I must, again, say a few words about the leaders, and I include myself (without elevating myself). We are just as divers in character as are all the believers in the pews or chairs. Most of us preachers or teachers or pastors may be satisfied with our preaching. There could even be a great fascination about the topics preached and how we present them. It feels very good to present our wisdom, especially, if it fits well with some verses of the Bible. It is also good to see and know that the people are impressed and nodding their heads or even applauding.
BUT, there is a but, which we might genuinely love to neglect. What is it? There are two basic points, which we must diligently consider in our hearts before the Lord:
A) We may be preaching and preaching and preaching and people may be listening and listening and listening, BUT NOBODY IS DOING ANYTHING WITH THE TRUTH PREACHED! The leaders are not leading their “sheep” TO DO that truth… (Phil. 4:9) and the sheep are glad not to do anything about it! Their lives and spirits do not show any noticeable change. They may intellectually understand the doctrines, the sermons, the intentions, the truth, but their daily life does not show any change! Yet, each week they come for more! This is like “building sand castles on beaches” where the first sea wave will wash them all away without a trace.
Now, the reason behind this may be twofold: a) such believers have ears dull of hearing or a fat heart (see also point 2 below), or b) the words preached are from man and have no power to penetrate the “fat of the old man” and touch his nerve. So, “man” was speaking and not the Spirit of God, hence, despite the possible correctness of the message, no life was imparted to people. Do we realize the consequences? Here they are:
1. Any new faith that the people may have received from hearing the Word (Rom. 10:17) remains dead (Jam. 2:17) because no action ever followed the sermon! It may have satisfied people’s curiosity and demand for new messages. But after years, there may be “tons” of dead faith within their hearts… and anything dead usually starts rotting. Is this situation desirable for such believers?
2. Any Word brought to the people through preaching may have been stored in the “warehouse of their memory” as interesting and left there for “future references” but their x may not have believed the truth to be applicable to their own selves! And the proof is that the truth preached produced no real and living faith and thus no further action! But the more truth is accumulated and disbelieved in their hearts, the greater judgment will come on the people! (Jn. 12:47,48// Lk. 10:16) God is not giving us His Truth in vain or casting His pearls in front of, well… read Mt. 7:6. The result is spiritual stagnation, fat (unresponsive) hearts, ears dull of hearing, closed eyes (Mt. 13:15), apathy, lethargy, decaying, spiritual death… while at some other time, the same believers may be jumping and praising the Lord, speaking in tongues or singing beautiful hymns!
B) We may be building the faith of our congregation, group, fellowship, radio or TV audience on OUR wisdom and intellectual cleverness or oratory skills. But Paul writes clearly from his experience: “That your faith should not stand in the WISDOM OF MEN, but in the POWER OF GOD.” (1Cor. 2:5)
What does that mean? How can this upset our otherwise excellent preaching or render it fruitless? In my faith and experience with the Lord, there are three basic points, which can easily upset our preaching and render it fruitless. Are you willing to ponder them together with me?
1. Our preaching may not take into account the full truth, only a partial truth. Partial truth does not bring the Spirit of the Lord into any action! Partial truth (so-called “half-truth”) may be likened to speaking in an unknown tongue without an interpreter. It may also be likened to “the trumpet, which gives an uncertain sound, and so, who shall prepare himself to a battle?” (1Cor. 14:8)
Partial truth always lacks the necessary clarity and ingredients, which make it a wholesome truth, which is strong, pointed, powerful, pure and undisputable in any way. Full truth always incorporates both sweet and bitter truth; that, which men like and that, which men hate. God is not a diplomat or a politician, but many preachers are, or may very well be. Many of them like to be admired and approved by their flock, they desire to keep the flock and, if possible, enlarge it. That might be one of the true reasons for leaving out, bypassing or neglecting the bitter truths and only propagating the sweet truths.
