This is one of those letters I hate to write, yet I feel obligated to do so. I know family members, friends, and even many church members, who are lost and without Christ as Lord and Savior. Besides these people, there are millions I have never met who are rushing down the path of destruction mentioned below:
MATTHEW chapter 7:
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is
the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be
that find it.
There are MORE people who will face eternity without Christ, than those who will share eternity with Christ. While this may not be a popular doctrine, it is a 'biblical' fact of life everyone will believe in time. Hopefully, those who are not 'true believers' now, will see the Light and become members of the Body of Christ by being born-again and becoming a 'new creation' in- Christ. If you believe salvation is a very common thread among human beings, you need to read and heed what Jesus says concerning this:
LUKE chapter 13:
23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto
them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek
to enter in, and
shall not be able.
Do you understand the impact of this statement by the Lord Jesus Christ? The Lord tells us MANY will want to enter in, but they WILL NOT be able to do so! One of the lies so common today is, we can just come to God whenever we get bored with life and have nothing better to do. Or, we can just sin and sin, and 'get saved,' when WE decide it is time for us to do so.
Guess what? God is not BEGGING us to get saved! Salvation is a gift, but it is not something we can refuse over and over again until we decide to finally accept it. Try this, and you may well discover you have said NO one time too many. Today, may be your last chance to enter in, and tomorrow may find you in a place you will dislike for eternity.
Don't misunderstand, God wants ALL to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. But, he does not play games” with those who try to play it both ways. If you are putting off coming to Christ because you enjoy the sin in your life, you will most likely die in your sins and discover the reality of hell by personal experience.
It is better to face the fact you love sin more than God, than to pretend you are a true believer. To do so, makes you more guilty than those who simply live in sin and choose to ignore God. When people are drawn of the Holy Spirit to Christ, they begin to have a genuine concern about their standing with God. Those who accept Christ as Lord and Savior don't have the POWER to stop sinning, but they have the DESIRE to stop sinning. If you are comfortable living in sin, you are STILL of your father the devil. Don't deceive yourself about this, as you will SURLY die in your sins.
1 PETER chapter 4:
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and
the sinner appear?
This should settle it for you. If even those called 'righteous' by God are scarcely saved, what chance does a person claiming to be a Christian, but living in sin have? (none at all) The awful truth is, MOST people who die don't make heaven their home. When the twin towers fell on September 11th, MOST of those who died were without Christ. People die every few seconds, but FEW of them make it home to glory.
Don't blame God for this, as He has done everything but force you to accept His forgiveness. He sent Jesus to die for you, paying the price for your sin in full. Jesus rose from the dead, so you could rise from the dead yourself. He offers salvation to WHOSOEVER (John 3:16) will answer His call, but we usually have 'better things' to do. If God allowed everyone into heaven, it would be an INSULT to righteousness and the blood of the Lamb of God.
Knowing we are too busy sinning to be bothered with our own salvation, He even overrides this by sending the Holy Spirit to awaken us to our NEED of Christ. After doing all of these things for us, most of us just don't have time to answer His call. If you are this hard headed and insensitive toward your Creator, He is the LAST person you want to face. Without Christ, you are a LOSER and without any merit whatsoever. Even if you are a nice person, your sin will reserve your place in the lake of fire for eternity.
If even God's chosen can scarcely be saved, the unsaved had better face the truth and turn to God this VERY MOMENT. Don't fool yourself, if you live in sin you are without God and lost. Come to God as you are, and He will save you and begin to make many changes in your life. If you are REALLY a new creation in-Christ, you won't want to live like you did before. You will soon discover Jesus can do what was beyond you power to do, and NOT make excuses to justify things that are wrong. Believe the gospel, trust in God, and you will be one of the FEW people Jesus speaks of as being saved.
THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION
CHAPTER 15
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached
unto you, which also ye have
received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if
ye keep in memory what I preached
unto you, unless ye have believed in
vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first
of all that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and
that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures:
The choice is yours, but ONLY in accordance with God's timetable for you. If you feel nothing after reading this article and the scriptures presented here, ask God to send His Holy Spirit to open your eyes and your ears to the truth. If you are aware of God's call upon your life, PLEASE don't be so foolish as to wait another second before saying YES Lord! If you are religious and playing church, you face the worst fate of all...
Charles Gleason
December 12, 2001
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