Posts here - and the inner-city ministry blog a
similar post to this will be in - discuss, in one way or another, ways God can use us to bring people to
Him, especially through Repentance Revival and, as part of that, our prayers.
God cares a great deal that people come to Him. His Gospel is for
everyone - anyone can call on Him at any time and trust Him by faith to forgive them of their sins and make them new inside, as I'll relate more in the final section; you can do that right now if you haven't. He unconditionally loves each of us - you - and calls us to go into all the world and preach that Gospel to
everyone.(Matt.28:18-20)
When a person trusts Jesus Christ as Saviour with their whole heart, He makes them new creatures inside. (2
Corinthians 5:17)
This is why I emphasize the need for repentance in revival; it's not just repentance being required for prayer. That heart
change is vital to ending violence against women, working together as equals who accept we're all one race, etc.. It is good for Christians to glorify God by being Godly examples and seeking to bring these lost souls to Christ so they can change on the inside and not just on the outside, which is how the world tries to do it. God looks on the heart, which is what is important..
It is important to remember that the salvation of souls
must be the main thing, though. Too often, imperfect people try on their own
strength to accomplish goals, which leads to deception. Two particular
deceptions involve losing our focus; hence the need to focus on things like the good thoughts
of Philippians 4:8. We must avoid them and also help others
avoid them. If we don't, we can be led astray with
terrible consequences - especially with the second.
One is a doctrine that has been espoused by many, such as the Pilgrims and Puritans. This isn't saying they lacked a relationship with God. I
simply mention them as an example to show how easy it is for saved
people to fall for it.
We Can't Bring the Kingdom Ourselves
Luke 17:20-21 shows Jesus answering a question about when
the Kingdom of God would come. His words lead to talk of false Christs,
but notice it is the Kingdom of God which He says won't come with
observation; you can't point and say "There it is." It's within each
believer because believers have the Holy Spirit. His kingdom is not of this world; indeed, we are called ambassadors(2 Cor. 5:20) precisely because we who trust Christ as Saviour are citizens of Heaven. So, this verse has nothing to do with making the world perfect ourselves, because we can't - we can only let God use us to make things better in His perfect plan, by leading people to Christ like int he above links.
The problem was, the Puritans, etc. saw a great, pristine
wilderness inhabited by some natives (who only certain ones even though to share the Gospel with, a sign of their sinfulness), and a total lack of the persecution of Europe. These things made them tink it was - if not Heaven on Earth - a place they could turn into it.
They looked at their situation, saw people could only be blessed by hard
work in building and growing their colonies, and used those circumstances to create
something akin to the error of the prosperity gospel today. They simply
forgot that the Bible never teaches us to focus on worldly goods.
Instead, we are to build our treasure in heaven where it is going to
last forever.(Matthew 6:19-21, etc.) So, the old "Protestant work ethic" is good in how it inspires hard work and determination for the Lord, but bad if it's used to belittle those who can't work as much or who work but their rewards are built in heaven.
As noted, it's easy to fall for the error of looking
only at circumstances and still be saved; Even John the Baptist did when
depressed in prison. Jesus told his messengers to show him all the
Miracles that were done and that would remind him that yes, Jesus is the
Christ, the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world."(John 1:29) As the previous link states, people who believe this false teaching think they are using God when in fact the Bible says God uses us in His perfect plan. The circumstances they got wrong were thinking that they were using their faith to settle this country when in fact God was using them and trying to get them to be Godly people and thus show the natives an example of Jesus Christ. They just refused to listen to Him. Some did because they weren't saved and so didn't have the Holy Spirit. Others did because of that inherent sin nature that caused them to insist on their ways. this is just one reason why I always say in these posts that we need to repent for the last 400 years, not just the last 40.
This brings us to one of the reasons we can't bring the Kingdom of God in ourselves. There are severa, and I'll only get into a few here.
That is all that is needed. Then, you can be part of the Kingdom of God by simple faith, the moment you call on Him to save you by simple faith. You will be an ambassador for Christ, as noted in one of numerous great shows ont he radio page here. You can also e-mail with great online volunteers here
Most importantly, you can sahre the Gospel with others and help them avoid the judgment coming on this world for the evil in it. We can't save this world from sinners. But, we can let God use us to save sinners from a lost and dying world..
1. We haven't improved since then. We can't bring the
Kingdom of God in on our own because we still have a sin nature, and imperfect people can't create something perfect, just like someone who has only read anayomy books or watched TV can't do brain surgery and hope to do it well. People
still seek their own way; as noted in other posts, many want to be
superior to others instead of equal. Some truly want equally, but as
will be shown, when God is left out of the picture it only leads to a
lack of true freedom. Godly justice, which is better than any person's. This is because...
2. God alone can change hearts. It truly is a heart problem that can't be fixed completely by laws. Believers have the Holy Spirit
in them so God can use us to bring people to Him. He is the one who
saves, though. We only do our part by sharing our Testimony, giving a
Gospel tract, writing, singing, giving of ourselves through teaching,
food, or whatever, or anything else that's God calls us to do. As 1st
Corinthians says, sometimes Paul plants and Apollos waters, sometimes
it's the other way around, but God is the only one who can truly give
the increase.
