Post by Les Brewer on Aug 20, 2012 12:14:56 GMT
John Wolf
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified
From the pastor's desk....
Praise the Lord Jesus Christ,for His blessings extended to all who call upon His name in truth.We had 14 guests at yesterday's morning service.The word came forth in power from a young man named Justin.If he will remain dedicated to the Lord,God will continue use him for great things.Please pray for the work we are doing,that the anointing and the leading of the Spirit will always be the number one priority in lifting up the name of Jesus.
"Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said,'Men of Athens,I perceive that in all things you are very religious;for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship,I even found an alter with this inscription:TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.Therefore,the One whom you worship without knowing,Him I proclaim to you......Truly,these times of ignorance God overlooked,but now commands all men everywhere to repent,because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.' " (Acts 17:22-31,NKJV)
From this context of Scripture it is plain to see that there are many who worship the God of heaven,but in reality do not know Him.How can this be?Simple! many people have heard the names of all types of celebrities and famous people,but in reality they do not know them on a personal level.The difference is this:they know who they are because of their fame or fortune,but have never really met the people they "know".In reality they only know what has been written or said about them,but do not know them on a personal level.They have a mental knowledge of them,but no relationship based on a personal level of meeting them and developing a relationship with them.
The same can be said of knowing God.There are multitudes of people who know about God,and have developed an opinion of Who and What God is,but have never made a true heart felt commitment to get to know Him.Multitudes of people go in to churches,synagogues,mosques,temples and such places as this,to fulfill their religious duties,and leave out unchanged.They are religious,but not right with God.If they were to die they would find themselves in a place they thought they would never go to,because they were religious.They base their goodness on their deeds,rather than on the deeds of Jesus Christ.
It is this MAN,Jesus Christ,who is coming again soon,who will judge this world in righteousness for the way it has treated Him.Too many people are looking to His followers as the examples of righteousness,rather than looking to Him as the True Standard of Righteousness.The point they are missing so terribly is that His followers are not perfect either,and by comparing themselves to His people,rather than to Him,they miss God by a country mile.
Sure ,Christ's followers are supposed to live a life above reproach,but all too often,just like the average unbeliever,we sin,and sometimes in front of prospective converts,causing them to step back and say to themselves,"if this is the example of Christianity,then I'm not so bad after all!" But then,this is exactly what the devil wants them to believe.
Sure,there are those who put on the air of perfection,who think that they are better than others,there always have been and there always will be people like that.But,since God has sent forth His Son into the world to bear the sins of all mankind,it is time for all men everywhere to repent and turn to Christ.We must learn to stop comparing ourselves to faulty,frail,sinful men,and begin to compare ourselves to Jesus Christ and His righteousness.When we do this,we will begin to see that none of us can,in and of ourselves,match His righteousness.
God raised Christ from the dead because He was the perfect God-man,this is proof of His sinless perfection! As a sinner who has never repented and accepted Christ into your life,I pray that today you make the decision to do so,life is short and you are not promised tomorrow.As a believer who has repented and accepted Christ,you must repent also and re-dedicate yourself on a daily basis.Yesterday's Manna will not do for today,you need a fresh start beginning every day,a fresh basket of Manna.Yesterday's Manna is gone and wilted and no longer good for consumption.
I pray that you make Christ the central figure in your life everyday,and keep Him there through faith in His atonement.God bless you all in the name of Jesus Christ,Amen..........brother,John.
