Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

57.0. "...Choose Jesus..." by DELNI::SMCCONNELL (Next year, in JERUSALEM!) Wed Oct 10 1990 15:03

Hi.

What with all that's gone on lately and with all the things swarming 
through my head of late, I am compelled to write this letter.  Since I am a 
Christian, I am posting this in the CHRISTIAN notesfile.  Since this is my 
perspective, I'm posting this in the CHRISTIAN-PERSEPCTIVE notesfile.


What is it that God would like to accomplish in the world, in specific 
countries, in the church, in you personally?

Many things to be sure, but one thing especially.  Salvation and the Gospel 
of the Kingdom of God.

Normally, the first question is salvation from what to what?  Laying aside 
theories and doctrinal "teachings", I want to share with you from the 
depths of my being out of grave concern for *everyone* reading these words 
right now.

I urge you in Jesus' name to put aside your pre-conceived  notions, 
whatever they may be - and put away your pride in your beliefs, whatever 
they may be, and please just hear me out.  You can discard this information 
if you like, but I can't refuse to be silent anymore.  These words are for 
Christians, non-Christians, fundamentalists, liberals, lovers, haters, and 
in fact, for anyone who'll simply listen.

Lay aside your human pride in scientific "facts" and consider that God 
*did* create Adam and Eve.  He created them to live in *paradise*...did you 
know that God walked in that garden?

All God said was "don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil" 
and that's exactly what they did.

From that very moment, they, their off-spring, and the very planet we live 
on became cursed.  Sin came into the world and sin carries with it an 
inherant penalty in God's eyes...the death penalty - the death of the body 
and the death of the spirit (read: separation from His life 
giving/sustaining presence).  Did you know that Adam and Eve were created 
to live *forever* in God's presence in the Garden of Eden?

Perhaps their greatest sin wasn't in eating the fruit of the tree of 
knowledge, but their pride in hearing God's clear word, and still deciding 
they knew better than God.  Was it unfair of God to restrict that fruit?

Well...

Generations came and went and God became sick that He ever made man - 
that's why the great flood happened.  We greived His heart so grossly, that 
the only way He could continue to allow us to live, was to take the one 
upright man and his family alive at the time, and spare them as the earth 
was purged of all evil.

God is a God of the second chance.

Man started fresh.  But it didn't take long before we greived God again.

And so it's been since the time of Adam and Eve - and that's how it is 
today.  For whatever reason, we seem to think we know better than God and 
even though He said thus and such, we know better than He does...

	...aw, so what?  It's only an apple!
	...aw, big deal!  Everyone's doing it!
	...aw c'mon...don't you know the cultural differences?

on and on, ad infinitum.

All God is trying to say is that He made you, He loves you, and whether or 
not you think you can understand or agree...His way is the only way.  The 
very first commandment is to have no other gods before *the* one true God 
who is the Soveriegn of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and 
the End, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob..."I AM".

It's really quite simple, and all the arguing back and forth is not going 
to change God's eternal plan of redemption.  You can either choose to 
believe Him and sumbit your entire being to Him, or you can pick and choose 
what's comfy and in doing so, have made your choice just as clear.

Is there really more than one way to interpret the following:

	For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
	Son, so that whoever would believe in Him would not perish,
	but have eternal life.

That's all God is saying.

"I love you.  I love you so much that I've sent My Son to die in your 
place.  Do you believe Me?  Whoever you are, if you'll only believe in Me, 
believe what I've done for you, it will be My joy to bring you into eternal 
life with Me."

If this point can't be accepted, then the rest of the words of Life in 
Scripture will simply be missed.  The Word, God's Holy Word is just too far 
beyond human reason to really grasp.  Well sure, there are some things that 
can be understood, and there is much to Christianity that truly is logical, 
but we're talking about the Sovereign of the Universe...the Ancient of 
Days, do we *really* think we can, in our own humanity, understand and 
grasp God without His revelation of Himself in our lives?

If we do, we're fooling ourselves.

This happens all the time in fundamental circles.  The words are printed in 
black and white, therefore every word is literal period, and if you don't 
believe exactly as I do, you're lost.  But where is the Holy Spirit of God, 
revealing all Truth as Jesus promised He'd send?

And it happens in liberal circles as well, where the words sometimes seem 
hard to grasp, or contrary to a God who is all loving, therefore, there's 
something wrong with the Bible...and again I ask, where is the Holy Spirit 
of God revealing all Truth as Jesus promised He'd send?

Jesus said that those who worship Him must do so in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.  
People on both ends of the spectrum are so focused on their one end, they 
can't see the other - but Jesus wants both.

To all, I urge sumbission to God and His promised Messiah, Jesus - Y'Shua, 
and His Holy Spirit.

I firmly believe we are in a time where there can no longer be any fooling 
around with God.  You are either for God or for the devil, there can no 
longer be an inbetween.

Instead of picking out the sins in our brothers and sisters, we all should 
be sitting at the Master's feet, begging Him to reveal our own sins and the 
things that are getting in the way of really going on in our relationship 
with Him.  We've all got plenty to work on.  Let Him work through us to 
preach about salvation to a dying planet, and preach and live the Gospel of 
the Kingdom here on earth in His power, as we wait for Him to return and 
establish His earthly Kingdom! 

