DOES GOD CARE?

YES HE DOES CARE!

“But what about the following….?”

 (READ ON---------------

CASE IN POINT:

Over three dozen people have been killed and many more injured, across five US states in the some extremely devastating tornadoes over the past week (March 2012).

From Indiana and Ohio, to Alabama again and Tennessee, homes are being wiped out and lives seemingly destroyed. The worst of the damage, along the Appalachian way seems to be in Kentucky. To make things even more unbearable, more snow is starting to fall in the Midwest and upper southern states than in the winter month of February.

A seeming miracle of the fifteen-month-old Angel Babcock of New Pekin, Indiana, found after her family's mobile home was destroyed in Friday's storms ended tragically. Angel was thrown 100 yards into a field after her entire family was picked up by the tornado there and flung across Creation. Her father, mother and two siblings were killed.

The stories are coming fast and furious over this and more as each week brings more heartache to another group of our fellow citizens.

CASE IN POINT:

Twelve year old Megan goes to a friend’s house for the night here in town. On the way to the Pancake House next morning, a drunk driver comes flying down Dirksen Parkway, runs the red light and plows into the minivan driven by the sleep-over friend’s mom. Megan, though wearing a seat belt, is killed instantly.

CASE IN POINT:

Last April 2011, the worst tornados ever, drove through central Alabama. It was a mile wide and sure death in its wake. Over 5000 buildings in the town, which is home to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, were destroyed. Over 300 persons lost their lives. Some of them lived in poverty in apartments.  Rosedale Court, a public housing complex, was destroyed, and thousands of apartments and homes in Alberta and Holt and in Forest Lake, Cedar Crest and other neighborhoods were heavily damaged and/or destroyed.

Of course, over in Joplin, Missouri, folks are yet to recover any semblance of normalcy, after the town was destroyed ten months ago…by yet another tornado. To make things worse, tornado season is right around the corner!

IS THIS GOD?

What do all of this have in common with each other? – Extreme Personal and Corporate Tragedy!

It is unimaginable to lose a young child forever…to a drunk driver or fatal disease.

It is unthinkable to watch a mile wide fast moving shroud of death, carrying the sound of 15 loud freight train engines at full roar…and there is no way to escape, hide or run from it.

It is unnerving to watch a wall of water, from all sides, heading for your home and livelihood, as you evacuate minutes before it happens.

It is stomach churning to approach your church in Joplin, find some of your congregants, whom you had seen hours before, dead in the tornado’s wake, while you yourself are suddenly trapped by debris in follow up winds.

Is this God?

America and the world watches these videos and photos from all these different tragic sites and are unable to process their thoughts accurately…and according to scripture.

From the Tsunami we watched LIVE in Japan a few months ago to this horrible and extended Tornado season, everyone from national network news anchor to the surviving victim themselves ask – “where was God?....How could He let this happen?....

I once heard ABC News Diane Sawyer, who is representative of most,  ask on ABC’s World News Tonight: “How can a loving God allow this”

THE ANSWER:

The answer is:  God is still loving, kind, compassionate and merciful. He is Holy God by Whose full Grace and mercy we are able to breathe in and out, for more than today. However, we have to go beyond just saying those words, to understanding its foundational truths…..and it all comes back to the Person of God. To do that, we look at the Attributes of God.

The Dictionary describes an “Attribute” is a special quality or characteristic of a person.

The Attributes of God are timely to attempt to comprehend, in these perilous times, where one could never know who will be next. I have always taught and promoted this – in order to claim, believe and fully appreciate the God Who offers these things, we have to know how credible He is!

This is not blasphemy! This is actually using the Word of God, guided by the Spirit of God to explain to a lost evolution-believing world, a process they would rather ignore.

The great Illinois preacher A.W. Tozer’s most famous book was “The Attributes of God”. He listed the following as God’s Attributes:
God is Infinite.  

God is Good.

God is Just.

God is Merciful.

God is Grace.

God is Omnipresent (everywhere at all times).

God is Immanent.

God is Holy.

God is Perfect.

While Tozer’s accurate description are tremendous and powerful, Judaism, from whence comes Christianity has such an elevated view of YahWeh or Holy God that I must share it here! It is completely Biblically based and in fact, since it is based on the Torah or the First Five books of the Bible, I believe it comes directly from the Lord as He imparted it to Moses!

