"Understand this, that in the last days there will come
times of difficulty. For people will be loves of self, lovers of money,
proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
heartless...not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of
godliness, but denying the power. Avoid such people" (2 Tim.
3:1-5,).
Hey Gang: When was the last time you went to bed on
Saturday night with the excitement of knowing you would be going to the Lord's
House in the morning and rubbing elbows with God's family, getting a
transfusion of His words and singing and rejoicing as you worship the Lord with
your whole being?
To some who read these morning thoughts the statement I am about
to make may sound bold and even questionable, it seems most Christians are
powerless. Hey, wait a minute, Did Jesus not say "…all authority
has been given to Me in heaven and earth, and… I will be with you always even
to the end of the age and… that we should go out and make disciples".
(Matt. 28:18-19)
Pastor
Gary Wilkerson, President of World Crusade ministries wrote the following
message to his sheep: "Consider what 'normal' Christianity looks
like today in the typical believer. This person is a bit self-seeking, a
little materialistic, somewhat consumerist. Most of his daily choices are
about improving his life. That include his spiritual pursuits, from
church groups to the podcasts he downloads to the seminars he attends.
There's
nothing wrong with any of these things. Our Lord wants our lives to be
blessed: but for some Christians, these are nothing more than worldly
pursuits. They're about self-improvement and not the kingdom of
God. These things can drain a believer of true ‘Gospel power’.
He went on to say "To
me, what passes for normal Christianity today must be an outrage to God.
It's not only powerless, it is also passionless and lacking self-sacrifice: in
other words, it is cross-less – and, therefore, Christ-less. Don't
misunderstand: I'm all about God's grace, and I wouldn't lay any undue
burden on anyone, but it's time for the church to take a spiritual
inventory to see whether our "spiritual" pursuits are leading us
closer to God's heart or causing us to run in circles."
I would humbly suggest that the second option might be more
dangerous to your spiritual health. Why? Jesus declares that to whom much is given, much is required.
For someone whose life doesn't match the biblical truth he's been taught,
Judgment Day will be a little scary.
Many of us have to make a tough admission: that is, we
want to know God's way - to hear gospel truth - but we avoid living it.
Sadly,much church culture today encourages this kind of life. It's
acceptable to enjoy sermons and enter into worship - yet go home entirely
unchanged.
Sooooo, Whatever happened to a life of total surrender to
Jesus? What happened to being willing to lay down our lives for the
Gospel's sake? Paul said of his own testimony, "My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (I Corinthians 2:4).
If we aren't living a life empowered by God and His Holy
Spirit,, we can't blame the Lord. It isn't because His grace lacks power.
The problem is with us! Question for you to ponder, Are You A Normal or Abnormal
Christian by World Standards?
Blessings,
Gramps
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