Evangelism

 

Evangelism encouragement

I am encouraged in recent times by the increased interest in evangelism.

To Timothy Paul wrote :- “do the work of an evangelist” . I discern that Timothy was a teacher with limited courage, but he was exhorted to step out of his comfort zone and make known the Gospel to those who needed it most. 2 Timothy 1-4

      Interestingly, it is Christian women who have stepped up, to reach out in Toowoomba. Women from a prayer group now operate a monthly market stall giving away many Bibles etc. People from many, many nations attend for their fruit and vegetables. After Six hours of evangelism they are encouraged.

Others make blankets for the babies of migrant mothers.

Others visit the people in their homes, helping with English and citizenship, and looking for opportunities to speak the truth about Jesus the Saviour and Lord.

Others teach Religious instruction at state schools

But the question remains – Where are the men?

Seems as though many hide behind the facade of church and church programs. A few venture to teach RI. It is not hard to put Gospel leaflets in letterboxes, to post a Gospel verse on face book, to give a Bible to the many who are seeking them. Opportunities still exist to connect with the community at markets. And of course, the Bible way  - using hospitality to befriend and share the Gospel by life and conversation.

  But all this is in vain if the motivation is missing:

-      To love as God loves   John 3:16

-      To be constrained as public ambassadors by the love of Christ    2 Corinthians 5

 

There are plenty of other reasons why we should obey the Lord’s command – the need of the lost, the command to go, the unifying value of evangelism, the impact on the community conscience, the restraint upon other religions  etc

Isaiah had it right – “ Here am I send me”  Isaiah 6,

“Present your bodies a living sacrifice” Romans 12:1

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Faith

 

A verse for today

‘It is impossible to please God without faith.

Anyone who wants to come to Him, must believe there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek HIM.’

Hebrews 11

Faith always has an object – faith in the unseen living Lord God, faith in the once crucified , now risen Lord Jesus.

Life abundant

 

“That Christ might dwell in your hearts by faith…. Filled with all the fulness of life and power that comes from God…To live for the glory of God”

  ( Bible Ephesians 3)

Positive :-  God has planned and enabled the best for all

Negative :- Living independent of the LORD God is idolatry.

 

    There’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin

     There’s a door that is open and all may go in

       At Calvary’s cross is where you begin

         When you come as a sinner to Jesus.

 

“Behold I stand at the door and knock

If anyone hears My voice and open the door , I will come in……..”

 (Revelation 3.20)

 

“Today if you will hear His voice , harden not your heart”

( 2 Corinthians)

My reading this morning

 

“As it is destined that each person must die, and after that comes judgement, so also Christ died once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, but not to deal with our sins again.  This time He will come to bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for HIM.”  (Hebrews 9:27)

      

     ‘ Even so come Lord Jesus’

Hope in a hopeless world

 

What makes the Christian message so different to others?

It is that Jesus, who sacrificed Himself on the cross, this same Jesus is now alive in heaven  interceding before God for all who put their trust in Him.

Without HIM, people are very vulnerable to human violence, to the inability to cope with life. Hence the high suicide rates in our modern society.

        For those who recognize God, accountability to Him can be a fearful thing especially if one is trying to appease Him by one’s own effort.

BUT the good news is that Jesus Christ the Lord, has paid the debt of our sins and now He lives forever as our Saviour, our Redeemer, our Great High Priest in God’s presence!

 

“Christ was once offered for sins, the just for the unjust to bring us to God”  1 Peter 3:18

 

        For those who ignore this, or live independent of HIM, or worse, denying HIM as the Son of God -  their future is eternal destruction.

 Life then has no valid meaning and the future without hope.

Today

“HE is able to save completely  all that draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.  “  Hebrews 7:25

Seek Him today!

Salvation

 

God’s voice to me this morning:

Hebrews 2

“How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation”

Such is the fulness of salvation through God’s Son, it grants forgiveness, access to the throne of God in prayer, hope in this life and the next, and a place in that heavenly place where the Son (Jesus Christ) is seated at the right hand of God. How?