3. Some parts of the Millennial Kingdom can't possibly come without
God's intervention. For instance, there being
no war and animals being peaceful, and you can't tame wild animals. Also, one verse tells of how many people will
want to follow the Jews up to Jerusalem because they know that God is
with them.(Zechariah 8:13) Today, anti-Semitism is rampant, and it won't stop till the devil is vanquished by God Himself. Jesus will rule and reign in the Kingdom on His throne in Jerusalem, and will return with a whole mess of staints, the number used being the highest possible in Greek.(Jude 14-15) All the events of Revelation have to happen first, too. There are others, too.
Of course, for centuries Christians have fought injustice,
built hospitals and orphanages, fed the hungry, and so on; all of these
are great causes. The question is, does the saving of souls come first?
Is the good work done to glorify God and draw others to know Christ as
Saviour? If so, that is what God wants.
There are people who do such things with other motives,
though. They might do it to make people look at them, though the applause of people shouldn't be our goal - these good works must be done heartily unto the Lord. This is why at the bema seat judgment, where our works are judged, some will be burned up because they were built on the wrong desires, though once a person is saved that soul is saved forever.(1 Cor. 3:11-15)
Even worse, some people do such works and totally dishonor God, trying to create a society apart from God and His principles and perfection. Such things are very dangerous, and lead into the worst deception.
Even worse, some people do such works and totally dishonor God, trying to create a society apart from God and His principles and perfection. Such things are very dangerous, and lead into the worst deception.
The Coming Great Deception
The problem is that so many refuse to accept God's forgiveness because they delight in sins of some sort. In sharing how to avoid being fooled by the devil, and what to do if millions vanish, those links shared a few ksys, but it needs to consistently be emphasized that Godly principles include things we all should love.
Think about it - honesty, respect for others, mercy, grace, kindness, etc. are all Godly principles we should want to build in our lives; people just don't like them when they have to apply them in situations where they don't want to, a result of that sin nature. The devil has tried to make people only focus on what God is against, but instead we must keep emphasizing the things Christians should all be for, such as forgiveness, mercy, and His loving, willing sacrifice on the cross, the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ - who was God in flesh - for our sins.
Think about it - honesty, respect for others, mercy, grace, kindness, etc. are all Godly principles we should want to build in our lives; people just don't like them when they have to apply them in situations where they don't want to, a result of that sin nature. The devil has tried to make people only focus on what God is against, but instead we must keep emphasizing the things Christians should all be for, such as forgiveness, mercy, and His loving, willing sacrifice on the cross, the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ - who was God in flesh - for our sins.
2 Thessalonians 2 is one of several places we read about
the devil's attempt to defeat God through the antichrist, and it has
some very sobering words for those who love the lies the devil puts out
instead of God's unconditional love for each of us. Strong delusion will
come to them and they will believe the lie this evil being puts forth.
We don't know what that lie will be; there may be quite a few of them. One link mentioned in both those links int he first paragraph in this section menions demons pretending to be aliens, for instance. It could also be something else.
However, the key is that the devil will try to make this world seem perfect for sinful people left behind. Why? Becasue he is a counterfeiter, and wants to create a counterfeit system that will bind people to Him and enslave them. We don't follow God becasue we have to; we do it becsue we want to based on what He did for us. However, the devil wants to enslave people with things. Some of them, people can see are really dangers, yet they still get lured into them. Others are much more benign looking.
One of those lies is that people can create a perfect world without God.
This connects with that first point. We can't make this world perfect; we can't bring the Kingdom of God ourselves becasue we are imperfect humans. It is very dangerous to fall for any system that tries to cause people to think they can create that perfect world themselves. Indeed, often ministers refuse to preach about the end times becasue they don't want to think of jesus comings oon because they want to believe that we can build a perfect world for Him. Yes, some ministers are simply unaware of anything and just need to study to show themselves approved, getting out of their comfort zones. Others, however, truly want to think that people can make their own utopia.
Of course, it's great to work for change. We must end oppression, end racism, and prevent evil as best we can; we are never told to sit by and watch things such things happen.
The difference between what God wants us to do and what the devil tries to do is all about context. When doctors, nurses, etc. get together for a medical mission and the Gospel is presented once people receive the help they need, that is honoring Christ, for instance. When the poor are helped by a group that preaches Christ crucified, risen, and coming again for one's sins and the poor have the Gospel presented to them, that is beinging more souls into the Kingdom. However, when things are not done with Christ at the center, when a ministry does something but neglects the Gospel, then they are not doing their job. (The dangerous "social gospel", which as the link shows is not Biblical since it doesn't focus on Heaven)
The antichrist at first will be a man of peace, bringing everything together and everyone together. This will please a lot of people, but it will only be for a short while. The true colors of this society will be shown - as shown in Revelation - by thigns such as its hatred of those who preach the God of the Bible and the necessity of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It will further be shown by the forcing of a mark in (or on, or both) the hand or forehead, where nobody can buy or sell without it. It might be voluntary at first, but either way, it will cause one to pledge allegiance to this devil incarnate.
