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Thursday 26 July 2012

The Road to Hell

Many years ago, when I was a student in Bible School, one of the founding men, Mr. Marshall, said something I never forgot to this day.  The class he was teaching was appropriately called, “False Cults.”  Warning us about cults, in his gentle, persistent way, he said, “A text out of context is a pretext.”  What does this mean?  He explained that when you take a single text out of the Bible and fail to interpret it in the context in which it is given (this includes the surrounding verses before and after, other chapters in the same book, as well as other texts in different books in the Bible which will refer to it), you have the makings of being led astray.  When the Bible is properly read and studied, every student of the Bible who sincerely seeks to know God and His Word, will discover that certain texts are mentioned more than once, and that the Bible, as a whole agrees with itself.  There are no glaring contradictions, or at least ones that in any way question the character of God, and the truth about Him found only in His Word.

Sadly, today there are many people who are paving their own road to hell because they fail to interpret Scriptures correctly.  People who do not want to believe in hell (universalists) are convinced that everyone will “eventually” make it through the doors of heaven, regardless of whether or not (and here is the key), they “know” the Lord Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.  How can we be assured that we “know” Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior?  Clearly this is not something you can know in the flesh, or because you have university degrees or someone else telling you that you are a Christian; it is only something that you can know once it’s been revealed by God Himself.  Here is what Scripture says about it:

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. KJV

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. KJV


According to Scripture, not everyone belongs to the Lord as some would think:

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. KJV

In Jesus own words: 

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The “kingdom of heaven” referred to in verse 21 is a future time, when we all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and give an account of our lives that we lived here on earth.  And here is another passage:

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

If we look at verse 15, the “whosoever” means anyone who physically dies without first having become a child of God through the finished work of Jesus death on the cross, is lost forever without God.  If we read the rest of the Bible in the proper context, these verses will verify that anyone who does not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior is on a sure road to hell, and will be lost forever without God.  Here are many more references to the reality and surety of hell: 

Luke 16:19-31; I John 5:10-12 (those who have life, those who do not); John 3:15-21; Matthew 5:22,29-30; 2 Peter 2:1-22 (mentioned in a previous blog – No Fear of Hell); Matthew 8:11-12; Matthew 13:37-50; Mark 9:42-48; Matthew 25:41-46; Isaiah 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Rev. 21:7-8; Psalm 91:7; I Cor. 6:9-10; Rev. 14:9-11; Luke 12:4-5, 9-10; Matthew 23:33; Revelation1:18.

I challenge you to read the above verses with understanding and revelation from God.  Do not shrink away from what the Bible clearly warns about it.  Allow these verses to go deep into your heart because if you are not saved, now is the time to turn to the Lord, the only One who can save you.  If you have relatives and friends who are not saved, pray for them more than you’ve ever prayed before. Now is the time.  Many of the references to hell were made by Jesus Himself.  He did not die for us in vain, and we can only be eternally saved while we are still alive here on this earth, from the One who conquered death and hell for us, and that is Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. 

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Expecting the Best

Luk 5:4  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Luk 5:5  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
Luk 5:6  And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net broke.
Luk 5:7  And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
Luk 5:8  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
Luk 5:9  For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
Luk 5:10  And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
Luk 5:11  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. KJV