I quote a Bible verse

“ The Lord Jesus Christ gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us and to make us His very own people totally committed to doing what is right”  Titus 2

Escape damnation - only by faith in Jesus Christ, God's Son

johnmckee@internode.on.net

@avoiceinthewilderness-r7z

The greatness of our Lord

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwmasL2v2gc

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Motivation to reach the lost

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfn7MhcOo8   -  The Love of Christ

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God in action

 

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Please let me explain. There is only one true and living God, creator of all, to whom all humanity is accountable. Although He is very great, His personal interest in this world, is very active. He is not so much interested in the world systems, but rather the people He created for connection with Himself.

          Something went wrong and most of the people of the earth live in disconnect from God. Judgement would justly invoke punishment, but God chose to present His final remedy – not in the law given by Moses, nor the voice of the godly prophets or the faltering kings. No. God has spoken finally in the visible, tangible presence of His Son Jesus the Christ.  The Son perfectly represents God the Father.

Jesus did much more than teach. He chose to live in real humanity.

Only one person could be described as ‘the only begotten Son’ – Jesus. It means – existing before He was born of Mary, abiding in the bosom of the Father, coming forth to uniquely show what God is like.

 “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world”

He came more than 2000 years ago – some received Him, many rejected Him.

God announced from heaven “This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him” (Mark 9:7)

          Then and now, the vital element for connecting with God is to receive His Son, believe in Him, trust Him. Faith focused on Him is the means to forgiveness, justification, sanctification, eternal life. Believing in Him produces behaviour that pleases Him – born from above into the family of God!

‘Whosoever ‘ means everyone. The promise given is sure for all who believe on the Son , our Lord Jesus Christ.

‘Believeth’ is present continuous tense – continuing to live by faith in Him.

‘Should not’ is in old English quite definite, not doubtful.

‘Perish’ – more than a wasted life. The consequences of sin and unbelief are severe and eternal. Not loss of being, but rather loss of well being.

‘Eternal life’ – more than a good life now. God’s design is for each believer  is to be in His family, in his home (Heaven) with joyful connection to God forever.

          A nurse I know, sat beside a dying unbeliever. As he passed away his face was contorted with extreme horror. The same nurse sat beside a dying unconscious believer. He awoke for a moment, his face beamed with delight and then he was gone.

 

          What have you done with the greatest expression of God’s love? Will you receive “the Son” and be assured of the promise of eternal life?

 

Another promise describes the extent of God’s love:

“God showed His love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  ( Romans 5:8)

 

“ This is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT)

God's love

 

Message made in memory of Robert Spurling – something like his preaching fourty years ago.

Our text today is Romans 5.8

“God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”

This well known verse has brought hope to many lost souls. Many men and women have wandered helplessly through life , until they discovered God’s true love meeting their need.

              The idea of need – well most of us thought we were ok -enjoying ourselves as youngsters, trying to fit in with the gang, going our own way. But when God steps into the equation, we discover our sin, our need of forgiveness, heading for a lost eternity. In fact, when we let the Bible speak, we find ourselves in danger of hell and the lake of fire.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages if sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

So we have all sinned , but God wants to give us eternal life.

 God is holy – and can by no means clear the guilty.

   God is love – even loving guilty sinners bound for hell.

     He saw us in our need  - guilty and unable to save ourselves.

It is just like a person in the ocean, unable to swim, drowning without hope. But then a lifesaver throws out a lifebuoy with a rope to pull it in. All the drowning man has to do, is to cling to the lifebuoy.

     God the lifesaver saw our predicament and sent His Son to be the Saviour!

      Such was the problem of sin, it needed a sacrifice to take our sin away. None other was good enough to pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate of  heaven to let us in.

 

1 Corinthians 15.3  “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, He was buried and He rose again the third day according to the scriptures”

      Now the debt has been paid, all that God wants us to do , is to reach out to the lifebuoy (Christ) and let the lifesaver save us. The empty hand of faith says – I cannot save myself, I am not good enough for heaven, my sins deserve eternal death, but Jesus died for me.  So I reach out and take Jesus as my Saviour . He died for me, so I will trust Him to get me in the gate of heaven.