All that is why I say elsewhere, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER take that mark!
The great deception could be someone claiming to be Jesus. It could be an alien, perhaps the return of the Nephilim coming with it as pointed out here.(There is weird, unBiblical stuff out there about these creatures, but Chuck Missler and anyone he links are good, as he is a well-respected scholar ont he subject; this is why I ilnk his page.)
We don't know what that delusion will be, so it's important to avoid it and be ready now by trusting Jesus Christ, not by preparing like some of those aforementioned weird sites talk about.
We don't know what that lie will be; there may be quite a few of them. One link mentioned in both those links int he first paragraph in this section menions demons pretending to be aliens, for instance. It could also be something else.
However, the key is that the devil will try to make this world seem perfect for sinful people left behind. Why? Becasue he is a counterfeiter, and wants to create a counterfeit system that will bind people to Him and enslave them. We don't follow God becasue we have to; we do it becsue we want to based on what He did for us. However, the devil wants to enslave people with things. Some of them, people can see are really dangers, yet they still get lured into them. Others are much more benign looking.
One of those lies is that people can create a perfect world without God.
This connects with that first point. We can't make this world perfect; we can't bring the Kingdom of God ourselves becasue we are imperfect humans. It is very dangerous to fall for any system that tries to cause people to think they can create that perfect world themselves. Indeed, often ministers refuse to preach about the end times becasue they don't want to think of jesus comings oon because they want to believe that we can build a perfect world for Him. Yes, some ministers are simply unaware of anything and just need to study to show themselves approved, getting out of their comfort zones. Others, however, truly want to think that people can make their own utopia.
Of course, it's great to work for change. We must end oppression, end racism, and prevent evil as best we can; we are never told to sit by and watch things such things happen.
The difference between what God wants us to do and what the devil tries to do is all about context. When doctors, nurses, etc. get together for a medical mission and the Gospel is presented once people receive the help they need, that is honoring Christ, for instance. When the poor are helped by a group that preaches Christ crucified, risen, and coming again for one's sins and the poor have the Gospel presented to them, that is beinging more souls into the Kingdom. However, when things are not done with Christ at the center, when a ministry does something but neglects the Gospel, then they are not doing their job. (The dangerous "social gospel", which as the link shows is not Biblical since it doesn't focus on Heaven)
The antichrist at first will be a man of peace, bringing everything together and everyone together. This will please a lot of people, but it will only be for a short while. The true colors of this society will be shown - as shown in Revelation - by thigns such as its hatred of those who preach the God of the Bible and the necessity of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It will further be shown by the forcing of a mark in (or on, or both) the hand or forehead, where nobody can buy or sell without it. It might be voluntary at first, but either way, it will cause one to pledge allegiance to this devil incarnate.
All that is why I say elsewhere, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER take that mark!
The great deception could be someone claiming to be Jesus. It could be an alien, perhaps the return of the Nephilim coming with it as pointed out here.(There is weird, unBiblical stuff out there about these creatures, but Chuck Missler and anyone he links are good, as he is a well-respected scholar ont he subject; this is why I ilnk his page.)
We don't know what that delusion will be, so it's important to avoid it and be ready now by trusting Jesus Christ, not by preparing like some of those aforementioned weird sites talk about.
There is one way to avoid this delusion.
That is to know the truth. Jesus saith, I am the way, the truth, and the life, Noone can come to the Father but by Him. (John 14:6) This Gospel is inclusive of everyone. Children under the age of accountability go to Heaven by the cross because they can't yet understand the need for Jesus Christ to die in their place. In the same way, each of us must go not based on any work of our own. It must be based on one's trust in Christ Jesus alone, calling on him by faith and believing that He took the punishment for one's sins, and then repenting and trusting Him to save them and make them new inside.
That is to know the truth. Jesus saith, I am the way, the truth, and the life, Noone can come to the Father but by Him. (John 14:6) This Gospel is inclusive of everyone. Children under the age of accountability go to Heaven by the cross because they can't yet understand the need for Jesus Christ to die in their place. In the same way, each of us must go not based on any work of our own. It must be based on one's trust in Christ Jesus alone, calling on him by faith and believing that He took the punishment for one's sins, and then repenting and trusting Him to save them and make them new inside.
That is all that is needed. Then, you can be part of the Kingdom of God by simple faith, the moment you call on Him to save you by simple faith. You will be an ambassador for Christ, as noted in one of numerous great shows ont he radio page here. You can also e-mail with great online volunteers here
Most importantly, you can sahre the Gospel with others and help them avoid the judgment coming on this world for the evil in it. We can't save this world from sinners. But, we can let God use us to save sinners from a lost and dying world..
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