Christians Awake!

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Throughout the Bible God has repeatedly had to call His people to refocus their lapsed worship back to Himself alone. The books from Exodus onwards contain many examples and when His people responded with genuine repentance, the damaged relationship with Him was quickly restored, but that restoration always terminated when His people again lapsed into worshiping other so called "gods", which did not actually exist but were "creations" of men's minds. That is not to say all subjects of men's worship are not real as I have no doubt that some deliberately worship Satan or his emissaries.  The Bible clearly uses the word "god" to include things to/through which worship was directed.

Gen 31:32  With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

Such  "gods" would include things of value, power or influence. Such "worship" clearly offends the first commandment.

Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

But wealth, power, fame are venerated, idolised and sought by most people. Whilst such items may not be, in themselves, sinful, it is the love thereof which constitutes the sin.

Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

This happened from the earliest days.

Col 4:14  Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. 

Phm 1:23  There salute thee Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus; 

Phm 1:24  Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow labourers. 

2Ti 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica;

The temptation for a true Christian to lapslide is always there and we need to use all the spiritual facilities available to us. When we fall, we need to immediately apply the Gospel remedy - confession (direct to God)  and genuine repentance. True repentance results in immediately ceasing the sinful practice and, if applicable and possible, making restitution.

Luk 19:8  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 

Luk 19:9  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 

No matter what social practice is currently acceptable or fashionable to the society in which we live, Bible believing Christians must measure those practices by using scriptural guidance. We must never fall for the satanic ruse of pretending God's word changes to suit the different circumstances of each generation. The emphasis on God's word may change from time to time, but never His word.

Deu 4:2  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 

Deu 12:32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. 

Pro 30:6  Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. 

Isa 40:8  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. 

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

We are facing a constant assault on our Bible beliefs. Even people fervently claiming to be "Christians"    (including persons claiming to be  Christian "Ministers") openly advocate the practice of some things which are clearly specified as being abhorrent to God. We have state laws aimed at preventing us warning against such practices and we are accused of being "non-Christian" if we do.  Whilst some such practices are clearly shunned by Bible Believing Christians e.g sodomy, many such Christians have allowed other such practices to creep into their lives.  e.g. sexual immorality, fornication, which are clearly against God's Word.

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 

1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

How can any warning be clearer? Yet we often fall into such practices because they are acceptable in current society.   The ONLY remedy is set out in the subsequent passage

1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  Flee Sexual Immorality 

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

The Bible makes it very clear that the presence of an obedient, God focused Minority will be a practical blessing to society in general.

Pro 14:34  Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. 

Never forget that, being in this World, we constantly need to spiritually "have our feet washed"

Joh 13:8  Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 

Joh 13:9  Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 

Joh 13:10  Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, 

I believe we should regularly ask the Lord to convict our minds of any unconfessed sin and then immediately confess and repent. Once confessed and repented, we are cleansed and we are told to "forget". them, in the sense that we do not become consumed by a depressive reaction. Our past sins will always be in our mind so that we learn from the experience but once confessed and repented, we know they have all been permanently dealt with by our Lord.  See  1Co 6:11     17 lines above.

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, stand firmly against the violations of of clear scripture taking place so widely. We must not be ashamed of those clear teachings.  Do not be deluded into thinking you are "missing out".  We are not "martyrs". God's ways are for our benefit in all respects, including physically, spiritually, emotionally, morally and practically. You are not alone. There is a multitude of us scattered throughout an even bigger multitude of those who are not His people and we are united as one by the Holy Spirit.   PRAISE THE LORD.