The promise holds true – John 1.12  “ To as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His Name.”

 

    But remember the opportunity to receive salvation is brief.

“what is your life? It is but a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away!”   (James 4.14)

None of us   know the day of our death so:

“Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Some put if off till later but the cry is real:

‘too late , too late will be the cry, Jesus of Nazareth has passed by’. Hell is full of procrastinators. Today make Jesus Christ your choice:

“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”    (Romans 10:9)

 

A concluding Hymn of warning

 

‘Almost persuaded, now to believe

 Almost persuaded Christ to receive

  Seems now some soul to say?

    ‘Go Spirit go thy way

       Some more convenient day

         On thee I’ll call’

Call today and make the Lord you lifebuoy!

Evangelism

 

Meditation this morning

Bible – Mark 4

Jesus also said : “ Here is another illustration of what the kingdom of God is like : A farmer planted seeds in a field, and then he went on to other activities. As the days went by, the seeds sprouted and grew without the farmers help, because the earth produces crops on its own. First a leaf of blade pushes through,  then heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle”

 

What am I learning today? After a very busy seven hours of evangelism yesterday, we can rest in this teaching of the Master – the good seed of the Word of God will, in God’s time yield a harvest. Thank the Lord it does not depend on us. How blessed to be in His hand to reach out to many who have never heard the Gospel, never had a Bible and don’t know who Jesus is.

In the day of harvest, may He get the praise and the glory.

Eternity

 

How important to be prepared for the end and beyond

Doing or Done

 

Do or Done

I am reading the Old Testament writing called Deuteronomy. Many things, good things are commanded for the Israelites to do. I notice the commands for obedience are intertwined with the promises of God’s love for them.

e.g. “He is a faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love Him and obey His commands.”   Deut 7:9

 

In the New Testament, commands are given, but obedience is rather the outcome of love more than the means to win God’s favour.

Eg   “ It is Christ’s love that controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live.  He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will  no longer live to please themselves.  Instead they will live to please Christ who died and was raised for them.

……. All this newness of life is from God who brought us back to Himself through what Christ did.”   2 Corinthians 5:15

 

The ‘old way’  was by doing.

The new life is real because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done.

 

Are you living life as doing?

Or living life because of what He has done?

 

The objective of both is to connect with a righteous and Holy God, but the principle of connection is different. The first depends on my  obedience ( and we all fail) , the second on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ my Lord ( sufficient to reconcile all people who turn to God in faith).

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Greece

 

Bible message from Acts 17:

A university lecture?  The philosophers of Athens were interested to hear anything! So Paul was invited to deliver his point of view.

     He acknowledged their religiousness, but one of the worship alters he saw summed up the major problem among them:

  “ To the unknown god”  !!  -  was it set up just in case they had missed a god, or was it indicating God as unknowable?  In reality it expressed the fundamental issue – in all their worshipping, they didn’t know the true and living God.

…….same problem today.

The creator God is greater than man made idols, greater than temples or cathedrals. The LORD God does not depend on priests or philanthropists.  He is the maker, the giver of life, the sovereign who personally interacts and interrupts in the affairs of humanity.

Besides coming to us in various ways, He invites us to “seek after God and perhaps feel our way toward Him and find Him – though He is not far from anyone of us.”  (Acts 17:27).

 

God is spirit not stone, and is able to respond to our spiritual quest seeking the ‘higher power’.

 

God is just and good – all the time. But that includes judgement. Each of us are accountable to Him.

 

God has appointed a special judge. It is the man Christ Jesus who as man understands humanity and as Son of God has the official right to judge the world.

 

God raised Jesus from death, and in His rising there is both forgiveness for all who truly believe in Him, and punishment for all who do not obey the Gospel.

 

That day some believed, some procrastinated, some laughed!

 

Where are you today?

