Who Is God in Your Life?
Either God is the Creator of the whole man, the whole universe, and
all of reality and existence, or he is the Creator of none of it.
If
God is only the Creator of some divided platonic existence which leads to a
tension between the body and the soul, the real world and the spiritual world,
if God is only the Creator of some spiritual little experiential "praise the
Lord" reality, then he is not much of a God. Indeed, he is not I AM at all.
If our Christian lives are allowed to become something spiritual and
religious as opposed to something real, daily applicable, understandable,
beautiful, verifiable, balanced, sensible, and above all united, whole, if
indeed our Christianity is allowed to become this waffling spiritual goo that
nineteenth-century platonic Christianity became, then Christianity as truth
disappears and instead we only have a system of vague experiential religious
platitudes in its place.
(Franky Schaeffer V, Addicted to
Mediocrity (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1981), pp. 27-28.)
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. [Isaiah 5:20]
We need to be
aware of what's happening!
Throughout church history, there have
been those who have (to use Dwight L. Moody's words) become
"so heavenly minded that they were no earthly
good." They quit their jobs, sold their property, and sat and waited
for Jesus to return. All of them have been embarrassed, of course, because it
is unbiblical to set dates for His coming. It is also unbiblical to become
careless and lazy just because we believe Jesus is coming soon.
We
need to be alert to the possibility of the consummation of events at any time.
That means we are aware of the events unfolding in the world that shape our
destiny. Implied in our alertness, is also readiness. We need to be preparing
ourselves for Christ's return which could happen at any moment. As we see the
time of His return edging closer, we should intensify our efforts of fulfilling
our calling of preaching the gospel so
that others might too be saved.
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.
A
man reaps what he sows. [Galatians 6:7]
Enemies of
Revival
Apathy, complacency, and spiritual self-satisfaction are the
main enemies of revival. We need both a dynamic concept of mission and also a
dynamic concept of life in the power of the Holy Spirit in order to move
effectively in God's will. More and more power is ours as we seek Him at
greater and greater depths, increasingly submitting to His promptings, and
courageously launching out in obedience to His commands. Our resolution should
be (in Hudson Taylor's words) to "Expect great things
from God and attempt great things for God."
Compromise
with the world causes us to loose our focus on what is truly important. When we
become like those people and situations which cause disunity, we add to the
problem rather than help.
Divorce,
Remarriage, and Adultery
In today's society, a fad that's in the church as much as it is
in the world is to not take the marriage covenant as seriously as we once
did.
It is hard to imagine that anyone in this country has not been
touched by divorce in one way or another.
Marriage is a covenant. Not
only a covenant between the man and woman but a covenant with God.
What the Bible says about the Marriage Covenant
Motivation for a
Victorious Life
I believe far too many Christians are NOT living a
victorious life in Christ because they have not been given the tools to use
along with their gifts.
Well meaning, but deceived, leaders in many
congregations tell their flock they are not victorious because they don't have
enough faith. Rather than lift them with the Truth of the Gospel and the grace
of God, they condemn the new or struggling believer with their own brand of
Phariseeism.
What the believer needs who is struggling with life's
issues are practical biblical based tools to help them gain balance in their
lives and to move from being a defeated Christian to victorious Christian.
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." [Phil. 4:8-9]
The Apostle, Paul, identified for us where the battleground takes place. It takes place in our thought process. And, it is that thought process which the devil uses to fill our minds with false ideas and visions of defeat. Paul says to think on the more positive things: "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy." These are the things we need to focus our minds on.
The
Message
The message that is needed is one of conviction of sin
and the fear of God. Until men and women realize that they have violated God's
laws and that this world is ripening to reap His wrath, they will not see their
need for the forgiveness which Christ bought with His blood. That message will
be increasingly difficult to deliver in the days ahead, but it is the only one
that will prevent "converts" from coming to Christ for the wrong reasons and
thereby being set up to follow the Antichrist when he appears.
When
all is said and done, and your life has come to a close, where will you spend
the rest of your eternity?
Wake Up!
Many of the signs around us are designed to wake us from our slumber. God does not
pour out His wrath without first warning
us.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. [2Peter 3:9]
God wants us to know He will return. God's seeming delay in bringing
about the consummation of all things is a result not of indifference but of
patience in waiting for all who will come to repentance. God is giving us every
chance to repent of our sin and return to Him. He is being patient with us
because He wants everyone to come to
repentance. Either we turn back to God or we will suffer His just
punishment.
The delay of Christ's return is related to the preaching
of the gospel of the kingdom to the whole world. God wants everyone to hear the
gospel and does not desire anyone to perish eternally (1Tim. 2:4). This does
not mean that all will be saved, for if a person rejects God's grace and
salvation, then he or she remains lost.