Finally, I urge every single one of us to stop wanting things our own way 
like a bunch of babies, and start eating the Meat God wants to feed us.  
God's ways very simply *are not* our ways.  The sooner we take Him at His 
word there, the sooner we'll get past all these silly arguments.  And lest 
anyone misunderstand - I'm not at all talking about a human kind of 
"togetherness".  There is unity in the body of believers but the Word of 
Truth *does* divide believers from non-believers.  The purpose for that is 
not to puff up believers nor is it to deflate non-believers.  But it 
happens that if God really is Sovereign, if His Way really is the only Way, 
if His Truth really is absolute, then anything in opposition to Him will 
naturally be separate from Him.

He doesn't want anyone to be separate from Him.

In His name, I urge us all to lay every strip of doctrine on His altar and 
let Him decide what is good and what is not.  You know, Cain and Abel both 
offered sacrifices to God.  Abel laid his sacrifice on God's altar and God 
accepted it.  Cain laid his sacrifice on God's altar and God rejected it.  
And interestingly enough, Cain's response to God's rejection of his 
sacrifice (note: God rejected Cain's sacrifice, not Cain himself...), was 
to kill Abel.

Answer this in your own heart:  how many times have you felt that your 
offering was rejected by God and in response to that - your immediate 
reaction was to slay your brother or sister?

Stop killing eachother.

Offer what you have and what you are to God.  Better to have God destroy 
what you think is good now so that you can live eternally with Him, than 
for you to hang on to your own pet doctrines and find out God has been 
rejecting your offerings all along.

People, we can't toy with God.  We must stop trying.  God has made it very 
clear and while I'm sure He expects and delights in our questions, I'm 
equally sure that He expects and delights in our obedience to Him, whether 
or not we feel He's answered them to our satisfaction.  Imagine the 
blasphemy...that God isn't worthy of worship if He doesn't fit our 
fundemental/liberal understanding of Him!  God forgive us all!

And that's really what it's all about.  The shed blood of Jesus Christ, the 
*last* and *greatest* offering of all, offered on your behalf if you'll 
only believe it.  Don't demean what He's done for you by limiting what God 
can/can't do since it doesn't match your doctrinal understanding of Him.

Make a choice - either decide to follow God all the way, whether or not you 
understand how He's working in the world, or don't bother.  But please, to 
everyone on every side of the spectrum, don't claim the name of Jesus by 
calling yourself a Christian, if you have no intention of taking up your 
own cross and following Him as He commanded...the *whole* way.

May each and every one of us be challenged to walk closer to Him, to listen 
harder for Him, to carry out His will for Him, to heal the sick, to feed 
the poor, to give sight to the blind, and to preach the acceptable year of 
the Lord in His name!  May we *live* the Kingdom of God here on earth as we 
pray as He taught us...

	Heavenly Father, *hallowed* be Your Name!
	*May Your Kingdom come* and Your will be done *on earth* as in heaven.
	Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins,
	for we forgive those who sin against us.
	And preserve us from temptation - deliver us from the evil one.

Remember - God *is* a God of the second chance.  I hope we all accept and 
go on with Him, no matter the cost.  For just like in the days of Noah, 
once that ark was filled, God Himself shut the door to the ark.  Jesus said 
that in the end, it would be like the days of Noah and if you think about 
it, you will see that there must come a point, somewhere in time, where God 
Himself shuts the door to these current merciful days of Grace.  For 
Christ's sake, don't let pride be the stumbling block in your life that 
drowns you in the flood...accept the blood of Jesus and get onto God's ark of 
salvation.  Trust Him with all you are.

For His glory,

Steve

    Thank you for sharing that, Steve.
    
    I can tell you are speaking that which you believe to be good and right.
    
    There are lots of folks here who have chosen Jesus.  That has been
    reiterated over and over.  We might not fit the image or expectation
    you associate with Christianity, but that doesn't make it any less true.
    
    Peace,
    Richard

Re .0

>Make a choice - either decide to follow God all the way, whether or not you 
>understand how He's working in the world, or don't bother.  But please, to 
>everyone on every side of the spectrum, don't claim the name of Jesus by 
>calling yourself a Christian, if you have no intention of taking up your 
>own cross and following Him as He commanded...the *whole* way.

    I already have.  I have even allowed myself to be crucified.  Where do
    you stand, Steve?

Peace,
Richard

    Yes,
    
    Thank you Steve for .0.
    
    I am sincerely endeavoring to do much of what you say, and
    will take your thoughts into consideration in my life and prayers.
    
    God bless,
    
    Karen

    Yes, Steve:  Thank you!  Like many others in this file, I am committed
    to Jesus Christ.
    
    DR

    Thanks, Steve.  I'm at a point in my Christian journey where hearing it
    like it is as well as being reminded of the love that is mine as a
    Christian is very much needed and very much appreciated.
    
    Ne maste'
    
    ann

    
    I praise The Lord Jesus for what you wrote Steve. It has thouched
    me deeply, I to Love the Lord so much. He is all i will ever what
    
     Don't leave home without Him.. No other name writing Glory, Like
    Jesus...   
    
                Jane