2. Partial truth tells people either what they must stop doing or what they must start doing. But it does not tell them HOW AND WHY! When I expounded the Scripture to my brethren and then told them to stop doing this or that, I then sincerely believed that they would stop it. Ha, ha, ha! You see, I was also naïve and dreaming. If Christianity could work this way, we could all have been in Heaven a long time ago. The Lord had to show me a simple fact, which is the following:
BELIEVERS ARE UNABLE TO DO WHAT THEY HEAR FROM THE PULPITS! THEY CAN DO NOTHING IN THEIR FLESH, SINFUL NATURE, WHICH MUST FIRST BE CRUCIFIED, DESTROYED. THE LORD WILL NEVER ENABLE THEIR “OLD MAN” TO DO WHAT WE MIGHT TELL THEM TO DO IN ALL TRUTH, IN ALL OUR UNDERSTANDING, IN ALL OUR SINCERITY, IN ALL OUR FAITH!
So, we keep preaching as if the powers of darkness and evil did not exist; as if the sinful nature in believers would leave them by their wish or by a simple prayer; as if the people were just waiting for our instructions and were eager to carry them out when they come home from the church service. Mind you, some of them may be eager, but they will soon find out that their well-meant zeal will result in nothing. Don’t we see that? Aren’t we truly experiencing it? And, please, let us not confuse an earthly success with a spiritual success from the Lord.
3. The most shocking news the Lord had for me and now has for you also is that SATAN IS DOING PRECISELY THE SAME THING! He transforms himself into an angel of light (2Cor. 11:14) and PREACHES “HALF-TRUTHS”! (meaning lies mixed with truth) He started with a partial truth right in the Garden of Eden as he deceived Eve, speaking to her both a lie (Gen. 3:4) and a truth. (Gen. 3:5) Satan has been continuing with it because it was such a grand success and because he knows that in this way people will never do what they are supposed to do and will never achieve what they are supposed to achieve! They will permanently settle into a form of “sweet & peaceful” religion and “sweet & peaceful” delusion. And that is precisely where the Church is today! IGNORANCE IS BLISS… AND MUCH WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE INCREASES SORROW AND GRIEF! (Ecc. 1:18)
Can we truly swallow the above pill from the Lord? That pill would effectively undo the spiritual blindness, which has set into the Church of Jesus Christ and is purely a devilish work of deception. It is satanic and it works for Satan very successfully (2Cor.4:3,4 applies also to the “unbelieving believers”). After many years we may still be unable to perceive that nothing changed in “our church” and that it grew into a religious merry-go-round, which should help us “endure” or keep our Redemption.
The Lord declared that He came to “destroy the works of the devil”. (1Jn. 3:8) How did the Lord destroy them? Did He destroy them through His preaching of truth? NO! Did He destroy them through His miracles of healing, raising dead, feeding multitudes, walking on the water? NO! HE DESTROYED THEM AT HIS CROSS!
Do we destroy the works of the devil through our preaching of truth? NO! Do we destroy them through the miracles of healing or other wonderful works? NO! Do we destroy them by screaming, sweating, striving, jumping, dancing, persuading or other physical performances? NO! Do we also destroy them on our own crosses? What do you believe? I believe that…
WITHOUT THEIR CROSS, THERE IS NO TRUE CHRISTIAN. WITHOUT THE CROSS OF JESUS, THERE IS NO TRUE CHURCH. THERE IS NO TRUE MINISTRY, NO TRUE MINISTER OF CHRIST, NO TRUE BELIEVER IN CHRIST WHO HAS NOT BEEN CRUCIFIED. THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE ESSENCE OF OUR CHRISTIANITY.
Apostle Paul writes this truth clearly and eloquently in some of his letters to the Church, for example:
“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and HIM CRUCIFIED.” (1Cor. 2:2)
To the Galatians, he also writes very clearly:
“And THEY THAT BELONG TO CHRIST HAVE CRUCIFIED THEIR FLESH (old man, sinful, devilish nature) WITH THE AFFECTIONS AND LUSTS.” (Gal. 5:24)
THEY THAT BELONG TO CHRIST (BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS) HAVE CRUCIFIED THEIR FLESH! HAVE YOU – THE READERS OF THIS BOOK, THE BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS – CRUCIFIED YOUR FLESH? HOW DID YOU DO THAT? OR, HAVE YOU NOT EVEN STARTED IT? HOW WILL YOU REPLY TO THE LORD?
