Here I am in the middle of the night, worrying about whether I care enough about lost souls. Like you I'm certainly too comfortable with others going to hell. That's why we are to share the gospel. The epitome of love is telling others about the hope of salvation! Not sharing the faith is a sign of weak faith. If Christians truly trust in Jesus, they are assured of their salvation and want others, not only to live for eternity, but to live in hope right here!
Let's consider for instance, the "gay" person. I don't like the term and never use it in conversation because the very word is a slight of hand by Satan.
First off, if you don't believe in Satan, you're in denial, for you can feel him urging you on to sin. Of course only he and his dark angels can only urge, but those who listen to falsehoods allow themselves to be damned.
A better word than "gay" is "reprobate", assuming that the homosexual is "out of the closet" because at that point they are not ashamed of their sin. Reprobation is when one no longer feels guilt for transgressions. That seems to occur when they are proud of their sin, deny their sin or don't care what God or others think about their sin. Of course that applies to other sins, but scripture lists homosexuality as one of them.
Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever... 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient..."Being reprobate is of such a rebellious mind that the sinner no longer heeds the rebuke of God through his Holy Spirit. In effect the sinner is so apathetic to the will of God that God ceases to call them to repentance, and hence, they damn themselves to an eternity in hell.
Of course right now those reprobate will say, "There is no hell," or "A loving God would never allow a person to suffer hell." If you think that way, you are delusional. There is divine justice!
I am not comfortable with homosexuals going to hell. Why? Because God loves them and I do too; to the extent that I do not want them to suffer in hell.
It is our job as Christians to tend to God's garden. That is our job assignment given back there as Adam was created. God's garden is his creation; those neighbors we are to love. Whatever we do we are to climb that tree, take that sword and cut the serpent down from his lookout point on that branch of the forbidden tree. Our motto should be "I'd rather offend than condemn," because failing to rebuke is condemnation. Obedience is what God desires, not tolerance!
Some care about sinners in their own church. That's noble and a start, but we're to go out unto the world, as the Great Commission tells us to do. That's really tending the garden! Some rationalize, "That's not my responsibility. They don't go to my church." That's apathetic and prideful!
(Note that "Church" is the invisible universal group of believers and "church" are those who come to the building).
First off, it's not YOUR church. It's God's. It may be the building you visit or the denomination you attend, but it is not the Church. The Church is the kingdom of God and it's anywhere there are believers. In fact I would suggest that your church may be far from the Church, because the true Church obeys the edict to bring the world unto God's kingdom. We are to go out unto the world to fish for men and women to grow the Church.
You worry needlessly! They may be great sinners and you recognize that, but you are to use scripture to admonish, reprove and rebuke. Paul did that. You can too! Tending to God's garden is convincing the world that they need Jesus. They must stand under the Tree of Life. Failure to tell them about Jesus is a sin of omission. We think, "They are too sinful to be saved," and as such damn them so Satan won't have to do his job.
Right now, most of you, even preachers, are content with sharing the word in merely your own church. That's easy because most people there profess Christianity even though they may not live for Christ. True Christians go out into the world and bring sinners to any house of God. Your church isn't important in God's scheme of things, but his Church is!
I'm awake right now because I'm worried about the mission of the church. I see it as making people comfortable being apathetic, not even caring that the world is going to hell and we are eating our pitch-in dinners and laughing about being overweight, while sinners are going to hell because no one cares enough to take the time to tell them about Jesus.
I write this because I'm sharing with the world right now. If you're reading this you may not be aware that I have readers in Russia, China, the Ukraine and far away places. I want you folks to read my commentary because my desire is for you to know the truth about Jesus! I can't sleep because many of you are going to hell and I'm uncomfortable with that!
Come to my church! It's not in Salmons, Kentucky. It's not of brick and mortar. The leader is not my preacher. My Church is wherever Christians of any color or denomination claims Jesus as the only way to salvation, and the only doctrine necessary is Jesus and him crucified for our sins.
A preacher and theologian this week professed on Facebook that he is "gay". By doing that he is proud that he is in rebellion to God. In effect he is thumbing his nose at God, and rather than being "gay" he is "reprobate". Christians cannot serve two masters. Our Master has said that homosexuality is an abomination. False Christians in effect, create their own god. They do what's right on their own eyes.
We are to use scripture in all decision-making. We are not to add to it, even with good intentions. When the Jews wrote the Talmud they included not ten, but 613 commandments. They had good intentions. They wanted to force people to be good. That's not salvation by grace.
Preachers preach against being Pharisee-like, then create their own regulations and add to the word. It may be their own principles, but it isn't God's will unless it is in his word.
The goal of us all, and all Christians are of the Royal Priesthood, is to convince sinners to be Christians. In order to do that we must all go to them wherever they are. As a general rule sinners don't come to a place where they are uncomfortable, so the rest of us need to get out of our place of comfort and go to them! We must go to them!
Test your faith this week. Show that you are doing your job this week. Go out into the world and tell others about Jesus. Whatever the inconvenience, whatever the cost, it's worth saving fellow human beings from eternal damnation. Knock down those brick walls of your church and go to Church in the world. That building and that creed won't be on the walls in Paradise, but love and compassion will be!
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