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Citizenship

 

In the last week I have been to two citizenship ceremonies- --one for an Iraq friend, and in Brisbane for Iranian family. Both were a delight to attend.

 Things I notice – almost all the migrants choose to speak the pledge aloud which includes “under God”. Many don’t quite understand the meaning, but it is good most recognise God.

    “under God”  is not the imposing of religion or church. Rather it is the acknowledging of God as the greatest authority.  At every ceremony is a photograph of the King along with the Australian flag  and the Australian coat of arms. Then at the end we all stood to sing the Australian anthem.

    But above all these symbols of authority, “under God” means that we are all responsible to the higher authority of God.  In the Christian context that also implies the authority of His word – the Bible. Much of this was evident at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11  and King Charles 111 , viewable on youtube.

    This principle intrudes into democracy (the will of the people),  so that God is the final judge and His word the moral law. Democracy has at times tried to push God away, but His Word remains to activate the consciences of all people. (Romans 2  ‘their own consciences either accuse them, or tell them they are doing right’).

There was one statement made by the government representative I disagreed with- “we welcome you all with all you have to bring”. As I have discovered some of the sad , sinister details of migrant backgrounds, this statement needs to be qualified  by “under God”. We don’t need people to bring caste systems, multiple wives, atheism, violent attitudes, racism  etc

     It is the conquering of these  cultural/religious distortions that has made Australia the land of great opportunity .  Culture /religion is not as innocent as many politicians make out.

 

It has been a great privilege and learning cuvre for my wife and I to interact closely with many migrants over the last seven years. Best of all when people turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

 

Praise be to the LORD.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Gospel for all

 

Gospel message from Bible book of Acts chapter 13

This message is so important in the history of the Bible. Paul and Barnabus were speaking to both Jews and Gentiles.

The true God is identified as the God of Israel, the Creator of all.

According to the promise given to Abraham, the Israelites were privileged to represent God to the world. Sadly their history has been marred by failure and rebellion. God, who knows all hearts, did find David with  a surrendered heart. Through his ancestral line, Jesus the Saviour was to come.

Paul, who had been a strict Pharisee, then points out the ministry of John the Baptiser as a significant announcement, -- that the promised Messiah was Jesus. John also preached that the people should repent of sin and turn to God.

      The people who listened to Jesus teach, were so religious that they didn’t understand their need to repent. The leaders objected to the teaching of the Lord Jesus and so rejected Him when He claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God. (Mark 14). But God had actually prophesied about these sufferings for the Servant of the LORD. (Isaiah 53). The cross seemed a cruel reward for someone who had always done good and always spoken truth.

    This message emphasises that the Jesus they crucified , God raised Him to endless life. This was and is the Good news! In keeping with other prophecies, God vindicated Jesus as His unique Son. Not only so, but God has exalted Him in heaven as the Saviour for all people. Now the great and precious promises given in the Old Testament and the New Testament can be fulfilled for all people!

Please carefully read the conclusion:

“In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in HIM is freed from all guilt and declared right with God – something the Jewish law could never do.” (Acts 13;39 NLT)

Many believed and millions more have since. By believing in the Lord Jesus Christ they received the gift of eternal life. This gift is available to all.

Gospel to Gentiles

 

Peter perplexed, propelled, perception, preaching, praising

     God’s most important plan – to include Gentiles in the blessings of the Gospel. Some non-Jews like Cornelius were continuing with prayer to the God of the Bible. The angel appeared and instead of telling the Gospel to him, Cornelius is referred to Peter, for Peter is to learn much about this special purpose of God.

Peter’s prayer time was interrupted by a heavenly vision of unclean animals for food. A voice pronounced an astounding new arrangement “What God has made clean, do not call common.” Perplexed Peter was then invited, commanded to go to the house of the Roman Centurion, Cornelius – what should Peter do as an observant Jew? Mixing with Gentiles was forbidden.

       But propelled by the Holy Spirit, he set out for Caesarea, taking witnesses with him. At the hose of Cornelius, he asked, “why have you sent for me?”

