Friday, November 14, 2008

Citizens of Heaven and the United States

Immature Christians and Citizens
Where are mature citizens of heaven who live in the United States that know the Word of God, and also know how the government of the United States works?

Jesus said to some of His opponents, "You do err because you do not know the Scriptures." Regretfully, many who profess to follow Jesus err because they not only do not know the Scriptures, they don't understand or live by what they do know of Scripture. They lean to their own understanding rather than being disciples of truth. They also err as citizens of the United States because they don't know the Constitution rightly divided, and they don't know and/or understand how the three branches of our government work.

True and mature Christians deny personal opinions, preferences, private interpretations, etc., to follow Jesus and live by His Word of Truth rightly divided.

True Biblical Morality
A righteous nation must have laws to govern its people. The founding Fathers intended for the United States to have laws to help govern its people. Laws in a righteous nation must be based upon morality. True morality is based upon God and His Word of Truth. The devil has worked long and hard to change this nation by changing its laws. Not everyone is a Christian in this nation. Not everyone in the Church, be they preacher or member, is a true Christian, but true Christians must stand for God and His biblical morality. Too many professing Christians are doing the devil's work by their own lifestyles and by how they participate in society, including how society is governed.

The members of the true Church that Jesus is building who are also citizens of the United States must not only be salt and light to those around them in the United States, but must also do what is necessary to ensure that the laws of our nation are based upon true godly morality. Until Jesus returns and His kingdom is fully manifest on earth, there will be earthly governments. If Christians in the United States want a righteous government, they must, as citizens of a heavenly kingdom, be salt and light to those around them. As citizens of the United States, they must also do what they can to ensure that our nation is a righteous nation.

The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and he does each in many different ways. He will do all that he can to cause people and nations to break the commandments of God. He will make people call good evil and evil good. He will cause nations to make laws that break the commands of God. He is a master deceiver, and he will even enlist professing Christians to help him accomplish his purposes. He first deceives them and then uses them. He stops them from being true godly witnesses as salt and light, and he also stops them from working to ensure that the laws of our nation are based on true biblical morality. When a person's rights become more important than God's commands, that person is opposing God. When a professing Christian defends one's rights to oppose God's commands, they are fighting for the enemy.

Conclusion
I have seen some Christians write things like, “Where are the prophets to speak to the things of our day." I am not referring to ones who looked for some prophet to predict the outcome of an election. The ones who looked for that are carnal, immature, and will be easily deceived by false prophets. For those who are looking for the real, don't expect them to say or write what you want them to. God wants Christians who will cry out for what is in His heart. Too often those who release a cry of God are blasted by those who have been captivated by reasoning and other things. I saw this happen on a recent Charisma Online blog thread. Someone cried from the heart and was blasted immediately. Those who lead with reasoning and/or emotion may find some resistance but not like those who release a cry of God from the heart. Some who are expressing themselves may need to touch up on how they write things, but discerning hearts will recognize a cry that originated in the heart of God. Where are those with discerning hearts? Where are those who will stay true to God and His Word even when attacked (persecuted)?

Carnal, false, and immature Christians base decisions upon things like human reasoning, human emotions, and private interpretations. They can give eloquent arguments to defend their decisions. They are standing on sinking sand, and they are helping this nation sink because they are salt without flavor and they have no light.

Where are a few true and mature disciples who are really born again and have really been baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire? Where are true and mature disciples who don’t fall for the devil’s stupid way of reasoning? Where are true and mature disciples who have been sanctified by truth and will proclaim it from the housetops in the Church and in society? Where are true citizens of God’s kingdom who are going to be good representatives of God and His Word of truth in the United States?

True and Mature Soldiers

Soldiers of the Lord
Where are the true and mature soldiers in God's army? We are in a war that has more at stake than physical life and death. We are in a war that deals with eternal life and death.

Seek to know Jesus Christ intimately and all of His Word thoroughly. Put on your armor and make sure that your sword of the Spirit is sharp and out of the sheath! Draw near to Jesus Christ, and hold all to the Word of Truth rightly divided. Know and preach the good news of Jesus and of His kingdom. It is the good news of His kingdom that must be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations before the end can come. Those who are holding on to a rapture mentality to save them from hard times had better wake up and learn all of the Word and rightly divide it.

A Call to Wake Up
Everybody had better wake up and find out who the true people of God are. True people of God are any and all Jews and Gentiles who have surrendered all to Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. The day has come to quit focusing on places like Jerusalem and Samaria and start worshiping God in Spirit and in truth. It is time to focus on Jesus Christ and His kingdom. It is time to share truth with Jews and Gentiles. It is time to pray for peace for all of the earth and not just for Jerusalem. When Jesus was born, the angels sang, "Peace on earth and goodwill to all."

