STEPS TO GOD 4: AN OFFER WE CAN’T REFUSE!”

 

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:
     Last week was the third installment of the seven-post series “Steps to God”. I shared the post, “Unwanted Wages!”. It was about a difficult realization what the Bible says about wages, in our lives and after our lives that are “unwanted”.
     The fourth post is about us accepting what I entitled, “An Offer We Can’t Refuse”. The title is a takeoff on the famous statement by Don Corleone, the Mafia boss in “The Godfather” movie in 1972. That movie still gives me nightmares with the vicious attacks made by Mafia crime families to get what they wanted. Just like I didn’t endorse the Beatles when quoting one of their songs, I’m for sure not in any way endorsing the Godfather movie. 
     Don Corleone made the statement, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse”, meaning the other person would acquiesce to his request, or face consequences. In the same way God is making us an offer we can’t refuse, but it’s not just to avoid consequences. God’s “offer” is one, if we accept it, that will bring us everlasting happiness and contentment, especially in heaven after we leave the heartaches that accompany living in a fallen and sinful world.
     Below is the offer, told repeatedly in different ways by Jesus and His disciples in the Bible:

• In John 15:15 Jesus said,

“I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends . . .”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have many real friends. Which of us can turn down the offer of having the best friend ever?

• In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said,

“See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Which of us can turn down the greatest invitation ever to share a meal, and lifetime, with the best friend ever?

• In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said,

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Are you weary from the burdens you carry? Do you want to find rest and have help to carry your burdens? Which of us could ever turn down a request to have the best friend ever help us carry our heavy burdens?

• In John 10:10 Jesus said,

“I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”

Jesus isn’t talking here about a mundane, meaningless life. He’s talking about an abundant life that is almost beyond comprehension that lasts forever! Which of us can turn that down?

• In 1 Corinthians 2:9 Paul quoted Isaiah who said,

“What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived—God has prepared these things for those who love him.”

In this verse Paul quoted Isaiah one of the most hopeful promises ever made! Which of us can turn down what God has prepared for us that is so good that we can’t even conceive it in our minds?

• In John 14:2-3 Jesus said,

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms (Note: Most versions say “mansions”). If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.”

Which of us has ever dreamed of living in a spacious mansion designed exactly for us?

• Last, but not least, Revelation 21 and 22 tells about the wonders that await us in heaven. 

1. Revelation 21:1-4

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away."

2. Revelation 21:10-11

“He (an angel) then carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."

3. Revelation 21:18 

 "The building material of its wall was jasper and the city was pure gold clear as glass.”

4. Revelation 21:22-23

“I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb."

5. Revelation 22:1-3

“Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse."

     Wow! Imagine living in a city made of gold where there’s no sadness or suffering, and God and His Son Jesus provide the only light needed . . . forever!
     I could go on and on with many more Bible verses that tell us about the wonderful offer we have in front of us. But I hope and pray that these few have begun to open our eyes to, “An Offer We Can’t Refuse”.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 3: UNWANTED WAGES!

 

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:

     Last week was the second installment of the seven-post series “Steps to God”. I shared the post, “Help, I Need Somebody”. It was about the realization that we can’t come to God using our own power and will. And for the veil over our hearts to be removed we need three identified sources outside ourselves. These sources are the three persons of the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The Bible shows that each person in the Trinity is very close to us, and just waiting for us to call out, “Help, I need somebody, not just anybody”.
     The third step to God I've identified is a rather difficult realization. Most people look forward to wages that they have coming to them at the end of a hard day, week, month, and year of work. But this third post is about “Unwanted Wages”. Wages that most of us would rather not think about.
     So, let’s look at wages a little bit. First, what I will call “wanted wages”:

• In John 3:14 John the Baptist told a group of soldiers, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” They were earning their wages by doing their job of protecting citizens, and likely arresting bad citizens. At least that's what they were supposed to be doing.
• Jesus said in Luke 10:7 about his disciples who he was sending into various towns, “Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages.” This means that a person doing his or her job of spreading the gospel should be paid accordingly.
• Paul reiterated Jesus’ wage theme in 1 Timothy 5:18, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain, and the worker is worthy of his wages.”

     Now let’s look at “unwanted wages”. The examples where the term wages that are "unwanted" are much fewer in the Bible than “wanted wages”:

• Solomon wrote in Proverbs 10:16, “The reward of the righteous is life; the wages of the wicked is punishment.”
• Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death . . . “ We might say, “I haven’t been wicked” . . . or “I haven’t sinned.”

     Let’s look at what the Bible says:

• “Wicked” people or “wickedness" is mentioned 353 times in the Bible.
• The Psalms alone mentions them 99 times.
• Proverbs mentions them 84 times.

