Making a Difference in your Life, in the Parts that are for Keeps!
I modified my all-time best oxymoron to a cold, hard fact of getting older, with issues.
And every time I share this with people, they “get it.”
Original oxymoron, from decades ago—
Occasional outbursts of consistency.
And now, fitting this time of life—
Occasional outbursts of reality.
I heard this for the first time on afr.
Perspective on Thanksgiving.
Lying on his doghouse, as he was accustomed to doing, Snoopy could smell the absolutely wonderful food being prepared and eaten on Thanksgiving Day.
His spirits soared as he imagined special treatment with a special treat shared by his beloved master.
Later in the day Charlie Brown came out with a bowl of “dog food”.
Snoopy was so disappointed, devastated, finding it hard to be thankful.
Finally he realized he could be thankful that he was not a turkey.
“It is appointed to man once to die, and after that the judgment.”
The verdict.
The judgment.
The sentence.
The verdict for every person’s eternal future is established before we die.
The judgment is announced by The Judge after we die.
The sentence is carried out immediately.
The verdict is ours to decide, now—perish forever in hell, then—or—live forever in heaven, then.
The judgment pronounced, after it is too late—name not found in “The Book”—or—name written in “The Lamb’s Book of Life”.
The sentence ordered, carried out immediately—“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”—or—“Come, you blessed of My Father. Enter the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
– – –
Some (most) will be wearing orange (condemned guilty).
Some (few) will be wearing white (redeemed righteous).
“When they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation—to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.”
“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
“Here, Mom; take this, it’s empty.”
—–Bill and Gloria Gaither’s daughter,
when she was finally ready to give up her pacifier.
The parents had tried unsuccessfully to take it away when they thought it was overdue—and they gave up, wisely.
Bill makes the application to Americans’ search for meaning in places that are empty.
Considering the recent and ongoing saturation of end times teaching by many preachers and Bible teachers, what is the actual message received by the listeners (and non-listeners)?
– – – to non-believers
Better believe in Jesus now, to escape “The Tribulation”—really bad stuff coming soon.
– – – to Christians
Don’t worry about “The Tribulation”—forget the really bad stuff in Revelation—we’re out of here.
I observe that the real message of the Gospel and discipleship as commissioned by Jesus, is superseded by attention to the rapid increase of evil, which is promised in the Bible in the last days, which makes people take notice and listen to any message.
There is serious question whether the Gospel is still preached and still stands on repentance for sin and understanding the price Jesus paid for our sin, to offer forgiveness for sin, if we accept.
Fear of hell is legitimate motivation to repent and be saved (fear of “The Tribulation”, not so much).
But a person must acknowledge one’s depravity and need for a Savior, not just fire insurance without repentance.
Repentance is not popular—never has been—but it happens upon conviction in individual lives, not just to avoid something bad.
Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God and Repentance, just like His forerunner John the Baptist, to people who needed to get born again to be saved.
Jesus spoke of the last days to his followers, so they would not be taken by surprise and lose heart when the world falls apart—small-time and big-time.
– – –
I also observe that end times teaching has divided many Christians into camps of multiple interpretations of Bible prophecy.
A leader, a teacher, with one interpretation develops a following of those who accept his teaching.
They may not fully understand how he came to his detailed conclusions, but they like and trust the person to be right.
They become entrenched in their belief, and it seems obvious to them that they are correct, and many come to look down on other explanations of the Bible.
For some, this becomes blatant—for others, a more mild acknowledgement of differences.
Nevertheless, emphasis on end times teaching has caused uncomfortable division within Christianity.
But what these public differences have communicated to those outside the church, outside the body of believers, should be of concern (and often is not).
Remember that most preaching and teaching includes the opportunity to reach non-Christians, unsaved people who may not hear the path to salvation through the end times message.
It can be a distraction if the call to follow Jesus is not very clear throughout, not just tacked on at the end.
What does every message, every teaching, do for our witness to outsiders, to bring them a step closer into the Kingdom ?
That’s right.
That’s great.
Those two college students belong at the other rally.
It may indeed be smaller, as promised by the leader.
Those two college students had already been to the other rally.
That is why they had a mission to be heard at this rally.
People at this rally desperately needed to hear that “Jesus in King”.
People at this rally had never been to the other rally to hear about Jesus.
So the two college students brought Jesus to the rally, for all to hear.
They paid a price—ridicule, shame, shoved, removed—like Acts 5:40,41.
But they were not ashamed, not then, not later.
Their testimony spread, through opposition.
Now—will everyone of us who follows Jesus do the same ?
“When the council had called the apostles back in, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”
The election is over, but the issues are not.
Many people who cheered at rallies for the side that lost in the election, have not gone away or changed their mind—hopefully some have seen error and see light.
“Jesus is King” is not welcome by democrats.
“You’re at the wrong rally”—–Kamala Harris’ immediate public response when she heard “Jesus is King”.
Kamala, you ARE the wrong rally !
The people in that rally were deceived, cheering Kamala’s sarcastic put-down of Jesus, except for the two Christian college students.
– – –
Kamala Harris quoting the Bible over and over from the pulpit of a church a week and a half before the election was also not pleasing to God—demonic blasphemy—and that blasphemy from the heart did not go away after she lost and the democrats lost.
Remember, the devil uses Scripture too, twisted to his advantage, to deceive.
The people in that church were deceived, hearing God’s Word used by Harris, who was used by the devil, for campaigning against God.
The left will not give up, because their “message is brought to you by – – – satan”.
