Central Christian Church (Photo credit: char1iej)

Perhaps, when you read this, it will not apply to you.  Or at least, you will think it does not apply to you.  I simply urge you to consider what is said here with a sober judgment of yourself.  Far too often we allow ourselves to be fooled by our own mind.  And this is a crucial point to be made among all men, especially the members of the body of Christ.

Entrance into the kingdom of heaven cannot be bought.  You can’t buy your way in by doing anything more than to receive the gift of God in Jesus, His Christ.  With that said, I know there are certain things we are compelled to do by the Lord’s commands.  And I do not speak against the things of God here.  What I am talking about is the things we do for the sake of being respected by God.  We would do well to be careful how we perceive those necessary things.

Some might attend every Church function perfectly.  I remember reading about a woman who received a reward from her Church because she did never missed attending.  I recognize that the Church was trying to say that dedication to the body of Christ was important enough to reward.  But such things can also cause men to be led into a wicked lie.  While rewarding good behavior is not to be frowned upon, it is wrong to leave a carrot before God’s people.  Let them secure God’s pleasure before man’s appreciation.  Then the man of God will serve out of a pure heart.

Men tend to try to buy what they are not willing to do.  A man hires someone to do the tasks he does not want to do.  And in this the Church often leads to folly.  Remember this incident from the book of Acts, and consider hard where you stand.

“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’  But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!  You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.  Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.  For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.’  But Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”  (Acts 8:18-24)

Please, don’t judge what I have written here as an accusation against you.  There is one who does that, and this is not my intent.  I am simply trying to wake my brothers and sisters up to the facts of wickedness which lays within all of us.  Let us all consider how to clean the House of God.  Let us ponder how to remove every possible obsticle from the path of His people, and from those who desire to enter.