     The writers of these books state repeatedly the dire consequences of wickedness, and the wonderful blessings of righteousness.
     Again, most of us don’t think of ourselves as wicked or sinful. The Bible disagrees. We are all born wicked and sinful, and we need help to overcome it.

     Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” He's saying, that according to God’s standard, we have all sinned and need a Savior to save us from our sins.
     Still not convinced. John wrote in 1 John 1:8, “If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
     You might still say, “So, I have sinned a little bit, but I’m not as wicked as that guy over there.” Paul’s words in Romans 6:23 are clear; everyone that sins have “the wages of death” awaiting them, no matter the degree of sinfulness.
     Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 about Satan giving the antichrist authority to perform “every wicked deception”. Paul makes it clear that all people not accepting “the love of the truth” to “be saved”, are controlled by Satan and his wickedness. What then are the “wages of sin”, which Paul described as “death” in Romans 6:23.
     Some theologians, prominent Bible teachers, and even one so-called friend of mine minimized the fact that death consists of eternal torment in hell. They say, “What we have on earth is what we get.” I was repeatedly told not to focus on the importance of salvation of the lost to avoid an eternal death in hell . . . but only to focus on the wonderful life we will all have here on earth and in heaven when we come to Jesus. I agree that coming to Jesus is a wonderful life compared to the loneliness and despair I felt without Him. But the Bible's very clear about what the wages of sin are.
     The prominent teacher, Tim Mackie, of the popular “Bible Project” website emphatically states there IS no literal hell, and that every person will end up in heaven at one time or another once they finally see the error of their ways. Mr. Mackie has a very large following who are being deceived as we speak.
     After all, pain and suffering comes with physical death, doesn't it. So, it's logical to assume that pain and suffering will accompany a spiritual death.
     Not being a Bible scholar, but only a layman I researched a literal hell as mentioned in the Bible. The numbers alone will make you think twice about a literal hell.

• The terms “hell”, “hellfire”, “hades”, and “sheol” are mentioned 54 times in the Bible.
• 31 times in the Old Testament. 
• 23 times in the New Testament. 
• 11 times directly by Jesus.

     Jesus also mentions in Matthew and Luke seven times that sinful people against him will be thrown into:

1. “Outer darkness” (3 times) . . . where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
2. A “blazing furnace” (2 times) . . . where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. 
3. A “place” (2 times) . . . where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

     My question is: “What other place would there be where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth except in a literal hell?”
     The term “Lake of fire” is mentioned 4 times in Revelation 19 and 20:

1. Revelation 19:20 says of the beast and false prophet, “Both of them were thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur."
2. Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” 
3. Revelation 20:14 says, “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”
4. Revelation 20:15 lastly says, “And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

     So, it’s very, very sad, but true according to the Bible. The “unwanted wages” each of us will receive if we don’t invite Jesus to save us from our sins is an eternal death in hell. BUT there’s good news coming! My post next week is about God making us “An Offer We Can’t Refuse!”.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 2: HELP, I NEED SOMEBODY!

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:

     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week I started the seven-week series “Steps to God”. I shared a post about the first step toward God is realizing there lies “A Veil Over Our Hearts”. It was about the fact that a veil exists that covers, conceals, and disguises the gospel to our eyes and hearts. We might try to find God in various ways, but the veil isn’t easily removed, especially by our own efforts. Our hearts need to be primed and ready to give over to God what we thought we could do on our own. I gave the example of a veil covering my own heart.
     What’s the next step to God? I again will use my own life as an example. It’s the experience I know best how to explain. I finally came to the realization that I had no power in myself to find God. I came to the end of myself and my own devices. I needed somebody outside myself. So, I entitled my second post, “Help, I Need Somebody!” I used the words in the Beatles song “Help” to explain the process of coming to the end of ourselves, and realizing our desperate need for help, that “I need somebody, not just anybody”, as the words of the song say. (Note: Again, I want to say that by using the lyrics of the Beatles song I am in no way endorsing the Beatles, their lifestyles, or their spiritual beliefs.)
     I think God realizes that most of us need a time of struggling in life to come to the inevitable conclusion that we need help from outside sources to come to Him. But what are those outside sources? I think I have the answer. I think you’ll readily recognize the three sources I’ve identified:

