Jesus
Paid Much Too High A Price…
To
pick and choose who should come.
For His body to be divided over petty issues such as food, music genres, sabbaths, and holy days.
For us to give ourselves over to the sin that He came to rescue us from.
For sin and falsehood to be harbored and tolerated amongst the ranks of the saints.
For saints to be divided by skin color, nationality, gender, social, and economic status when they should be united in one faith, one doctrine, one hope, one baptism, and one purpose in Christ.
For His people to pursue worldly interests when they should be pursuing heavenly interests.
For us to be placing our trust in worldly gain that can be lost when we should be setting our sights on gains for the Kingdom that will never be lost.
For us to place our trust in the opinions, theories, philosophies, doctrines, and religions of men instead of the infallible and divine authority of scripture.
For us to remain silent and complacent in the face of evil.
For us to keep the saving message of the Gospel message to ourselves when we were commanded to preach it to as many as we possibly can.
For us to exalt ourselves against one another when we should be esteeming each other higher than ourselves.
For us to bear grudges and hatred towards one another when we should be loving one another and be willing to forgive one another as God has forgiven us in Christ.
For the message of the Gospel to be re-invented into something that is not.
For anyone to add or take away from the scriptures by which the Gospel is delivered to us.
For there to be diverse standards when God gave us one standard under which to live.
For us to unjustly discriminate against one another when we worship a God who is no respecter of persons.
For us to be ignorant of and dismissive of the devices set against us by those dark forces who seek in every way shape or form to hold souls captive by blinding them to the truth of the Gospel and hardening their hearts to the love and mercy of God.
For us to underestimate the formidability of our adversaries.
For us to become consumed by the cares and pleasures of this world instead of the affairs of the coming Kingdom.
For us to concern ourselves with gathering earthly wealth instead of storing up wealth in Heaven.
For us to fear man who can only destroy the body but not the soul instead of the God who is able to destroy both body and soul in the fiery torments of Hell.
For us to value the praise of men above the praise of God.
For us to hide His light within us when we should be letting it shine for all to see so that He may be glorified.
For us to be conformed to the ways and whims of this world which will one day pass away instead of the ways of God who created all things.
For us to place all our hopes in the things of this life which are only temporary instead of those things to come which are eternal.
And
yet the Church is guilty of all these things.
We can pray and cry out for a Great Awakening all that we want, but
unless the Church as a whole:
Preaches
only the Gospel of salvation and repentance in Christ.
Unites on all doctrines essential and lets all non-essential matters be settled in the minds and hearts of each person and God.
Treats all people the same regardless of skin color, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, social or economic status.
Gives no room for sinful living but instead pursues after and teaches righteousness and holiness
Purges itself of all false teaching and pursues doctrinal purity through reliance on scripture alone
Holds its members accountable for their conduct and the teachings they bring into the body of Christ.
Pursues heavenly interests more than worldly interests.
Stores up treasures in Heaven rather than treasures on earth.
Consumes itself with the things of the Kingdom instead of the cares of this world.
Stops placing trust in the fallible opinions, theories, and philosophies of men and trusts in the infallible divinely inspired scripture alone.
Stands and fights against evil.
Proclaims the faith to as many as possible instead of keeping it to itself.
Those within the Church esteem each other higher than themselves and love one another as we are commanded to and forgive one another as God has forgiven us in Christ.
Retains the purity of the Gospel and purges itself of any gospel that is not the Gospel of Christ preached by the Apostles and delivered to us by the divinely inspired scripture.
Purges itself of those who persist in adding or detracting to the scriptures.
Purges itself of double-standards and diverse standards and places itself under one standard for all members.
Its members resolve to not give themselves over to favoritism but instead be no respecter of persons as God is no respecter of persons.
Understands that we are engaged in a spiritual war between God and Satan and to be aware of the various devices of the adversary to oppose the spreading of the Gospel and render they who would faithfully serve Christ useless for the Kingdom and the Gospel and that the enemies of the faith remain formidable in spite of their eventual defeat.
Fears God above man.
Values the favor and honor of God above that of man.
Shines its light instead of hiding it.
Conforms itself to the mind of Christ instead of the ways of this world.
Looks forward to the new world to come instead of placing all its hopes in this present one which is destined to pass away.
Otherwise,
there will be no Great Awakening for that longed for awakening must first begin
within the body of Christ for as it is written, judgment begins in the house of
God. (1 Pet. 4:17)
If
we do see a Great Awakening what are the things that we can expect to see and
what must we as believers prepare and brace ourselves for?
