Be Faithful Witnesses

Reading from the Book of Revelation 22:12-17, 20-21

¹² “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you^[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

 

The meaning of the lyrics in this song becomes more and more true and evident as the years go by.  There was a time when I thought that millions in our country would NEVER walk so far away from God and succumb to socialism, communism, radical Islamism, and extreme moral depravity like they have over the past four years under BHO.

 
The song "Leaving Eden" by Brandon Heath contains deep meaning within the lyrics that take a big bite out of the lies that this secular world of "anything goes" tries to place upon We The People here in America.  It exposes how "each step away" from the roots of our existence back in  Eden takes our nation to a point where many have forgotten God and His Word.  Such lack of wisdom of the knowledge of God and His Word as each decade passes continues to bring us towards an even worse state of being than the last.

 

 "Celeste" over at the You Tube site says it well: "These are dark times. But we have the light of Jesus; the only constant and perfect One in a world that's slowly falling apart. We have hope in God, the Alpha, Omega, Beginning, End, Healer, Provider, Savior, Father, Friend, Protector, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Light of the world. God is and always will be whatever we need most in our lives. When we hurt, He heals us, when we are tired, He carries us in His arms. We have left Eden, and we're stumbling through darkness, but we're going home." celeste84968496 

 

The song, which reveals an example of a "teacher hiding her Bible...but at least she has a job," indicates how far the liberal educational elites have taken us from our Christian heritage and founding.  It also indicates how socialism/communism/liberalism always takes more and more freedoms away from WE THE PEOPLE.  Years ago, "hiding one's Bible" seemed unthinkable in order to keep a job.  But now, Christians can be persecuted under falsely applied claims of "separation of church and state" - which, by the way, isn't in the U.S. Constitution.

 

 Our Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights tells what GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT DO - not what WE THE PEOPLE CAN'T DO!  But those who would like to take away the rights of Christians are actively using a secular language of "lawyer-ing" to sway others against Christian beliefs, displays, Bible reading, teaching; with the goal to shun the Christian believer's free speech rights of sharing the Gospel openly with others.  The threats of being sued - for any reason these days - makes pastors and preachers watch what they say in order "not to offend." 

 

Jesus offended many people in his three year ministry on earth.  He didn't mince or parse words.  He told it like it is.  And those who hated him tried to kill him - many times - over his call for repentance because "the kingdom of God is near." 

 

What Jesus told us is truth!  He stated, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  For I have overcome the world." 

 

We may be on a journey that is taking us further and further away from Eden. And it is painfully true that we can't go back.  But God has "many mansions" in heaven prepared for those who confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.  There will be 1,000 years in the Millennial Kingdom on earth where Jesus will rule.  It will be like living in a new Eden.  The final chapter in the book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of how it will be in eternity with God.

 

What should Christians be doing until Christ comes back for His own?

Be faithful witnesses.

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Blindness of The Heart

Reading from the Book of Ephesians 3:17-20

¹⁷ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, ¹⁸ Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: ¹⁹ Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. ²⁰ But ye have not so learned Christ;

Unbelievers can be so callous and hard that they are "past feeling." But this same verse says that they live by their feelings in unbridled sensuality and carnality. What appears to be a paradox here, the Lord showed me that some people are past doing what they should be doing with their feelings.

God gives people feelings for a specific purpose and use in their walk with Him. But people who have alienated themselves from God are hardened to the place where they are beyond using their feelings for the right purpose. Satan moves them into an area where they live riotous lives, doing whatever they feel like doing.

You and I are not to live that way, but to make the truth of God's Word our standard and to obey it by the power of the Holy Spirit.