Ok things have been happening, but I am most interested & concerned with what's happening in the kingdom of heaven. Christ is bringing forth His people into a straitened place. There is no more time for messing around. If you are a Christian, and you have sensed that "there is more" or that the Lord is requiring more of you... then be quick to obey.
The time has passed where we could say we are Christian and:
- simply attend once a week to a local church.
- call ourselves "active" because we happen to participate in some function at the church.
- actually open & read the Bible while we are attending that once a week at church.
- pray only when we are in need of something.
No more of this nonsense. No more of these "send your love gift of $20 dollars and you can have this beautiful shawl brought from the Promised Land with an embroidered hem with the Hebrew words 'the joy of the Lord is my strength'."
GOD IS BUILDING HIS HOUSE.
He doesn't need your love gift of $20 dollars. God does not want your money or your gifts or your offerings to these institutions of religion anymore.
GOD WANTS YOUR HEART.
Do you know that it does not even matter whether you have brought a gift to the Lord if you have an ought with your brother? He will not receive it. You have something contrary in your heart. Get rid of it. Bring it to the Lord & reveal it to Him in prayer -- it is humbling to have to confess our sins. God loves a humble & contrite heart. You cannot love God and hate your brother - or you are a liar.
Do you know that it does not even matter how often you pray to God if you have pride in your heart? God hates pride. He resists the proud. You have something contrary in your heart. Get rid of it. A humble heart will He receive gladly. The way up is down. To be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, one must be the least of all -- that means serving others & esteeming others better than ourselves.
Do you know that it does not even matter if you have manifested any of the gifts of the spirit if you do not have love in your heart? Don't fool yourself. Love from God is not fleshly, carnal love. It is selfless love. God's love is not based on emotions, feelings, or circumstances. If He can forgive you -- how much more should you forgive others? The Lord's prayer states, "and forgive us our sins (trespasses) as we forgive those who sin (trespass) against others." God will not forgive you if you do not forgive others. Freely you have received, freely give.
These are basic things that we should know by now - but the church world is not prepared. The majority of the church is wrapped up in programs and fundraisers and "work". The only work we need to concern ourselves is working out our salvation with fear & trembling & be willing and obedient to God.
There are those who call themselves Christians and yet they have no clue that they are required to be baptized in water for the remission of sins upon believing in Christ Jesus as the Son of God and that He died for their sins. Identifying themselves with Him as believers.
There are many things that are simple & basic that "Christians" are not being taught. Now we are in a day & age where the milk is not sufficient -- we need meat. But those who still need milk must continue to be fed. Get off the milk, Christians. Read your Bible every day -- not once a week (when sitting in church). Pray always for all things, giving thanks for everything the Lord has blessed you with and has kept you from (that includes the things you don't have which He has probably, in His wisdom, determined would be a snare for you). Sing songs in your heart to the Lord & rejoice in Him. Let Him search your heart to show you what is contrary to Him & when He gives you space to repent for those things, JUMP ON IT! Repent while you can! For there will come a day where there may never be space for repentance again (consider Esau). Be quick to repent. Be quick to obey. Be quick to move when He says move.
If you have things like fear -- read the Word & gather all the information about fear so you know how to combat it. (My people perish for a lack of knowledge.) Perfect love casts out all fear. He has not give you a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind. The spirit gives boldness.
Well there's a problem in the fundamentals of things concerning Christ -- YOU MUST BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit won't just come to you when you least expect it -- YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR HIM. The Holy Spirit, the spirit of the Lord, the Holy Ghost -- they are all the same, just different names for Him. He has a purpose. He is the SEAL OF THE PROMISE; He is the earnest of our inheritance; He is a token of our redemption.
He is like earnest money. We are written in a will -- to inherit something (the kingdom of heaven); but we have not inherited it yet. We have the Spirit of adoption, but we have a promise of the inheritance. We are still servants & friends. Well -you dispute this? Tell me, did the heavens open up and God's voice thunder in front of witnesses that you are His "beloved Son in whom [He] is well pleased"?
I didn't think so.
Friends are those to whom Christ reveals information concerning what is coming; what the Father is doing (see John 15:13-15). (Please -- it is important to read your Bible so that you know without a doubt that what I am saying is true. If you abide in Christ, then His words shall abide in you -- and you shall ask what you will of the Father and it shall be done. Let his word abide in you. Abide in Christ. We need this for every moment of everyday.) Yet we can go one step further and become sons. Sons have learned to do whatever Jesus has commanded them to do & are led by the Spirit of God (see Romans 8:14).
If you are still pressing in the Lord, do not give up. This walk is not meant to be cake. But what a reward there will be in the end.
Is it better to suffer for the temporal things of this earth --- only to die & be buried in the ground (1st death) ... and later thrown into a lake of fire after judgment (2nd death) ?
Or is it better to suffer for the eternal things of heaven --- only to die (fall asleep) for the Word (he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword) ... and later resurrected to life by the Resurrection & Life (Christ) to find your place in the kingdom of God (where there are no more sorrows, and there is healing for the nations)? Because you were faithful all the way to the end?
I prefer the latter. Things on this earth break. They need to be repaired or recycled or refreshed or renewed or re- something!! I don't know about you - but I tire of such things. I don't like broken things: electronics, appliances, relationships. I hate misunderstandings. I hate confusion and every evil work. I hate separations and dissolutions and pain and sorrow. I hate seeing people die for the dumbest of reasons.
But that is what the wages of sin has given us: Every form of Death.
Come to Jesus. He is the Resurrection & Life. He has already conquered death & the grave. Now - He is calling a corporate man, a body of believers to "come out from her" & to follow in His steps. If that is you -- stop messing around.
Now is the time.
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