Are You Ready for Persecution?

My previous posts must sound to some like I'm trying to dissuade people from becoming Christians. Warning people of the cost before following the Lord isn't de suasion but full disclosure of the risks and benefits of belonging to Christ.

The fact is that persecution is the lot of all who live righteously. All through the Bible, faithful followers of God have suffered for their stand. Instead of worshipping false gods or adding the God of heaven into a pantheon of deities, they steadfastly remained loyal to the one and only real God.

The first century was particularly known for persecution of Christians. Jesus warned his followers to remain faithful in spite of what others threatened. In Luke 12:11 and 12 (KJV)Christ promised,  "And when they bring you unto the synagogues,  and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what  thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say."
Whatever happens to us, Christ takes it personally. Look at what he did and said to Saul before he was converted. Acts 9:4 (KJV) reads, "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?'" The man who was blind spiritually became physically blind for three days.

With the words of Christ, and many other marvellous promises from Scripture, we can endure whatever this wicked world throws at us. Even death isn't a loss but a free trip to our true home. Read Hebrews chapter eleven for more inspiring testimonies of faithful believers.

I hope to be writing a new book soon. It will have the same material as I have blogged here but in greater detail. Watch this space for updates.

Are You Really Committed to Christ?

As I wrote previously, just knowing about Jesus isn't enough to save you from hell. You must become his and he must be your Lord and Master. It sounds extreme to our egalitarian ears but it's what Scripture says.

Furthermore, we must have a total commitment to him. It must be so complete that we must be willing to die for him if necessary.

Mark 8:34 (KJV) reads, "And when he had called the people unto him with  his disciples also, he said unto them, 'Whosoever will come after  me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.'" So if it ever comes to the point in your life that somebody wants to kill you, it's no loss but your one-way trip out of this sin-soaked world.

In fact, John MacArthur's recent radio shows have featured sermons on how death is no terror to Christians. Not only are we taken straight to heaven but we no longer have the pressure of sin nagging us every second of the day and night.

Look at what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:55 and 56 (KJV). "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is  thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin  is the law." Jesus beat both sin and death at his resurrection Therefore we need fear no Murderers since we do but go to meet our Lord.

You Think You're Going to Heaven? That's the title of my next book. One's eternal destination is thee most serious question in life. Make doubly sure you know where you will be after death. After all, there's no second chance after the grave to change your mind.

Do You Really Know Christ?

In past posts, I've mentioned that we must have a personal relationship with Jesus in order to be saved and go to heaven. But some folks might sincerely think they know the Lord without really knowing him.

How can this be? The word "know" has an additional meaning in the Bible which isn't found in the world's literature. To know somebody in the biblical sense of the word means to have intimate relations with that person.

A good example of this is when Adam and Eve were created. Genesis 4:1 (KJV) says, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, 'I have gotten a man from the LORD.'" It's obvious what happened there.

Jesus called his followers his sheep. He said in John 10:14 (KJV) "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." Knowing Christ then means a spiritually intimate relationship, not merely knowing about him.

Just as in marriage when a man and a woman become one flesh, so we must give ourselves to our Lord and Saviour. And just as couples grow in love with one another, barring disagreements and fights of course, so we grow in our love of Christ.

How glad I am that I know Jesus for who he really is. A sick house church minister taught me lies about the Godhead to the point where I turned against them for nine lonely years. How I Was Razed shows how the heavenly Father gently guided me to proper Bible teachers. What a wonderful difference knowing the Saviour makes!

What About All the Good I Did?

Bearing in mind what I've written here in the past, some folks might still be puzzled about which works God will judges by. After all, millions of people are kind and helpful. Doesn't that count for something?

Certainly there are many sincere folks doing charitable work. But why are they doing so? We only see their exterior but the Lord sees their motives clearly.

When Israel tired of being ruled by judges and demanded a king, it grieved Samuel. He was the last judge of that nation.

Saul, Israel's first king, disobeyed the Lord so Samuel was told by God to find another. Below is what he said  to him about the next king.

(1 Sam 16:7 KJV)  "But the LORD said unto Samuel, 'Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.'"

So it's our motives which the Lord judges us by, not how good we appear to others. On Judgement Day, he will judge our deeds according to our desires, as the two verses below describe.

(Daniel 7:10 KJV) "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened."

(Revelation 20:12 KJV) "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."

