關於 are you enjoying yourself he asked ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

““The day came that the rich man also died. In hell he looked up from his torment and saw Abraham in the distance, and Lazarus the beggar was standing beside him in the glory. So the rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham! Father Abraham! Have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and come to cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames of fire!’ “But Abraham responded, ‘My friend, don’t you remember? While you were alive, you had all you desired, surrounded in luxury, while Lazarus had nothing. Now Lazarus is in the comforts of paradise and you are in agony...”Abraham said to him, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither would they believe even if someone was raised from the dead!’ ”” (Luke‬ ‭16:23-25, 31‬ ‭TPT‬)

In Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, why did Lazarus the beggar go to Paradise and the rich man go to Hell?

It’s not because a person who suffered in his lifetime is automatically granted a one-way ticket to Heaven.

Neither does being rich disqualify a person from Heaven.

Lazarus is enjoying the comforts of Heaven whereas the rich man is tormented day and night in unquenchable flames—it’s not because one person lived morally better than the other.

If we read the last sentence of the parable, we will know the answer. It lies in the word “believe”.

Lazarus went to Heaven because he believed in the God of Israel. In his poverty, he probably prayed and asked Yahweh to be merciful to him.

On the other hand, the rich man did not believe. He only lived to satisfy the cravings of his flesh and failed to receive salvation through faith.

Like the last line of the parable hints, someone has really been raised from the dead—and His name is Jesus.

Do you believe that He is the Son of God, the one who died and rose again so that you would know that all your sins are paid for?

Don’t wait until you’re dead and the angels are forcibly dragging your spirit by the arms to toss you into Hell before you scream that Jesus is Lord. By then it’ll be too late.

You would join all those who are screaming in there endlessly because they spent a whole lifetime rejecting the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God, who suffered and died to pay for their sins.

The wages of sin is death, and there can only be two options: either you accept Jesus’ payment on your behalf, or you keep paying the price yourself—you can never finish paying it in Hell because sinning against God is an infinitely grievous offence.

You can’t cease to exist because your spirit is eternal, since you were made from the breath of the eternal God.
The deceased spirit of an unforgiven sinner can never go to Heaven because sin cannot remain in the holy God’s presence.

Whether you a poor or rich, you can still be saved simply by placing your faith in Jesus as your Lord.

Jesus loves you so much that He suffered cruel torture and bled Himself dry so that His sinless blood would make atonement for all your sins.

Don’t delay your day of salvation because a sinner’s life is so fragile. Just one microscopic virus can kill. One infected wound can kill.
If you sense a loving force encouraging you to entrust your life to Jesus, just do so by faith.

If you’re already a believer, just take a moment to thank Jesus for saving you from an eternity in hellfire. We don’t deserve it, but we freely received this gift of salvation—it is God’s Grace and mercy towards us!

At this link you can read more Christ-centered Bible Studies, devotionals, sermon notes and find ways to partner with our ministry to help us reach even more people with the Gospel ===> https://smart.bio/miltongohblog

#Jesus #Salvation

Enjoying Favor with God and Man

“When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him. Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him. Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” But they were silent. He took him, and healed him, and let him go. He answered them, “Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, wouldn’t immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” They couldn’t answer him regarding these things. He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them, “When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him, and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭14:1-11‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Have you ever had dinner at the same table with a renowned world leader? Perhaps you’ll make sure to dress your best, put on your best mannerisms, show your best side and all these efforts are just to please men to gain their favor for an ulterior motive, or because you’re afraid of what they would think if you don’t behave as expected.

It’s just like our Lord Jesus to attend a party held by a so-called important person and turn it upside down!

Amidst all the bootlickers who wanted to curry favor with the ruler of the Pharisees, Jesus didn’t care about anyone’s prejudices.
He set His sights on someone He could heal—Jesus was going to do it whether the pretentious religious leaders felt comfortable about it or not.

Jesus didn’t come to play politics or to be liked by the masses. He came to save us to the uttermost, regardless of what has to be done.

If Jesus had a PR manager, that person would greatly advise against healing someone on the Sabbath, in the house of the ruler of the Pharisees. That’s like choosing to offend everyone at once—a major PR disaster.

None of the guests dared to answer Jesus—they were all ensnared by the fear of man’s opinions.

“The fear of man proves to be a snare, but whoever puts his trust in Yahweh is kept safe. Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man’s justice comes from Yahweh.” ‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭29:25-26‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Oftentimes, we are also afraid of being judged by others and worried what others would think of us.

However when it comes to doing the right thing in God’s eyes, versus pleasing men who don’t care about you that much anyway, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to empower us to do what’s right, even when it’s not the popular choice.

Just because everyone else is compromising, doesn’t mean you have to do it too just to fit in.

Let’s use a rather sensitive example: Premarital sex. If you’re still a virgin and you’re intending to stay that way until after marriage, good for you!

You don’t have to be sleeping around like people of the world, just because the ‘cool’ ones are doing it—they have no self-control and are ignorant about the harm they are inflicting upon their own bodies (forming unwanted connections in the flesh).

“Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or don’t you know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, “The two”, he says, “will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” ‭‭(1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:15-18‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Perhaps you are like the man with dropsy, who couldn’t even join in the pretentious game with the other religious leaders.
Even if he could gain the favor of the ruler of the Pharisees, what could he possibly do for him?
That mortal ruler didn’t have the power to rid him of the swelling in his body.

