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I read this text a few minutes ago: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
With the indisputable devotion of Halloween to things of Darkness – to skeletons and witches and goblins and death – I cannot fathom why Christian parents let their children participate in the day devoted to death.
Yeah, yeah, I know the TRUE history of All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints Day. But that history, and the knowledge of that history has, for all practical purposes, has been swallowed up by Satan and his children – and when I say his ‘children’ I do not mean demons. I mean humans who wittingly or unwittingly spread his evil among us – even in the Church.
Is it because ‘all their friends’ are chasing after candy that parents turn a blind eye to the Darkness that has nearly obliterated the Light of the Gospel in our culture?
Is it because they don’t want to offend their CHILDREN that they capitulate to our culture of Darkness?
Christian parents – Jesus is WARNING you. The Thief is working in our culture to destroy your children, to mislead your children, to soften them to the occult.
You have a choice to protect your children – or let them follow their friends into Darkness.
If it’s been a while since you’ve read the story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria, I urge you to do so. It’s only 42 verses.
At the conclusion of His short conversation with her, she ran back into town and told everyone that she’d met Messiah. We pick up the story at verse 39:
“From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So, when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”
And now, the point: Do we believe in Jesus because others have told us about Him – parents, pastors, and so forth – or do we believe in Christ because we have MET Him for ourselves?
That really IS an important question we each have to answer – hopefully before we meet Him on the other side of the grave.
And what is the mark of a man or woman who has truly met the Christ? That’s easy to answer: A lifestyle of obedience to His commandments, and a life of ongoing humble repentance for our daily sins.
Have you met Jesus?
Christian – Jesus is so much closer to His return than most of us can even conceive. And may God help us to not be as those Peter wrote about in his second epistle: “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3-4)
OH! THAT is why it is so critical – CRITICAL – to know ALL of what His book says.
Please, Christian. It is time – it is TIME – to seek His face that He would show us our sins – even the sins we hide from ourselves. And that we would fall on our knees in deep repentance, with a plea for Him to change us.
The signs of our times have risen to the level of “Hey! Get closer to Christ. Keep your life pure. Make confession of your sins a routine event in your life.”
Please. This is really serious stuff.
“But [Jesus] replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?" (Matthew 16:2-3)
Christian, if you’re paying attention to the ‘signs of the times’ then you haven’t missed it. The prophecies of Revelation, starting with chapter four, are unfolding in front of our eyes. Artificial Intelligence (AI) moving ahead like an out-of-control freight train. Do an internet search and read what are the serious fears of many who know more about AI than you and I now know.
And then there’s all that talk about digital currency. And microchips in the hand that will eventually carry a person’s health and financial information. Then there’s the growing apostasy across EVERY kind of church – Catholic and Protestant. And then there’s the push toward a central government to govern the globe. And then there’s the massive purchase of farmland by China. And on and on the prophecies unfold.
(continued in the first reply below):
While proclaiming Jesus to the esteemed and revered religious leaders of his day, the apostle Peter warned: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Those today who are knowledgeable of Scripture know that Peter was simply reiterating what Jesus said as recorded in John’s gospel: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6)
It’s important and it is necessary for us in the 21st-century to remember that when Jesus walked this earth there were a number of religions, all of which pre-dated the birth of Christ. Among those religions were Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Mosaic Judaism (not to mention the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses).
Again, all of those religions pre-dated Jesus. But nonetheless, it was to everyone alive in the first century, as it is to everyone alive in the 21st century, that Almighty God – the creator of the universe – was telling AND IS telling those with ears to hear that there is salvation in no one else but through Jesus, God's only Son.
No one else.
This is not a difficult concept to understand. A child can easily get this message. So why is it so many adults in the first century, and those in the 21st century, including some pastors/shepherds in some churches and who graduated from esteemed seminaries – why is it that they try to wiggle out of the very simple and very exclusive truth that no one comes to eternal life except through obedient faith in Jesus? That no one can see God in the next life unless they come to that next life by the only gate – the very small gate – that is named ‘Jesus’?
Neither Jesus nor ANY of the New Testament writers were wishy-washy about that immutable truth. And neither should any today who name the name of Jesus as their Lord and Master.
Many years, when I was in my mid-40s, maybe early 50s, older people often recommended that Nancy and I travel when we’re young. They said to me that no one knows how life can take a turn for the worse, and when travel is no longer is possible.
I always nodded my head in agreement. Intuitively, I knew they were right. But I just didn’t have the time at that time to do as they recommended.
Then Nancy had her stroke. And life took a turn for the worse. And although God miraculously gave her life back to her – AND to me – our days of travel are gone.
But my point is NOT about taking the time to vacation or travel. My point is much weightier than that. My point is about serving Christ to the best of our abilities and resources now, while we have the health and the strength and the resources to do so.
I hope you won’t simply nod your head in agreement. Intuitively, you know I’m telling you the truth.
Listen, I am NOT saying it’s wrong to vacation, to travel, to enjoy the fruits of your labors. I am not saying that at all.
What I AM saying is that no one is promised another hour of health or strength or resources. A stroke, a car accident, a fall, a heart attack – any of a dozen life-changing events can knock us to the ground in a moment.
In a moment.
Like it happened to my wife.
In a moment.
Christian, please. Please. Use whatever moments and health and opportunities you still have – use them for His kingdom.
You don’t know when your life will suddenly change for the worse.
If you’ve ‘received’ the gospel message – even been baptized and joined a church – but are still the same as you were before you received it, then you have NOT really received the message. You have simply ‘heard’ it.
Said another way, if you’re still living essentially the same lifestyle as you were before you got saved (as some call it), then you have NOT gotten saved. Instead, you are merely practicing a life of self-deception and will end up with a very, very tragic end.
As God tells us through the apostle: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (1 Corinthians 5:17)
And again, another warning from God: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Reader, please listen. I examine myself every day. EVERY day. And I BEG you to do likewise for yourself. You’ve heard it before. Please hear it again: No one is promised tomorrow.
And God is very serious about our lifestyle.
Mark Twain -- not in the least a friend of Christian faith –once quipped: “It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it's the parts that I do understand.”
I don't know what he meant by that one-liner, but there’s a lot of truth in what seems to be the clear sense of his words. I mean, how many people have you run across in your life who scoff at the words of Scripture because those words run afoul of their preferred lifestyle? How many ridicule the words of God printed on those pages between Genesis and Revelation because those words accuse them of their sins and warn them of a hopeless eternity unless they repent?
Let’s face it – there are lots of understandable parts of Scripture. And it is perhaps especially to those parts that all humanity will be held accountable.
@60ab64a4 A generic statement. Applies to anyone and everyone, today, yesterday, tomorrow, who are told they don't need to read the Bible because their 'clergy' can explain to them what it means.
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