BELIEVE WHILE YOU CAN

 

BELIEVE WHILE YOU CAN

John 12:35-36 "My light will shine out for you just a little longer. Walk in it while you can, so you will not stumble when the darkness falls. If you walk in the darkness, you cannot see where you are going. Believe in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light." NLT

History tells us about the Dark Ages, a period of time in which most people were at their lowest, enslaved by the few. It was a period of time that no one wants to ever go through again. Spiritually speaking mankind has been in several Dark Ages. We read in the Scriptures of periods of time in which wicked people ruled over God's people because they had forsaken Him. God is merciful and raised up spiritual leaders to lead them back to Him, but it wasn't long and the cycle was repeated again.

In a lot of ways the Church is in the Dark Ages. There is part of the Church that has forsaken Christ. They no longer hold the Word of God as the authoritative voice of God over life. Many deny that the Word is even the Word of God. Many turn to other sources for their inspiration and guidance. Many blatantly go against God's Word and declare it's fine because God is love and will not punish His people.

There is coming an even worse Dark Age than mankind has ever known. We are rapidly heading for it. It will be a period of time in which the Church will no longer be around to squelch evil. It will be a time in which very few people will survive spiritually. It will be Satan's heyday on earth, but there will be an awful price to pay. During those days God will mete out judgment on earth for the sin of mankind until the wrath of God is satisfied. All that man knows will be destroyed and God will create a new heaven and earth.

How long will it be before these things begin to happen? We don't know, but we must walk in the light while the light is still shining on earth. We must be sure that we live life God's way while we can. We must hold in high regard God's Word and obey it.

We must keep Christ as the head of our lives and the Church while we can. If we don't, darkness will overcome us and we will face an eternity in hell.

Today is the day of salvation. Believe while you can and serve the Lord while you can. God is not slack concerning His promises; Judgment Day is coming for each of us and for the world we live in.

LOVE YOUR LIFE?

 

LOVE YOUR LIFE?

John 12:25 "Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in the world will keep it for eternal life." NLT

Do you like your life? Do you like yourself? If you could, would you change anything? Before you answer the questions, take a look around you and compare yourself and life with others. You will discover that there are those who have it a lot better than you do and there are those who have it a lot worse. No matter what you may think of yourself or life, there are many who would gladly change places with you. It is human nature to be dissatisfied with the way things are. It is something that only the Lord can change in us.

We are confined to this world. This life is the only life we know. We are ingrained with the thought that our contentment and happiness is based on how we fair in the world. We live to accomplish or attain what the world offers. Most base their self-worth by what this life is.

Jesus makes it clear that when we base our worth on what this life is and live for what the world can offer us, we will lose what life really is. Real life is eternal; it is the spirit of man that matters. We are more than flesh and bones; we are spiritual beings and we will live on forever after we die. When we invest ourselves only in this life, we will spend eternity in hell. Those who ignore their souls will pay a huge price for it in eternity.

Only those who value their souls and invest it in Christ will escape hell and be in heaven after they die. We must not cling to the world, but cling to Christ if we want to go to heaven. We must hate what the world offers and love what God offers. We can't have it both ways. Those who are in Christ are sold out to Christ. They live for Him and Him alone.

LAZURUS CAME OUT

 

LAZARUS CAME OUT

John 11:44 And Lazarus came out, bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him go!" NLT

Lazarus came out---not Moses, Elisha, Abraham, Levi, David, Joshua, Joseph, or any other who had died and was put in the grave. Lazarus came out. Why? Because Jesus had called his name. Jesus knew whom He wanted to see and called him. He has the authority over both life and death and if He had not called out specifically Lazarus's name, a multitude of others would have come out from the grave.

By all rights, Lazarus would have been awful to be around by now. His body would have started to decay and the stench would have caused people to leave. He was wrapped in his grave clothes which would have caused people to run and hide. After all, wouldn't you have been a tad bit afraid if someone you knew had suddenly stood before you after he had died four days before and was in his grave clothes? When was the last time you had gone to a graveside service only to have the deceased open the casket and stand before you?

Jesus told those gathered there to unwrap Lazarus and let him go. Lazarus was no longer among the dead because Jesus had given him life, just like He does to all who accept Him as their Savior. Lazarus was no longer subject to the illness that had killed him, Jesus had healed him and made him whole, just like He does to our souls when He heals us. Jesus set Lazarus free, just like He does for you and me.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

THE RESURRECTION AND LIFE

 

THE RESURRECTION AND LIFE

John 11:25-26 Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?" NLT

Jesus is the resurrection and life. Without the resurrection, there is no life. If Jesus had not risen from the grave, no one would make it into heaven. We would all be bound for hell because our righteousness is as filthy rags. We cannot be good enough on our own for heaven. We would be spiritually dead with no hope of life.