All other religious systems believe that we mortals can work our way to heaven. Only in Christianity is the price for our sins paid in full. We have but to surrender our lives to Jesus who bought our freedom from God's wrath.

I'm in the process of writing a new book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? People need to realize that their works, no matter how seemingly noble, are as filthy rags in God's sight because of selfish motives. I'll be posting more on this subject as the book comes together. So far, I'm on chapter two.

What Does Working Out Our Own Salvation mean?

 I've written before that salvation is a gift, not something people can earn. Even so, some folks might remind me of Philippians 2:12 and 13. "So then, my loved ones, as you have at all times done what I say, not only when I am present, but now much more when I am not with you, give yourselves to working out your salvation with fear in your hearts; For it is God who is the cause of your desires and of your acts, for his good pleasure." Doesn't this indicate that God wants us to work to be saved? Not at all and here's why.

Among the admonitions in Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, he told them to, for lack of a better word, unpack the ramifications of their salvation.  Just as an unzipping program takes files out of a compressed folder and restores them to readability on a computer, so we must apply the reality of our salvation to our lives.

For example, how do we respond to those who insult us? We know that we must be humble and that vengeance belongs to the Lord. Therefore we don't beat the stuffing out of the person who insulted us but we  pray for that person. In fact, being maligned for Christ's sake should make us glad that we suffer for the sake of our saviour. That was the attitude which the disciples had when persecution arose against them after Pentecost.

Unzipping salvation in our lives governs every aspect of our affairs. It means that we work as if we're working for Christ, even in the most dead-end of jobs. It means we make no under-the-table deals. Neither do we practice any sort of licence in secret since God sees all.

Applying God's law of love is an intuitive process. We need no mile-thick rule book for every possible situation when we place the good of others and the honour of Christ ahead of petty gain.

As for me, I had plenty of unzipping to do. You can read in my How I Was Razed memoir how the Lord providentially led me out of cultic bondage and into his glorious truth. It's available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual Bookworm in paperback.

When Will Christ Return?

Following along with this month's topic, I want to explain about the great hope of Jesus returning, a precious hope held by many believers. Sadly, some false teachers mislead naive students into believing in their pseudo-prophetic dates which they set as the day of his return.

Jesus said that no man knows the day when he'll return but the Father only. Yet there are always those self-proclaimed prophets who claim to know the whereabouts of his coming and when it will be. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:23 (KJV), "Then if any man shall say unto you, 'Lo, here is Christ,' or 'there;' believe it not."

Neither will Christ's return be a secret snatching away of believers. As Luke recorded in Acts 1:11 (KJV) regarding what the two angels spoke,, "Which also said, 'Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.'"

The Apostle Paul made it quite clear that the Lord's return won't go unnoticed by the world. He penned in 1 Thesalonians 4:16-18, (KJV), "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

Some folks think that meeting the Lord in the air means we'll stay there for seven years. That's stretching the verse far past its meaning. We know that returning kings were met in ancient times on their way home by crowds of adoring subjects. So it will be when Jesus returns.

My new book will deal in part with the subject of Christ's return. This is a serious matter and believers need to have their hearts ready for that glorious event. Watch this space for updates on the book which I'm calling You Think You're Going to Heaven?

What's the Holy Spirit's Job?

How sad that many Christians don't know who the Holy Spirit is or what he does. Some believe he's some sort of force which they can use to speak in tongues. Others think he doesn't matter much in the life of a Christian. On the contrary, he does matter and, as I've posted before, he's a person.

First of all, this third member of the Trinity is our teacher. As Jesus comforted his disciples before he ascended to heaven, he said in John 15:26( KJV), "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will  send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which  proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"

Jesus also elaborated in John 16:13 (KJV), "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he  will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but  whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show  you things to come."

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit helps us discern true followers from false ones. Look at what scripture says in 1 John 4:6 (KJV), "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us;  he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of  truth, and the spirit of error."

The Holy Spirit likewise reminds us of what Christ said. John 14:26 (KJV) states, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,  whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all  things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I  have said unto you."

The Holy Spirit also comforts us but not exclusively in the modern understanding of the word. He strengthens our faith and assures us of what is true. Acts 9:31 (KJV) states, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."

This post is getting lengthy so suffice it to say that the Holy Spirit has much to do with genuine Christians. May he open your spiritual eyes to all the Lord's truth.