Tag Archives: eternal destiny

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Greg Laurie – Infiltrate, Not Isolate

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The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance—1 Peter 3:9

Far too often it seems that Christians don’t want to have any contact with unbelievers. Maybe they don’t want to talk to them for fear of being polluted spiritually. But the church needs to infiltrate, not isolate. And to reach our culture, Christians must go where people are.

I am not saying that we should spend time around unbelievers and stay silent about our faith. We should speak up for Christ when the moment is right. At the very least, we should live a godly life as an example of what it is to follow Jesus Christ.

We see Jesus demonstrating this as He adapted His approach with the people He spoke to. With Nicodemus, who was powerful and affluent, Jesus told him that he must be born again (see John 3:1–17). With the immoral Samaritan woman, He reached out to her and engaged her in conversation (see John 4:1–26).

Before we can reach people, we first have to care. And I think one of the reasons we don’t share our faith more often is because we don’t care. We might think another person’s eternal destiny is their problem. If an unbeliever argues with us, we tend to think, Forget it then. I am going to heaven. You can go to hell if you want to. It is not my problem.

But actually, it is our problem, because they need someone to engage them. They need someone to share the gospel accurately with them. So we need to pray that God will give us a burden for people who do not yet know Him.

The great commentator Alexander MacLaren said, “You tell me the depth of a Christian’s compassion, and I will tell you the measure of his usefulness.”

How deep does your compassion go?

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Charles Stanley – Is Salvation Enough?

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Romans 14:7-12

There are many people who have trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and yet continue to live in rebellion against Him. Why is it that some individuals who claim to follow the Son of God refuse to serve Him?

The simple answer is that salvation is only part of the picture. The eternal destiny of anyone who receives the Lord is sealed forever—he will go to heaven. But salvation doesn’t guarantee a godly or fruitful life here on earth.

The will of the Father is that we live under the lordship of His Son. That means we must submit to Jesus as the one in charge of our life. Daily decisions and leadership of those under our care ultimately belong in God’s hands, not our own—Christ provides us with the guidance and direction. Though we’ll sometimes make mistakes, we need to remember that God’s grace is for imperfect people.

The problem is that we often desire to give Him dominion over just certain areas of our life. For example, too many of us want Him out of our finances, out of our schedule, or out of our career. But when we are lying in a hospital bed, which of us will tell Jesus to stay out of our health? So ask yourself, Is Jesus the Lord of my life or not?

Salvation is a one-time experience, but the Christian life doesn’t stop there—the lordship of Jesus Christ is ongoing. There comes a time when every believer must recognize that God’s Son came to do more than save us. He came to be the Master of our life—for our good and His glory.

 

 

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Christ’s Superior Destiny – John MacArthur

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“To which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet’? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:13-14).

“At the name of Jesus every knee [will] bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth” (Phil. 2:10). That great promise confirms that Jesus Christ is destined to be the ruler of the universe.

Yet notice this about Christ’s rule: “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). Christ is subordinate to His Father, but only in His role as the Son. While the eternal Son is equally divine, He is officially in subjection to God.

Eventually God will put all kingdoms, authorities, and powers of the world in subjection under Christ when He comes in glory at His second coming. “He will rule [the nations] with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS'” (Rev. 19:15-16). Christ’s eternal destiny is to reign over the new heavens and the new earth.

But what about the angels? While Christ has the greater destiny, it is their destiny to serve forever those who will inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14)–and that’s us!

Angels protect and deliver the believer from temporal danger. They rescued Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom. They went into the lions’ den with Daniel and protected him. In addition to being forever in God’s presence, our destiny is to be served by angels forever–service that begins the moment of our salvation.

Suggestions for Prayer:  Thank God for the many ways He takes care of you: by saving you, having Christ intercede for you, giving you the Holy Spirit to teach you, and sending His angels to serve you.

For Further Study:  Read 2 Kings 6:8-23 and note the amazing way that angels served the prophet Elisha.

