Dereliction of Duty?

“…when the Holy Spirit dwells within us, it’s not hard to worship our glorious and worthy Creator. It’s as natural for Christians to worship the Lord as it is for flowers to open their petals in the warm sunlight.

On the other hand, demonstrating our love for God thought our obedience to His will (John 14:15) doesn’t happen quite as naturally. It takes a concerted effort to obey the Great Commission and follow in Christ’s footsteps, seeking to save the lost. Nevertheless, our professed love and worship of God should show itself in a determined devotion to do His will.”

For those who are born-again Christians, “When was the last time you shared your faith with an unsaved person? When did you last meditate on the fact that all who die in their sins will be cast into a lake of fire? In his book The Coming Revival, Dr. Bill Bright notes that only 2 percent of American churchgoers share their faith with others. That is tragic. If the love of God dwells in us, how can we not be horrified by the fate of the lost? Yet, many professing Christians today are so locked into worship (with the volume turned high) that they seem to give little or no thought to the fate of the ungodly.

To make a very important point, I would like for you to consider the following scenario:

An experienced big-city firefighter was charged yesterday with grave neglect of duty. Prosecutors maintain that he abandoned his responsibility and betrayed the people of the city when he failed to release rescue equipment during a recent fire, resulting in the needless and tragic deaths of a family of five.

The lead prosecuting attorney said that for more than three minutes after arriving at the scene, the firefighter sat in his vehicle, wearing earphones and listening to a CD, while a family of five screamed to be rescued from the sixth floor of the burning building. Horrified bystanders reported that, as flames licked at the mother’s clothing, she cried out in terror and fell to her death, still clutching an infant in her arms.

The distraught onlookers also said that the father held two terrified children as he was engulfed by the massive flames. This terrifying drama took place in full view of the firefighter as he remained seated in the fire truck listening to the CD.

Eyewitnesses were sickened when they discovered that the reason the firefighter had remained in the locked emergency vehicle was simply to test a new high-tech CD player that he had purchased as a gift from the fire chief.

The chief immediately distanced himself from the defendant and dishonorably discharged him from the fire department. In a prepared statement, the chief said that there were no words to describe such a betrayal of those the firefighter was sworn to protect.

At the trial, the defense pleaded “no contest,” but added that the defendant had gone to great personal sacrifice to purchase the expensive gift for the chief, and he hoped that the judge would take that into account when passing sentence.

What do you think would be a fitting punishment for this firefighter’s serious crime---probation? Two years in jail? Twenty years? Life? Death? What sentence would you give the negligent firefighter?

Perhaps you’re saying, “That’s ridiculous. A firefighter would never do that.” Allow me to apply the parable: If you and I are not seeking to save the lost “with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 1:23), are we not, in effect, negligent firefighters? That’s a sobering question, isn’t it?

Am I saying that if we don’t evangelize we’re not saved? Of course not. But if we would expect a firefighter to make saving lives a priority, are we honest enough to judge ourselves by the same standard? Are we doing all we can to rescue the lost, or are we sitting passively in the pews while people perish?”

“After all, what the Bible tells us about the fate of the lost (Revelation 20:15) is pretty shocking.”

“Oswald J. Smith said, “Oh, my friends, we are loaded down with countless church activities, while the real work of the Church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected.” We have been gazing to the heavens while sinners are sinking into hell.

Worship is the highest calling of the Christian, and we can see in the book of Revelation that the Church will one day be consumed in worship before the throne of the Almighty. But when we look back at the book of Acts, we don’t find the Church consumed with worship. Instead, we find that those Christians were devoted to reaching the lost, to the point that they willingly gave their lives to preach the gospel.

Time is short. Let us not sit passively by during these crucial days of opportunity, drowning out the cries of a dying humanity with the sweet sounds of worship. Let us reevaluate our priorities, take off the earphones, unlock the doors, become equipped, and demonstrate the depth of our love for God by rescuing those who are about to perish.”
(pp. 1-3, “The Way of the Master,” by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort)


People Who Die Without Christ Jesus Go to Hell
by Tim Conway



There's only One Way for people to be saved from Hell

How do I get right with God?

