"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13
A simple perusal of the word of God and the teachings and statements of Christian denominations especially concerning apostles, prophets, gifts of the spirit, judgment and justice will reveal major differences between the words of Jesus and those of Christian leaders. Yet God’s word is unchanging:
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
"Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:31-46
Blind ones refuse to see the needs of others and anemic ones are in no position to help them. It is also a fact that you can be religious and go to church and never minister to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick or prisoner. According to Jesus many scribes and Pharisees do just that and He has promised to vomit them out of His mouth:
"And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ' These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
"Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'-and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked- "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' " Revelations 3:14-22
It is a fact that before you vomit something out you must digest it first? In others words God had accepted the Christians at the church of the Laodiceans to be His people. Because they thought themselves to be a rich, had become wealthy, and had need of nothing' but in reality did not know that they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, He counseled them to buy from Him gold refined in the fire, so that they might be rich; and white garments, so that they might be clothed, that the shame of their nakedness may not be revealed; and to anoint their eyes with eye salve, so that might may their true condition. Otherwise He would vomit them out of His mouth if they were not zealous and did not repent. But if they would hear God’s voice and open the door He would come in to dine with them and they with Him. For to him who overcomes will Jesus grant to sit with Him on His throne, as He had also overcome and sat down with His Father on His throne. Therefore He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches including:
"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ' These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
"You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' Revelations 3:1-6
Yes there are many churches and even denominations that have a name that they are alive but they are dead. Their works are not perfect before God. They must remember their first love and hold fast to it and to repent. Otherwise if they do not overcome they shall not be clothed in white garments and Jesus Christ will blot their name from the Book of Life and He will not confess their name before His Father and His angels. So much for the doctrine of demons of “Once Saved, Always Saved!.” Nevertheless the word of Jesus are unchanging and are to be heeded and obeyed:
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"
Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. "And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question Him. Matthew 12:28-34
It’s possible to know and believe everything about the bible including all its doctrines and not obey the first and second commandment of God and to go to hell. Fools do it all the time including the devil.
You can believe that God is the Eternal, infinite, unchangeable, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love and still not obey Him? You can believe that from all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory and still murder, lie and steal? Why there are even pastors and preachers who do these kinds of things and yet they believe and say the different Christian creeds.
You can believe that God's kingdom is everlasting and that from His throne, through His Son, His eternal Word, God created, upholds and governs all that exists including the heavenly places, the angelic hosts, the universe, the earth, every living thing and mankind and that He created all things very good and still not trust Him to get your needed miracle?
You can believe that Satan, originally a great, good angel, rebelled against God, taking a host of angels with him and He was cast out of God's presence and, as a usurper of God's rule, established a counter-kingdom of darkness and evil on the earth and still be deceived by Him and accept unknowingly doctrine of demons, such as “Once saved, always saved!”
You can believe that God created mankind in His own image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth and that under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth and through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation and live in defeat and failure and not manifest the victories of the cross in your life?
You can believe that Jesus came into the world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin as fully God and fully man in one person, was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to resist temptation, preach the good news of salvation, heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead and not do the works that Jesus did?
You can believe what ever you want to believe about the bible, the old and new testament and not love your neighbor as yourself? You can graduate from Seminary, call yourself a Christian and reject the “Baptism of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit” and be a blind one leading the blind?
You can be very sincere and religious and still go to hell for not obeying the teachings of Jesus on certain matters as being reconciled to an offended brother or not being a respecter of persons?
The things that people believe are one thing and the things that they say and do, as Christians, are another thing. This dichotomy or contradiction is very common in the lives of many people who call themselves Christians and yet they think that somehow God will make all things right for them because after all they are sincere and presumptive on His grace and they are His children? But God’s word is unchanging:
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:1-14
God, who knows the hearts of all men, gives His grace to those who really need it, but no one fools Him. Those who continue to lie and deceive themselves and others that they are Christians, even though their actual behavior is against the word of God, will find themselves in places they never expected to be. Neither Peter nor Judas asked the LORD for forgiveness of their sin of betraying Jesus. But the LORD forgave Peter for betraying Him before men but He never forgave Judas for the same sin. For God’s word is unchanging:
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?"
He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"
Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"
Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me." John 21:15-22
http://billyburke.org/PrayerMinistryRoom/JourneyofYourPrayerRequest/tabid/142/Default.aspx
EXTRACT FROM Be Filled
http://walthope.tripod.com/befilled.htm
http://walthope.wordpress.com
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100302133262254344211/posts
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