Thought for Today - July 8, 2023
Your Church - Dead? or Alive?
By: Robert A. Searles
What is it like to attend the church we visit and support each Week?
Will we see the pastor - preacher -truly the" incarnation" so to speak of the Holy Spirit , standing in the pulpit preaching the truth of the word of God, or will the one filling that position be just a dead or dying piece of clay with so many seminary degrees?
In any, and every congregation, there are bound to be some who are living in sin with little or no regard for their future destination, they may have heard about Christ - Heaven - and Hell, but think it only to be a child's story.
How long has it been since you have heard a convicting message on sin, where the preacher names sins and calls them by name. --Adultery,- fonacation - abortion, - men laying with men - women with women- murderers - thieves - liars and all those described in Romans 1. and elsewhere through the bible.
Sinners must be told and made to understand that for them to leave this world being still in their sins without receiving the love and forgiveness which Christ offers will mean an eternal torment in the fires of hell. even as Jesus described it. Have no doubt about it, Jesus preached and warned of the terrors of hell fire awaiting those who will not believe, repent and turn to him for salvation. However, there is no need for anyone to be lost forever and go to hell. Jesus came to seek and to save; to forgive; to give abundant life here on earth, but more importantly a home in heaven with him forever.
This message needs to be preached from the pulpits of America with such power and conviction from the Holy Spirit that those who are lost have such a fear of rejecting the offer of Christ that they grip the back of the pew in front of them and feel the fires of hell burning around them ,and that they run down the aisles of our churches for salvation as they did when Johnathan Edwards preached his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
Sad to say, many so called messengers of the word of God have watered down their messages to be just that of fellowship, love, prosperity, miracles, and in many cases no extended invitation is given for sinners to come to the altar to receive Christ and be forgiven. Why is this so? It may be that the messenger himself is not saved and empowered and anointed by the Holy Spirit, or he may be afraid of personal persecution, or of losing support.
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:" 2 Timothy2: 12
"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."2 Peter 2:1
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8: 38
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." 1John 2:22
Speak the truth with love, but speak it with power of the Holy Ghost that many souls will be saved and bring a spiritual revival to America