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God Would Have Us Use Money – Charles Stanley

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Charles Stanley

1 Timothy 6:6-11

The world attaches far more significance to money than God ever intended it to have. Instead of simply being a means of exchange for goods and services, it has become an object of greed, a source of power and prestige, and a means of achieving status, happiness, and security. With so many false hopes pinned to wealth, we must be careful not to fall for the lies. God’s Word warns us of the dangers of giving money too much importance in our lives and advises us how to use it according to His purposes.

For personal needs: God wants the able-bodied to earn money to meet their own personal and family needs (2 Thess. 3:10). Christians should live within their means so they won’t be a burden to others.

For God’s work: Since everything we have comes from the Lord, He commanded us to give the first part of our income to Him as an act of obedience and gratitude (Prov. 3:9). Our contributions allow the gospel to be proclaimed both locally and internationally, changing the eternal destiny of countless people.

For helping others: When someone experiences a financial crisis and is truly in need, the Lord commands us to help by sharing what we have (Prov. 19:17). He never overlooks generosity and promises to repay us.

The important thing isn’t how much money we have but whether we’re using it as God commands. Acquiring more is never the way to achieve happiness and security. Yet as we obey the Lord’s instructions about finances, we’ll find the joy and contentment our hearts truly desire.

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Unashamed to Share the Gospel – Charles Stanley

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Charles Stanley

2 Timothy 1:6-12

The apostle Paul understood the awesome responsibility of being entrusted with the gospel. Since he considered this calling a stewardship for which he would one day give an account to the Lord, he was willing to suffer for Christ’s sake in order to complete the task. As believers, we have this same obligation to share the gospel with whomever God places in our lives. However, we must ask ourselves if we have a similar level of commitment.

Paul felt compelled to tell people about Christ. In fact, he said, “Woe is me if I do not” (1 Cor. 9:16). No matter how anyone treated him, he wasn’t ashamed of the message of Christ. The prophet Jeremiah had a similar experience (Jer. 20:7-9). Even though he became a laughingstock and was persecuted for delivering the Lord’s message of coming judgment, he discovered that not speaking created a worse feeling inside—like fire in his bones (v. 9).

We may not want to warn people about God’s judgment for fear of driving them away from Him. But in reality, the lost are already far from the Lord and need to hear about His offer of forgiveness. Paul was willing to die to get the message out, yet too often we’re not even willing to face a little discomfort in order to share our faith.

We are surrounded by people who are desperately hungry for something, and they don’t even know what. Yet we have the answer to their need—and the responsibility to share it. Never be ashamed of the best news ever offered to mankind. It can change someone’s eternal destiny.

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The Reason for Our Boldness – Charles Stanley

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Charles Stanley

Romans 1:14-15

Even though most Christians are very familiar with the gospel, many are reluctant to share their faith because they just don’t feel capable of explaining it to someone else. When we lack confidence in our knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ, fear of negative reactions or possible questions can keep us from opening our mouths. What if we don’t have the answers or end up looking like a fool? It’s just too intimidating.

But remember, God has given us the most important message in the world. Since we are confronted by so many unscriptural philosophies and religious deceptions, we need to understand the gospel and be able to present it with confidence and boldness. We can’t let fear or ignorance keep us from giving a lost world the only message that can change a person’s eternal destiny.

The apostle Paul welcomed every opportunity to tell people about Christ, because he focused on the gospel’s life-changing power rather than the negative reactions he might encounter. Oftentimes, the reason we are ashamed to talk about our faith is that we’re concerned about ourselves. But if we begin to look at the hurting people around us, express genuine interest in them, and ask God to open a door for us to share our faith, He will answer that prayer.

We tend to be motivated by temporal activities that eventually fade away. But people are forever, and they need to know the Savior. Look for opportunities to reach out: notice their expressions; ask how they’re doing. When their need stirs your heart, you’ll be eager to offer them the gospel.

2000 post for this site!