DUTY
June 13, 2:01 p.m.I was at work at 5:30 this morning and because of that it was very slow and I had time to think about what I wanted to write. I decided that I would say something about the importance of winning souls to God: you do know of course that the Great Commission is given to all who would follow Christ. Telling others how to be saved is your responsibility also: it is not reserved only for your pastor and the leaders of your church.
I believe the most common reason that people do not share their faith is that they are afraid they will not have all of the answers if someone asks something about the Bible. That's okay, just keep it simple and tell them of your own conversion experience, and if you don't have one... then you need to get saved (yourself) before telling others how to be saved.
The Apostle Paul, arguably the greatest Christian of the New Testament was very learned, yet, when telling others how to be saved he simply related what happened to him at his own conversion. So, if it was good enough for Paul to use to help lead a sinner home... then it ought to be good enough for you also.
You can start out slow with a handful of sound Gospel tracts and an experienced soul-winner with you, however, before long you ought to be able to freely and often tell others around you how to be saved. Since it is not God's will that any should perish... then that means there will be untold millions of souls in Hell that should not be there. Think about it. God wants no one to remain lost... yet millions do. And the honest truth is that there are many of those who are lost who have heard a clear presentation of the Gospel and have rejected Christ. Their blood will be upon their own heads. But, what about some of your friends, family members, neighbors, etc. who you see often and they have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. If they die without Christ, they will still be punished in Hell, but God, at the Judgment Seat of Christ will require their blood at your hands. (Read Ezekiel 33:1-9)
Can you imagine the scene at the White Throne Judgment of God as God punishes the lost of the world... and you see all kinds of people that you knew in this life being condemned to the Lake of Fire and you realize that had you only been a faithful witness for Jesus that they also could have been saved and experience Heaven with you.
On two separate occasions God records that there will be crying in Heaven. After each of the Judgments (Seat of Christ where believers are judged and White Throne where unbelievers are sentenced to eternity apart from God) there will be a lot of crying from those who have trusted Christ for their salvation.
Thankfully, God will wipe away all tears, but that does not alter the fact that many of the damned will be in Hell because followers of Christ will not witness their faith to the lost. And if you do not believe that what you have is worth telling others about... then please get saved! Because if you are saved then you will know that absolutely nothing else in the entire world is as important as seeing someone come to Christ and have their sins forgiven!
June 14, 3:47 p.m.
I thought I would comment about an insane or demon-possessed teenager recently arrested in Florida. Have you read about him? Apparently he has been going around certain neighborhoods in his community and catching, torturing, and killing cats.
I believe in our modern world that some people, even those who are saved and in fundamental churches want to dismiss far too quickly the idea of demon possession in people whose crimes are horrific.
A mother straps her two children in their car seats and drives her car into a lake: a father takes a baseball bat and kills his child before throwing his body from a bridge: a mother, one-by-one, chases down her five small children and systematically drowns them in a bathtub: a student padlocks the exit doors of his school, and then shoots and kills many of his classmates: a teenager captures, skins alive small animals before killing them: etc. etc. etc.
Demon possession is both real and a New Testament doctrine. Read the several different accounts of Christ casting demons out of what our modern world wants to call... sick, or deranged. In point of fact some people who commit terrible crimes might be sick and (or) deranged. However, the devil and his minions are not yet confined to Hell, therefore, to humans who open themselves up to these evil spirits... possession still takes place today.
If you doubt that possibility... then put very simply you do not believe the Bible. You are like the person whom one of my favorite preachers used to speak about. He said that the main difference between himself and some other "believers" was that he (Mel Efaw) believes in the whole Bible, whereas "they" believe in a Bible full of holes.
I hope everyone reading this has enough of a backbone that if the entire world scoffs at something found in the Bible that you would be unaffected by such thought. In other words, if all six + billion people on planet Earth thought there was something untrue in the Bible, I would never let it affect what I know to be true. I would just realize that I was the only right person (on that particular subject) in the world.
So, whether it be the Great Flood, Daniel in the lion's den, Jonah and the great fish, or the possibility of lost people being possessed by demons, don't let the unsaved world try to rob you of your faith by their simple reasoning.
Besides, let me ask all believers a few questions. First: is God a Spirit? The answer of course is yes. What is "possession" as it relates to God. The answer of course is to take control of someone.
So, Christians have no problem in believing that a "Spirit" (Holy Ghost) has entered their body and has taken control of them. Why then is it still hard to believe that many evil people who commit evil acts have been taken over and controlled (possessed) by the devil or one of his minions?
