Tag Archives: death

Crushing Fear

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Can one man make a difference for Christ?  Do worms eat dirt?

Through the actions of one man, Adam, all humanity was condemned to die.

Through the actions of one man, Christ, all humanity is offered eternal life.

I started to write this and remembered all the leaders God has raised up.  But the intended audience for this post is not in such a position as they.  And the provocation for this post was a tiny man in a tiny place.

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I sat in the driver seat of my truck facing the sunrise,

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The pathetic body

as almost 200 people passed by the front of my truck to go to work, I kept myself busy with reading.

Did anyone notice?  That’s not my call to make.  I offered the opportunity of “Sonrise” to everyone who passed.

One slice of time in one day.  And everywhere I go, the message is brought.   

Underneath the hat, lay a Christian spy.  Everywhere he goes, he searches for weakness in the enemy camp.   Can something be done?  Can something be said?  What can I do to allow the Gospel to infiltrate the domain of wickedness?

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The parking lot

It is not reasonable to assume that everyone who dismounted from those cars is strong in Christ.  There are about 150 cars there.  Statistically speaking, 1% of those who passed by might have understood the visible message.  (I’ll round it off.  I don’t think there was a “half” person who pass by my truck).  Two people might have been influenced by the display.

I’m making a fool of myself by showing how I strive to serve the Gospel.  But I’m trying to make a difference here.  I’m trying to inspire others to do similar things.

I have found that most Christians are terrified to testify for Christ verbally.  The human body is not just a set of lips.  And the ingenuity of man is proven.  If a Christian wants to testify, he can find a way.

I will end this post with a rather sobering thought.

Try to envision your appearance before the Holy One.  What will be said of you if you died today?  Are you striving to further the cause of Christ, regardless how great or small the effort?  Or are you letting fear shove you into a dark corner?

We will all stand shoulder to shoulder with those who were beheaded for Christ.  Those who were torn apart by the rack will be there too.  Those whose bodies were ripped apart by lions will stand there with us.  Many had been imprisoned for years, for the very name of the Lord Jesus.  Perfected souls of mutilated bodies for the sake of their love to Christ.  And shall we appear empty handed?  Can you possibly imagine the shame of having hid the beautiful message of salvation because of fear?

Let us go and die with him!  For if we die with him, He has promised we shall surely live with him. 

And if by chance, you need further inspiration , read what is said in Revelation 21: 

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

I have no strength to inspire you more powerfully.

By His Grace

The Price We Pay

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World War II; the black car pulls into the driveway.  Those who live there know what the messenger brings.  Horror slowly dawns; a son will never come home again.

But the messenger did arrive.  Having arrived, he will certainly deliver the message.

You know me.  I am a messenger from the Holy Lord God Almighty.  I have arrived before your face, and you know the reason why.  Horror slowly dawns on your soul; having arrived, I will not fail to deliver the message.  “Repent or die”.

They did not want to see the black car in their driveway.  They did not want to see the impeccable uniform dismount.  But the soldier will not retreat until he has discharged his duty.  This also, those who live there know.

That is the case for those who deliver bad news.  How much more so for those who deliver the Good News?

What barrier is it for the soldier, that they were not ready to receive him?  What barrier is it to me, that you are not ready to receive me?

By His Grace

In the Blink of an Eye

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By His Grace

Christianity Demands a Choosing

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In everything our God told us, it is our joy to suffer for him.  As he was cast out, so will his disciples be, simply because he spoke what is true.  As we speak what is true, they will treat us like they treated him.

Everything he taught (and by the Holy Spirit of God within us, he still teaches) contains the element of extreme choice.  The teachings of Jesus do not offer mediocrity as an option.  The best examples of this can be found in Matthew chapter 25, and Revelation 3.

Matthew 25 tells us what became of the wicked and lazy servant.  Revelation 3 tells us what became of the Church of Laodicea. 

The world describes joy as happiness, peace, and pleasant prosperity; “Let’s all just get along”.  Christ Jesus describes his disciple’s joy as having the honor to suffer in His Holy name. 

Our joy is hidden in his promise.  The Christian’s joy is not revealed to him as the world defines joy.  For now we die.  But his promise is the eternal joy of eternal life.

As we openly associate ourselves with him, the world will come and try to take away our toys.  They will try, with everything they have, to destroy our right to speak; to mock a life of holiness.  That’s how they treated him.  He has promised, that is how they will treat his disciples.  For that is how they have treated every godly man.  I promise you in Christ, nothing has changed.