     I love this passage of Scripture because it is so typical of Jesus – He always does the unexpected!  Have you ever gone through a dry spell in your life, a time where you worked so hard for little reward?  I have gone through this.  I felt that I should write three course books for creative writing and received so little response from my mail outs and ads in the paper, I just felt like giving up.  Simon Peter experienced similar.  He had “toiled” all night and was able to catch nothing.  Then Jesus said something totally unexpected and profound (as He always does) – Launch out into the deep … I love that.  Probably if you are a fisherman, you would move to another location where the fish would bite – it seems logical, but Jesus asked him to stay put and launch out into the deep.
     I interpret this in several ways.  First, launch out into the deep means, in modern terms, Take a chance… Give your best … Don’t give up … Look beyond the 5 senses – launch out into the area of the supernatural – the deep things of God that defy human logic.  It means, literally, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).  Real faith means launching out into the deep.  Launching is an action verb.  It means that you don’t just sit there – you do something.  Faith always requires an action.  It goes beyond human reasoning.
     Perhaps Peter was looking for an easy way out -- what can Jesus know?  He’s not a fisherman.  But when he obeys the Lord and launches his net as told, Jesus gives him a harvest of fish so great, he has another ship come and help him.  Both ships start sinking there are so many fish.  What is the secret here?  I believe that the lesson is to look beyond the natural means and look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  It also says that when Jesus performs a miracle in your life, it will affect many people, and all the more will share in the joy.  Jesus often does things in a big way.  He loves showing us His wonder-working powers.
     There is another lesson here – did you ever notice that just before something really significant, wonderful and big is about to happen in your life, that everything goes wrong, and you feel like giving up? Peter must have, because after he saw the Lord’s miracle, he saw something else too – he saw his own sinful self – full of doubt and unbelief, fear, pride, and his own limitations.  Peter came unglued in the presence of Jesus – God revealed Himself in Jesus, in the form of a man.  What happens after he has this revelation and falls down at Jesus feet?  Notice how a person of pride and self-sufficient means always falls down before the feet of Jesus when they see their real sinful selves in the light of His glory?  Jesus gave a word of prophecy to Peter – “Fear not – you will catch men.”  Why would He say “Fear not?”  Because when the Lord brings in the harvest, man ceases to strive to bring it about in his own sinful way.  Did you know that your way and my way are sinful before God?  There can be no reward – no fish – no harvest.  Why?  Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  Simple.  Is it our glory or God’s glory?  When it’s to God’s glory, there is always a huge harvest.
     So Peter falls down at Jesus feet, then, and only then, does Jesus give him the call – you will be fishers of men.  He doesn’t say it before, because Peter wouldn’t have seen his own self-will and pride.  He had to see the glory and power of the Lord, and then he got the call.  After he got the call, what did he do?  Go back to fishing? No.  He FORSOOK ALL and followed Jesus.  That’s the kind of effect Jesus has on all He calls.  He gives you a distaste for the selfish things in this world, and gives you a heavenly feast of His glory so that you always desire Him and want more of Him: 

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8

     Today, if you find yourself working hard for little reward, ask the Lord what He wants you to do.  He knows where the harvest is even if we don’t.  We don’t have to know the results of the work that we do, we just need to obey and do what He says.  

NOTE:  I wrote this article about 10 years ago.  I didn’t find out until much later that the Lord had a distinct purpose in me writing the three course books for creative writing.  It was to reach a very dear man who wanted to learn how to write his life story.  He was also searching for the Lord, and has more recently, been at death’s door.  He has become our friend.  We are still praying for him to accept the Lord, and we believe that one day He will be ready.  We believe the “harvest” is the impact it will have on his family and all the people he knows.  Sometimes the Lord asks us to work hard with something just so that one soul can be reached.  I thank God that the people who prayed for me when I was a backslidden Christian did not give up on me.  So please, never give up on the task(s) you feel the Lord is asking you to do, or to complete.  He knows the final result, and in the end, we will understand that it has been worth it all. 