   Peter perceived that God was at work, teaching him the wide embrace of God’s GRACE. “In every nation God accepts those who fear Him and do what is right”.

  Peter immediately preaches Jesus Christ as LORD of all ( all people) without any introduction of Torah, temple or Judaism.

The message about Jesus Christ is most important  especially the conclusion in verse 43  - “Everyone who believes in HIM, will have  their sins forgiven through HIS Name.”

Peter explained about John the baptiser, followed by Jesus the one anointed by the Holy Spirit to do great and good things. Peter then identifies himself with others who were witnesses of Jesus dying and rising again from death. Jesus Himself had commanded them to preach the Gospel of forgiveness to the whole world in His Name.(Luke 24)   Also that He would be the final judge of the living and the dead.

    The message might have continued, but enough said, enough to believe and God who knows the hearts, interrupted by the giving of the Holy Spirit to these new believers!  Just like it had been given to believing Jews in Acts 2, so these Gentiles were able to speak in various languages (maybe Hebrew) and to praise God.

     So Peter joined in the praise of God for putting this plan together to include the Gentiles . He then authorized them to be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, as was done for the Jews. Peters later presentation to the Jerusalem conference summed it up well –( Acts 15:8) 

   “ ……. God made no distinction between us and them……….we are all saved the same way, by the favour of the Lord Jesus Christ”

   “God has also given the Gentiles the opportunity to repent and receive eternal life”  (Acts 11:18)

 

I with Peter praise the LORD for His providence and grace!

Many relevant issues flow from this incident, but chiefly it shows God at work taking this Gospel beyond Jewish boundaries to include the whole world.

Amazing grace and the final accountability of all to the Lord God.

Gopel to the Jews

 

Peter’s second message to a privileged people.

Please read Acts chapter 3 for the full response.

This chapter begins with a serious contradiction. The extravagantly adorned temple had at its gates people begging for money!  So today, a world of billionaires and religious wealth, while so many are starving!

But once again in our Bible record, God takes the initiative to turn a bad thing into something good. And so the crippled man was the means to the glory of God. He was miraculously healed and the crowd were excited.

Peter’s response is important. Way beyond the healing was the significance. This was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at work. This was done in the Name of ‘Jesus of Nazareth’. So Peter describes this Jesus: - the Holy and righteous one, the author of life, raised from the dead. By His name the lame man was made whole!

But I missed something – the guilt of the people.

V14  - the Jewish people denied any loyalty to Jesus before Pilate

-      They chose the release of a murderer for festival celebration

-      They killed the true source of life

Peter was not preaching a feel good gospel – no – he exposes the significant sin, particularly the sin of rejecting Jesus the Christ.

Peter commands – ‘repent’, and then gives a beautiful description of God at work.

God foretold the sufferings of Christ. (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 etc).

God can blot out sins and send times of restoration, refreshing and hope. It can only be valid as it comes from the presence of the Lord.

Verse 21 indicates that there was still an opportunity for all Israel as nation to be saved. God is the God of a second chance!

So Peter outlines the means of their restoration:

1           V13 – Relational connection to Abraham, Issaac and Jacob

2           V18 – Revelation of prophecy about Messiah

3           V22 – Raising up of the Prophet to speak again for God

4           V23 – Retribution for deaf  ears

5           V25 – Remembrance of the covenant

6            V26 – Real possibility of recovery from past wickedness by Him whom God raised up to bless instead of curse.

Then would be fulfilled the ancient purpose of God to Abraham –  ‘ through your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed.’  Oh such a God of mercy and grace to such an underserving people!

 

And the rest of that story??? Keep reading the Bible book of Acts, or read the newspaper to see a nation largely far away from God.

Gospel series 1

 

The Gospel according to Peter.

Acts 2:23-42   - please read the verses before reading my summary.

Peter’s audience were Jews from many parts of the world. The people were astounded that locals could describe the wonderful works of God in many languages. Indeed it was the power of the Holy Spirit indicating that the Gospel was not restricted to the Hebrew language or the Jewish people.