Christianity is divided about their response to this.  Some say, “That’s for the prophets only”.  Others say, “This applies to every Christian.  Everyone has to make up their own mind about this. 

10 “We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come”.  (Hebrews 13 New Living Translation)

It is like humanity to choose the easy path.  It is like Christ to choose the path that leads directly to crucifixion.  But let every man make his own choice.  Only let us be sure that every Christian understands these things.  Teach them well, that they may make an intelligent and willful choice.

By His Grace

The Dispassionate Objective of Death

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I watch men live.  What am I seeing as I watch us?  I see men prosper in the way of man.

They work to gather food, shelter, prosperity of social standing, and some semblance of “worth”.  They create some form of religion for themselves, individually and corporate.  But do I see them prosper against death?  No.  I see death approach them regardless their toil.

Death has no regard for the diligent work they have done.  Death, not only has no respect for the things of man’s toil, it has no ability to recognize anything but demise.

Rust does not make any apology to metal as it reduces it back to the place from which it was taken.  And the flakes of dust rust causes, fall back to the earth without the slightest acknowledgment of metal’s history or accomplishment.  As it is with rust, so it is with death.  As it is with wickedness, so it is with the best “righteousness” of man’s intent.

Do you think you have become something because you have learned to prosper in the ways of man?  Frankly, you have no more right to consider your prosperity as “something”, any more than death recognizes any righteousness within you.

If you want to be something, appeal to the Holy One, Jesus The Christ of the Living God.  Only in Him will you find any lasting profit.  For He alone has hold of the two keys; the key of Life, and the key of Death.  Only in Jesus will you find direction to do and desire eternally good things.  Without Him, you can’t even read the Bible with any effective impact toward righteousness.

He has spoken a singular truth among us: “Without me you can do nothing”.  The longer I live, and the longer I witness the “doings” of man, the more vibrant the truth of that saying becomes.

Seek Him and learn what fullness of that saying you can.  Only then will you begin to do more than simply provide sustenance until death comes to claim what is rightfully his.  The fullness of what I am saying cannot be understood without His presence.

The Religion of Science

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The temple you have built will be torn down.  It has been built by “unholy pride of man”.  Without and within, it is full of the things that glitter among men.

The Holy One finds no praise within it.  He is, indeed, held in contempt among the supposed holy things of man.  Yet He is Glory!

Science is the name of the temple you have erected to your own “glory”.  But you have built it of the very dirt the Holy One provides for you.

You define “what is”, according to your limited understanding.  And by your defining, you consider yourselves Great.  How is that any glory to you?

A dog defines his ability, according to the things he is created to accomplish.  How is the unholy “glory” of man any different?

No.  Your temple will not ascend into Eternity.  It will become ash; pulverized beyond substance.  It will not waft on the breeze of Eternity.  Not one speck will land upon any item of God’s New Creation.  It will be sucked down to the very bowels of hell.  There it will remain forever!

The memory of man’s “glory” will not remain; memories of this unholy place you have transformed to your own likeness.  In the blink of an eye, every one of God’s elect will forget your false glory.

The Glory of the Holy One, Jesus the Christ of God, will fill their eyes, desire and eternal soul.  They will worship Him with the greatest of intensity; with an eternal joyfilled, righteous, holy, and willing heart.

The things you are doing will undo your desire to remain among them.  You and all the things you presently adore will come to NOTHING.

Let the wise among men heed these things.  Let the lesser among the worshipers of science consider the things that are pure and Holy.  Let the wicked hearts, who now yearn for trinkets, consider the eternal things of the Holy Living God.  And may this be done quickly.

His Christ will come soon, to claim all that belongs to Him.  And if He waits a while longer to send His Holy Son, your own death will propel you to His presence; even as you lay helpless in the grave, awaiting your judgment.

By His “Coming”, or by your death, your time is well too short to be reliable.  Do not mistake the mercy of God to allow this place of testing to remain another day, as if it is a weakness upon which you can continue in unholy abuse of creation and pride.  Wise of men consider these things with urgent sobriety.  The foolish go to the temple of man, day and night, to worship the work of man’s hands.

By His Grace, these things testify strongly against man.  By His Grace, these words testify of the Glory that is the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  By His Grace alone, shall any man ascend to the Holy Temple of God.

Amen.

May the Holy Will of the Living God be done forever!