God Wants to Save You

God wants to save you, but you must make a choice: an eternity with Him or an eternity without Him.

The Lord doesn't force you to choose. He leaves it up to you.

He also doesn't hide anything from you; He openly tells you the result of each choice.

• An Eternity with the Lord - An abundance of life (Matthew 25:46; John 10:10; I John 2:25). No more death and no more tears (Isaiah 25:8).  There is a specific place prepared for you akin to a mansion (John 14:2).  You will be clothed in righteousness and covered by the presence of the Lord, to worship Him night and day (Revelation 7:13-15).  You will never be hungry or thirsty again and Jesus will comfort your every concern (Revelation 7:16-17).  There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore and you will receive all that is in the Kingdom of God as your inheritance (Matthew 25:34; I Peter 1:4; Revelation 21:4-7).  Priceless riches permeate the city, made of pure gold and precious stones (Revelation 21:18-21).  There is no concept of aging and you will enjoy the fruits of your own labor, for every work you perform will be productive (Isaiah 65:19-23).  There will be no more curses, no more night time at all, and no need for any light outside of the light that comes from Jesus; you will reign with God in the Kingdom (Isaiah 60:19-20; Revelation 3:21; Revelation 21:22-25; Revelation 22:3-6). You will have fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
• An Eternity without the Lord - Everlasting fire, everlasting contempt, everlasting punishment, and everlasting destruction (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:41-46; I Thessalonians 1:9). Eternal fire where the worm never dies (Mark 9:44-49; Jude 1:7).  A resurrection unto damnation (John 5:29). Eternal torment in a lake of fire and brimstone causing weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42-50; Luke 16:22-24; Revelation 14:10-11; Revelation 21:8).

Just consider these options at face value.  No one in their right mind would choose an eternity of torment in Hell fire over an eternity of joy, peace, and love. Yet people do every single hour of every day. Why? Because they have fallen for the okey-doke.

Proving Yourself to the World

I have seen some Christians seemingly list a number of disclaimers prior to attempting to speaking the Gospel.

I am not trying to judge...I love everyone... I hate the sin, but love the sinner...I am not trying to push my beliefs on anyone...I respect everyone's rights... 

Why take such pains to prove that you align with what the world considers a "Christian"?

Why go to such lengths to prove that you are "loving"?

Why the preface to prove that you are not "judging"?

Why feel the need to prove yourself to the world?

I don't recall any disciple of Christ ever taking this attitude, and I have to think it is because they just didn't care.

I am not saying that they didn't care about the people.  Clearly they cared about the people anytime they took the time to tell them the truth.  I am saying that they didn't care how people responded to the message.  Why?  Because they trusted the Holy Spirit.  The trusted the Holy Spirit to guide them in what to say (and how to say it) and they trusted the Holy Spirit to give understanding to those with ears to hear.  And they knew that many would not have ears to hear.

Two Natures At War

All around the world, we are seeing evidence of two natures at war. Do you know why? Which one are you?

Will You Secede?

"Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." John 14:30

The prince of this world is coming. Does he have anything in you?

If so, then it is time for a secession.

It is time to break ties with anything that looks, tastes, feels, or sounds like the world.  It is time to break off all alliances and end all compromises.  It is time for us to become crucified to the world and for the world to be crucified to us.

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14

We have held on long enough to people, possessions, relationships, reputations, hurts, fears, etc. You cannot drag these things into the Kingdom of God.  Yet at the same time, these things will keep you back from the Kingdom.

There are people lying to you, telling you that the Kingdom of God is all about building up some earthly dominion in this world.  They call it "Kingdom Business" as they focus on making money, acquiring possessions, expanding professional networks, and becoming a person of renown.  There is nothing wrong with having possessions, just don't let them start to possess you.

Haven't you heard that the Kingdom of God is not of this world; it is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17)?

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." John 18:36

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

"And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 

And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

The Old Cross and the New

I was asked by a brother in the Lord to share an article which was originally posted on our expired message board, so I thought I would post it here.  It is an excerpt from The Dwelling Place of God (1966) by A. W. Tozer.

The old cross was a rugged, worn, blood-stained torture device used to bring about the death or end of the man hanging on it.

The new cross is reduced to a mere symbol of that, becoming a source of pride for the flesh to show off, while affecting no change in man...except perhaps to make him worse.

Thank God for men such as A.W. Tozer, who could see the pitfalls in the Church even back then and didn't hesitate to sound the warning.

A. W. Tozer, Man, the Dwelling Place of God
ALL UNANNOUNCED AND MOSTLY UNDETECTED there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental.

From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique-a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before.

The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam's proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually.

The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better.