©2004 Charles Darby
James 4:13-16 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
Most of the ministry that I hear has no urgency to the message. It sounds like what I heard when I went to a sales meeting, before I retired. Many would quote verses to make what they said sound biblical. The message would tell us how to be successful salesmen. It was always a learning process so we could make more and more money. The messages, in many churches and on television, tell us how to get our material needs met. All we need do is claim certain verses and God has to give us what we want! It boils down to a prosperity message.
Beloved, I remember a time when meetings had so much anointing of the Holy Ghost that a sinner had to get in the altar or leave the church. Before I repented and received Christ, I would set in church and grip the back of the pew so hard my knuckles turned white. I wanted the preacher to stop so I could leave or get in the altar. There was urgency to the message; tomorrow might be too late. Then we didn't just come forward and make a profession of faith; we prayed till God changed our life. No one had to tell us we were saved; we knew it! We might doubt later when we couldn't feel it. We soon learned we were not to live by feelings but by faith. We were told to maintain a close relationship with the Lord through prayer, bible study, church attendance and fellowship with other believers.
Hell was preached so hot that you could
feel the heat and heaven was so great you didn't want to wait to get ready.
You were told what sin was and there could be no mistake about it. The
sins mentioned below had to go if you expected to make it to heaven. That
is what repentance is all about.
Gal 5:19-21 Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of God.
If you are in doubt as to what any
of the above words mean look them up in a dictionary. Where you spend eternity
could depend on it.
Maybe in those days we were too strict but today we are being told nothing will keep us from heaven, if we say we believe in Christ. Because of this teaching, some are still living in sins that are named above. The bible says these will not inherit the kingdom of God. Some even has new bibles that have changed God’s Word to suit their beliefs. Hell is a place where flames of fire will forever burn those that miss heaven. It was not created for people but for the devil and his angels. God had to enlarge it because some don't repent and accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
Beloved, what I am talking about is much too important to take my word or anyone else's for. Read the bible for yourself and see what it says. God has not changed; contrary to what some are teaching. Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure. Phil 2:12 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
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