But On Some Points

Romans 15:15-20 ESV

“But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel…”

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are all to be ministers of the gospel of Christ. We are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and we are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light, and we are not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, but we are to be his witnesses, and we are to be making disciples of Christ of people of all nations, teaching them to obey all that our Lord has commanded us. So this is not just for some people, but for all Christians.

We are also gifted of the Spirit of God with spiritual gifts which we are to use under the power of the Spirit of God for the uplifting and encouragement and urging and provoking and exhorting of one another, who are in Christ by faith in him, to live holy lives pleasing to God. And so that none of us are taken captive by the deceitfulness of sin and by other humans in their cunning and craftiness and deceitful scheming. But we are to be speaking the truth in love to one another to help one another to maturity in Christ.

This is the biblical model for what our lives, as followers of Christ, should look like. But first, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. We are not to let sin reign anymore in our mortal bodies to where we obey its passions and desires, for if sin is what we obey, it will end in death. But obedience to God will end in life eternal.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6] 

But the gospel message that we are to be sharing is the same one that Jesus taught and that Paul and the other NT apostles taught, in full biblical context, and not via a few select verses pulled out of context and taught contrary to what the Scriptures teach, which is what many are doing these days. Far too many preachers and teachers and writers of devotions and of social media memes, and those who share videos, and who write books, and who produce movies about Jesus, are not teaching biblical Christianity.

Many (or most) of them are teaching an altered (corrupted, distorted, perverted) gospel message and another Jesus other than the one of the Scriptures, and so they are leading many people to hell on the promise of heaven when they leave this earth. Many of them are being lifted up and praised and admired for their “kindness” and because they are accepting of all people, no matter their walks, but that just isn’t biblical. For we can “nice” people all the way to hell, and they will not thank us then, for sure!!

So we need to tell people the truth, for that is the loving thing to do, even if they don’t see it that way right now. And the truth that Jesus taught was that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) Jesus. For if we hold on to (save) our old lives of living in sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we lose our lives, i.e. we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have eternal life (Luke 9:23-26).

For Jesus also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. For many will stand before him on the day of judgment claiming him as Lord and claiming all they believed they did in his name, and he is going to say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” because they refused to obey him and they continued to obey sin, instead, because they believed they could (Matthew 7:21-23).

So, please know the truth! Please live the truth! And please be Christians who are sharing the truth of the gospel with others and who are refuting the lies of Satan which are sending many people to hell on the promise of heaven. And yes, if you do, you will be hated and persecuted and rejected just like Jesus was, and like Paul was, because we tell people the truth.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

When I Go Home

By G. M. Eldridge

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…” Revelation 21:4

In the moment He appears

And the light from heaven shines,

I’ll forget ev’ry fear,

Ev’ry pain I’ll leave behind.

Then I’ll see Him as He is

And I’ll know Him as I’m known.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

Ever present is the tho’t 

That a moment waits for me

When unworthy as I am,

His glory I will see.

I will empty all my praise

Before my Father’s throne.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

If the trial I endure,

And your presence I can’t find,

Be near me, Lord, I pray,

Bring back unto my mind

That your promises are firm

And I’m never on my own.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z98Zvr1CyXg 

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