Verse 23  - Peter then focuses the attention of the people on Jesus. Many of these people had seen Jesus crucified. Peter says God had a bigger and better plan. The life of Jesus was verified as God directed, by many signs and wonders.

God used even the combined rejection of Him by Jews and Gentiles to fulfill the prophecy of Psalm 2 and Isaiah 53. God has the habit of turning bad situations into good outcomes  -- the death of Jesus of Nazareth becoming the means of human salvation and God’s final glory.

Peter  emphasises that this seeming disaster has been overcome by Jesus rising from among the dead, never to die again.

1       God raised Him from the dead – He was sinless

2       God foretold His resurrection in Psalm 16

3       God had a plan for David’s promised heir

4       God established witnesses of the living Lord Jesus

5       God has exalted Jesus to the place of highest honour

6       God has verified the Old Testament scriptures, as fulfilled in Jesus the Christ

7       God has established Jesus forever as :

       LORD – superior to all, greater than the prophets, greater than Moses, Lord over all people!

        Messiah – Christ- anointed to fulfill the great plans of God

 

Now the question of relevance – for three years the crowds had listened to and admired Jesus of Nazareth. Now their indolence became guilt and they must either receive or reject Him.

Peter issues the command “ Repent and be baptised in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Peter gives no options  - the  only way to be on right terms with God was total commitment to the risen Jesus Christ..

    And so it was that many took the humble place of repentance (I was wrong, God was right) and rested their hope for forgiveness and future purpose in Jesus Christ the Lord.  It created peace, togetherness, prayerfulness. But most of all the focus of the disciples was Jesus who before He died took some bread, broke it and said “do this in remembrance of Me”.

Their devotion was no longer to the temple, to Moses, to the law .It was to the living Lord Jesus Christ.

 

From this day forward, things would be different.

 

Peter’s third recorded message is to the Gentiles – stay tuned.

Terrifying verse

 

The words of Jesus  I tremble to publish but true love insists.

A most terrifying Bible verse:

From the sermon on the mount, Jesus speaking:

“On judgement day, many will tell Me –“Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name, and performed miracles in your name.” – but I will reply “ I never knew you. Go away, the things you did were not authorized.””    Matthew 7:22

 

How could it be?

I let the Lord answer: “ Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to Me as Lord, but they still won’t enter the kingdom of heaven.  The decisive issue is whether they obey My Father in heaven.”        ( Matthew 7)

      Gathered in His audience were very religious men like Pharisees who studied hard the Torah and traditions so as to keep the law precisely. Also the scribes who constantly copied the scriptures. There were so many following the Jews religion but not Jesus.

So few accepted the teaching of Jesus as authorized by God the Father. So few were willing to take the humble place and do the will of God revealed by Jesus the Christ. Most importantly, so few believed on Jesus for who He claimed to be – the Messiah, the Saviour, the King, the Son of God.

             They didn’t know HIM, or rather He didn’t know them as sheep counted into His fold.  (John 10 “ I am the door, by Me if anyone enter in he will be saved………  My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me. I give unto them eternal life….).

   How tragic this end, to have lived in religion, thinking activity there was enough to gain eternal life, then to discover (too late) that it was all empty.

 

Dare I repeat the words of Jesus Christ:

Luke 13:25     “ When once the master of the house has risen up and shut to the door, and you begin to stand without and knock …. He will answer ‘I know you not whence you are…. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ “

 

 Do I get pleasure publishing such negative warnings – no – but genuine love says I must. I don’t want anyone to hear such tragic words from the lips of Jesus the final judge – “I never knew you”.

 

How then can we be sure?  His promises are sure and as quoted above – He is the once dead, now living Shepherd. Entrusting ourselves completely to Him (enter and follow), He promises to take us in, and give us the gift of eternal life. His words change from the threat of damnation, to the hope of eternal glory.

As you read the Bible, what does  it mean to you? Is your faith valid, are you activities authorized by Him?