Uncategorized

There Is No Slide-Rule to Gain Heaven :: by Don Twobears

Published on: by RR2

I believe it is important for you and me to have clear understanding, of what we are to be doing as we live here on earth. I must reiterate, our lives are too short for wealth and prosperity to be fruitful. In other words, we can work all our lives to obtain wealth and yet it always seems to come with its fair share of problems. There is Scripture that is directed at this situation;

Matthew 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,” where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Exodus 20:3-5 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

Stop and think my friends, the second passage of Scripture is a commandment of God Almighty. It does indeed speak of the things we put first in our Lives, of the things we are willing to kill over! Let’s be adults here and recognize that murders have been perpetrated over money, for wealth and personal prosperity.

Here is something to think about; there are many pastors and preachers out today that preach the “prosperity gospel”! If God Almighty tells us to put NOTHING ahead of HIM, I would have to say that includes Wealth! Wouldn’t you agree?

So where does that leave those that are preaching the “prosperity gospel?” Is it worthy enough to say they are liars?

The Bible has another angle on this as well, as to what is stated above. Remember the Sanhedrin in the days of Jesus, loved to be seen in public, in their finest attire. They enjoy speaking Long Prayers on the street corners and because of this, Jesus said “they have their reward.”

Matthew 6:5 “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

Oops! So if they go to heaven, what will they have as a reward for their deeds here on earth? Please stop and remember, the Lord knows the intent of our hearts. And this prosperity gospel is NOT of the Lord. It IS sin!

So now the question is…how will you be remembered?! Where IS you treasure? What is FIRST in your life? How is the Lord God going to deal with you and your sins?

I say this in the context of, the nearness of the Rapture of the church of Jesus Christ. Where are you in relation to the Rapture? Are you doing what the Lord has asked you to be doing in these late hours? The darkness is just ahead and many, many, will be swallowed up in it. What excuse will you use, as you stand before Almighty God, face to face?

This will be the ultimate Individual and personal Perspective! It is NOT a matter of what you think … you should be doing, it is a matter of what the Word of God tells us to be doing! Here we go again with what is right and what is wrong. This is because everything we do or think begins with…The intent of our hearts!

Revelation 3:15-16 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee [vomit you] out of my mouth.”

Again, may I say…the Intent of our hearts…as a single thought … that comes to our mind. One must consider this, because God Almighty does not forget a single thing (except sin that is covered by HIS blood). This, my friends, is NOT a subjective matter; it is a profound statement by God Almighty.

How odd is it then, that we should be on fire for the Lord? Think on this for a moment, how strange is that? When we think of fire, we see an all consuming phenomenon, absolute destruction. In other words, the state of whatever is burned, is now nothing but ashes. In this context, the Lord God wants us to be the brightest white hot we  can be … for HIM! Burning the bridges of our old self … as we move forward in HIM!

Consider the wheat and the tares—where the tares are gathered together and thrown into the fire. This is an example of the born-again and the lost. Obviously the tares are those that are lost!

That is some scary stuff to consider and yet the lost want nothing to do with any of these considerations. Does this mean they already know their state of affairs concerning salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ? Absolutely!

Why do you think, they find Christianity or anything else about Jesus Christ to be so offensive to them? It is a matter of accountability, of responsibility, before a JUST GOD!

My friends who are born-again, have taken this step and recognized their sins, they have proclaimed their responsibility for their own sins and brought them before The Lord God and asked for HIS forgiveness.

They are NOT better than anyone else, they are simply forgiven of their sins. That makes them acceptable into the presence of a just GOD. So where does that leave those who are NOT born-again to Jesus Christ? It is and always will be … one way or the other … that … is your choice to make.

Sorry … there is no “sliding rule” with Almighty God and your sins. There is no sliding into heaven by the “skin of your teeth.” There is one thing you must know; there is NO doing it all over again.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).

You may reach the author at: twobears44@gmail.com

The Book :: by Grant Phillips

Published on: by RR2

It has always been my argument that we should go to the source to find the answers we need in life. If I want to know about creation, I go to God, not scientists or theologians. If I want to know what is beyond the grave, I go to God, not some ego induced Hollywood personality. If I want to know about anything, God will tell me what I need to know in His Word, the Bible. It is the only source that can be depended upon 100%.