Here are the 13 Attributes of Yahweh:

He is:

1.      God of mercy (before a man commits a sin);

2.      God of mercy (after a man commits a sin);

3.      Almighty Lord of the universe, Ruler of Nature, and Mankind;

4.      Full of affectionate sympathy for the suffering and miseries of human frailty;

5.      Assisting, helping and consoling the afflicted and raising up the oppressed;

6.      Long suffering and slow to anger;

7.      Abundant in goodness i.e. granting His gifts beyond the deserts of man;

8.      True to Himself and speaking the Truth in love;

9.      Remembering the good deeds of the ancestors for a thousand generations;

10.  Bearing with indulgence the failings of Man; and also

11.  Man’s evil deeds springing from malice and rebellion against God; and also

12.  Man’s shortcomings due to heedlessness and error;

13.  He will not allow the guilty to pass unpunished but visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him.

These are more in tune with what comes next – ORIGINAL SIN.

ORIGINAL SIN:

It is obvious Satan fell from grace and heaven BEFORE God created the Heavens and earth in Genesis 1.  When sin entered the world, the serpent was already at work to destroy perfection created by Holy God.

As a result of Original sin in Genesis 3 by Eve, all Creation move from peace and perfect joy to being cursed.  Because of the Attribute of God of the Old Testament (and New) He has to judge sin.  Therefore Adam’s physical environment had to change to suit his new fallen status where he would have to struggle to even make a meal or survive!

Since then, mankind has not only gotten more evil and rebellious but has followed the gods of this world in all its demonic activity, leading billions into the fiery pit of hell!

Creation has to continue to reflect this vile reality…and it does.  The Flood (Noah and the Ark); earthquakes, tsunamis, more floods, extreme climate and yes, tornados!

Jesus Himself warned in Matthew 24: 6-8 of these things! He said “⁶ And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. ⁷ Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. ⁸ But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come”.

This is the biblical background and the underlying reason we have, what we have as far as natural disasters! It had its roots in Original Sin!

Now many can choose not to believe this reasoning, but it is in the Word and I can defend it. However a better day is coming!

Just as we – those who have Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior and Lord – look forward to His Glorious Appearing, so does ALL CREATION!!! Yes, indeed!

The Apostle Paul was commissioned to bring Gentiles into the Kingdom of Heaven. He was PERSONALLY sent by the Lord Jesus after the Road to Damascus and three years in Arabia, learning directly from Christ.

Paul wrote the following prophesy in Romans 8:18-21” ¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay!!!!”

There is coming a day with NO Tornados, Tsunamis, Floods earthquake and death! And the same created universe itself, which the world worships (instead of the CREATOR), literally can’t wait!!

THE FINAL ANALYSIS:

We mortals will never understand any or much of this until we get to Heaven. Remember God says in Isaiah 55:8 “"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD.”And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine”.

We can never understand all those “CASE IN POINTS” at the beginning of this essay, but we have to Trust HIM….unless you have another way!

When you are wondering why God does not answer your prayers – Trust Him.

When you are asking “did I do something wrong” - Trust Him.

When you are thinking that God hates you – Trust Him.

When you are wondering if you really have any Faith at all – Trust Him.

When you pray and pray and beg and petition and cry out and you or a loved one is not healed or delivered ….

When you pour out everything you’ve got and there is total silence from Heaven……

When your spouse runs out on you and has an affair or decides they “don’t love you anymore”…….and THEY are the ones who seem to prosper……

When your ungodly conduct of a live-in boy- or girl- friend leads this person to refuse to commit and want only a civil union……

When you try to quit smoking or drinking beer…and only end up drinking and smoking more….

When your life appears to be going to a place you never planned for, but circumstances or the economy or…..

When all this adversity happens…..When the entire world seems to fall down on you…..Look in the mirror first.

Search your own heart to see what sin you have committed to keep God from blessing you. Seek counsel for those things you may not be able to understand from Scripture.

God will not hear the prayer of a sinner who wants Him to bless unbiblical conduct, or at least say it is okay. The Bible says in John 9:31: We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His will.