The man’s swollen body must have caused him to be embarrassed and ashamed. No matter how hard he tried to fit in and act like the rest, he would always stick out like a sore thumb.

Maybe you’re a straightforward person who can’t stand to think before you talk or be tactful when you speak or act—you just don’t fit in.
Or it could be that you’re a non-conformist who can’t bring yourself to follow the crowd and it’s trends—and for that, nobody wants to be associated with you.

Well, Jesus healed that man with dropsy. If anyone was happy at that awkward party, it was the man who received his healing!
You don’t even have to read any books about the 10 steps to make people like you.
Just like how Jesus took the man and initiated the healing miracle, He will also take you and transform you without your own efforts.
The man with dropsy thought he was going for a party to try and gain favor from the ruler, when actually the true Ruler of Heaven and earth chose to favor him.
It’s by God’s goodness, not your obedience—just believe that.

Jesus pulled the religious masks off the religious leaders’ faces when He asked the question about the son and the ox falling into the well.
If it was the ruler of the Pharisee’s son that fell in a well, do you really think he would care that it was a Sabbath day?
He would ask his servants to get his son out of the well immediately.

Religiosity is hypocrisy. It has the outward appearance of holiness but the moment something is against his fleshly interests, the religious person compromises on the laws he demands others to follow.

Jesus proceeded to give wise advice. Instead of trying to please men and gain their favor with your self-efforts, rely on God to give you favor with them.

The moment you cease from trying to be liked, fit in or become popular and just rest in God’s favor that’s always upon you, God can give you uncommon favor with the right person who can turn the whole situation around for your good.

That’s one of the ironies of life. The harder you try to be liked, the more dislikable you are to others.
But when you don’t try at all and just humbly rely on God’s favor, He will exalt you in the sight of all.

In other words, don’t focus on moving up to a higher place—you’ll end up thinking too much about it and trying hard to reach it by your own efforts.

Set your eyes on Jesus who is seated far above all kingdoms and dominions, and He will give you the wisdom, power and favor to unconsciously move up higher while you’re still transfixed by His perfect majesty!

Today’s Spiritual Exercise:
Need someone to favor you? Confess that you have favor with him or her because God is on your side to give you favor with all men. You don’t have to earn it—just receive it by faith.

Become a patron and receive our new special Christmas series “37 Miracles of Jesus”, as well as other attractive rewards in return for your support: http://Patreon.com/miltongohblog

In this series, you’ll:

- Receive bold faith for miracles—stepping out from a powerless form of Christianity, into the kind that God intended!

- Understand the significance of the miracles of Jesus Christ—and why the Holy Spirit chose to feature them in the four gospels even though Jesus worked countless other miracles.

- Receive a powerful, uplifting message about Jesus and His power and goodness every day that refreshes your soul and prepares you to have a worshipful, meaningful Christmas.

#37MiraclesofJesus #BibleStudy

Testimony of Restoration by Resting in God’s Love

Are you unable to rest? Do you feel like everything will fall apart if you stop ‘doing things’?

I’m not talking about physical test alone, but the inward rest that comes from trusting that God is doing something to help you such that you don’t need to worry or be afraid at all.

Ask yourself: “What is driving me to do all these things without resting?”

Is it fear? The fear that nothing will happen if you don’t do it yourself?

“He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.” ‭‭(Colossians‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Realize that Jesus is the one holding everything in existence together. It’s not even you.

If He wants you to participate in something for your growth and benefit, He will prompt you as you are receiving His word, or with a strong desire and peace in your spirit.

“For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.” ‭‭(Hebrews‬ ‭4:10-11‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Being unable to have an inward rest and peacefulness comes from unbelief in God. The belief that God is not already at work to turn things around in your life—as if He’s drumming His fingers on His lap, waiting for you to pray and fast long or hard enough before He bothers to do something.

Your Abba Father is not a sadistic taskmaster like the Egyptian slavedrivers who abused the children of Israel.
He is most eager to help you and is always planning for your benefit because He loves you.

El, a reader from USA experienced unbelievable stress in her marriage. She and her husband had been estranged for a while and she didn’t tell it to anyone. At the same time, she was carrying all the weight of caring for her toddler.
She was praying hard, worshipping hard, fasting hard and facing all sorts of spiritual attacks from the devil, making her tired and almost giving up on her faith.

She asked for prayer and by a prompting of the Holy Spirit, I shared with her that she was too focused on what she needed to do to get her breakthrough, instead of resting in God’s love for her that He was already at work to turn things around for her.

A shift in mindset (repentance) was all she needed—taking the weight off her own performance to please God, and turning to Jesus’ performance and His strength used for her benefit.

Today she shared her glorious testimony: “Hi Milton just wanted to share my testimony that Jesus restored my marriage! After no communication with my husband for six months, the Lord opened the doors for miracle. Your godly advice helped me. God used you to help my breakthrough! Now my Husband and I are communicating and he is returning home!”

Dear brethren, when you keep feeding on God’s love for you, that’s the most powerful revelation you can receive.
Many Christians believe that God is all-powerful, but they don’t believe that God is all-loving towards them.

“Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭8:2-3‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Like the leper in Matthew 8 who didn’t know if it was Jesus’ will to heal him, Jesus is assuring you today in similar fashion, “I want to give you your breakthrough.”

#Faith #God

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