Judgment Day

Well today is May 21st, 2011 and a church has predicted that today is Judgment Day. I had a guy at work yesterday come up to me and as he shook my hand he told me that it was good knowing me. I was stunned because I did not have a clue he was leaving our company so I asked him where he was going. He replied well since Saturday is the Rapture I know I won't see you again.

We then had a discussion about the difference between having faith that Jesus is the savior and the King and having faith that some event will save us. I shared with him that my faith is in Jesus and if there is a rapture I am covered and if there isn't a rapture I am covered.

In the end he told me that although he is not a believer his understanding is salvation comes only through Jesus. As I turned to walk away I told him he has a correct understanding of salvation.

If salvation depends upon us doing or believing certain events will happen then Jesus is not the only way to be saved. It would be Jesus and the correct formula of actions and believing in Him.

The Bible says enter by the narrow gate. Believing that Jesus plus other actions save us is a wide gate but believing that our salvation is found only in Christ is a very narrow gate.

Matthew 7: 13-14 (the Message) "Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention."

Concerning the Rapture and end times I believe God will cause events to occur as He wants and that it is ok to debate these things. In the end God only knows when the end times will occur. My job is to do His will up to that time.

The guy at work is actually closer to being a true follower of Jesus than he thinks he is. The question for me is what am I going to do with this conversation come next Monday morning?

Mistaken Encounters

My brother who is a artist and a chef accepted Jesus as his savior while living in Eureka Springs, AR. He owned Chez Chalres at the time which was a fine dining experience.

One evening a group of men showed up at his door looking for Charles but as it turned out it was the wrong Charles. But was it really? You see they were going to meet with Charles and he was going to be accepting Jesus as his savior. That is exactly what happened except it wasn't the Charles they had planned to meet with but it was exactly the one God intended for them to meet. 

In my mind meetings like this are divine appointments. I believe if God had not caused this meeting to take place my brother might still be on his journey without a relationship with Jesus.

Have you ever experienced one of those moments which you know was not a naturally designed appointment? If so share it with us here or better yet use it in your own story as you share the Good News about what Jesus has done for the world.

In talking with my brother about this painting he describes it as a picture of what happened at the moment he accepted Jesus. All of his stuff was transferred off of him and to the cross. Look at the painting and allow God to speak to you through it. What does it stir in you? 

God can use anything He wants to gain your attention even a mistaken knock on a door.

Salvation - Too Good to be True?

Have you ever heard someone say that if it sounds too good to be true it isn't possible for it to be true? Years ago I joined a group of people who believed hard work by helping people find a dream and then pursue the dream could create wealth. It seemed too good to be true. For most it was because most people cannot move past the experiences of the past in order to believe in themselves enough to actually do that.

This post was stirred in me by a comment made by Mark Warner in his Easter sermon at Vineyard Church in Overland Park, KS. 

Why don't most people believe the Good News message of Christ? I believe there are several reasons.
1. Churches have made the message unappealing by the rules they add to it. For example: "Jesus saves you but you must do this and that to secure your salvation." or "Jesus saves but you must keep the law to maintain your salvation."
2. Churches focus on beating sin out of your life. Quit smoking, quit drinking, quit dancing, quit cussing, and we will talk to you about salvation.
3. Churches do not use the Bible to explain the message of Jesus.

4. It is hard to believe that the Creator God would humble Himself in the form of a human and then die a gruesome death to cover our sins. And to qualify for this cover all we have to do is acknowledge and accept that He did that for us. By doing so He gives us His Holy Spirit so that we can accomplish some of the things that churches say we must do to have salvation. We will never be perfect as long as we are humans so we will always be in need of salvation but that is ok with God.

The first three are human caused the fourth is just too good to be true. It is just so unbelievable that God, the Creator, would do such a thing. Our human minds cannot accept that an all-powerful God would do such a thing. In our minds it just does not make sense. Since it does not make sense we see it as too good to be true.

In Isaiah 55: 8-9 God says this: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." 

There is only one way to describe why an all-powerful God would choose to do what He claims to have done through Jesus Christ. John 3: 16-18 "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. 

It is just too good to be true that the Creator would be so in love with what it created and that all He demands is we accept that He did it in the first place. He only ask that we accept this and repent of our sins and He will help us to move forward away from those sins. It will be a life long process that He joins us in just because we accepted His Grace and Mercy.

It is just simply TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE but IT IS TRUE.  

 

It is time to work out your salvation!

Have you truly accepted Jesus as your savior?  Is your life really all that He wants it to be? What are you doing with all of the gifts and talents God gave you? Are you sitting around letting them gather dust and become useless?

Philippians 2: 12-13 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

What does Paul mean to work out your salvation?  Is he trying to tell us that we need to do works to earn or keep our salvation?

I think if we look at it in the following way it will be a little clearer.  When you want to get in better physical shape you make a plan and to achieve that plan you have to work it out.  Unless you follow that plan and take action you will not reach the goal you set.

The same is true about salvation.  God has set out a plan for your salvation and unless we follow it and take action you will not reach the goal.  Let me be very clear YOU CANNOT EARN your salvation.  Jesus is our key to salvation but He has also gave us some instructions on what we needed to do after we accepted His plan.  Let's take a look at some of those instructions.

In Matthew 25: 14-30 Jesus told the story about the men who were given talents and what they did with them.  Some invested but one hide it away out of fear.

This story to me talks about we are to take the talents and gifts that God has given us and pour them into the lives of others there by investing them.

Later in Matthew 25: verses 31-46 Jesus tells us that when He comes back people will be divided into sheep and goats.

To me the ones who follow Jesus are the ones who fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, clothed those who were naked, visited those in prison and invited in the stranger.  The others went their own way thinking they were Christians.

In Matthew 6: 19-21 Do not lay up for yourself treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

From all of these words I can guarantee you that I can take one look at your calendar and your checkbook and tell where your heart is.  From where your money goes I can tell where your treasure is and from your calendar I can tell what you are doing with your talents and gifts.

So let me ask you again. Have you truly accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord?  Is your life really all that He wants it to be? Are you using all of the gifts and talents God gave you? Are you investing in the lives of others?

I hope the Holy Spirit is convicting you if no was an answer to any of those questions.  When we do not use our spiritual gifts we cheat others of what God intended to give them through us.  I encourage you to dust off your talents and open up your gifts and work out of your salvation to bring glory to God.

Work Out Your Salvation

We are told in Philippians 2: 12 to work out our own salvation and I use to wonder what this verse was telling me and I believe some of you might be somewhat confused about what this verse is telling you. We are told over and over again by Paul and other writers that Salvation is a gift from God through Jesus Christ. Just how do we work out our own salvation? Can we save ourselves?

Let's look at this verse from several translations to get a better understanding of what Paul is telling us.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (New King James)

What I'm getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you've done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I'm separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure. (The Message)

Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). (Amplified Bible)

The Message says, "Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God."
The Amplified Bible says, "work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation."

Farmers know that to cultivate a field it requires turning the soil and preparing it for seeding. A runner knows that to be energetic in their sport they have to work out to prepare for the next race.

In Philippians 2: 13 Paul tells us, "That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure." It appears what Paul is telling us in this verse is to work out of our salvation by the energy that God gives us to do the work God has begun in us.

So how do you work out your salvation? I believe Jesus gives us a clue in Matthew 25: 34-40
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

I encourage you to work out your salvation by working out of your salvation by being the hands and feet of Jesus. But keep in mind that even the energy and the cultivation of your salvation comes from God and in your good works the glory is His.