Life is not a box of chocolates, as Forrest Gump says….the old 1970’s song said “I beg your pardon…I never promise you a rose garden”…and on and on. Many Christians – real or professing – think that because they are doing X or Y “for God”, everything will always turn out right. It will in Heaven. But while we are here on earth, when bad things happen, we may get hit by them too!

The Bible says that the rain falls equally on the Righteous (the Saved) and the Unrighteous (the majority) of the world (Matthew 5:45).

None of us love to see people hurting or killed and their lives and property completely destroyed, LIVE ON TV, by these tornados or massive waves coming off the ocean. But we can seek comfort in knowing that our Heavenly Father has prepared a place for us, if we are READY to meet Him.

Tomorrow is promised to nobody. The rest of today is NOT either. If a person is not right with God, has not made peace with Him and therefore, does not have her/his sins forgiven….and if an earthquake destroys us right now, there is NO second chance or “oops…give me a mulligan, Jesus”.

Be ready to be called home at any time.

Be right with God.

Be reasonable when trying to figure out all this devastation in the natural world.  Mourn with those who mourn and rejoice when miracles happen.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” says the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:4…let us, who know Truth, then do the same when the rest of us believe “God does not care”.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

(Images courtesy Google Images from recent tornado damage in Indiana)

EITHER JESUS IS LORD...OR YOU ARE!

Not a day goes by when I don't give thanks, from the very depths of my being, in which I don’t KNOW that CHRIST THE KING is MY LORD, period! I am His bond slave (doulos) and He is my Master!

A few years ago, I was standing feet away from popular Christian singer Natalie Grant when she practically yelled "I am sick and tired of people who say 'YOU'RE GOING TO HELL IF YOU DON'T REPENT'"!!


Those were the saddest words I ever heard. Yet, this is not only the pervasive view of most evangelical churches, but the limp-wristed Emerging church of Rob Bell, Brian MacLaren, Doug Kimball and Solomon's Porch Paggett, at the other extreme as well. This is the doctrine of "Easy Believism"....the belief that costs you nothing.

"BUT WAIT - isn't SALVATION a FREE GIFT, you pinhead Bernie"? Er...YES!! But it cost my Lord Jesus everything! AND even a proud Seminary dropout like me knows what Mark 1:15c ESV means!!! It says "...Repent and believe in the Gospel"!!! I didn't say that, JESUS DID, Natalie! Before that, in the same verse He said "The Kingdom of God is at hand"!

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND


The Kingdom is at hand and many have let it slip from their fingers into eternity by following a belief system which bears no fruit...or hardly even shows it. It matters not to me that seminarians from a super rich place say that all you have to do is “Believe” therefore things "like Fruit and Repentance" are actually "GOOD WORKS"...and "you know who does good works to get into heaven…don’t you"??!!

Holy cow, Batman!  From my teen years to now, I walked and talked with God. He never talked back to me for a lot of those years, because I know now, that I was never saved. When He DID LITERALLY SPEAK TO ME on August 16, 1988 at 4am, I knew EXACTLY WHO He was/is! I had made a Decision a month earlier, at age 32 and He called me to work for Him.

From then until September 2001, while I was serving, teaching Bible in an Inner City Church (Hartford, Ct.) for almost 3 years with my wife Vicki and involved in Men's ministry in Springfield, Il...it was not until 2001, when I surrendered at the Altar, that I began the most exciting, spirit-filled and Jesus-high octane-powered journey of my life!!! (By the way, if you or you over there, have or run a ministry, and you think YOU made it happen….you may wish to reconsider!)

You see, what God is looking for are men and women who are totally SOLD OUT to His Son, the Lord Jesus the Christ...a George Mueller or a William Carey or the Moravians of the 100 Year Prayer Meeting. These are His “doulos”, His bond slaves.  


A bond slave or slave is the accurate translation of the Biblical word "Doulos" which almost EVERY English Bible incorrectly uses as Bondservant, to be politically correct! A slave depends on his master for everything. A slave's life and livelihood depends on his master. If his master is the Creator of the Universe, what could be better?

But you see, not many people in this world, especially in the West, would allow Christ to rule their lives like this. Sure they mouth the words while talking to others in the Church, but would never consider walking it out. The more I meet powerful men and women, who are bold and fearless and used mightily by God, the more they will tell you that their POWER derives from their complete commitment to Jesus, as Lord of All!!