From GotQuestions.org:

"In order to get “right” with God, we must first understand what is “wrong.” The answer is sin. “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3). We have rebelled against God’s commands; we “like sheep, have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6).

The bad news is that the penalty for sin is death. “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). The good news is that a loving God has pursued us in order to bring us salvation. Jesus declared His purpose was “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10), and He pronounced His purpose accomplished when He died on the cross with the words, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

Having a right relationship with God begins with acknowledging your sin. Next comes a humble confession of your sin to God (Isaiah 57:15) and a determination to forsake the sin. “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:10).

This repentance must be accompanied by faith, specifically, faith that Jesus’ sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection qualify Him to be your Savior. “…if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Many other passages speak of the necessity of faith, such as John 20:27; Acts 16:31; Galatians 2:16; 3:11, 26; and Ephesians 2:8.

Being right with God is a matter of your response to what God has done on your behalf. He sent the Savior, He provided the sacrifice to take away your sin (John 1:29), and He offers you the promise: “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21).

A beautiful illustration of repentance and forgiveness is the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The younger son wasted his father’s gift in shameful sin (verse 13). When he acknowledged his wrongdoing, he decided to return home (verse 18). He assumed he would no longer be considered a son (verse 19), but he was wrong. The father loved the returned rebel as much as ever (verse 20). All was forgiven, and a celebration ensued (verse 24). God is good to keep His promises, including the promise to forgive. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18)."




A friend e-mailed me the above photos, along with the link http://av8ng.blogspot.com/

Witnessing

Aim for Repentance Rather than a Decision
By Ray Comfort

"As you witness, divorce yourself from the thought that you are merely seeking “decisions for Christ.” What we should be seeking is repentance within the heart. This is the purpose of the Law, to bring the knowledge of sin. How can a man repent if he doesn’t know what sin is? If there is no repentance, there is no salvation. Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Many don’t understand that the salvation of a soul is not a resolution to change a way of life, but “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” The modern concept of success in evangelism is to relate how many people were “saved” (that is, how many prayed the “sinner’s prayer”). This produces a “no decisions, no success” mentality. This shouldn’t be, because Christians who seek decisions in evangelism become discouraged after a time of witnessing if “no one came to the Lord.” The Bible tells us that as we sow the good seed of the gospel, one sows and another reaps. If you faithfully sow the seed, someone will reap. If you reap, it is because someone has sown in the past, but it is God who causes the seed to grow. If His hand is not on the person you are leading in a prayer of committal, if there is not God-given repentance, then you will end up with a stillbirth on your hands, and that is nothing to rejoice about. We should measure our success by how faithfully we sowed the seed. In that way, we will avoid becoming discouraged."

“If you have not repented, you will not see the inside of the kingdom of God.” Billy Graham

"Solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21)

How do I reach my neighbors with the gospel?
By Ray Comfort

"Neighbors are like family. We don’t want to offend them unnecessarily, because we have to live with them. We need to be rich in good works toward all men, but especially our neighbors. The Bible reveals that this is a legitimate means of evangelism. Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). It is God’s will that "with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15).

Sinners may disagree with what you believe, but seeing your good works makes them think, "I don’t believe what he believes, but he sure does. He certainly is sincere in his faith." A friendly wave, a gift for no reason, fresh-baked goods, etc., can pave the way for evangelism. Offer to mow your neighbor's lawn or help do some painting. Volunteer to pick up their mail and newspaper while they’re on vacation. Compliment them on their landscaping and ask for gardening tips. Invite them over for a barbecue or dessert. Pray for an opportunity to share the gospel, and be prepared for it when it comes."

How should I witness to my coworkers?
By Ray Comfort

"When we interact with people on a daily basis, we have many opportunities for sharing our faith. First, be sure you are respectful to your employer and set a good example in your work ethic by working "as to the Lord" (Colossians 3:23).