Friday 20 July 2012

The True Marks of a Christian

In a previous blog, I talked about what it means to be saved, and what happens when we truly repent (we become new creatures).  Today, the Lord has laid it on my heart to talk about love and forgiveness.  When it comes to loving others, and forgiving others, talk is cheap.  We can say that we are loving, that we love God and others, and then we may go around slandering people, gossiping about them, and secretly wishing them revenge and ill will if they have wronged us in some way.  If we look at the following verses, John emphasizes the core meaning of love:

1Jn 3:9  No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
1Jn 3:10  This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
1Jn 3:11  This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
1Jn 3:12  Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.
1Jn 3:13  Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
1Jn 3:15  Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
1Jn 3:16  This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
1Jn 3:17  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
1Jn 3:18  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. NIV

It is crucial that we get this, because this is what distinguishes us from the world.  All the good works in the world will not make us any different than any unbeliever.  This is what Jesus said:

Joh 13:34  "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Joh 13:35  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." NIV

Maybe we are on the outs with someone, or things aren’t going well in a relationship we are in.  Our hearts have turned cold towards someone because they have repeatedly hurt us or wronged us.  When it comes to loving others, regardless of what they’ve done, or failed to do, we have to raise the bar.  We have to be and act, or react, noticeably different than our flesh is telling us.  This is what will make all the difference.  This is what Jesus has told us to do in John 13:34.

For many years, I had been reading the Bible.  Somewhere along the line, I started to think that I was superior to others, since I had so much knowledge of the Bible (or so I mistakenly thought).  I would sometimes use the Bible as a weapon in my defense of my beliefs, not realizing how much damage I was doing to the person I was contending with.  Rather than change the person’s mind, all it did was stir up strife, and create a harboring of bad feelings.  I didn’t realize how prideful I was being until one day the Lord would no longer reveal His Word to me in the same way as He had always done before.  Pride is so subtle.  It is self wanting the glory and the attention that rightfully belongs to God.  Rather than care more about how much knowledge I had that I could share, I needed to care more for the person I was sharing it with.  This is how God reached me in the first place!  He showed me that He cared more about me than He did about all the wrong I had done against Him.

It has been a long and slow process for me to learn about love, and to learn God’s perfect ways, but He is so patient, He never gives up on me.  Recently, I learned a valuable lesson about loving your brother or sister (both saved and unsaved).  I was responding to a blog and talking about how we more deeply experience God’s love and grace when we also have a knowledge and revelation of our own sin.  In other words, we appreciate God’s love that much more when we realize we could never deserve such love.  After I wrote it, if my intentions were to try and have people see things my way, the Lord quickly changed my agenda.  Rather than a feeling of “listen, and pay attention to what I have to say because you need to hear it,” I instead felt a great deal of pity, sorrow and a burden for readers on that blog.  I started to pray for them, and then I started to feel undone (convicted).  I realized God had given me knowledge of Him, and allowed me to experience His love AS A GIFT from Him, and that when I shared this, it also had to be given AS A GIFT to others (and received as if it was from Him).  I am just His agent.

God’s love to us is an incredible gift that nothing and no one can compare to.  It is not just some touchy-feely emotional thing that we feel and then act on.  It is a tangible, life-giving gift to be given ESPECIALLY when it is least deserved.  Perhaps today we need to take a good, long and hard look at ourselves.  Have we cheapened God’s love, and just give a little here and a little there when it suits us, or are we going the extra several miles to deliver His love with a heart filled with humility, gratefulness and joy?  He hasn’t asked us to love; He has commanded it in John 13:34.  Here’s what happens when we obey this command:

1Jn 4:12  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. NIV
 
Can you imagine?  God chooses to dwell in us and He loves others through us.  We don’t have to wait to love that way either.  Today we have a choice.  If we have something against someone else, the first thing we need to do is repent of it, and then we need to make things right with that person.  It might mean a simple confession and “I’m sorry,” or it might mean a small gift or something more.  If we feel that someone has done something against us, we still need to forgive them because we can harbor anger and bitterness in our hearts until we do.  Until it is cleared up and we do the right thing, God’s love cannot live in us because it goes against His very character and His Word.  It is us who must obey Him and do what He’s asked us to do.

