Good Deeds Are Not The Answer

Something we forget sometimes is that there is no one sin any more deserving of hell than another.

God cannot have any sin, no matter how small in His presence.

God looks at the wickedness of our heart before we are born again and sees that we are capable of every sin imaginable.

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

Society restrains us some, family pressure restrains us and the Holy Spirit that lives in believers restrain us some, but that potential for terrible things still dwells in our heart until we are born again.

The answer to this mess, and the problem of the dead and wicked heart is to confess that we are helpless and hopeless, desiring to be changed into a new creation by Christ, and then He will come in and change us. It is a lifelong process of cleansing that He will do.

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

It's not hard to become born again, in fact it is so easy, it is hard for people to believe it. Christ did all the work on the cross, He does all the work in our hearts after we have confessed. He took the penalty for our sin, which was death.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

The strain of continually trying to measure up is removed when we become born again. God works in us, convicting of sin, redirecting our hearts and giving us new desires in line with His Will.

Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

If the Bible Says it I believe it!

If the Bible Says it I believe it!

When I was a child it was common knowledge that dogs had special healing powers in their tongues. When we got a sore on our finger or leg, our mother would tell us to go let the dog lick it, it will heal faster.  After all dogs lick their own wounds and they heal quickly.

I believed what Mom said because it seemed to work.  I questioned this one day, because there were others more educated than I who said it wasn't true it was only a wives tale. 

Then one day a study came out, the scientists discovered that dogs have a natural antibiotic in their saliva that has healing qualities.  I squeeled with delight, because what the uneducated experienced person said was true.  No need for "scientific evidence", the experience people had with it, prove to heal the wounds.

Then one day I ran across this scripture:  Luke 16:21 "Who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores."

There was a time when scientists determined that the earth was flat.  Later other scientists discovered it was really round. 

Guess what God said about it?   Isaiah 40:22 "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in."

God tells us all we need to know in His Word.  Those who knew the Bible would have known that the earth was round and dogs can heal a sore by licking it. 

The Bible is the best science book that ever existed and completely accurate.  We can be assured if the Bible says it, then we can believe it.

Anyone Still Think We Don't Deserve Judgment?

Anyone Still Think We Don't Deserve Judgment?

People are becoming more emboldened to flaunt their sin now that everything is being accepted by our culture. Things are getting worse, sin is increasing, I notice it is becoming more cruel than I have ever seen it.

I have noticed more people acting demon possessed. We never used to see this in our country, at least not in the open as it is now. They are becoming naked and violent. Recently someone placed a video of this, I was astonished at it. Violent demon possessed naked people in public places, attacking others.

Then I was reminded of the "naked bike ride", in Portland just 40 miles down the road from us. It happens every year now, the people ride through the streets, thousands of them in their birthday suits as they flaunt their shame. If I wrote here what they do in that ride, it would be censored. YES, I said "thousands."

The boldness of flagrant sin is happening regularly now, those who do them would have been arrested just 40 years ago, now they are allowed openly to thumb their noses at decency and righteousness.

Nakedness was a shame according to the Bible, when a culture was conquered by another army, the people were paraded out of town naked to shame them. Now the culture is displaying their own shame, they are doing it to themselves.

Abortion, homosexuality, nakedness in the streets, materialism, broken families from divorce and remarriage, drugs, alcohol, corruption in the government, shacking up, more babies born out of wedlock than in marriage, marking the body in course and brutish displays through tatooing, piercings that disfigure the body in grotesque exhibitons of rebellion, young people are shooting other young people in schools and then committing suicide, Teachers are having affairs with their students, child molestation has increased and more! This is the state of our culture, all these things are growing, the people who do them are becoming cruel and indifferent to their fellow man....Narcissism is dominating the culture AND worse of all, these things are in the organized churches of our day.

Anyone still think we do not deserve judgement?

Success Does Not A Christian Make

Success Does Not A Christian Make

Preachers should preach to the people in the gatherings, for the purpose of growing the flock in holiness and convicting those in the gathering who may not be saved, but think they are.