HE MUST BE LORD


He must be Lord of your home, your marriage and children. He must be Lord of all from the minute you wake up to going down of the sun.  He must be because He is. When He speaks, it's not an option. It's the Final Word. 

I have never met a Christian, in ministry, who did not have the same story. They had to surrender it all to the Lord of all things. It was only when they came to the end of themselves and gave up, that He was able to show His power through them. You see the TRUE spirit-led life, is one where His Spirit has been given free rein to accomplish the Work He has called us to do.


If a person is truly saved, he/she is called to an assignment, not to sit on his/her blessed assurance waiting for Jesus to return. To all my friends and even Natalie Grant, who condemn Repentance and Fruit as Good Works, I urge you to reconsider in light of the following two verses:

A. Matthew 7: 19-20 (ESV) “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits"…Jesus said this.

B. Romans 10:9 (ESV): "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved".

You MUST be aware of bearing good Fruit, accepting the Gift of Repentance and seeing the Fruits of Repentance where the calling, confession and confirming of the fact lead to THIS: Jesus is the Lord of your life - NOW...not after we die - but NOW!

THREE THINGS


Therefore, it is my contention we need to do three things right off the bat…to PROVE He is your LORD, not to yourself…but in order to prove His Love lives inside of you. Again, this is not good works unto Salvation. This is good works BECAUSE of Salvation!


First, when we witness to and evangelize or visit the lost, lonely and dying, the first question HAS to be "have you made peace with God"....that is - have you repented of and confessed your sins to God...and then sought His forgiveness?

Forgiveness is where the rubber meets the road, because if that party does not seek that reconciliation with Abba Father, an eternal fiery hell awaits them - all because of a lack of Repentance.

Secondly, EVERY REAL Christian should show fruit in their walk. For some reason, a massive majority of people in our churches think it is somebody else's job to evangelize, feed the homeless, reach the lost...or for goodness sake - even pray for somebody else!! Faith without works is DEAD, DEAD, DEAD....this is not preaching good works...it's preaching Love in Action....because it is BECAUSE of one's Faith that we should want to minister to someone else!

Third and last but more importantly, if we just say a prayer, say we trust and believe, BUT DON'T CONFESS HE IS LORD, well He will NOT confess you before the Father on that day!

This is serious business, friends! Do NOT mess around with your eternity and salvation...or allow your family and friends to go around building their hope in Heaven on the lie of Easy Believism. The Free Gift of Eternal life is arrived at by specific ways LAID out the Full Counsel of God...not just the book of John. You either believe ALL OF THE BIBLE OR NONE OF IT, period.


FINAL THOUGHTS 


The last word comes from Romans 10 and rounds off this amazing journey of  Faith of which it is my privilege to be a part.....Romans 10: 10-13 ESV " For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."


Just a final thought about all of the above: do not be caught up with those who want to get into discussions about a pejorative called "LORDSHIP SALVATION" (more on that in the future) or some such thing.  The folks, some of them well-meaning, who talk about these things, also think Repentance for salvation is "good works". Again, what did Jesus say in Mark 1:15 (see first paragraph)?!  


When a person calls upon the Name of Jesus as in Romans 10:13, the original language implies there is a request being made, where the process was already gone through to get to that point. That process is confession and turning away from the way of the world. That turning away is repentance - a true gift from God, intended for use by us, to make ourselves right with Him.  Amen.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Graphic by www.gospelgifs.com

SEE, FEEL, TRUST.....SATURDAY MEDITATION

ORIGINAL PUBLISHED IN YESTERDAY'S CHRISTIAN iPOST

One of my favorite movies of all time is “Seven Days in Utopia” (2011). It is not just a movie about golf but chockfull of life applications. One of them was the simple acronym – SFT! Here the grizzled old golf pro played by Robert Duvall was mentoring his young protégé played by Lucas Black and teaching him about Focus.

From the Word of God, we know Focus is the hallmark of a good disciple of Christ. Lack of focus is when we take our eyes off Him and look both inward at ourselves and/or circumstances. This is destructive as we can become full of ourselves; if we get caught up in the world around us and not the Word IN us.