About 4 ½ years ago I wrote a song simply called “The Book” referring to the only book, the Bible. It is as follows:

How does God speak to us in the days we’re living in

Is it through a mighty storm or the gusting of the wind

Does He use the mouth of others or a feeling we once knew

Or does He simply use His Word He gave us by the Jew

Why do we listen for God in all those other places

When we can always find Him in the Bible’s pages

Why is His Word sometimes the last place we go

When in the pages of His Word is all we need to know

It’s really not a mystery that He’s trying to hide

He made it very clear that in His Word we abide

Other things are gimmicks and not the way to go

Only in the Word of God can we ever grow

CHORUS:

The Book has long been finished and now it should be read

To really hear from God and know just what He said

It’s the one true way to listen to our Lord

It’s the Living Word and the mighty Sword

It astounds me that even Christians will go to other sources to get the “facts.” They read a book some man or woman wrote. They watch a documentary on television. They form their own opinion from how “they” think things should be.

I appreciate those who are reading this article, but don’t use me as a barometer. I would never write anything that I don’t very strongly believe, but I am not the final authority. Use me only as a spring board to the final authority, the Word of God, the Bible. Anyone who writes for the glory of Jesus will say the same. If any proclaim not the same Gospel that Jesus gave the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles, then as Paul would say, “Let him be accursed.”

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:8-10)

For many centuries the common man did not have the written Word of God since there were no printing presses and later because the “church” of that time would not allow anyone but the priesthood to have a copy. Today, the Bible can be in the hands of anyone, except those who live in dictatorial nations where it is banned, but even yet, brave Christians try to get the Bible to those too.

Here is the dilemma. In this country, not to mention others, ignorance of God’s Word knows no bounds. A Bible can be had by ANYONE. It can be read without fear of the Bible police knocking on your door and hauling you off to prison … so far.

We call this period of time the “enlightened age,” but are we really? Knowledge knows no bounds in every area, except where it involves the knowledge of the Bible. Christians today should be the most enlightened group of people of any age prior to us concerning the Word of God, but the opposite is true.

I wonder if I have offended any Christians yet. I hope I have, to the point of your getting in the Word, and actually reading and studying it on a daily basis. I can just hear some Christians now, “How dare you!” Those with that attitude will be the very ones who would have to blow the dust off their Bible, if they can find it, in order to pick it up and read it. Those who actually do read and study it daily know exactly where I’m coming from.

Why are there so many different “opinions” about spiritual matters? I’ll tell you why. They are just that. They are “opinions” formed from the mind of man instead of the Truth obtained from God’s Word.

To know the Word of God requires effort. A casual reading is good, but not what God has in mind for the Church. He said through the Apostle Paul,

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

To study the Bible takes effort, a lot of it, and that is what the Lord expects from us. However, if one is lazy, he/she is too sorry to actually study the Word.

Wrong conclusions can be developed even from casual reading. This is why some Christians are “so heavenly minded they are of no earthly good.” They are those who open their mouth but have nothing to say. Oh, they think they do, but nothing comes forth but worldly claptrap.

I see three types of Christians in this age of apostasy, the Laodicean age, (1) those who don’t read the Word, (2) those who read just enough to not know what they’re talking about, and (3) those who actually obey 2 Timothy 2:15. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it is exasperating trying to get Christians, of all people, to get serious about really knowing God’s Word. I’ve even heard preachers proclaim, in their ignorance, that “Bible study is not necessary. We need to concentrate on getting people saved.” That has got to be one of the most asinine remarks I have ever heard coming from the pulpit.

To effectively witness, we must know the Word. To grow in Christ, we must know the Word. To know His will for our lives, we must know the Word. To face life and all its “curve balls,” we must know the Word. To combat the atrocities of Satan’s lies, we must know the Word. To have a close, personal relationship with our Savior, we must know the Word.

Jewish children were taught the Scriptures at an early age. God seems to think that is important, for He says,

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

In another translation it says,

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” (Proverbs 22:6 NLT)

How can we train up a child in the way he should go, or direct our children onto the right path, if we don’t even know what God is telling us to relay to them? We must know His Word. Could this be why little hoodlums are being raised even in Christian homes?

Folks, for your own benefit and the benefit of your children, get in the Book. You will find such pleasure, you will wonder why you waited so long.

 

Grant Phillips