Good day beautiful people
Once again I’m here to present you with a weekly dose of God’s holy word. Today’s topic of discussion is something which has been very heavy upon my heart lately. So, why is it awfully common for us believers to feel the need to win people over, and persuade people to follow Christ through using ‘materialistic’ means? When knowing full well that the things of this earth are perishable! The heavens and earth will pass away but not a single iota of God’s word will disappear! This highlights to me that the word of God ALONE is enough to save, and ONLY God can satisfy the human soul.
Matthew 5:18 ~ I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.
Matthew 24:35 ~ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
It has become awfully common within the body of Christ for church services to be orchestrated in a worldly manner (e.g. scripture is watered down and sinful living is condoned and not rebuked). But why should individuals find what they’re trying to escape from in the church? People are trying to escape from darkness in order to find the light, but sadly some meet the same darkness within the four walls of a church building.
Why are we trying to win people over with materialism when Christ has already won victory over sin, death, hell, and the grave through His shed blood on Calvary. We don’t have the power to save, but Christ does!
2 Kings 16:10-15 ~ “King Ahaz then went to Damascus to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria. While he was there, he took special note of the altar. Then he sent a model of the altar to Uriah the priest, along with its design in full detail. Uriah followed the king’s instructions and built an altar just like it, and it was ready before the king returned from Damascus. When the king returned, he inspected the altar and made offerings on it. He presented a burnt offering and a grain offering, he poured out a liquid offering, and he sprinkled the blood of peace offerings on the altar. Then King Ahaz removed the old bronze altar from its place in front of the Lord’s Temple, between the entrance and the new altar, and placed it on the north side of the new altar. He told Uriah the priest, “Use the new altar for the morning sacrifices of burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and grain offering, and the burnt offerings of all the people, as well as their grain offerings and liquid offerings. Sprinkle the blood from all the burnt offerings and sacrifices on the new altar. The bronze altar will be for my personal use only.”
Upon reading this passage it dawned on me that Ahaz expressed through his actions that God’s standards weren’t good enough, and that the standards of the world were much more desirable. God gave specific instructions to the people of Israel on how His altar and the ark of the covenant should be built. He also warned the Israelites not to worship Him in the same way in which the nations around them worshipped false gods (idols). We can easily make the same mistake as Ahaz did, when we knowingly, or unknowingly add to or subtract from God’s word. Because with or without realising, we are expressing that God’s word is not enough to save. Some may believe that we need to attract people through using fancy words, or eloquent speech, or by the way we dress, or by showcasing our wealth. But this is ALL a lie.
It grieves my heart when I hear about masses of people being led astray. I feel that growing up I was greatly shielded from false gospels because my church preached the gospel unfiltered (not watered down at all). I used to come across ministries built upon false teachings on tv and would think how can people flock to hear such lies…But then the Holy Spirit made me realise that some individuals first encounter with the church and the gospel message is one which is built on a foundation OTHER THAN Christ, a false gospel, and therefore many do not know any better. Now I know that sometimes we as believers may get things wrong, or take things out of context, as no one holds complete and total understanding on every single scripture within the Bible. But there are sadly some people who INTENTIONALLY use the pulpit as a platform to abuse others and take advantage of the vulnerable. But those who speak falsely will be punished.
Proverbs 19:9 ~ “A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed.”
The gospel message is simple.
Repent and turn to God!
Acts 3:19 ~ Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
It’s not repent and turn to God and receive a house.
It’s not repent and turn to God and receive a car.
It’s not repent and turn to God and receive a watch.
It’s simply repent and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped away!
I always like to reflect upon these few but powerful words… Can I preach the same gospel which I share with the poor to the rich? Or the same message to the black female with the white male? If the answer is no, then I need to recheck if my heart is in the right place.
It is the Holy Spirit which enables one to call Jesus Lord. It’s got nothing to do with our ability to speak well, or how eloquent we are when discussing with others. It’s purely down to the Holy Spirit at work. We are empty vessels whom the Holy Spirit chooses to work through to bring light into the dark world in which we live in! So let’s stop trying to become more like the world and instead strive to become more like Christ.
My prayer is for all those who have been led astray by false teachers to be set free from spiritual blindness in Jesus mighty name.
God bless and stay safe people and I hope you and all your loved ones have a productive week! Keep shining for Christ.
Love
Christian Lady After God’s Own Heart 💖