When others around you grumble and complain, if you have a calm, forgiving, steadfast spirit, it will make an impression. As you respond in a Christ-like way to angry coworkers and stressful circumstances, people will see a difference in your life. Always be friendly and courteous, and show genuine interest in your coworkers’ lives. Invite them out to lunch to get better acquainted. Share their joys and sorrows by congratulating them in their good times and offering to pray for them in their bad times.

Be sure you do pray for them, then follow up by asking them about the situation you prayed for. They will be moved by your concern. If coworkers are discussing what they did during the previous weekend, you can share your excitement about attending church services or a special church event. Ask others if they have any plans for celebrating Christmas or Easter; be nonjudgmental of their answer, but be ready (if asked) to explain why you celebrate as you do.

Displaying a favorite Scripture or a devotional calendar, or reading your Bible during lunchtime, may prompt others to inquire about your faith. Bringing home-baked goods or leaving a small gift with a note on a coworker’s desk can sometimes have a greater impact than a thousand eloquent sermons. We can show our faith by our works. Others may not like a tree of righteousness, but they cannot help but like its fruit. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel, being careful not to infringe on your boss’s time."

"For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men." (1 Peter 2:15)

Should We Ignore the Fact that the Vast Majority of "Seeker Churches" Operate Like Cults?

AN INCOMPLETE GOSPEL CAN LEAD TO FALSE CONVERTS



HELL'S BEST-KEPT SECRET
(Click the Play button below)



"The church has been paralyzed in recent decades. At fault is a sugary, watered-down gospel that doesn't hold a candle to the one Jesus, Peter, Paul, and early church fathers preached.

Instead of presenting God's Pure Law, revealing sin, and then sharing Christ's death on the cross for our sins, and His being the ONLY Way, people are being told "you're life will be so much better if you just say this or pray this prayer!"

In church, instead of repenting and fleeing sin as Paul taught, we hear "pep talks" spattered with pop psychology. We hear smooth talks and friendly speeches that don't include adequate Biblical instruction. It's not PC to mention Hell.

Invitations are not about our dire need for Christ, but go more like, "God loves you and has a plan for your life." That is easy to read into, and doesn't even mention the gospel of Christ. When did that become our gospel presentation?

This is one reason we have more apostasy, more tares among the wheat, more Christians that don't act as they claim to be. This watered down gospel is very easy to vainly accept."
(from ChristianMommies.com)


AND HERE IS YET ANOTHER WAY THAT SATAN IS WORKING TO DESTROY GOD'S CHURCH

I was a member of a Charismatic church which one day had a few people stand up in front of the entire congregation while they loudly and aggressively tried to force them to speak in tongues. The Pastor had also once bragged that people who had left his congregation had died, but those who remained members of his congregation had not died. About a year later, some of the congregation confronted the Pastor about his continual and constant drinking from the Communion wine during the week. When the Pastor refused to listen, they brought it before the congregation. Eventually, they brought it before representatives of the leaders of that denomination. The church ended up splitting.

At the opposite end of the denominational spectrum, I have been a member of a Reformed Baptist church that started out very well, but when someone came in and took a position of leadership as an elder (who had been a member for only a few months, and a Christian for about a year), it apparently went to his head, and he seemed to get the idea that everyone in the congregation now must obey his every command, or else they were in sin. The church had never had an elder before. A spirit of control came over that church, to the point that it became cult-like. The church ended up splitting, and the Pastor quit the ministry. The elder became the Pastor of half of the church while the other half, which now met in the Town Hall, brought a lawsuit against them.

I have talked to a couple different people who said that they were members of non-denominational, Charismatic churches that they left for one reason or another, and the leadership at those churches commanded the entire congregation not to have any contact with them, since they had left the church. At the Baptist church that I mentioned previously, I learned that it was announced in front of the entire congregation that no one was to have any contact with me, and furthermore, that I had requested that no one contact me, which was a complete fabrication, because I had never said that.

Such things are most definitely a tragedy. In addition to such problems, there are televangelists and preachers in the Christian church who teach all sorts of false doctrines.