Are we struggling with sickness today?  Then there’s another promise about forgiveness found here:

Jas 5:16  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. NIV

Rather than slander, gossip, attack, and be angry towards others, let’s do the right thing today and lighten our own load, and someone else’s.  We might even put a great big smile on their face.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

What It Means to Truly be Saved

     Recently, it has become overwhelmingly evident that there is most likely an alarming number of people who claim to be Bible-believing, church-going Christians, and yet there are glaring evidences that they truly are not sold out for Christ, and are not God-worshipping Christians at all.  In its simplest terms, a Christian is one who follows “Christ.”  To take it further, a Christian is someone who has recognized their need of a Saviour, and knows they cannot hope to save themselves.  They see their sin for what it is, confess it, and then repent of the life they have thus far lived, apart from God, and then turn away from their sin.  Anyone who does not recognize their own depraved state of sin, and then repent (turn away from it), cannot truly call themselves a Christian, can they?
     While I believe there are no special formulas for becoming a Christian, the Bible clearly instructs us how to be saved:
Rom 10:9  That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom 10:10  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. NIV

It is just that simple.  Yet, can a person be truly saved if they have not fully committed their life and heart to the Lord Jesus Christ?  If you have already done the above, then a tremendous change will have occurred in your life. You will have exchanged your old life for the new life in Christ Jesus.  In other words, ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW.  You are a new creature in Christ.  Do you feel different?  Yes.  You feel different. You act different.  You think different.  You may even look different (not sad and depressed like before).  Why?  Because you ARE different.  Here is what happens when a person becomes saved:

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

To go deeper, true repentance means a change of heart, at the deepest, core level.  There is nothing superficial about it, and it rarely occurs without some kind of difficulty; it’s costly, it’s cleansing, and it’s life-changing.  Many people want to just bask in the love of God, but the fullness of the revelation of the love of God for us only comes with the knowledge and revelation of what we have been saved from, our own sin and eternal separation from God.  We become unquestionably aware that it is not just the heavy weight of our own sin that needs to be forgiven, but the consequences of it - the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23).  If we have not yet experienced the depth of our own sin and the price that was paid for our redemption, then has true repentance occurred in our life?  David fell on his face when he realized what he had done - "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (Psalms 51:4).  Job (a righteous man) fell on his face when he recognized how errant he'd been about his knowledge of God.  Paul gloried in the cross because this is where he recognized his own depravity, and his complete inability to save himself.
     True repentance gives us a crystal clear vision of our own depravity and God's great mercy.  No one deserves this kind of mercy, and yet, some people have dared to cheapen God’s grace and take for granted that everyone will make it into heaven, whether they have repented or not. The fact of who God is – Awesome, Holy, Just, Merciful, Omnipotent, etc. should be enough to make us tremble, and give us a healthy fear and reverence to submit ourselves wholly to Him.
  
     Today, there are all kinds of false doctrines and belief systems that have steered away from the original and unadulterated Gospel message as offered in God’s Word.  Any time someone adds to or takes away from the Word of God, you have the makings of a cult.  This is serious business to God.  In fact, anyone who does such things is not just condemning themselves, but eternally condemning themselves.

Gal 1:8  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
Gal 1:9  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! NIV

Many people may begin on the right track, but somewhere along the way they listened to some false teachings that sounded right, but clearly, these teachers were confused in their teaching of God’s Word, not dependent on the truth of the Holy Spirit’s revelation, and wholly dependent on the Word of God as it has been given.  If you challenge them with the Word of God, these same teachers will shun what you’ve got to say, and they are not open to the Bible. We are warned:
1 Thes. 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil. KJV
Evil is subtle, sweet, and deadly.  It may sound right, but if it in any way contradicts the Word of God, avoid it, and don’t give it a second thought.  The Bible is powerful, able to change our thoughts, our hearts, and our life.  Instead of being busy doing things, we need to be reading it, studying it, and making sure we haven’t strayed from its powerful teachings.  The Psalmist wrote:
Psa 119:9  How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
Psa 119:10  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
Psa 119:11  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. NIV

     Are we truly saved (confessed our sins and repented), bought with the precious blood of Jesus, seeking Him with all of our heart, and loving Him at every opportunity?  Do we reverence Him and respect Him and His Word?  Are we living as the “new creatures” He has made us?  If so, then it’s time to get serious, and live the new life in Christ that cost Him so dearly.

