You may never read this,but for those who do please build only on the rock of our salvation. That rock is JESUS!!
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
(Matthew 7:24-27 KJV)
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
(John 4:23-24 KJV)
I’m extremely blessed because all my life I was challenged to know why I believe what I do the wayI do. It’s never been easy even with those who I thought knew me well. For me it wasn’t about accepting everything said over the pulpit without question. People would sometimes become heated while seeking answers or clarification. I learned that standing for the truth could cost you dearly, but it’s well worth it!
Now as long as I live I want to know GOD more and more. I want to grow in love not compromise. I’ve seen both horrible extremes. Years ago when the Amy Grant scandal became public the week day morning DJ of WWZZD said that he would not play her music again because of her sin and believed lack of repentance. A few months later he gets back on the air and rebukes us for judging her and not having all the facts! You see he had some talk with her and now he was okay with her adultery. Now I’m all for love the sinner,but hate the sin. I’m not perfect and repent a lot. However,when we become unforgiving of the wrong of others we seek to take the place of GOD. That’s bad,but so is going to the other extreme.
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:6-8 KJV)
Remember Bishop Carlton Pearson? He went from it’s either holiness or hell to everybody gets in. Now some of you are thinking that this is a good thing,but please WAKE UP!! It’s a wonderful thought in the moment. We all have love ones who are good people, but have never accepted JESUS CHRIST for one reason or other. They are dear to us and we like to think that after death their goodness will be enough to save them. But accepting the free gift of salvation is not a hard process.
“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
(Romans 10:8-13 KJV)
So if Carlton is correct we never needed JESUS. Think about in terms of the noble savage. Untouched by the impurities of the straight and narrow road we’re good! But what does the WORD OF GOD say about this?
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
(Genesis 3:6-24 KJV)
Now before you say it’s too long to read just consider what it shows us how much we need to be redeemed. Several times in these scriptures we see excuses made to escape or lessen blame. Now if there was nothing wrong with what was done why pass the buck? That one act of disobedience has affected all of mankind. And we know this but it doesn’t feel great all the time. It’s easier to give permission for sin rather than correct it! Sometimes we see the church as a place where no false doctrine could ever enter,but that’s not what it says in scripture!
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.”
(Jude 1:3-5 KJV)
Even back then there were those who used false doctrine mixed with a bit of truth to turn people away from GOD. These people didn’t kick down door and put their foot on the neck of the congregation. On the contrary they came in quietly and little by little gained trust and influence making sure that they appeared to be helpful all while being completely self serving. Now I know that those money hungry televangelists spring to mind rather quickly quickly but they’re not the only ones.
Today I was listening to some old contemporary Christian music. When these songs came out some people called it evil and claimed that these songs didn’t glorify GOD at all. The truth was they were new and different and therefore worldly. Today we have worldly music lyrics and everything thing else in the church. Christian artists now see it as a good thing to collaborate with secular artists. They say that it’s helping them reach the lost. Or they say that they are going to minister to a particular secular artist. However, these well meaning people end up losing their own sight becoming spiritually blind.
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
(1 Corinthians 15:33 KJV)
Yet there’s another type of Christian artists. When I say Christian artists you can also include those in any aspect the entertainment industry. As their fame and influence grow they take on more secular or worldly roles or projects while claiming that nothing has changed except the size of their paychecks and their audience.
They believe that material prosperity is and accurate measurement of how well you’re serving GOD. People love to hear a good success story. This idea that stuff will increase happiness means that hoarders should be the happiness people on earth. They hold on to everything and seek to gain even more. Now most would find that hoarding is wrong,but acquiring useful positions will make us feel better. And before you say that I believe that we should all live in poverty consider this.
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
(1 Timothy 6:10-11 KJV)
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
(Matthew 6:24 KJV)
So you see my problem. We no longer seek after the things of GOD because it’s unpopular and seen as exclusionary. Going along to get along is easier and leads to a more comfortable life here on earth. Still I hope that you’ll change your mind and seek the kingdom of GOD.
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
(1 Timothy 6:12-14 KJV)
Petra Strong Convictions
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