SFT stands for See, Feel and Touch. What does this have to do with this period in the church calendar, which many observe as Lent? What does this have to do with a tradition where we deny ourselves in a meaningful way?

Jesus said we must deny.....................

READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE NOW

IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE

Many of us will remember the fun Canadian band from the 1980's, LOVERBOY, whose most famous hit was "WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND". In fact, I happened to be at the Illinois State Fair last summer when they played on '80's Night, and these dudes sounded just like they did 30 years ago!

The message of "everybody's working for the weekend" is universal. In fact, Jimmy Buffett once told us, it was 5 o'clock somewhere! Not to be outdone, perennial booze-soaked country crooner George Jones reminded us what he was going to do once it was "Finally Friday"!


You and I both work with, know people who, and maybe are ourselves - people who keep saying "I wish it was Friday"...and this is on Monday morning! Is this really a good thing? There's nothing wrong with anticipating that feeling of glorious freedom of walking out of the office, factory, shop, hair salon or retail store on a Friday night after a good long week of hard work! In fact, there is something rewarding about that.


But friends, the joy of that precise satisfaction is the acquired by daily living. The joy is in the journey to get there - the trials;  the trip-ups;  the telemarketing calls at dinner; the terrible boss (real or imagined); the tons of paper work or overtime at the shop where a wave of clients just hit you like a tone of bricks....that's living, baby!


Jesus said, in so many words, that you have not, because you ask not. A verse which stood out to me yesterday is one we know well, from Matthew 7:7 NLT "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you".


Instead of wishing your life away and hoping it was Friday, before you even get to work on Monday, why not ask the Lord for the Ability, Attitude and Appreciation it takes to make it through that morning. As the morning goes, so goes the rest of the day!


The verse Jesus gave us is all present tense. So let's briefly break it down:

KEEP ON ASKING - The literal meaning is, "why not make a petition to Me"?! People will sign almost any petition for the cause they believe in! Well then - sign this one! Ask the Lord!

YOU WILL RECEIVE - He says, literally, "I offered"....and "it will be bestowed upon you"! If you walk with Him, He walks with you....and as James says "all good things come from the Father of Lights!

KEEP ON SEEKING - Literally, Jesus says "why don't you look into it, hoss?" Come on, man....we have the Greatest Gift of all - the Love of Jesus, and we don't look into having Him clear the way for us (by praying every morning)!

YOU WILL FIND - Again, He promises us a "Eureka" moment that if we pursue Him - VOILA - there He is AND you will not be disappointed at what you discover, not just for your personal benefit, but MAINLY ABOUT HIM!

KEEP ON KNOCKING - You will definitely like this one. The Lord is LITERALLY saying come on "beat down this door and ask Me, big time (with respect of course) to open it! The meaning is not just a tap on the door knocker, but doing all you can to say "LET ME IN"...into this blessing You have for me!

THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED - The original word "anoigo" follows the part about you beating down the door for Jesus to answer...because the reward for actively pursuing Him in ASKING, SEEKING AND KNOCKING IS THIS - HE BREAKS DOWN THE DOOR FOR YOU TO COME IN!  This is what the original word means!

Now, when 5 o'clock somewhere comes and the whistle blows, Katie bar the door...and we're off to hopefully, the best weekend in modern history. While it may be well-deserved, the moment by moment joy of living the Blessed Life, is doing exactly what Matthew 7:7 gives us - EACH AND EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK ...from Monday morning traffic to Friday afternoon starting pistols, out of the parking lot at quitting time! 

(image by google)

Photo by Shutterstock

EXCLUSIVE: LENTEN REFLECTION BY WHITNEY REED!

THE INCARNATION....Why did the Father choose to send His Only Son to Earth

WHITNEY IS THE FOUNDER/OWNER OF CHRISTIANCOLLEGES.org

As we continue through this Lent season, let us turn to the scripture to remind us of the sacrifice the Father made when he sent his only Son to be crucified for the sins of mankind.

There are a number of verses that I choose to meditate on during this time. Each verse helps me realize even more the truth of Christianity and reminds me why I need to continue spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ to the world.

John 3:16 is perhaps one of the most popular Bible verses. It states that “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” From this verse, we know that Jesus Christ was crucified to give those who believe in him eternal life. What does “eternal life” mean, though?

In John 14:1-4, Jesus tells his disciples that he will be leaving them soon and to comfort them he says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas answers Jesus by saying, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

In John 14:6, Jesus replies by saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

These verses tell me that I must believe in Jesus Christ and follow his teachings, in order to receive eternal life with God.

In 1 Corinthians 15:56-57, we are told “the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” These verses reiterate that, without Jesus Christ, we would have no victory, no salvation from sin.

Jesus Christ was sent to walk on Earth with man to save us through his crucifixion, but he also brought to us the teachings of love, forgiveness and meekness.  Below are a few favorite verses of Jesus’ teachings in truth. We tend to take these things for granted; viewing them as common place values. However, these were original teachings of Jesus Christ (and were originally thought to be radical and illogical by many of those who heard him teach). 

Matthew 5:21-22

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Matthew 5:27-28

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Matthew 5:38-39

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Matthew 5:43:45

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

God bless you through your Christian journey. May you find enlightenment through these teachings and continue to seek the truth through the Word of God.

Whitney Reed

CAN YOU LOSE YOUR SALVATION?

LET ME ANSWER THAT QUESTION - NO! YOU CANNOT LOSE YOUR SALVATION, IF YOU WERE TRULY SAVED! Q.E.D.

Over the past year, the question of a person falling from grace...and actually losing one's position as a child of God has been popping up in some of the unlikeliest places.  Just this week, I was also asked this very question. Therefore, in short, let's try to examine most of the following issues to clear up this matter, once and for all!

There is the issue of the 'backsliding' christian. 

There are those who simply walk away from Jesus, like Nascar driver Jeff Gordon, who was once the poster boy of the Nascar Christian.   

There is also the Role of God's Holy Spirit in all of this.

For those who say a Christian can lose his/her salvation, their argument revolved around the following short passage: "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been partakers of the Holy Spirit, and having tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame." Hebrews 6:4-6.

Before extrapolating that to Christians today, let us realize this book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, who were left leaderless when the Jewish priests killed James, the half brother of Jesus. James, author of the great book of James, was the leader of the Jerusalem church. Because there was now no church leader in the Capitol city of Christianity, Messianic Followers of the Way, were under heavy assault by the Judaizers to get back under the Law of Moses, in order to just live and get food! 

These believers did not backslide, but were under assault by teachers of the Law to add good works as well as all the ceremonial laws, which Christ did away with on the Cross!

If a modern teacher or pastor uses Hebrews 6:4-6 to say that a person can lose his/her salvation, they will clash with the clear actual translation from the original Greek! The phrase from Verse 4 "those who have once been enlightened" actually does the opposite of the "Lose Your Salvation" proponents!

Witness - "once (hapax) been enlightened (photizo)"....HAPAX means - once and for all. PHOTIZO means brought into the light....that is - rescued from the domain of darkness or hell!! 

Right off, the Word says - you are saved ONCE AND FOR ALL!

In Verse 6, we need to look at two phrases and here is the first "and then have fallen away" . The original word for this is "parapipto" or fallen from a close position as a follower of Christ! 

Then the phrase from Verse 6 " it is impossible to renew them again to repentance" rounds off the core of what we are discussing.

Basically, from the original text, the Word says in plain English - "if you, Mr or Ms Christian, falls from grace,  it becomes more and more impossible to change your mind and align it with the Mind of Christ...(the broadest meaning of Repentance)".

Therefore, Hebrew Verse number 4 says that we are saved once and for all. Then verse number 6 says you can sure fall from grace and get to the point where your love grows cold.

Jesus Himself confirms this passage in Revelation 2:1-5, when He lays into the Church of Ephesus. Jesus fleshes out the concept of what I just laid out from Hebrews 6:4 and 6, when He says in Revelation 2:2-5 "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for My name, and have not grown weary.

⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."

The Lord says in Rev. 2:5 that they had fallen flat on their face..and fallen or backslidden really bad. He gave the church a chance to repent. He did not take away their salvation. 

HOLY SPIRIT'S ROLE IN ETERNAL SECURITY:

Which leads us to this. John 10: 27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me". Jesus sheep is us.

Now here is the KEY VERSE IN ALL OF THIS...the very next one -  John 10 Verse 28 "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand.

