Shining Bright in These Last Days
“But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also…
But you did follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 10-14 WEB)
It seems that even though the world is more technologically advanced, connected, and knowledgeable than before, it has experienced a steep moral degradation in contrast to past generations. The world will only get worse.
However, we are not here to reform the world, but to cause as many who will listen to believe that Jesus is Lord and be saved. In this way, we are snatching souls out of the fire, as we await the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The more boldly you stand up for Jesus, the more persecution you will face. The world hates Jesus, and it will hate the disciples who love and follow Him.
Don’t let fear and intimidation dull your shine. There is not much time left until the church’s departure from this world. Soon, the trumpet will sound and with a shout, the Lord will cause our bodies to be transformed into glorified bodies that will never die, age, or weaken.
We should not leave this world without at least sharing the precious Gospel with the people around us. You don’t necessarily have to do it directly, but invite them to hear someone who preaches the Gospel, or give them an encouraging Christian book. Utilize the unique gifts that God has deposited in you, towards the goal of winning souls. Pray as you do these, requesting open doors for the Holy Spirit to work on their hearts.
In God’s kingdom, it seems that the martyrs and heavily persecuted ones are greatly honored and receive great rewards. “There is no love greater than this: that a man would lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus did that for us, and we can choose to do that for others, as worship unto God. Your faith, hope, and love shown for Jesus’ sake will not go unrewarded!
Find out how to identify your calling, maximize your eternal rewards, and also discover why standing before the judgment seat of Christ is nothing to be afraid of, but instead something to be excited about: http://bit.ly/sandcastlesdontlastforever
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do unto others as you would have them do unto you 在 Milton Goh Blog and Sermon Notes Facebook 的最佳貼文
Do Unto Others as you Want Done to Yourself?
“Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 WEB)
Jesus’ statement above is totally fair and righteous. If you want to receive good, do good. If you inflict harm, you will be harmed.
But can we live by this standard of fairness? We would only be harmed because we have no ability to perfectly “do unto others as we would have done to ourselves”.
The Law demands perfection from man. If you break one of the Ten Commandments whether in thought or deed, you are counted as having broken them all.
Which man could be blessed through keeping the Law? No one.
That’s why I’m so thankful for Grace. Grace is the favor of God that we receive despite being imperfect in our obedience. Grace is given apart from our works.
In the verse above, Jesus said, “this is the Law and the prophets”. Thankfully we are not under the Old Covenant of the Law, but under the New Covenant of Grace!
At the cross, Jesus received all the punishment that you deserved for your sins, so that you can receive all the blessings that He deserves.
Today, we are blessed not because we deserve it by loving others, but because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice at the cross. This is good news because it means that your failures don’t disqualify you from receiving God’s goodness.
Don’t believe anyone who says you’re not blessed because you’re not doing unto others what you want done unto yourself. Don’t let them fool you into works-based justification.
If there’s any lack of manifested blessings in your life, it’s likely due to unbelief caused by wrong believing.
Don’t worry, God will correct those beliefs through the inward teaching of the Holy Spirit, and also by speaking through ministers of His word.
As wrong beliefs are corrected, faith will arise and you will receive the manifested blessings at the appointed time!
Knowing that you are still blessed and justified in Christ, you can pick yourself up from a mistake, dust yourself off, and continue walking confidently in righteousness.
Read “Understand the Four Gospels Through the Lens of Grace” and break free from the bondage of legalism and wrong believing: https://www.miltongoh.net/store/p18/understand-the-four-gospels-through-the-lens-of-grace.html
do unto others as you would have them do unto you 在 Milton Goh Blog and Sermon Notes Facebook 的最佳貼文
“When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies to the heavens.” (PROVERBS 23:5 AMP)
I noticed that in times when I worry about finances and my focus in life shifts to earning more money, the income that I pursue becomes even more unattainable.
However in times when I am sincerely seeking the Lord in His word and listening to Jesus-centered sermons often, unexpected income suddenly pours in. Amazing isn’t it?
I believe that this phenomenon is linked to what Jesus said about seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness and all these (material) things will also be added to you.
When you as a believer focus on gaining wealth, it will fly away like an elusive eagle. It can be tempting to focus on this pursuit, especially in times like these of financial instability.
As a believer, your flesh has no power to sustainably increase and keep wealth. You can only receive it through faith. Hearing about Jesus refocuses your gaze unto Him and ushers you into the state of undefiled faith.
When you make hearing, reading and receiving God’s word a priority, provision is a side-benefit that will definitely be yours.
What about those unbelievers who prosper? How come they can do so?
“He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches?” (Luke 16:10-11 AMPC)
Material wealth is not a measure of a person’s true wealthiness. In God’s eyes, money is considered a “very little thing”—one of the least of His blessings.
True riches are the eternal rewards from doing good works for Jesus’ sake. One example would be authority over cities during Jesus’ Millennial reign on earth in the future.
Revelations about Jesus are also true riches because Jesus is Abba God’s most treasured person. Fresh revelations about Jesus cannot be bought in any store on earth—they are given by the Holy Spirit when one receives God’s word.
God is against letting money that you’re not prepared to handle destroy you. Some people if you give them a million dollars now, they will never pray or prioritize God’s word until their next setback.
God doesn’t discipline unbelievers because they are not His children. He only disciplines His children which are the born-again believers.
Abba God wants you to prosper in all things—not just in money. He also wants you to be healthy and for your soul to prosper.
Trust His timing. Your character grows when He trains and teaches you through the Scriptures, and your capacity to steward wealth in a way that befits a royal priest to God also grows.
Some unbelievers may prosper because they spend all their efforts scheming and laboriously working to hoard wealth. But what is the end result? Other parts of their life is in shambles and that wealth can be lost very quickly.
Upon death, they descend to Hell to burn in unending torment, and their wealth can be quickly squandered by their descendants who did nothing to earn it.
Take this pandemic situation for example. Now Singapore is about to begin a lockdown situation. Imagine that even the casino is being shutdown. Places with high operational costs like the theme parks are also closed.
What other businesses owned by unbelievers are affected? I’m sure there are many. This is a sobering reality that chasing wealth can be a futile attempt—it can fly away like an elusive eagle.
Dear brother or sister in Christ, in Jesus’ name, I pray that God’s goodness and mercy will hunt you down all the days of your life—that you will not have to stressfully chase it, but God will restfully add it to you as you obey the Holy Spirit’s promptings in giving to be a blessing to others. Amen!
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