1. We will be giving ourselves more often to daily
prayer because prayer is where all things must begin.
2. We will give ourselves to the daily study of
scripture so that we will be better able to know our the God we serve and the
way of life in which we should abide.
3. We will fellowship with each other more often.
4. We will see many return to the authority of
scripture and the purity of the Gospel
5. We will see members being held accountable
for their conduct, their way of living, and the doctrines they bring into the Church
as there will be a great emphasis on godliness, righteous living, abiding in
the truth of Christ and that of the scriptures which deliver His Gospel.
6. We will see unity on matters essential while
leaving non-essential matters between each person and God without holding them
in contempt.
7. We will see the same standards and judgment
applied to all people regardless of who they are, their past, skin color,
ethnicity, nationality, economic or social status favoring no person above
another just as God favors no person above another.
8.
The scriptures will not be subject to
any private interpretation but will be treated as a text capable of
interpreting itself and they will be taught in their full counsel and we will
have leaders and influential people who will be able to explain to us as to how
the teaching of scripture applies to us today.
9. We will not concern ourselves with the size
of our congregations, ministries, or church buildings but instead concern
ourselves with winning souls to Christ and making sure that they to whom the
Gospel is preached understand the way to salvation.
10. The things of Heaven will be of greater concern
to us than the things of earth.
11. We will be more concerned with storing up
treasures in Heaven than treasures on earth.
12. We will be more concerned with advancing the
Kingdom of God rather than building up a kingdom for ourselves on the earth.
13. We will learn to fear God more than man and
not be afraid to make whatever sacrifices may be required of us for the Gospel
by which we are saved, trusting that the reward that we will receive for the sacrifices
we make will be greater than what we may be required to relinquish and suffer
on behalf of Christ.
14. We will value the praise of God above the
praise of man.
15. We will learn to do all things under the
guidance, counsel, power, and authority in Christ rather than our understanding
or strength.
16. We will not allow ourselves to be conformed
to the things of this world but instead to the mind of Christ.
17. We will not look to any person, historical
figure, religious establishment, denomination, or ministry as the epitome of
truth and holiness realizing that these are but fellow vessels and servants of
God Almighty just as subject to error as we are, but instead, we will learn to
aspire to be more and more like Christ every day.
18. We will not take lightly the age-long war
between God and Satan, nor underestimate the formidability of our adversary,
but instead will be make ourselves ready for his various devices which are
many.
19. We will dedicate ourselves to whatever extent
that God requires of each of us to be ready to give a defense for our faith and
to earnestly contend for the faith so as to keep ourselves and fellow members
from being led astray by false doctrines, to prevent the overthrow of faith in our
members, and to persuade they who are lost to come to Christ by the discrediting
of those doctrines, creeds, and philosophies that may be blinding them to its truth.
20. We will see who among us is really of the
Lord and who is not and who is truly willing to serve and follow Christ and who
is not. They who are of the Lord and are
dedicated to serving and follow Him will remain with us and the pretenders and
they who love this present world too much will leave us.
21. We should expect to see opposition from without
and within our ranks manifesting itself in various forms and attempts to
undermine and even pervert the work of God within our ranks.
22. There will be an intense desire to preach the
Gospel to as many as we can reach.
23. We will learn to trust that God will not put
us through any testing that we cannot withstand and we will be prepared to face
persecution which will come against us in various forms as the scripture warns
there will be and that a reward awaits those whose faith remains steadfast in
the midst thereof, knowing that ridicule, discrimination, lawsuits, violence,
property destruction, prisons, torture, and even loss of life and martyrdom
will not be what defeats us but that we will be victorious even in the midst of
what appears to be a defeat because we follow a victorious God.
24. We will place our hope in and look forward
to, not in the things of this present world but in that better world to come.
But
as you pray for a Great Awakening, I have to ask this of all of you. What is each and every one of you doing or
are willing to do to increase the chances of that ever taking place?
Are you willing to pay the required price, no matter how great and costly, and trust that that the reward to come will be greater than the price paid?
Are you willing to abandon all worldly interests for heavenly interests if so required?
How much are you willing to risk and endure for the sake of this Great Awakening?
We cannot expect this Great Awakening to always be a walk in the park. We will face opposition and challenges of various sorts from without and within, but I am confident that if we are all willing to do our respective part and make whatever sacrifices required of us, it will be well worth it in the end.