The resurrection opened the door of heaven for all who would believe in Him and accept Him as Savior and Lord. The resurrection is God's exclamation point on the work Christ completed for us at Calvary. There Jesus took the condemnation of all sin upon himself. He overcame Satan's hold on the sinful soul. He took the worry and fear of death away from those who believe. He connected us with God and made available to us all the resources of heaven to help us live righteous lives before God.

The resurrection is God's guarantee that all who believe in what Jesus has done for them, confess their sins to Him, seek His forgiveness, and let Him into their hearts will be saved and live forever with Him.

The question is not whether or not it is so; it is whether or not you believe it is so. And, if you believe it is so, are you living like it is? Eternal life with God awaits those who trust in Jesus for their salvation and who live godly lives.

OTHER BELIEVERS

 

OTHER BELIEVERS

John 10:16 “I have other sheep too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” NLT

Let’s be perfectly clear about this; not everyone who is a child of God is going to fit into your comfort zone. There are children of God all over the world who do not think like you do or act like you act. There are believers in nearly every church on earth. Some churches are ultra- conservative and some are ultra-liberal. We must be careful not to assume that people who are not like us are not or cannot be saved.

Only the Lord knows the heart of man. He will accept all who truly are righteous in heart, regardless of what church they are in or where they are at in their spiritual journey. Do not judge others just because they are different than you. Let the Lord determine the genuineness of the heart before Him. We must faithfully live by our convictions, but so must everyone else. Only the Lord knows who is for real and who isn’t.

Also, do not assume that all who are in your church circle is saved. Many people go to church for reasons other than their relationship with God. Head belief does not always translate into heart belief. We need to focus more on what is going on amongst us rather than what is happening in the Church around the world or even across the street. I am not saying we shouldn’t be preaching and teaching the truth outside our church walls, but I am saying that we need to be preaching at ourselves more than we do the rest of the church body.

There is only one Church in Christ. The label on the door does not identify the church. We must never forget this truth. There is one church and only one Shepherd over the Church. Jesus alone is head of the Church. He alone has the authority and right to rule over the Church. We are His and He will not share His lordship over the Church with anyone.

ONE FAMILY IN CHRIST

 

ONE FAMILY IN CHRIST

John 10:16 "I have other sheep too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd." NLT

I used to not think too much about this statement from our Lord, but I have come to recognize just how important of a statement this is. We tend to have a very narrow perspective when it comes to the family of God. In our heads, we know that there are Christians everywhere and in our hearts, we want them to be just like us. We want others to think like we do, act like we do, and worship like we do. When they don't, we tend to question their experience with God.

The Kingdom of God is not limited to my part of it. There are many valid ways to experience God, live for Him, and understand Him. It's okay if others are radically different than I am. As long as Jesus is the only way, truth and life, we should have no problem with the faith expression of others. It is God who straightens up the messes of our thinking, not us.

Jesus said that there is only one flock and shepherd. He is the shepherd and all who know Him as Savior are the flock. The labels we put on doors and identify ourselves with mean nothing to the Lord. All who have a heart connection with Him are His children, which means that we are brothers and sisters.

We need to check our hearts and be sure that we are loving those whom Jesus loves. We need to set aside those things which keep us away from one another and start acting like a family should act. If we don't, we are living in disobedience to the Lord who commands us to love one another. Actions speak louder than words; are your actions speaking love?

LIFE AT ITS BEST

 

LIFE AT ITS BEST

John 10:10 "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness." NLT

Satan is a notorious thief. His sole desire is to rob the soul of God's presence. If he fails at that, he will work hard to rob the soul of God's peace and joy. If that doesn't work, he will work to destroy the soul's fruitfulness and effectiveness as a witness for Christ. Satan will never stop doing his best to undermine the influence of God on one's soul and living. His sole passion is to steal, kill and destroy from the soul God's presence and influence.

On the other hand, Jesus came to give life at its best. Jesus' sole passion is the good of the soul. He came to set the soul free from Satan's hold on it. He came to free the soul from its sinful past and sure judgment of God. He came to give life, not take it away.

Not only that, Jesus came to give us life in all its fullness. He doesn't want to just give us enough life to get by; He wants to give us the very best that life is. There is so much more to life in Christ than we can even imagine. No matter how much we indulge ourselves in His life, there is so much more He wants to give to us. And this life in Christ we enjoy now is but a small sampling of what life will be like in heaven. For the godly, the best is yet to come.

We get just a taste now of what the foulness of life in Christ is all about. We can’t comprehend eternal life without sin surrounding us, without Satan harassing us, without the consequences of sin on display all around us. We can’t know now what life will be like in pure holiness for ever and ever. If your heart is full of Jesus now, just wait. The best is yet to come.