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The Willingness To Give All For Him |
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Posted By: blessings2you
Many critics have for centuries laid the charge at the door of the Christian faith that it is basically nothing but a means of escape from the harsh realities of life. Critics have scorned those who believe in the second coming of Christ as weak people who need a crutch to pull them through this life. Critics take great pride in pushing Christians into a corner and placing a dunce hat upon their heads and mocking them for being naïve and gullible so as to believe such foolishness as the gospel of Christ.
True Christians are neither understood nor appreciated by those who think their faith is nothing but a joke. A true Christian must therefore be so convinced of his faith that nothing said or done by any critic will cause him to waver or doubt his high calling. A true Christian cannot be influenced by what others say or do to make him feel inferior, stupid or inflicted with some horrible disease. Such are the methods of those who hate the Christian as much as those who hated Jesus Christ when He walked upon earth.
The Christian who is not rooted and grounded in his faith will surely be toppled by the winds of ridicule and scorn. The Christian does not take the time to learn the scriptures will surely wilt in the heat of day. The Christian who becomes too busy to spend time in prayer will most certainly run in fear when the enemy approaches. The Christian who becomes distracted by things in this world will absolutely be deceived by the constant and never ending bombardment of temptations and seductions around him.
Critics love to test Christians to see if they really believe in their faith or are just along for the ride. Only those Christians totally committed to their Lord and Master Jesus Christ have tough enough skin to withstand the withering attacks of those hell bent on their destruction. Christians who are only outwardly committed to their faith will succumb immediately to the pressures exerted upon them by those whose mission in life is to sway as many so called Christians away from their faith as possible.
Before the great earthquakes in various places, famines and pestilences; and before the wars and rumors of wars which all foretell the soon coming of Christ to establish His kingdom on earth Jesus laid out what His true believers had to look forward to. If the following verses portray a faith full of escapism, then we have found a new definition for the word. Indeed, what our Lord said would happen did, and will yet again be the fate of those fully committed to Him. Let us look at Luke 21:12-19:
"But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.
But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.
Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.
You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.
And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.
But not a hair on your head shall be lost.
By your patience possess your souls."
Where and how it could be derived from these verses that Christians have only rose gardens and pots of gold to enjoy in this life is beyond me. Jesus himself told these men, point blank, that some would be martyred for His name's sake. Most of them were. He told them that they would be hated for His name's sake. All of them ultimately were. He told them they would be betrayed by friends and family. Most of them ended up alone and forsaken by the time they were killed for their faith.
The world is full of very angry people who look at Christians as the source of all the world's problems. Countries have laws prohibiting anyone from converting to the Christian faith and the payment for breaking the law is death. Most of the pure hatred in the world today is squarely directed at Christians and Jews. Whether Islamic militants or the hotheaded atheist at the office; those who despise Christians are more than willing to share their "faith" with any and all around them.
We are living in the last days before our Lord returns. Whether measured in hours, weeks, months or years; there is little doubt this world cannot long endure the problems it has brought upon itself. Through natural means via earthquakes, storms and volcanoes this world it being bombarded daily with events resulting in the destruction of entire countries as well as their loss of livelihood and untold loss of life. The whole creation is groaning under the weight of ever increasing and ever stronger birth pangs.
Soon there will be situations arise which will test the very depths of every Christian's soul. The days ahead are well marked with warnings of impending trials and testing. Those who remain faithful to the truth and the call of our Master will be rewarded. Those who compromise and forsake the faith will face the consequences of years of tribulation. The hour is fast approaching when all who claim to be Christians will be forced to "prove it". At that hour, though many be called, few will chose to stand.
May we all resolve that no matter what the cost, we will never compromise the truth or forsake our heavenly calling. May the remnant of those who refuse to yield to the pleasures or pressures of this world be assured that their calling and election is sure. No matter what may come of our physical bodies, no man on earth can destroy the spirit of Christ within us. No matter what those who hate Jesus Christ may do to us who love Jesus Christ, be assured not one spiritual hair will ever be lost.
A friend sent me this link to a short video I saw last year but was thankful to watch again. I leave you with this link. Even if you have watched this many times, I beg of you to watch it again and ponder the impact of its message to our current generation. What we are doing is REAL, folks. This is not some fairy tale or television sitcom we are living. The Christian faith is the only thing that is real in this crazy world and the promises we have regarding what is to come are the only REAL things we have in life.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=7e18e50b58eb7e0c6ccb
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-By 2.5 License
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Posted: 05/12/08 7:02pm - Total Views: 232 - Category: Christian Life
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tchable |
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Posted by:
tchable 
(Posted: 05/13/08 10:49am)
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Amen brother . . . let us not be Christians only in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. It is Christian 24/7 or not at all and as you have said the day approaches when this truth will be real to all.
Blessings from Nc
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Member Biography |
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I served as an ordained minister for many years with a Biblical research and teaching ministry. Although I am no longer affiliated with the group, my love for "working the Word of God" and teaching it is as strong as ever. I belong to no specific denomination or organized group....
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