Sunday 15 July 2012

Fear of Hell

In the past few months the Lord has impressed it upon our heart (me and my husband Craig), to warn people about the reality of hell.  He has led us to defend His Word where people have been denying the truth about the existence of hell.  We have done this by reviewing a book that denies the existence of hell (see Craig’s review here), and Craig has begun to write his own book about the surety and existence of hell.  I have also been doing my own Biblical research about this important subject.  The following is an article I wrote about hell a couple of months ago.  It was one of the most difficult articles I’ve ever had to write, and I even asked the Lord several times if I really had to go through with it.  I wanted Him to ask someone else to write it and publish it, but I kept getting the impression that I was supposed to write it.  So now I am led to share it, not only as a warning to beware of people who teach that hell does not exist, but as a reminder that we have an important job to do – to warn people that hell exists and to avoid it at all costs. 

When people do not have a healthy reverence, revelation, and fear of God, they will not be afraid of the horrific, doomed, everlasting place of torment called hell.   Today many people are deceived and being deceived because they do not have a revealed knowledge of the Scriptures regarding hell.  In turning to 2 Peter 2, there are many parallels to the world at that time, to the world we live in today.  We are going to go through this important passage to discover just how serious it is to not only know that certain judgement awaits the unrighteous, but what provokes God to judge the world in the first place.  We’ll also look at false prophets, who they are, and what they are about.  

Who are the messengers, masking the truth about hell, and saying that people will not end up there?  They are the false prophets that the Bible warns us about, and today they are in our midst, some of them masquerading as Christians, leading as many astray as they possibly can.  Let’s take a look at 2 Peter 2, to discover more about them.   

2 Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

2Pe 2:4  For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

2Pe 2:5  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2Pe 2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

2Pe 2:7  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

2Pe 2:8  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

2Pe 2:9  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

2Pe 2:10  But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

2Pe 2:11  Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

2Pe 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

2Pe 2:15  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

2Pe 2:16  But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.  

In 2 Peter 1-3, we have a description of the false prophets.  They bring in heresies (these can be personal opinions, theories, and so on that are not backed up by Scripture – subtle, cunning, and evil), deny the Lord, pernicious (destructive, wicked, harmful), and covetous.  They take the truth and make it sound like it is something evil.  This is evident today as we see in the news media, how Christians are branded “intolerant” for their far “right wing” opinions, and said to be prejudiced towards anyone who is not a Christian.  If the news media and liberal thinkers had actually read the Bible, they would discover that, for a Christian, tolerance (not of sin) and love are the first commandment, and that true Christians are the first to accept and forgive others in spite of their (the unsaved) sin and continued abuse towards believers!   

People think that things are different today than they were when Peter wrote this around 64 A.D.  The world, in its liberal thinking, expects us to tolerate everything, from sex before marriage to same-sex marriage, even though the Bible condemns such behavior and practices.  If God punished the same behavior, or worse, and caused the destruction of the angels, the world with a flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (see verses 4-6), we are warned that such disobedience and evil behavior, will promise the same type of judgement.  In fact the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was given as an example of what will happen when people choose to live an ungodly life.  But many would rather not believe this; rather, they argue that we all sin, and that all sin is the same, and they think, Who are we to judge? However, careful and close study of what prompted God to act so harshly and bring judgement, had to do with “sexual” sin and sexual aberrations and deviations from what God had originally intended, and indeed commanded!  To make up the rules as we go along, because we feel more comfortable is, really, another form of heresy because it denies what Scripture clearly states. 