1. God, the first person of the Trinity: Scripture repeatedly declares that God is very close to each of us at all times. All we need do is to call out to Him for help.
• The Bible declares in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble”. So, when we are in deep trouble, whether it is physically, emotionally, spiritually, or some combination of the three, God is right there to give us refuge, strength, and help.
• The Psalmist in Psalm 34:18 wrote, “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.”
• In the New Testament Paul declared to the Athenians in Acts 17:27, “He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us."
• So, it’s clear. God is very close to us at all times, and He is just waiting for us to call out to Him for help.
2. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity: It’s clear that Jesus is also very close to us, ready to answer when we call out to Him for help.
• John quoted Jesus in Revelation 3:20, “See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
• Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.”
• Paul wrote in Romans 5:6, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.”
• The writer of Hebrews 4:15-16 wrote, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”
• So, you can see that Jesus, God’s Son, is just waiting for us to call out to him for help.
3. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity: God sent to us the Holy Spirit through Jesus to help us in our time of need. Jesus, as a human, was limited to some degree. But after he ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us, to live inside us, to help us. You can’t get any closer than that!
• Paul wrote in Romans 8:26, “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.”
• John quoted Jesus in John 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”
• So, it’s clear. God gives us great help through His Holy Spirit sent by Jesus, who lives inside us.

     These verses show exactly what happened to me on the day of Grandpa’s funeral in 1977 over 44 years ago. I was in deep trouble emotionally and spiritually. I cried out . . . to who or what I didn’t know at the time. I cried out as the Beatles song said, “Help, I need somebody, not just anybody”. The “somebody” I cried out to was God. He heard me, and by His Holy Spirit sent by Jesus, talked directly to my heart. The long wait was ended for the veil over my heart to be removed.

See you next time,
Arlen

STEPS TO GOD 1: A VEIL OVER OUR HEARTS

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19.

Hello Friends:

     Imagine trying to go someplace with a veil covering your eyes. It would be very treacherous, wouldn’t it? Unless you are like my brother, who is completely blind. He has gotten used to navigating familiar places without sight. But unfamiliar places are another story.
     Welcome to the Soulwinnersr.us website. Last week we discussed that in the coming weeks I would be sharing a series entitled, “Steps To God”, following mostly the Roman Road to Salvation with a few sidebars along the way. My first post is entitled “Steps to God 1: A Veil Over Our Hearts”.
     What is a veil? Here are a couple meanings:

1. The common one is the veil for centuries worn by brides when getting married. The veil is meant to signify purity.
2. The curtain of the temple in the Old and New Testament of the Bible was known in older versions of the Bible as a veil. The curtain, or veil, was torn in two by a mighty earthquake during the crucifixion and death of Christ.

     But today, I’m talking about a veil with a different meaning. The dictionary definition of this veil is: “To cover, conceal, or disguise." Moses, in Exodus 34:33-35, used a veil to “cover, conceal, or disguise” his shining face after talking directly to God, because the people were so afraid to approach him as he was covered with God’s glory. Paul talks about this type of veil in 2 Corinthians. He wrote the following in Chapter 3:12-16:

“We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from gazing steadily until the end of the glory of what was being set aside, but their minds were hardened. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ. Yet still today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed." 

     Paul went on to write in 2 Corinthians 4:3:

“But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”

     Those are stern words. I’m going to tell the story of how I had a veil over my heart to the gospel. I’m telling it because it is what I experienced firsthand. I hope that you can identify with me in your own lives the veil over your hearts before coming to Christ. Here’s my story of a veil over my heart:

     “After high school and into my early 20’s I felt hopeless to find real meaning in my life. Right after high school I grew my hair long with a beard in my attempt to be what I call a hippie wannabe. I hung out with the drug and alcohol using crowd, and I dabbled in them myself. Maybe being an enlightened drug-using hippie would give me meaning.
     While living the hippie wannabe lifestyle I still felt empty inside, so while living in Wooster where I worked, I went to a local church. With my long hair and beard in a conservative, evangelical church I went forward at an altar call. I thought I found what would end my emptiness. I had some degree of excitement about what I did, but soon after, with little follow-up from the church, I was back hanging with the wrong crowd and again dabbling in drugs and alcohol. I do want to preface that I didn’t get too far into hard drugs because I was too much of a wimp, and it scared me out of my wits to think about getting caught and going to jail and even prison.
     So, I cleaned up my act, and started working very hard, got a very good job, and I started trying to buy happiness. I bought a top-of-the line sound system and a brand-new Camaro. I was also socking money away into my savings account. Maybe making good money and buying everything I wanted would stop my emptiness. A degree of contentment lasted for a short while, but it quickly faded back toward my empty feelings worse than before.
     I didn’t even realize it. I did all kinds of things to try to be relevant, to be enlightened and even spiritual. I strove to have positive outcomes, to meet my needs, many times to excess. I went through extended periods of time thinking I had things all figured out. I even went to church, and even went forward at an altar. But a veil over my heart remained.”

     So, how is a veil over our hearts removed? We’ll talk about it in the coming weeks.

See you next time,
Arlen