Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I just finished a novel that I started almost a year ago. This has been my beach-reading material when I’m in my favorite chair with my feet in the Gulf. Friday is our beach day, so I always have to back up a few pages to remind myself “who’s who”, or “who did what” before I can go forward, but I finally made it! This was a great thriller entitled “The Malta Exchange” by Steve Berry. I highly recommend it.
I used to read novels more frequently, but now I am totally captivated by the most thrilling and enthralling book ever…The Holy Bible. (FYI, this book still holds the Guinness World Record as the best-selling and most widely-distributed book ever.) The thing about this book that is so unique, is the fact that it never ends. Now to clarify what I just said: Yes, you can read this Book from cover to cover, but if you’ve paid any attention and connected the obvious dots, your immediate response is probably, “Wow! I have to read that again.” “Why would someone say that”, you ask? Because this is a collection of 66 books with over 40 contributors (but only one author, as explained in 2 Peter 1:21), “…no Scripture ever came from Man’s understanding. The prophets or scribes were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak from God.”
The Bible is a thriller, a love story, a Manuel for living (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth), a devotional, a history book, a book of wisdom, a collection of short vignettes that explain principles, and a collection of prophecies that has no equal in terms of accuracy and fulfillment. Simply put, the Bible never stops revealing more and more as we seek deeper truths. The more we read and grow in this endeavor, the more we realize how much more there is to be uncovered. This journey is how we become the person God created us to be. It is also our source of confident assurance (faith), wisdom, courage, strength, peace and serenity, fulfillment and joy!
I wanted to spotlight the importance of the Bible, because in our culture today, there is an unfortunate ignorance of THE TRUTH. (I didn’t use the term “ignorance” here to mean “stupidity”, I used it to mean “uninformed”.) For whatever the reason, whether it be that someone was not raised with Christian beliefs, or perhaps they were wounded by a church, or perhaps the friend up the street convinced them that there were other gods to worship, they just don’t know THE TRUTH. (Now, for one more point of clarity: as I’ve said in previous blogs, when I refer to “THE TRUTH”, I am referring to the Word of God as expressed in the Holy Bible. I’m not referring to worldly teaching, eastern philosophies, or “New Age” latest and greatest revelations. I’m standing on the truth of God’s Word because the author proclaimed, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will NEVER pass away!” His Word is Truth; His Word is Love; His Word is Life; His Word is Healing; His Word is Eternal; His Word is Timeless, and these words are desperately needed by our culture today.
I have to admit, when someone talks to me about “truth”, if it doesn’t line up with God’s Word, I ask them, “What’s your source, or “Where did you get that?” Most of the time, they’re not sure, but sometimes they offer a source. Here’s a very common-sense analogy: If you wanted to learn about flowers, would you look in “Popular Mechanics”? Conversely, if you wanted to know about mechanics, would you look in “Posies Today”? You get the picture. Therefore, if you want to find out how God reveals Himself to us, what He says about us, what His plans are for us, what His standard is, what His promises are, and how we can partake of those promises, go to the source: The Holy Bible. These words are not intended to be a secret. In fact, we’re called to share them with the world!
When Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olive explaining to His apostles what the end-times would be like, He painted a pretty horrendous picture. Why did He do this? Was it to scare them? No, it was to prepare them for what was to come. Here is a snapshot of what He shared. (excerpted from Matthew 24) “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in My name claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. Nations will go to war against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms; there will be famines, floods, and earthquakes in many parts of the world. All of this is only the first of birth pains, with more to come. You will be arrested, persecuted and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. This will be a time of greater horror than any time since the world began, and greater than any time to come. ”BUT THOSE WHO ENDURE TO THE END WILL BE SAVED.”
How much of Jesus’ presentation do you think defines our culture today? Are there false prophets? Is Christianity under assault? Do you see an increase in betrayal and hatred among people with differing views? Is sin rampant? Is the love of many growing cold?
I highlighted the sentence in the above paragraph about this being “a time of greater horror than the world has ever seen” because I want you to understand that we are no where near the culmination of those horrors. (I hope that sets off an alarm inside of you). In another passage when His disciples asked Jesus about this same subject, His answer was, “Watch and pray that you may escape the horrors that stand before you.” (Luke 21:36) The good news is…you know what to watch and pray for, so that gives you a “head up”.
Here is the hope in this message: “But, those who endure to the end will be saved.” No doubt that’s wonderful, but how are you going to endure to the end? Matthew 24:23 tells us: “False messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great and miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.” Jesus ended this message saying, “See, I have warned you,”
There are many false prophets right now who are deceiving God’s chosen ones with counterfeit messages that titillate self-centeredness. For instant, there is the “prosperity message” that teaches that financial, physical, and wellness blessings are the will of God, and that faith, positive speech and attitude and contributions to religious causes are the pathway to these blessings. Fault: This is Old Covenant; it’s about earning God’s favor through our works.
There is the message that teaches that God is Love. Therefore, He will invite all into heaven when our end comes simply because He is a loving God. Fault: This is not about repentance or transformation. Nor is it about the blood of Jesus washing away our sins.
There is also the “I’m a good person” message. I know I have short-comings, but I can’t help but think that my good works will over shadow my shortcomings. After all, God wants us to do good works. Fault: That’s the mindset of the Jewish Priests who visited the brothels on their way to Temple. It’s not about God’s Will or relationship. All three of these messages are about deceiving you. There is an agenda attached to each that is not about furthering God’s Kingdom on this earth.
Jesus told us to be discerning, to compare the newest, latest and greatest messages to the Truth of God’s Word. The only way to carry out that directive is to be familiar with God’s Word. As His Chosen Ones, we are expected to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:3-4,11 expresses this perfectly: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, His divine nature (the Holy Spirit) gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a Godly life. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
This is why (and how) we must endure to the end.
Please feel free to respond to this message, and please share this with other social media friends.
May God Bless You Abundantly,
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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