-THE WRITTEN WORD-
“Now, I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
And the God of peace shall bruise satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen….ROMANS 16: 17-20.
“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age: they shall be fat and flourishing. To show that the Lord is upright: He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him”…..PSALM 92:12-15.
-THE RECEIVED WORD-
Brethren, the right attitude of a true Disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ is this: that “I will follow Jesus no matter the cost, and no going back”.That is the right attitude - to follow Him at all costs – whether good or “bad”. And it can never be bad following Him, especially to those who understand the mystery of heaven.
For whatever we may consider bad in our heavenly walk is a hidden treasure waiting to be revealed at last. The word bad in true Christian walk only stops in the flesh and no more – all that is considered negative in the life of a true Disciple are mere steps on his or her ladder to heaven. And without such steps our heavenly walk wil become a very slippery experience indeed. I need a witness in the house of our God.
The sole target of a true Disciple must be to live according to the perfect will of God at all times, and this urge is clearly expressed in this enduring phrase: "Thy will be done O Lord".
Brethren, there is no character in the Bible whose story teaches us how to maximize the gains of this life, none. Every human story in the Bible is about how the man or the woman walked with or without God and what resulted from that. The only theme that the word of God brings to the world is the theme of reward for righteousness, holiness, diligence, service, obedience, patience. etc. And recompense to those who refused to follow the commandments of the Lord.
There is no theme in the Bible on how to be healed, how to obtain miracles, how to buy and sell, how to become rich, how to have children, etc. All these are secondary matters – matters that result from the principal things.
Brethren, we are all created to serve God’s pleasure, even as unprofitable servants. Anything less than that is not of God and cannot stand the test of heaven.
For instance, the story of Abraham is not about his blessings, as many struggle to teach and even practice. The true story of Abraham is the story of faith, of obedience, of patience, of pursuit of God and not the pursuit of the things of God. It is all about his pursuit of God’s holiness and righteousness. Many in church of today are very much acquainted with the blessings of Abraham, and they chant, sing and claim them at the slightest opportunity. But very very few, both in the pulpit and in the pew, know in truth what Abraham really stands for. This is a great minus to the body of Christ.
It is a great disservice to God and to humanity for any preacher of this gospel to preach or teach that Abraham sought God for the blessings of this life. It is indeed a monumental error to even suggest that Abraham, in seeking God, ever considered his living standards.
Let it be known to all who love our Lord and His appearing, that when Abraham left his people in answer to God’s call, he was not a poor man by any definition. He left a people who were prospering just as the folks of his time. But he left them in any case. He left them for a better life, but not as the world gives, but as heaven offers. He left his people to seek God, to seek God and the city whose Maker and Builder is God, He left his people to seek heaven at last. And as he pursued God and eternal life, God blessed him with what he was not seeking, even all the good things of this life, and eternal life.
Have you not read in Hebrews chapter 11, from verse 6 to 8, that “By faith, when Abraham was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city whose Builder and Maker is God”? That is true story of Abraham. And that must of necessity be the story of every true Disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Brethren, contrary to perverset and covetous teachings, even King Solomon did not seek God for money or indeed for any of the things of this life. Rather he sought God for wisdom, godly wisdom – the wisdom that leads to eternal life. And in giving him wisdom, God added that which Solomon never sought for – even the things of this life.
Sadly enough Solomon allowed himself to be guided, not by that which he sought, which was godly wisdom, but by the riches of this life, and in so doing he ended up corrupting the legacy and testimony of David his father. And by the time Solomon came to himself, and beheld all his wealth and influence, he rubbished all with that glorious and life-giving phrase: “vanity upon vanity, all is vanity”.
Are you one of the preachers or teachers of this gospel teaching or preaching vanity upon vanities as the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? Are you amongst those in church seeking vanity upon vanities instead of seeking eternal life? Have you yet not read that the glory of this life passeth away? Why do you teach men and women to pursue that which will soon leave them? Why do you weep and cry all night seeking for that which is temporary and fleeting?
Why must you weary God with endless tears because you lack one thing of this life or the other? How many folks in Church of today ever weep at night because they thirst for eternal life? Why all this sorrow all over the place? Many believing folks are either weeping to have just a child, while some are weeping for more children. Some are weeping even for children of a particular sex! Some are weeping because of food, clothing, car, house, just name it. The feet of our Lord are flowing with tears, not of those thirsting after Him and after His righteousness, but of those who are seeking the things of this life.
Have you not read that those who thirst and seek after righteousness shall be filled? What are we thirsting for people of God? What seekest thou o man, what seekest thou o woman?
Examine yourselves whether you are still in this faith. For the days draw near when those who are married would be as if they never married at all, and those that have the things of this life as if they have nothing - for the glory of this life passeth away. What will it profit you if you gain all that is in this life and end up in hell fire, where the fire quencheth not and their worm dieth not?
Brethren, there is nothing sinful in a believer possessing the good things of this life. But in so doing, we must live as pilgrims on earth that we are. We must live with our focus on the Author and Finisher of our common faith – we must live per day, we must live ready – for we can never tell the hour and the time our Lord will come to take His people home. Even when He is not coming for all, He may as well come for you, or for me, and that without notice.
People of God, it is high time we started raising true Disciple of Christ through proper teachings. We must bring folks to Christ on one reason and on one reason alone – that they may make heaven at last. All other things are mere additions and must be taught as such. We must be bold and courageous enough to tell folks, that apart from the salvation of their souls that the other things they are seeking may not even come their way at all. And that whether they received other things from God or not, that ALL their focus and hope must be on heaven at last.
Brethren, let us consider Psalm 1, particularly verses 1 and 2 thereof. There the Psalmist spells out the essence of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ – which is to teach believers not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor to stand on the path of sinners, but to flee from the seat of the scornful. That is verse one.
In verse two of the same Psalm 1, the scripture further enjoins the believer to continually delight his or herself, in the written and daily commandments of our Lord, that is, to obey them willfully. And not only to obey our God, but also to meditate on the word of God day in day out. And, according to the rest of that particular Psalm, when the believer is careful to abide by these instructions, what follows next are there for all to see – abundance of all things, even long life, even life everlasting.
It is therefore a great error with eternal consequences, for preachers of this gospel to preach the things that follow verses one and two of Psalm 1 as the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a great disservice to God and to humanity for those called by God to lead His people back to Him to begin to misdirect the same people, to cause them to wonder into covetous and lustful ways at the expense of sound doctrine, even at the expense of eternal life.
Brethren, many have started this Christian journey with great excitement but are finishing as servants of satan, even as enemies of righteousness. And the reason is largely due to wrong and pervasive doctrinal teachings. Many are coming to the Lord for so many reasons other than to make Him Lord and personal Savior.
Many are in the Lord for many reasons other than to live a life that pleases God and make heaven at last. Many in the Church of today scarcely qualify as Disciples of our Lord, both in the pulpit and the pew. And unless one is thus qualified, heaven at last remains as elusive as wind.
I have written it as the Lord directed that I should. The message has run for almost a month covering five parts. It is now up to all and sundry to consider their ways and apply their hearts to godly wisdom. It is not time for criticism or cheap blackmail. It is not time to measure spiritual heights. It is rather a time for sober reflections - for our salvation has suddenly become even much more nearer than when we first believed.
What I say to one is what I say to all – keep praying and keep watching. Do not be taken unawares.
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