts the truth of the gospel. Salvation is out there, it has been served and offered but the chosen are those who will accept and believe its truths.The truth Jesus explains is what God reveals through his holy word, the bible; and to be acceptable unto God you must accept his word as the only source of truth. After learning the fundamentals of God's truth, you must repent. The Lord is patient with you, not wanting any to parish, but the book of Acts tells us that everyone must come to repentance, there is no exceptions, God wants everyone to repent.

 

Then you must remain faithful,to His will. You cannot allow the will and ways of others to determine your level of faithfulness to the duty God has called you to, and chosen you for. Many often get discouraged and give up on what they proclaim God has called them to and chosen them for. We need to decide if what we are doing is His will or our want...

I Will Follow

John 6:66-67 "From that time many of His disciples went back,and walked no more with Him.Then said Jesus unto the twelve,Will you also go away?
In this chapter of John we have what can be called the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus reveals who he is,why he came, and our work in this great plan of salvation. Since the fall of man, it has always be about reconciling man back with God. From Noah's ark, to Joseph in egypt, to Moses leading the children of Israel from Egypt and even Samson's battles, were all about the salvation of  mankind. Jesus died to save man from his sins.

Here in the story we have a great multitude following Jesus. Many followed Jesus seeking the feeding of the flesh. The miracles he preformed and the food which they ate. We have many today seeking Jesus for material and worldly possessions and not for the blessing of the salvation of their souls. Jesus reveals to us our work in this great plan, he took the loaves, blessed them, then broke them, and gave to the disciples, who then distributed it among the people. Jesus then instructed them to gather up the fragments that none be lost. See Jesus came that none be lost, he has given us the blessed word of God, for us to take out and share with a dying world, that none be lost. We are then to take up the fragments of broken lives, and lead them to Jesus. Then Jesus will reveal who he is, that they might eat of his flesh and drink of his blood and enter into the kingdom.

Jesus must live on the inside of us, he is the living word by which we shall have everlating life. He is the abundant life promised us by Gods word. God never promised us big cars, fancy houses, large bank accounts, he never said the road would be easy, a narrow uphill road is never an easy road especially when so many are bumping into you on their way down. But what he did promise is that he would never leave you nor forsake you, and life more abundantly.What can be more abundant than a life lived in the arms of our savior. Jesus is asking you "Will you go away?"