Learn that most preachers and most professing Christians presently do not know the Word of Truth very well. We are in trouble because of the lack of knowledge of God and His Word. We are in trouble because too many Christians are being trained by ministers who fall short in knowing Jesus Christ and His Word. We are in trouble because most Christians fall short in the same.

I am telling you again, wake up and repent. Seek God and find true and mature ministers. Find true and mature disciples, and unite with them in faith. Much is at stake, eternally and on earth. There will be godly restoration or unimaginable devilish storms. Look around you! Get a clue!

Do not give a fraction of space, time, or energy to those who seek to develop another Jesus and another gospel. Do spiritual warfare to pull down the strongholds that have captivated the minds of so many people, both in and out of the Church. Be a soldier who is not entangled with the affairs of life but pleases Him who has called you to be a soldier.

Be Discerning
The Holy Spirit knows all hearts and can give you what He knows. You can judge what is in anyone's heart by the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-5 and Acts 8:21-23). The devil is trying to destroy the Church, from the inside and the outside. The devil attacks the church by all kinds of means from the outside, and he puts his ministers on the inside of churches to deceive people. The deceived people go and, unaware that they are doing the devil's work, deceive more people. They think they are right, but that is always what the spirit of deception does to deceived people. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

Conclusion
Find yourself a true and mature minister of the true Jesus Christ and let them equip you to become a mature disciple of Jesus Christ. Study until you know the Word of truth backwards and forwards. Be a good soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ! Help turn the world upside down for Jesus Christ. Fight the good fight of faith!

Which Gospel are You Following and Proclaiming?

Missing the Mark
Missing the mark (Hamartanein) is at the core of all problems of life and society. The Church that Jesus is building is made up of true disciples of Jesus Christ who live by His Word rightly divided. They live by and preach the "good news" of Jesus Christ, His kingdom, and His righteousness. They know that true righteousness exalts a nation! Carnal, immature, and false Christians live by a gospel of their own making, actually, it is the making of the devil. They yell about things being wrong, but they themselves are the problem. They are deceived and are deceiving others.

A Growing Contrast
As the day for the Lord's return draws nearer and nearer there will be a growing contrast between those who truly follow the Lord Jesus and His sayings and those who follow another gospel(s). There will be an evident group that is blatantly and flagrantly evil. That group will be obvious to most people; even some following other gospels will acknowledge and recognize their evil. Those following other gospels will speak of Jesus and the Bible, but in actuality they have created a Jesus and a Bible of their own making (delusions). They change the emphasis and exchange the truth for lies. Many will be drawn to them.

The ultimate end of those who are obviously evil, and the ones who follow another gospel will be the same—eternal separation from God—unless they wake up and repent. They will not wake up and repent unless there are prophets of truth shouting from the housetops. Most of those who are evil and/or follow another gospel will not only reject
the true voices of the Lord God, but they will persecute them as well. But in the midst of it, there will be those who receive conviction and respond by true godly sorrow and repentance. They will spend eternity with Jesus Christ and His family! They will begin to bear true fruit for the Lord and store up true riches in heaven. Those who have ears to hear let them hear!

There is another group that hinders the work of the Lord and the truth of His Word. They know some truth, but they don’t know Jesus well enough to preach that truth in real agape love. They think they are bold and courageous followers of the Lord, but they are instead harsh, pharisaical people. They do more damage to the cause of God than the evil and other-gospel people put together.

True and Mature Disciples
Where are true and mature followers of Jesus Christ? They are bold and courageous but tempered by love, true love. They are as bold as a lion and as humble as a little lamb. They live by and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, His kingdom, and His righteousness. They strive to be holy as God is holy in all of their conduct. They preach the truth about sin, but are filled with love, compassion, and mercy. They fully realize what the blood of Jesus purchased for them. They speak against sin from a heart of love, appreciation, and understanding of what the Lord did for them. They reach out and help to restore their fallen brothers and sisters, but they will not follow the cheap grace gospel that causes people to make excuses for and overlook the sins of others because they, too, are living in unrepented sin.

Conclusion
The day of the Lord’s return is to be looked for and prepared for. Are you really prepared for His return? Are you really prepared for your going? Your going may take place before His return. Are you really following Jesus and His truth, or are you following other gospels that, in essence, develop another Jesus and another Bible? Your eternal state and possibly the eternal state of those you influence depends on which one you are following.