Scripture references:
For His body to be divided over petty issues such as food, music genres, sabbaths, and holy days.
For us to give ourselves over to the sin that He came to rescue us from.
For sin and falsehood to be harbored and tolerated amongst the ranks of the saints.
For saints to be divided by skin color, nationality, gender, social, and economic status when they should be united in one faith, one doctrine, one hope, one baptism, and one purpose in Christ.
For His people to pursue worldly interests when they should be pursuing heavenly interests.
For us to be placing our trust in worldly gain that can be lost when we should be setting our sights on gains for the Kingdom that will never be lost.
For us to place our trust in the opinions, theories, philosophies, doctrines, and religions of men instead of the infallible and divine authority of scripture.
For us to remain silent and complacent in the face of evil.
For us to keep the saving message of the Gospel message to ourselves when we were commanded to preach it to as many as we possibly can.
For us to exalt ourselves against one another when we should be esteeming each other higher than ourselves.
For us to bear grudges and hatred towards one another when we should be loving one another and be willing to forgive one another as God has forgiven us in Christ.
For the message of the Gospel to be re-invented into something that is not.
For anyone to add or take away from the scriptures by which the Gospel is delivered to us.
For there to be diverse standards when God gave us one standard under which to live.
For us to unjustly discriminate against one another when we worship a God who is no respecter of persons.
For us to be ignorant of and dismissive of the devices set against us by those dark forces who seek in every way shape or form to hold souls captive by blinding them to the truth of the Gospel and hardening their hearts to the love and mercy of God.
For us to underestimate the formidability of our adversaries.
For us to become consumed by the cares and pleasures of this world instead of the affairs of the coming Kingdom.
For us to concern ourselves with gathering earthly wealth instead of storing up wealth in Heaven.
For us to fear man who can only destroy the body but not the soul instead of the God who is able to destroy both body and soul in the fiery torments of Hell.
For us to value the praise of men above the praise of God.
For us to hide His light within us when we should be letting it shine for all to see so that He may be glorified.
For us to be conformed to the ways and whims of this world which will one day pass away instead of the ways of God who created all things.
For us to place all our hopes in the things of this life which are only temporary instead of those things to come which are eternal.
Unites on all doctrines essential and lets all non-essential matters be settled in the minds and hearts of each person and God.
Treats all people the same regardless of skin color, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, social or economic status.
Gives no room for sinful living but instead pursues after and teaches righteousness and holiness
Purges itself of all false teaching and pursues doctrinal purity through reliance on scripture alone
Holds its members accountable for their conduct and the teachings they bring into the body of Christ.
Pursues heavenly interests more than worldly interests.
Stores up treasures in Heaven rather than treasures on earth.
Consumes itself with the things of the Kingdom instead of the cares of this world.
Stops placing trust in the fallible opinions, theories, and philosophies of men and trusts in the infallible divinely inspired scripture alone.
Stands and fights against evil.
Proclaims the faith to as many as possible instead of keeping it to itself.
Those within the Church esteem each other higher than themselves and love one another as we are commanded to and forgive one another as God has forgiven us in Christ.
Retains the purity of the Gospel and purges itself of any gospel that is not the Gospel of Christ preached by the Apostles and delivered to us by the divinely inspired scripture.
Purges itself of those who persist in adding or detracting to the scriptures.
Purges itself of double-standards and diverse standards and places itself under one standard for all members.
Its members resolve to not give themselves over to favoritism but instead be no respecter of persons as God is no respecter of persons.
Understands that we are engaged in a spiritual war between God and Satan and to be aware of the various devices of the adversary to oppose the spreading of the Gospel and render they who would faithfully serve Christ useless for the Kingdom and the Gospel and that the enemies of the faith remain formidable in spite of their eventual defeat.
Fears God above man.
Values the favor and honor of God above that of man.
Shines its light instead of hiding it.
Conforms itself to the mind of Christ instead of the ways of this world.
Looks forward to the new world to come instead of placing all its hopes in this present one which is destined to pass away.
Are you willing to pay the required price, no matter how great and costly, and trust that that the reward to come will be greater than the price paid?
Are you willing to abandon all worldly interests for heavenly interests if so required?
How much are you willing to risk and endure for the sake of this Great Awakening?
We cannot expect this Great Awakening to always be a walk in the park. We will face opposition and challenges of various sorts from without and within, but I am confident that if we are all willing to do our respective part and make whatever sacrifices required of us, it will be well worth it in the end.
Scripture references:
1. 1 Peter 4:17
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