I have always been a bit of a history
buff and love to read about people who have made themselves known for various
reasons. When I was in Bible College there was some discussion about a group of
preachers that went through school at the same time.
One of them was thought to be the next
greatest preacher the world would see. He was an awesome speaker, he could
preach the Word of God like no one else. One of the others unfortunately was
caught up in drinking and slipped out of sight. The third and fourth ones just
drifted to the sidelines.
The last one was almost as good a
preacher as the first one and went on to become the best-known preacher in my
life time.
The first Gentleman was Charles
Templeton who lost his faith and became an agnostic and lived out his life involved
in politics, broadcasting and as an author.
The last one was Billy Graham.
Templeton denied God, he developed
Alzheimer’s in his later years. An interview with Lee Strobel who had been an
atheist when he started his research in to Christ. During the work on a later
book he interviewed Templeton. Towards the end of that interview Templeton is
said to have said “I Miss Jesus.”
Friends how strong is your faith? Is
your faith deep enough and real enough to withstand the tests and storms of
life?
How sad to be lost in the viciousness
of a disease like Alzheimer’s and then to realize “I miss Jesus.” Was that
Templeton reconsidering his faith in a lucid moment, or just a comment by a sad
gentleman who was totally lost for eternity? The real sadness here is that
Templeton never really knew Jesus, He couldn’t have had a deep abiding, knowing
faith. He only knew about Jesus.
I know of a few people who are
currently suffering with the last stages of Alzheimer’s, as well as a friend /
mentor passed away due to the disease. My friend John held on to His faith, it
may not have been as strong as it could have been, but it was a real faith in
Jesus. John Knew Jesus.
How many “Christians” know Jesus, and
how many of them know about Him?
This is my concern with the world as
we see it today and the way that many attending churches don’t have a heart
knowledge of Jesus Christ.
William Booth, the founder of the
Salvation Army, once said “I consider that the chief dangers which confront the
coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without
Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration,
politics without God, and heaven without hell.”
This is sadly very true of today. We
have too many churches that profess faith, but Christ isn’t the center or even
really on the fringes of their beliefs. Many Pastors preach what I have called
many times “M&M’s” messages, candy coated, over sweetened dribble that
leaves people walking in sin.
The Holy Spirit and the power of the Blood
of Christ isn’t real in church today. We live in a world of revenge not
forgiveness, God isn’t welcome in our schools, our parliaments and we have
taken on a very accepting, politically correct attitude where saying “Merry
Christmas isn’t accepted but commented on.
I ask you to listen to your Pastors,
how many times is Jesus Name used in a service, how many times is Jesus Name
used in the sermon/message?
Jesus is to be first and foremost. God
the Father is real, and the Holy Spirit is still with us, teaching, guiding and
working through us today. The day may change, the month may change, the year
may change, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, God does
not change, He has been the same God from the beginning of time and before
that.
This brought to my mind a few passages
that we should consider.
Luke 16:19-34
“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually
dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a
poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to
be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides,
even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was
carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and
was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham
far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham
said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and
likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in
agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed,
so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that
none may cross over from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father,
that you send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—in order that
he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But
he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they
will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the
Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
When I read this passage, I think of
all those who have heard Jesus Name, and heard about Him but did nothing. I
think of those who have professed a faith in Jesus, but it was never a real
true faith. I also think of those who have never been brought to the point of
recognizing their sin. As General booth said, “Salvation without regeneration.”
Salvation without regeneration, the
old has passed away, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
Himself up for me.
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by
the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so
that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable
and perfect.
2 Corinthians 5 17-22
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them,
and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Each of these three passages tells us
that there is to be a change in us. We do not remain the same; “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creature; the old things passed away;”, “do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,”, “I have been
crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
It is too
late when we have passed on to change our thoughts and beliefs as the rich man
found out. Those left behind must listen to those here on earth with us to hear
what is being said and act.
There is an
opportunity to come to Christ, even up to the last minute. The following
passage shows us that. I ask you to consider the blessing and life that one
misses by waiting to the last minute. As the Bible says, “For today,” not tomorrow
or the next day, but today. We don’t
know when we will pass, “there is a time to be born and a time to die, but only
God knows the time and the day. Now, today decide to follow Jesus!
Luke 23:39-43
One of the criminals who were hanged there
was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and
us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God,
since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are
suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this
man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You
come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall
be with Me in Paradise.”
Please consider this message
carefully, share this message, I believe people need to come to Jesus now.
The poorest person is not the one
without money, but the one without God.
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