KNOW GOD FOR YOURSELF!
The word of God is so valuable in a
time of great tribulation and turmoil, that I can't imagine anyone not wanting
to know it.
I
have met many people lately, who go to church to fulfill their weekly
obligation, listen to a preacher go through his motions, lead a prayer that is
written in a book, etc, but has no real depth of God's word or His power, and
so leaves the flock in a world of doubt and confusion.
In
a time when the church is being attacked because of immorality among the
clergy, and bishops, etc., I wonder how any are still in the church
today. What do they have to hang on to?
It
is true, we must find God for ourselves, and we must learn His Word. We must
learn the meaning of faith, develop the desire to meet Jesus face to face and
live with Him in that home He has prepared for us.
When
you talk to people about their Christian experience, and they can only say, "I
hope I am a Christian" - shame on them, and shame on the shepherd of
the flock for not leading them to have that assurance. For them, Jesus
must have died in vain. But no! He didn't die in vain, and we can know
beyond the shadow of doubt that we are going to heaven, and that we have
life.
The
shepherd who does lead beyond the ritual of the church, and their religious
doctrine, has a lot of lives to answer for. Fulfilling an obligation,
just to look good in the eyes of the community or your friends, gets you
nowhere. You can look good without going to church.
God's
word teaches us so much more than we are willing to learn and I am sorry for
that.
I
am so thankful for the childhood learning from the choruses, flannel graph, and
bible stories. I am thankful for preachers that were not afraid to teach the
whole Bible – even if it meant stepping on toes. I am thankful for praying
saints who wept and prayed to God in earnest until the answer came.
It
is time for the church to come out of their rituals, to quit having their
sermons prepared for them by somebody from headquarters. It is time to quit
reading prepared prayers and start praying from the heart.
Folks!
Quit living in an “I-hope-so” world, and come into the “I-know-so” world.
Time is short. Jesus is coming and there is work to be done!
Father: I know that there is much that has not
been done. I know how hurting the church is, because of uncaring attitudes, the
lust for pleasure at the cost of the unsuspecting, but I know that if the
churches begin to band together, and come alive, all this can change.
Begin now to tear down barriers and walls. Change hearts and minds, and let
your name be glorified in ALL THE EARTH. Amen.
