As Christians, at one point in our lives we were told we were sinners and that we needed to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. The reason given to most of us for our need of a Savior was "so you can go to Heaven after you die".
Well, is that what "saviors" do? Is that the job description of a "savior"? Do they take you some place really nice? To me, firemen are "saviors", rescuing people from dying in fires. Lifeguards are "saviors", rescuing people from dying in deep water. Policemen are "saviors", rescuing people from death by criminals. Doctors are "saviors" when they rescue people from dying by diseases, etc.
It seems to me that "saviors" rescue you from something horrible that is going to happen to you. It's NOT their job to make life fun for you and to take you somewhere "wonderful", which most of the ministers in our churches are preaching in today's pulpits. So why are we allowing ourselves to be taught falsely that we need Jesus as our Savior so we can go to Heaven when we die? That just is not what "saviors" do!!
The fact is that we need Jesus as our Savior to save us from the wrath of God to come (Romans 2:5), and from a fiery death in Hell. Notice the word "from" in the previous sentence. Jesus came to earth to save us from something horrible that is going to happen to every single person on earth if they don't believe in Him and give their hearts and lives to Him. In John 3:16 it says, "....that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish...." Perish how? Perish in a lake of fire called Hell. This is a big part of the Gospel message, and it is totally being ignored in today's churches.
However, when the Ten Commandments - God's Law is not preached any longer (because it has supposedly been "done away with"), then people have no way of understanding what sin is. And, if there is no sin, then there is no penalty for sin (death by fire in Hell). Then, our ministers who believe that we are "no longer under law but under grace", must start preaching a "different"
gospel than what Paul and Jesus taught. Today's message is now a Gospel of Happiness instead of THE Gospel of Righteousness!
My little granddaughter spent the night with us this past weekend. She's 5 years old and "accepted Jesus into her heart" a few months ago. Before I put her to bed, I read her a little cartoon tract. In the tract, it mentioned people going to Hell. She proceeded to ask me what Hell was. I explained to her sin is when people disobey God by breaking the Ten Commandments. God will punish them for their disobedience by sending them to Hell, a place of fire, if they don't accept Jesus as their Savior.
She got quiet, and then asked me, "But Grandma, that is only for people who don't have Jesus in their hearts, right?" I said, "That's right." She then said, "Well, I accepted Jesus into my heart." I said that was great, but explained when she did that - she was also making a promise to Jesus to always live for Him for the rest of her life. As an example I said it was like when her mommy and daddy got married and made a promise to love each other for all of their lives.
I was thrilled to get to have this conversation with my little granddaughter, but it really made me wonder what is being taught in our fundamental churches and seminaries these days that people in our churches don't even know what Hell is!! So that brings me to this question: "Is it possible to have a Savior without first having a Hell?" When there is no "fear of God before their eyes", then why should people think they need a Savior? I think this is the very reason so many of the salvation conversions in our churches are short-lived. They were never real conversions in the first place because 1) sin was never explained to them (remember the false teaching that the law has been "done away with"), and 2) they were never told the truth about the punishment for their sin. Revelation 20:15 says, "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Apostasy: Parents Obeying Their Children
In my previous posts, I've written about the apathy and complacency Christians have in these last days regarding obedience to the Ten Commandments - God's Law. But what about our children who are the next generation? I want to take a look at the Fifth Commandment, "Children, honor your father and mother." Are they learning to honor and obey their parents or are their parents honoring and obeying them?
If you sit long enough at a park or mall, it won't take you long to see "parents obeying their children" as they jump at their child's every wish, command and temper tantrum. Christmas time is the perfect time to see how "parents honor their children" by going into debt to buy them every toy their little hearts desire. Going into homes, you may notice how children are allowed to grab the chairs, while the adults are willing to stand or even to sit on the floor just so their children can have the "best seats in the house". Where are the days when children were made to get up and offer their chair to the parent/adult? (Leviticus 19:32) No wonder this generation is being called the "Me Generation". Of course, as most of us know, this is a sign of the last days according to 2 Timothy 3:2 where "disobedience to parents" is mentioned.
However, what does God's Word say in the Ten Commandments, specifically the Fifth Commandment? In Exodus 20:12 it says, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." In the New Testament, it is re-stated in Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 3:20 by saying, "Children are to obey their parents". In fact, nowhere in God's Word will you find a command for parents to obey their children.