YOU, dear reader and friend, if you truly belong to Christ, YOU MUST CRUCIFY YOUR FLESH! GOD WILL NOT PUT YOUR CROSS ON YOU BUT YOU MUST TAKE IT UP BY YOUR FREE WILL DECISION! (please, read again Mt. 16:23-27 + 26:42// Lk. 9:23-25 + 22:42)
This is not my suggestion to you, it is the WORD OF GOD TO YOU. THE LORD WILL ENABLE YOU TO DO IT, BUT HE WILL NOT DO IT WITHOUT YOU! Do you believe this Truth? And if you do not belong to Christ as yet, then, by believing in Him as your Saviour, repenting to Him of your sins and confessing His Name, you may be saved and belong to Him. Then, be baptized in water and you will receive His Spirit and will be standing at the starting line of your way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Do not despair, there is yet time to do it, you only need TO OPEN YOUR HEART AND MOUTH TO HIM… AND KEEP OPENING THEM AS YOU MARCH ALONG YOUR WAY TO THE KINGDOM. THAT IS ALL!
Let me bring another Word of God into my message on this extremely important and vital subject and what the Lord is clearly showing us. Here the Lord speaks directly to His future apostles saying:
“He that believes and IS baptized SHALL BE saved; but he that believes not SHALL BE damned.” (Mk. 16:16// Rev. 21:8)
The Lord does not say: “He that believes and IS (now) baptized IS (now) saved.” No, He says: “He that now believes and is now baptized – SHALL BE saved.” Thus, the Lord sees the whole necessary future salvation process in front of the new believer. When we combine this Word with those quoted above, the Lord is telling us principally the following truth about our Salvation:
BY BELIEVING AND BEING BAPTIZED, WE ARE NOT SAVED YET! WE ARE REDEEMED, BELONG TO GOD, HAVE ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST AND SHALL BE SAVED!
AND WE SHALL BE SAVED IF WE CONTINUE DOING THE WILL OF OUR FATHER, WHICH IS IN HEAVEN AS HE REQUIRES IN HIS WORD. GOD DOESN’T NEED MORE EDUCATED PEOPLE, BUT NEW PEOPLE WITH A NEW SPIRIT, NEW SOUL, NEW BODY.
THIS TRUTH MAY CHANGE THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF YOUR PRESENT CHRISTIAN BELIEFS, DESIRES, HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS! WILL YOU CONSIDER IT IN YOUR HEART?… OR WILL YOU HOLD ON TO YOUR OWN BELIEFS?
Do you believe this as true in your heart verifying it in the Word of God or are you checking this only in your own thinking or feelings or with what you have heard thus far? I do not know, but first check the WORD OF GOD and then your conscience. Do not hate me for bringing you this Truth from the Lord Jesus Christ that alone can save you from hell and damnation and bring you to Heaven… and your house. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” also means: “Believe His Whole Word.” (Acts 16:31)
IF YOUR LIFE WERE NOT IMPORTANT TO THE LORD (and to me), I would have never been led to write this book, waste my own time and money for printing and postage. But because the LORD cares, His Spirit causes me to also care, and so, I am sending this truth of His Word to YOU. If you reject it, you will be just like pagans. God offered them His Salvation – and they rejected it.
So, all pagans go to hell with no hope to ever return or ever change their situation. But just as our Salvation may not be apparent since we believed and were baptized, so also their damnation may not be apparent since they disbelieved and turned away from God and from His Grace. In fact, those saved and those damned may be mingling together in the world and in the Church and they may be indistinquishable. But this is not really my problem, my problem is with us, born-again Christians, future kings and priests unto God and Our Father. (Rev. 1:6)
What will your decision be? According to my faith and deep conviction, you should…
…STOP PONDERING WHETHER GOD IS SATISFYING YOU, YOUR HOPES, YOUR DESIRES, YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND YOUR WILL, AND…
…START PONDERING WHETHER YOU ARE SATISFYING GOD, HIS WILL, HIS HOPES, HIS DESIRES, HIS EXPECTATIONS AND HIS CONDITIONS FOR YOUR FULL SALVATION AND YOUR LIFE ETERNAL AS CLEARLY DESCRIBED IN HIS HOLY WORD.
WILL YOU DO THAT?
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To be continued next week in chapter 5 – part 1
brother Hanola
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