To date I have not heard, nor have I read a single story about the idiot in Florida they just arrested for torturing small animals. Other than I read the short story on AOL which stated he had been arrested. But I guarantee it will be found out that he has been playing around with Ouija boards, tarot cards, etc. etc. or other tools of the devil that lost people play with. In other words he opened himself up to the devil by the things he read, heard, saw, and the people he ran with.
It is exactly the same way people get born-again by God... except it is the other end of the spectrum. You hear about God, read about Him in the Bible, hang out with people who talk about Him, and you are opening yourself up to Him so that when you call on His name, he "possesses" (indwells) you with His Holy Spirit.
I've heard people make the declarative statement: "The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it." Though I like the sentiment... part of that phrase is wrong... it is the middle three words, the, "I believe it" part that is not relevant. Whether or not a person believes something is not what makes it true... it is correct whether or not you accept it to be true. In speaking of the Bible what follows is the correct phrase: "The Bible says it, and that settles it."
June 15, 4:41 p.m.
I want to write something about the 23 Psalm as it relates to help from the Lord. Admittedly, I can not say with 100% assurance that my illness and pain is from God, though I believe it is. At the very least, as an omnipotent God He has to be allowing it if not in fact causing it.
The purpose of course would be that He is chastening me. Chastening from the Lord can either be from omitted or committed sins that believers do. I am ashamed to say but His hand could be heavy upon me from either of those categories.
The Bible of course even gives a test (sort of) for believers. In that we all sin and if there is no chastening hand from God upon you because of the aforementioned sins... then are ye "bastards and not sons." (Hebrews 12:8) Keep in mind that your neighbors children might do all manner of wrong that offends you, however, you do not paddle them because they do not belong to you! That is why God chastens His children, but not the devil's children no matter how egregious their sins might be.
Psalm 23 is a wonderful Psalm as it helps us to see Jesus as our Shepherd and we as His sheep. I am going to record verse four and I am going to make bold print out of the last part of that verse as I want to call special attention to it: "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
A shepherd's rod is used to discipline wayward sheep and it is also used to dispatch the enemies of the sheep, i.e., lion, bear, etc. The staff, with it's crook, is used to gently encircle the neck of a sheep going astray and lead them back into the fold. Now, here comes the great part: we are told in this verse that we are to take comfort in both the rod and the staff!
So, I am learning to give thanks for His rod of discipline even when the bleeding is most evident and the pain is enough that it takes my breath away. I give thanks because I recognize it as from God and His chastening hand means that I am His child. But I also have to admit that I long for the day when the rod will be put up and the staff revealed again... I am ready.
June 16, 12:09 p.m.
Just a few thoughts today about a ball game I watched at church last evening. It was a pick-up game with some older and a few younger men from the church, they meet on Monday evenings for a couple of hours. It looked like fun and it is a chance for some fellowship. My brother still has a very good shot, even as he had as a younger man and from 8-10 feet to the three-point line he drops in many of what he puts up: though at 54 it is much harder for him to get up-and-down the court.
For me though, the last time I played in an organized game was nearly 20 years ago and it was at another church I was a member of in Bardstown. I will try to give you some idea of my prowess on a basketball court by recounting one particular story that happened. Now, in the games of basketball or baseball I pretty much looked at either of them as a continuation of when I used to play football... which is of course a real sport.
If I was running from third base to home plate... if the catcher was silly enough to block the plate then he had better have a death-grip on the ball, because there was going to be a collision. I am telling you that to say that anyone who played basketball with me, and in a few minutes almost always allowed me a clear lane whenever I decided to drive to the basket... else there was going to be a collision. The problem was though that even for my inside game... and even with an open lane I mostly put the ball against the backboard too hard and I regularly missed. Now to the story about my outside game that epitomizes my athletic ability on the court... both inside and out.
In that particular church I coached our softball team and I played pick-up basketball in the gym. During one basketball game I walked the ball down and instead of passing when I reached the three-point line I arched a high beautiful shot that soared through the air and dropped through the hole... nothing but net. Several people in the bleachers cheered, and the pastor who was at the scorer table and was keeping score on the electronic scoreboard... with microphone in hand... broke into a spirited rendition of... "It Took a Miracle." That should give you some idea of just how good I was.
It is important also to know that I was better on offense than defense, so that should sum up my complete game. However, even though I quit playing a long time ago... and I'm sure that many I used to play with are happy to know that fact, last night still looked like fun.
posted by Robin Johnson @ 2:01 PM
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