So, the question is WHY are children being allowed to be disobedient to their parents? Well, the first obvious answer is that Christian parents are failing in their job to teach them to be obedient to God's Law by "obeying their parents." And when there is disobedience, there is no discipline or consequence by the parents for the disobedience. "Lawless Grace" may even be an issue here since many Christian families lead their children to the Lord at a young age. If you believe in the theology that "the law has been done away with" and that you are "saved only by grace" - then why teach your child to obey God's law when he/she is saved and going to heaven anyways?
However, I'm really hoping that is not the case. Parents need to TEACH their children that when they disobey their parents, they are also disobeying God's Law. Whenever I was disobedient to my parents, I first got instructed on how I had not only disobeyed my parents - but how I had also disobeyed God. After my father spanked me, he would tell me I needed to pray and ask God to forgive me for my disobedience towards Him and His commandments. So I would pray and then, my father would hug me and tell me how much he still loved me and how much God loved me. Because of my father being there, I was taught not only obedience to my parents but also obedience to my God.
Another reason I believe Christian parents are failing in their job to teach their children to be obedient to them is the fact that so many of these parents are giving up their responsibility to raise the children God has given them. In these last days, Christian mothers and fathers are choosing to not be in the home when their children need to be taught obedience to God's commands. These parents are choosing to put their children into daycare or expecting grandparents to do the job that God has given them to do. In doing so, children are not being taught to obey their parents (because their parents aren't there) and they are not being taught to obey God. For those of you who are "single mothers" and must work outside the home - it's just more imperative that the time you do have with your children is time spent teaching them to be obedient to you as their mother and showing honor to other adults in their lives as that is the only way they will understand how to show honor and obedience to God.
In closing, I just want to remind all of us that as Christians, we are called to "not be like the people or world around us". Romans 12:2 says, "And do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...." This includes the way we raise our children. They need to understand that when they disobey their parents - they are also disobeying God and His commandments. Our children also need to be taught that because we are Christians - our homes and the discipline, honor, and respect in our homes is going to be different than our friends and neighbors because "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" and not ourselves.
If you sit long enough at a park or mall, it won't take you long to see "parents obeying their children" as they jump at their child's every wish, command and temper tantrum. Christmas time is the perfect time to see how "parents honor their children" by going into debt to buy them every toy their little hearts desire. Going into homes, you may notice how children are allowed to grab the chairs, while the adults are willing to stand or even to sit on the floor just so their children can have the "best seats in the house". Where are the days when children were made to get up and offer their chair to the parent/adult? (Leviticus 19:32) No wonder this generation is being called the "Me Generation". Of course, as most of us know, this is a sign of the last days according to 2 Timothy 3:2 where "disobedience to parents" is mentioned.
However, what does God's Word say in the Ten Commandments, specifically the Fifth Commandment? In Exodus 20:12 it says, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." In the New Testament, it is re-stated in Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 3:20 by saying, "Children are to obey their parents". In fact, nowhere in God's Word will you find a command for parents to obey their children.
So, the question is WHY are children being allowed to be disobedient to their parents? Well, the first obvious answer is that Christian parents are failing in their job to teach them to be obedient to God's Law by "obeying their parents." And when there is disobedience, there is no discipline or consequence by the parents for the disobedience. "Lawless Grace" may even be an issue here since many Christian families lead their children to the Lord at a young age. If you believe in the theology that "the law has been done away with" and that you are "saved only by grace" - then why teach your child to obey God's law when he/she is saved and going to heaven anyways?
However, I'm really hoping that is not the case. Parents need to TEACH their children that when they disobey their parents, they are also disobeying God's Law. Whenever I was disobedient to my parents, I first got instructed on how I had not only disobeyed my parents - but how I had also disobeyed God. After my father spanked me, he would tell me I needed to pray and ask God to forgive me for my disobedience towards Him and His commandments. So I would pray and then, my father would hug me and tell me how much he still loved me and how much God loved me. Because of my father being there, I was taught not only obedience to my parents but also obedience to my God.
Another reason I believe Christian parents are failing in their job to teach their children to be obedient to them is the fact that so many of these parents are giving up their responsibility to raise the children God has given them. In these last days, Christian mothers and fathers are choosing to not be in the home when their children need to be taught obedience to God's commands. These parents are choosing to put their children into daycare or expecting grandparents to do the job that God has given them to do. In doing so, children are not being taught to obey their parents (because their parents aren't there) and they are not being taught to obey God. For those of you who are "single mothers" and must work outside the home - it's just more imperative that the time you do have with your children is time spent teaching them to be obedient to you as their mother and showing honor to other adults in their lives as that is the only way they will understand how to show honor and obedience to God.
In closing, I just want to remind all of us that as Christians, we are called to "not be like the people or world around us". Romans 12:2 says, "And do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...." This includes the way we raise our children. They need to understand that when they disobey their parents - they are also disobeying God and His commandments. Our children also need to be taught that because we are Christians - our homes and the discipline, honor, and respect in our homes is going to be different than our friends and neighbors because "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" and not ourselves.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
When God's People Forget They Stand Before God
When God's people do away with God's Law, they also do away with the thought of "standing before God". In fact, it seems the only time we hear teaching on "standing before God" is when we are being taught about the Judgment Seat of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:10) Although it is true that we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ in the end times, we also need to realize we are "standing before God" every day we live!
In 1 Kings 17:1, the prophet Elijah said to King Ahab - "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before Whom I stand, there will not be dew nor rain those years, except at my word." Elijah said it again to King Ahab's servant - "As the Lord of hosts lives, before Whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today." (I Kings 18:15) Elijah's successor, Elisha, also recognized this fact when he declared to the king of Israel, "As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, ...." (2 Kings 3:14)
In all of these instances, it was acknowledged that 1) God is alive, and 2) We are always standing before Him. At one point, though, Elijah forgot this fact in 1 Kings 19:1-10. When he forgot this fact, he experienced fear, depression and self-pity. In fact, he told the Lord - "I alone am left (of God's prophets); and they seek to take my life." In the following verse (19:11), God said to Elijah, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." God had to remind Elijah that he was still "standing before Him".
Someday, we will stand before the Judgment seat of Christ. However, that doesn't give us the right today to live for ourselves and to set aside God's laws. As Christians, each day that we wake up - we need to acknowledge that we serve a living God and that we are "standing before Him". As Colossians 3:17 states, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
"As the Lord my God lives - before Whom I stand." Will you allow this thought to change your thoughts, the way you talk, the way you eat, your desire to witness, the way you dress, what you read, the shows you watch, what you spend your money on, the employment you choose, the friends you have, the language you use, etc. As David said in Psalm 139:7, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" It's time for Christians today to start living like they are standing in their King's presence and obeying the commands their King has given them - because He is coming back very soon!
In 1 Kings 17:1, the prophet Elijah said to King Ahab - "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before Whom I stand, there will not be dew nor rain those years, except at my word." Elijah said it again to King Ahab's servant - "As the Lord of hosts lives, before Whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today." (I Kings 18:15) Elijah's successor, Elisha, also recognized this fact when he declared to the king of Israel, "As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, ...." (2 Kings 3:14)
In all of these instances, it was acknowledged that 1) God is alive, and 2) We are always standing before Him. At one point, though, Elijah forgot this fact in 1 Kings 19:1-10. When he forgot this fact, he experienced fear, depression and self-pity. In fact, he told the Lord - "I alone am left (of God's prophets); and they seek to take my life." In the following verse (19:11), God said to Elijah, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." God had to remind Elijah that he was still "standing before Him".
Someday, we will stand before the Judgment seat of Christ. However, that doesn't give us the right today to live for ourselves and to set aside God's laws. As Christians, each day that we wake up - we need to acknowledge that we serve a living God and that we are "standing before Him". As Colossians 3:17 states, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
"As the Lord my God lives - before Whom I stand." Will you allow this thought to change your thoughts, the way you talk, the way you eat, your desire to witness, the way you dress, what you read, the shows you watch, what you spend your money on, the employment you choose, the friends you have, the language you use, etc. As David said in Psalm 139:7, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" It's time for Christians today to start living like they are standing in their King's presence and obeying the commands their King has given them - because He is coming back very soon!
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