“Be not deceived—God is not mocked—whatever a person sows, that will he also reap.”
The Godless leaders and people on the left have not only sown seeds of evil in this country and in Americans, they are hell-bent on watering, fertilizing, and harvesting the fruit of their efforts—all on purpose, to intentionally destroy this “nation under God” and replace it with the same Godless results accomplished in communist Russia, communist China, communist Cuba, communist North Korea, tyrannically transformed Venezuela—socialist, marxist, communist USSA, United Socialist States of America.
And that ‘ain’t’ pretty—and that won’t be pretty here, no matter how much lipstick you smear on the pigs like Stalin, Putin, Mao-Xi Xi Ping Pong, Castro, Kim(one)-Kim(two)-Kim(three), Chavez-Maduro, Biden-Harris-Pelosi-Schumer-Blinken-Yellen-Austin-Garland-Mayorkas-Obama-Clinton . . .
– – –
The election is over, and thank God for victory, but the battle of God and God’s people against extreme evil in America is waging even more fiercely.
Just like the victory of Roe being overturned increased the intensity in the fight for life.
Elected leaders can stand and stop some of the evils, but only Christians can fight the evils inside us, with Jesus.
“He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
“Doing good” includes helping anyone in need (especially other believers), encouraging those in the right, confronting those in the wrong, and taking action to fight evil everywhere around us.
If allah was a real god, what would he have to say about modern, moderate muslims ?
If Mohammed was a real prophet of islam, a real prophet of a real god, what would he have to say about modern, moderate muslims ?
Considering the clear teachings of islam in the quran, the true followers of islam are not moderate—they are radical.
So, the ‘message’ from allah, from Mohammed, to modern, moderate muslims would be the same message that Jesus gave (and gives today) to anyone who claims Christianity but is not “hot”—passionate about obeying Jesus’ teachings.
“I will spew you out of my mouth (vomit).”
So much for lukewarm Christians—living comfortably in America, not making waves or enemies (dictionary synonym for lukewarm: moderate)—making Jesus sick to His stomach—compatible with the culture, until . . .
Until the lines are drawn to be “cold or hot”—deny you follow Jesus to save your skin—or—boldly say you follow Jesus to save your soul, with persecution and death, even at the hands of muslims that were peaceful, moderate.
So much for peaceful, moderate muslims—peaceful for now, compatible with living comfortably in America, “not hurting anyone”, until . . .
Until real muslims, radicals, that actually follow the quran, immediately require all muslims (including peaceful, moderate muslims in America) to follow their religion that says “kill the infidels”—use deadly force to get rid of non-muslims.
– – –
Authentic, obedient, passionate Christian—radical.
Authentic, obedient, passionate muslim—radical.
– – –
Now, let’s get some historical, spiritual facts straight.
+ God is God, and none other.
+ God is not created—He always was, He always will be.
+ God created everything.
+ God wrote down everything we need to know about Him in the Bible.
+ God created the angels, including lucifer, and gave them free will.
+ lucifer rebelled against God, and led a revolt in heaven.
+ A third of the angels followed lucifer.
+ God is HOLY, and He could not tolerate this, and it made Him angry.
+ God kicked them out of heaven, and He created the fire of hell for them.
+ lucifer (satan, the devil, beelzebub, angel of light, the dragon) and his angels became demons.
+ God canceled free will for His angels (they can’t revolt) and free will for the demons (they can’t repent).
+ God created people, very much like Himself, and gave them free will.
+ God’s created people disobeyed God’s very clear command.
+ God is HOLY, and He could not tolerate this, and it made Him angry.
+ God kicked them out of Paradise, the perfect garden He made for them on earth.
+ People suffer, and die, and disobey, and rebel against God, and deserve hell just like the demons.
+ BUT GOD gave a promise to people, so they don’t have to end up with the demons in hell.
+ God is God, and He made good on His promise to people.
+ He arranged for His Son, Jesus, to become one of His people and pay the full suffering of hell, in our place.
+ AND, God gave people a choice that He did not give the demons.
+ All people, we can accept His offer, believe that Jesus paid for the hell we deserve, and have life with Him in heaven FOREVER—paradise restored, and then some.
+ That is God’s Story, HIS-Story, the Bible Story—the First Word, the Last Word.
X Now, about islam.
X The devil hasn’t given up, for six thousand years of history.
X The devil knows his end—the lake of fire, forever.
X The devil loses every time he fights God—the garden of eden, Job, Pharoah, Jesus.
X The devil tried again six hundred years after he lost the big, repeated showdowns with Jesus.
X The devil, disguised (his specialty) as the angel Michael, gave Muhammed a ‘vision’ and words to write down—the quaran.
X The devil tricked people, lots of people, to follow his new religion.
X The devil knew islam would not start, survive, and grow on its own merits, so he infused violence in the teaching, in the practice, and in the minds of the followers, muslims—from the beginning in 610 A.D. until now—with no change, no reformation.
X The devil made a priority to enlist a major people group to follow islam—the descendants of Ishmael, the arch-rival of Isaac and his descendant that God promised would bless all nations, Jesus.
X The devil is behind the three thousand year conflict, hatred between Arabs and Jews, muslims and Jews, muslims and Christians (the Bible is one story of the Jews and Christians).
– – –
“Choose you this day whom you will serve.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
“God tests a person before He uses him significantly.”
—–Ray Pritchard (today, on afr.net)
“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.”
—–A W Tozer
God has boot camp for every soldier in His army.
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