Also, in verse 10, the unjust and unrighteous are described as walking in the flesh, and giving in to the vilest form of lust and uncleanness.  They despise authority, are presumptuous, and self-willed.  They are fearless and heartless towards those over them, and they have no respect to those whom deserve respect.  In several verses in this passage, notice the surety of the end of the unrighteous:  

2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 

This is a promise for false prophets:  They will be quickly judged and their damnation is imminent. 

2Pe 2:9  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished 

They may not be judged today, but far worse, they are reserved for the “day of judgement.” 

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;  

Notice that the Lord will not cause them to perish, but that they will perish because of their own corruption. 

2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

2Pe 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children 

What is the reward of the unrighteous?  To perish, without any hope of salvation.  And in verse 14, they are cursed, which means they are already damned. 

In this passage in 2 Peter 2, we can see that people who do not revere or respect others, will not revere or respect God.  In keeping with an evil agenda to do harm, they will invent all kinds of doctrines to avert people from the truth.  They will lead as many people astray as possible so that they will not be confronted with their own sin.  They love their unrighteousness, and will make it a public policy for you to love it too.  They will orchestrate parades and parties to flaunt their lusts and love of sin.  They will not tolerate you if you happen to disagree, but will judge you as intolerant if you challenge them in their sinful practices.  Is it possible that people love their sin so much that they’d rather perish, and go to their chosen end, rather than repent and turn away from their evil ways?  According to 2 Peter 2, this is exactly the kind of people who have no fear of hell.


IMPORTANT NOTE:  Today my husband received an email from Chad Holtz.  If you remember, last year he was fired from Marrow’s Chapel United Methodist church in North Carolina for claiming that there is no hell.  Today, the angels in heaven are REJOICING and so are we!!!  Chad has written a blog called Unchained where he has sincerely, humbly, and honestly repented for his lifestyle and his errant beliefs.  Read his blog to discover the life-changing God we serve. Jesus longs to set us free from our self-imposed prisons of sin, and all things are possible with Him.  Pray for others like Chad, that they experience the transforming power of God in their lives.  Our God is a God of miracles!!

Tuesday 10 July 2012

About Driving With The Top Down

     Want to add another novel to your summer reading?  I’d like to recommend one of my own fiction books, Driving With The Top Down, currently available on Amazon.com as an eBook.  Sometimes people wonder where I get ideas for some of my books.  Strangely, this one came almost out of the blue.  It all started one cold winter day while I was sitting in church and something gave me a wonderful and wild idea for a women’s Christian fiction book.  It isn’t your typical romance novel, although there’s some romance included; rather it’s a playful book with a premise that challenges us to think outside the parameters of our comfortable, known world.  Driving with the Top Down is a departure from my usual inspirational non-fiction books.  The idea of female friendship under fire appealed to me and the thought of putting three close friends together in a most unusual setting formed the basis for the story.  The thought of pulling up stakes and living out of a suitcase has always been an appealing and playful idea to me, and so I wanted to explore what might happen if my characters actually had the idea and then carried it out.
     What resulted is that they find themselves involved in a search, not so much for the familiar things of home, but for that very instinctual need for continuity and purpose that we all strive for.  At the outset we discover that the challenge is: Do we find purpose in a traditional home environment, in a place where everybody knows us, or can we find it outside of our familiar comfort zone, or what can easily become a rut?
     Driving with the Top Down offers an interesting paradigm — What would happen if?  Find out what happens when three middle-aged characters take this challenge seriously, set out for the open road, and find “home” in the most unusual places.

     If you get lost on Amazon, just go to my webpage, www.creativefocus.ca
and there’s a link that will take you to my author’s page on Amazon.com.  Here you will find all my eBooks currently available for sale at greatly reduced prices! 

Note:  You don’t have to buy a Kindle to access my books.  Just go here to download a free copy of the Kindle for your pc, Apple, and most other devices.

     If you happen to download Driving With The Top Down, and you read it and enjoy it, please take a moment to post a review on Amazon.com.  Thank you and enjoy your summer reading!