Unfortunately there are those who are preachers and have never been born again. May the Lord have mercy on them and bring them to a place of brokenness over their sinful state.

Just because someone is in the pulpit, does not mean they are born again.

Just because someone says they are "a Christian", does not mean they are born again.

Just because someone follows all the rules and harms no one, does not mean they are born again.

Just because someone is successful in finances or accomplished in their talents, does not mean they are born again.

It might be surprising to some, that many people who go to church believe that if one is in the pulpit, if they say they are Christians, if they follow all the rules or if they are accomplished in business, one or all of these things, makes a person a good Christian.

These people may be Christians in the sense that they go to church and will tell you if you ask them, but they are not necessarily born again. None of these things prove that we are born again.

God used the most despised and rejected people to carry His gospel, those who did not fit in to the culture in which they lived. The were fish swimming up stream, even often discouraged for lack of support and responsiveness from those that they were sent to serve.

Our modern Christian culture has relegated Christianity to a superficial set of social rules that bear little resemblance to the born again life. Often these unspoken rules have hindered the gospel message by disallowing for rebuke, boldness and straight talk.

The best way to help our friends and family is to be boldly honest about everything, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Avoiding truth and sweeping sin and our spiritual state under the rug can only harm us.

John 3:31-35

"31 “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

32 What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.

34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.

35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”"

Hospitality is Basic to the Christian Walk

Hospitality is Basic to the Christian Walk                                        

On another post there was mention of what we would do if we were faced with our President, who we believe is destroying our nation, coming to our house.  Would we show him hospitality or would we refuse him entrance into our home. 

My thinking is that, if the Lord sent him to my house, then He would want me to show our leader the same courtesy and respect that  I would any other unbeliever who comes to my door.

Our President, is condemned under God's wrath as are all those who have rejected Christ. He is one of those people God told us to try to reach with the Gospel.  We don't go to the mission field to reach the saved, we go to reach the lost, all of whom are on their way to hell, our desire is that they become born again, how can they if they never hear.

Romans 10:14 "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?"

I am more likely to show hospitality to a non-believer than a rebellious Christian who is living in sin. That person must be disciplined under God's commands to put away the one who claims to be a believer but refuses to live as Christ told us.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 "9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;

10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.

11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?

13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves."

No one can know what God is doing in another person's heart no matter what things look like.  We must obey what God said in His Word, for the non-believer we bring the gospel and God's love, for the sinning believer we bring discipline because of God's love.

No one can know what God is doing in our own hearts when we serve non-believers, the very people who curse us.

Luke 6:28 "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you."

We are not called to serve only those who love us, but in serving those who hate us, we heap hot coals of kindness. 

Proverbs 25:22 "For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you."

God can make the foulest clean, just when we thought He could not reach someone because of their vile heart, He shows us how little we know about what He is doing.

We are called to obey in hospitality, even strangers, and leave all the results of our obedience to the Lord.

Hebrews 12:2 "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."

We try too hard, I know I have at times, to figure out who is who and what is what.  When a matter is made clear by the Lord, then there is no changing my mind, however, many things are not made clear.  We are called to be hospitable, when it is within our power to do so, then we must obey, and leave the results to God.

There are times when the Lord tells us to stay away from those who claim to be brothers and sisters who are walking disobediently and unteachable, then we must do as God tells us to do, but we must be sure that He is speaking and not our own prideful heart.

The Christian walk is one of self sacrifice. We must learn to ignore insults, not to respond in kind to those who revile us and to let go of our tight controls on our things, our pride and our acquaintances.

We can trust God to tell us what to do and when.  He knows the heart of every person on this earth, what they need and what we should be or do.  Trusting that Christ will work in us we can leave everything to Him.

There is great freedom and peace in learning to hear God while obeying what we hear.

No one else has to understand what God has told us to do, that also is in His hands.

Proverbs 3:5-8

"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart  And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones."