Monday, April 2, 2012

SAY IT WITH LOVE...BUT SAY IT!

This is not the start of a Harlequin romance novel! But here is the deal. After I preached old school restoration (with the prayer and pressing in to repentance) at a local revival, it was testimonial time, my good brother in the Lord, Reg, got up and spoke of going to the morgue to identify a youth who had died earlier that same day while playing basketball. Here was a 20 year old man, cut down in his prime, by a heart attack! To make this even worse and knowing the background of the group of kids this unfortunate man was a part of, Reg was pretty sure this guy was not right with the Lord.


Most young people these days have bought the modern lie that everything will work out in the end or they have time to think about eternal things, when they get older.


1. Things will NOT work out in the end, unless folks of all ages, make peace with God RIGHT NOW! Do not buy the false theology coming out of preachers with big teeth, big grins and the biggest congregations on TV. 


They preach a Christ without the Cross and salvation without submission to the Will of God. 
They preach prosperity without perseverance and positive vibes rather than sorrow over sin.
They call sin negative talk.
They call confession old-fashioned.
They say people like me want to deny others their chance at the "blessing".


They have so corrupted our people that the vast majority (over 60%) of children and grandchildren of the Baby Boomers believe all you have to do is believe there is a God. Over 80% of Americans claim to be Christians, yet are not more followers of Jesus Christ than your bicycles hanging from the ceiling of your garage. These kids' moms were raised on the false church of Oprah and her New Age clap trap that everybody is going to heaven, regardless of what they believe. Their fathers, if they were in the same house, were too busy with cell phones; laptops and buying a fast car or boat than leading their kids to the Lord.


As America and liberalism continue to succeed in destroying the family unit - of mom and dad, with a system of values most of their parents had - each successive generation will grow up with no guiding light to lead them to a knowledge of the Truth. Churches are not helping when young people see church leaders more interested in programs and fancy buildings and coffee shops rather than the dire need to make hearts right with God. Some of our church people are expert at good concert music and fancy lights, while rebuking the devil, but doing nothing to Reveal Jesus Christ and His Doctrines of Grace.


2. There is no time! As this twenty year old found out, two seconds after he died, he made a big mistake! It does not matter if he had no father in the house or his mom did not take him to church. He heard the truth at some point in his life. There will be no excuse before the Great Judge of the Universe!  


Life is fragile and everyone of us can be called out of this world right this second - no matter who we are; no matter how rich or poor we are; no matter important we think our jobs or careers are; no matter how young or old our children are....it just does not matter! When our souls are demanded of God, friends, IT IS OVER!

People will make all kinds of plans right now - for vacation, for retirement, for this or that, but they will spend no time thinking about what is really important = Eternity! There were salvation decisions at this revival I was blessed to be a part of, over the past couple days, but for every one person we lead to accept and full confess, repent and commit to Christ, over 50 are lost! In fact, while the preaching was going on Sunday morning, a woman got up, grabbed her children and left the church building. You think this is not serious stuff?!



The battle lines have been drawn, friends. We all have the same opportunity to hear, examine and apply the Truth of God to our lives. What we choose to do with it will determine our eternal destination. Those of us who know the truth have an obligation to speak honestly with a lost person. Never assume someone is right with God until you have a chance to fellowship and love that person to Jesus.


The key to walking them towards His Table of Grace is Love. Speak the Truth in Love. Say it with Love. Love is not holding up your Bible on TV and telling a stupid joke, then putting down that Bible and never preaching from it while pulling false theology out of the air. This is worse than tickling the ears of the 46,000 sitting in your basketball arena called a church.  This is spiritual malpractice for which you will be held accountable, to your detriment, on Judgment Day.

Love is telling folks what is in that Bible, first without opening it. That is, the authentic way you live your life and tell what God, through Christ has done in your life, establishes instant credibility with those, with whom you are trying to share the Truth of God. It is only then, when they know you are real and care, they will be open to hearing the True Truth of Jesus, not some TV preacher or some guy down the street whose walk does not line up with his talk!



This Holy Week is the perfect time to reflect and take stock of our own lives and methods. For the rest of this week, we will look at different devotions to inspire us to do better and the reach another...so that stories of an endless parade of young people passing on into eternal separation from God, will grow less and less. 
Glory to His Name, Amen.

(image by google)

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