Why does this happen? Well, the root of it all, of course, is sin. People are sinful. When people spend enough time with each other, there will eventually be conflict. In addition, different people have different opinions and ideas about things. However, I think the most outstanding reason that tragedies like these occur in the Church is that Satan is out to destroy the Church. Not because he cares one single bit about human beings (as a powerful angel, he likely considers us little more than insects compared to him), but because he hates God, and he knows that Christians make up God's church, and that to attack and defame and corrupt God's church, is to bring dishonor and shame to God. So, in essence, Satan is attacking God through His church. And make no mistake about it: Satan has been around since the beginning of history (whenever it was that angels were created), and he has thousands of years of experience and gained knowledge. He knows the Bible better than you or I. And he and his fallen angels (demons) are constantly at work, trying to destroy Christians, and trying to destroy God's church. He does not need to sleep, and he is far more committed to his task and goal than are most, if not all, Christians. Therefore, because of our enemies, which are the world [system], the flesh[ly desires], and the devil, this is a [spiritual] war, and in this war, there are real casualties.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

Because this is a war, we should not be surprised when we see churches that split, or people that fall away, or Pastors who teach false doctrines. In fact, because this is a war, we should be all the more committed to fighting this spiritual battle. "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer." (2 Timothy 2:4) Yet, we are to take heart, because our Lord Christ has already won the victory for us, and we know that our God will show Himself triumphant in the end. "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57) He is only allowing this sinful world to continue because of His grace, to give time for sinners to repent. And, though we cannot fully understand why some things happen as they do, He orchestrates everything in a manner where He will be glorified in and through all of it. Our job is merely to serve Him: through obeying His commands, telling others about Him, and loving Him first and our fellow man second. Doing these things successfully requires dying to self and living for Him alone.

The Worst of Sins

by Ray Comfort

"In December of 2008, a report which studied to conduct of 30,000 high school students found that 30 percent of students admitted to stealing from a store within the past year, a two percent rise from 2006. More than one third of boys (35 percent) said they had stolen goods, compared to 26 percent of girls. An overwhelming majority, 83 percent, of public school and private religious school students admitted to lying to their parents about something significant, compared to 78 percent for those attending independent non-religious schools. "Despite these high levels of dishonesty, these same kids have a high self-image when it comes to ethics." Some 93 percent of students indicated satisfaction with their own character and ethics, with 77 percent saying that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know."

These are violations of God’s Law--lying, stealing and dishonoring of parents. It’s significant that the religious schools had higher rates of Lawlessness and that self-righteousness was rampant. While experts and philosophers suggest a multitude of reasons as to why this is happening, it traces itself back to a lack of the fear of God. Their concept of God doesn’t include retribution for transgression of His Law. Idolatry is probably the hardest to detect, but it is undoubtedly the worst of sins, because of the door it opens."

(the above article by Ray Comfort can be found on the Christian Worldview Network website.

Hell's Best Kept Secret

I knew a guy who told me at the gym one day, "I've been walking with the Lord about a year now." Apparently, he attended a very large Baptist church. However, he was a male stripper, and he saw nothing wrong with that. That shocked me. How can you be a male stripper, and yet, at the same time, consider yourself a Christian? Seems to me there's a huge contradiction there. Kind of reminds me of Hustler magazine's Larry Flynt, who claimed, years ago, to be "born again," yet continued to publish the pornography magazine.

Walking forward in a church service, or repeating some words in a prayer, does not magically save a person from Hell. Claiming that you are a Christian, and then going out and living wickedly, is a contradiction. If the heart is not changed, then the person was never truly born again...no matter what they may claim.

"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:16-23)

"He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."
"Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." (Mark 4:2-8, 13-20)

Why do some of those making a decision for Christ fall away from the faith? What is the principle that Spurgeon, Wesley, Whitefield, etc., used to reach the lost? Why has the modern Church, and modern evangelists, neglected it?

P-Nasty Lays It On The Line

Gospel presentation

Pink Hair Plane Talk

Witnessing at 25,000 feet above the ground.