We hear Him because His Spirit - the Holy Spirit of God - lives in us! This is the same Holy Spirit Who hovered over the unformed space called Earth, and spoke Creation into being!

If we say that people can lose their salvation, we are basically, well, to put it mildly, saying that JESUS MISSPOKE!  Do we really want to "go there"?!

If we say "God says it, and I believe it", we have to believe Him and His declarations here as well. The New Testament believer, who has been actually converted...AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, cannot lose the Holy Spirit, Whom the Bible says HAS SEALED US UNTIL THE DAY OF REDEMPTION!

There is NO doubt the Holy Spirit has the lead role here. 

For this logical and literal argument, which I have laid out to PROVE a Person cannot lose their salvation, there has to be a TRUE CONVERSION and not the typical majority of American "Christians", who raise their hands, walked an aisle or just call themselves 'christians' or 'evangelicals'!

True Conversion is the person who is a new Creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17) because he was literally born again or rejuvenated in the spirit-man by Conviction of the Holy Spirit; then there was Repentance of all that sin which He reveals; then seeking, obeying, believing, trusting and accepting the Free Gift of God.

Once this person is converted or "saved", he or she now has a commitment to make - and that is to submit to the Will of God through Christ and determine to live like Him. If this is done, He is now LORD of your life NOW, here on earth! Most Christians or church go-ers have big problems here in America with that one. For most Americans or western christian THEY are the lords of their lives, not Jesus. Those are the ones who easily fall away, when hard times or persecution hits.

So, can a person really lost their salvation? For the professing "Christian" who has never been born again, the answer is YES. For the rest of us, who have the Holy Spirit living in us and are saved - the answer is NO! We cannot lose our salvation.

(Image by Bing Images)

THE FIRST FAITH....TO THE LAST FAITH

GUEST WRITER: 

RICK STASSI

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Romans 1:16-18

RICK & DANA STASSI
WEBSITE: HERE

How can there be shame in the gospel? For it is Good News of the revelation of God , of Himself, to mankind to show perfection and flesh as ONE. What we first ‘heard’ we then ‘saw’ and now ‘do’.

The shame in the gospel is thus: Jesus was denied by those closest to Him. Jesus was mocked and scourged (Mark 10:34). The Messiah – the unblemished Lamb that came to be the propitiation, or complete appeasement, of sin, was spat upon and hung on a cross with a thief.

But even, more! We deny speaking His name as it is not a part of our cultural vernacular. Jesus is considered and outsider to conversation because we are uncomfortable and the one we converse with is as uncomfortable.

It can be said shame exists even in our walk with God. However, here it is said “I am not ashamed”. Say it and pray it. In the gospel is God’s revelation of righteousness.  As Matthew Henry states (paraphrased) the first faith is from God, Christ yet unseen, to the last faith, Christ thus come and risen. The just or righteous, the obedient and law-abiding, shall live by the last faith and we shall know this faith is evolved. For as once faith was unseen and then fulfilled through the stripes on Jesus’ back,  it is also our initial commitment to Him,  and the works of obedience we do and loyalty we have thereafter.

Wrath of God is now the eternal separation from our God because there is no righteousness where faith is absent. Where faith is absent, God yearns for our heart. We believe God. No wrath is greater than eternal separation in our unrighteousness and what seems righteous to the world is folly. Every man has his set of values. Each man a little different. Without a focal point of moral judgement and an Absolute moral standard, all is relative, it is Relativism. The concept is a simple one. A relative moral standard is diluted by the very body that claims it’s truth.

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” 1 Cor 1:25

Man alone in a self-centered wisdom cannot even approach God’s wisdom. Therefore, a claim that has been diluted holds even less merit. Man is foolish in his claims of goodness.

So let is be said, we are saved into righteousness through Jesus Christ and our hearts soar to His elevated throne. Righteousness is for we who are just. We who are just are righteous because we have faith. We have faith because we know that faith was first heard then seen on the cross. I plead you hear these words. Seek Jesus unashamed. Follow Him unashamed. Speak His name to the world so man will hear. 

It is Good News that all sin is appeased and placed on the cross and death is defeated. Life is born for we who seek it. We have eternity. We are the just and faithful.