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Wintley Phipps has allowed us a glimpse into a faith that is rare. Come listen to him. Come be encouraged. Come and learn to fear the One who made you. Come and learn what love is.
I don’t know that Christianity has ever witnessed a greater coldness, within its ranks, than today’s “so called church”. I can’t say with absolute certainty, for I am not privy to the entirety of history. But from what I see and read, I find it hard to imagine a more rebellious time.
From the beginning, Christianity has been unpopular. But as the unpopularity and attacks against the Church increased, so did the number of those who believed. But now? Now I see, witness, and hear many lives that bear almost no resemblance to Christ’s intent for His people. The world is far colder to the Gospel than ever before. And this desire to replace the Gospel’s intent with ANYTHING ELSE, is not diminishing, it is exploding; replaced by a willing ignorance en mass!
I’ve asked before, as have hundreds others, “What time is it?”
If you’re going to miss your flight, a good friend will certainly remind you of the time. And his reminders will increase in urgency of delivery.
Those who go to bed late, will wake up less refreshed than they ought to have been.
If you know the family eats at 6 pm, it’s foolish to purposely stay out till 9 pm.
Waiting to accomplish, till you know it’s long past time to prepare and do, is selfish idiocy. Love does not act like that. But The Bible promises that just such things will happen to Spiritual (Eternal) things. I would gladly even extend that to morality itself.
Many, (I don’t think that word does justice to the actuality of the number or percentage) will determine to withdraw from The Faith. The term the Apostle Paul uses is “a great falling away”.
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a great falling away first. . .”. (2 Thessalonians 2:3) That’s not just a few, that’s a great majority. Jesus alluded to this by saying, “Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18: 8)
The Lord uses the simple word “faith”. I have come to call it “The Faith”. But the use of the word “faith” implies an even greater horror than does the use of a more poignant title.
One other aspect to this vein of thought, is that the “falling away” indicates that one must first have had something to fall away from. This doesn’t necessarily exclude the world, but it more speaks of Christianity. The sad part of this is, that those who are falling away won’t even be able to identify this stage of creation, as they will perceive the nature of things from the perspective of self-righteousness. To them, all things are as they should be! Wow! What a horrifying seal to those who allow the world to draw them off from Christ.
And look what Peter said about this:
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 thereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved to fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3)
With what tool shall anyone awaken the sleep that has come to cover the souls of today? How will the Holy Spirit contend with the flesh driven rebellion that covers the earth like a putrid mold? With all their perceptions anointed with the things of this world, humanity now enters into that blindness which will cause them to dance in the streets, send gifts to one another, and celebrate with great abandon, the death of God’s two prophets.
How greatly we warn. But who even cares that such words still exist?
I’m done writing this post, but for one question:
What about you, what about me?
I just read that stuff about Olsteen. I don’t follow the news anymore, so I didn’t even know there was a problem.
In a way he’s right. But only in a small way. A very very small way.
Our Lord didn’t say, “Come be happy”. He said “Come and suffer and die with me”. And he made that point lot more often than he talked about happiness.
When he met with his disciples again, he didn’t chide them for their grief. Before he was crucified, he warned his disciples that they would have grief. But he assured them it would turn to joy. He urged them to have faith.
Remember how he told them the horrible things they would endure for his namesake. Does that sound like today’s teaching about joyous positive thinking?
Olsteen, you forgot about the brotherhood of suffering for the name of your Lord.
Hoorah for the broken hearts! Shame for the hearts who binge themselves on joy.
Integrity of faith is tested in the crucible of suffering. How some people miss that is beyond my understanding.
Research the English saying, “Stiff upper lip”. You’ll find it reflects an honor even a godless man can respect. How much more the servants of Christ?
Rule of thumb:
If a Christian teaching gathers a vast multitude of followers, be suspicious.
It is said that if you back a coward into a corner with threats of death, he may well leap out against you with an excellent strength. I believe there is a place where this has truth. But I believe there is also a place with this might be true with a “man” of peace. You can back him against his beliefs only so far. Until you can back up no farther.
There is a place where the average man will not succumb to any pressure anymore. Do you know the place in yourself that I’m talking about? Have you been pushed back to what you refuse to doubt?
We stand in this world and testify of Christ. And if we are bold we will step away from the foundations of our belief into the realm of pure faith. While we are extended like that, there is a possibility that we could be pushed back to the things we refuse to doubt. And I’ll admit, sometimes we have extended ourselves way too far. Being pushed back is simply a natural restraint.
But what is the extent of a Christian’s firm beliefs? How far will they extend from himself that he may walk to the edge and push farther in pure faith? How much of God’s promise are we willing to believe without doubt and without wavering?
How far could we be reaching out now? What is not being done that could be? What are we denying The Lord?
Our reaching out is stymied by doubt. Is it possible to consider that a favorable response to his glorious grace?
Lots of questions. Every man holds a different answer.
The Hope of Christ causes we who believe to agree:
God has placed us among His belongings in Christ.
6 “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5)
How much of this does each of us believe? It is easily determined, how much of this we believe, by an assessment of our “doings”.
May sobriety tend to us as a caring nurse.
The prosperity of riches, among Man, is defined by those things a man might acquire. And so they bear their proper name. Easily lost or destroyed by rust and various decay, such things have no right to bear the name “prosperity”. For no sooner are they acquired (or even desired), they begin their demise.
Penniless paupers are those who desire only the things of this world. But rich are those, and beyond voicing, who place their desire in the things of eternity. This “hope” in Christ we own, is riches unspeakable.
Let the unbeliever ridicule the Christian. Let them hope in every possible “value” in this world. They stand as proud owners of decay. But let understand sink in. The Hope we own in Christ is given to us by He who is endlessly true. Such a One cannot give any decay to anyone. What He gives is a faith that cannot possibly die, except that a man might rise one day to choose doubt over belief.
Yet he who owns Prosperity of Eternity owns what is absolute. This one is rich! He is rich beyond his ability to know, yet he believes.
Doubt belongs to the owners of decay. Belief is received by He who extends eternal riches. Believe and prosper. Doubt and remain a pauper.
We: Live, Die, Face Judgment. Jesus or die twice.
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