Friday, February 15, 2008

This Earth is Not My Home...
Is It Yours?

Just got this in an email from Christian Worldview Network:

"Brannon Howse: Global Tax Bill Passes House and Now in Senate. Senator Obama has sponsored the Global Poverty Act. If it becomes law it would require Americans to pay a global tax that would go to the United Nations. In addition, it would commit nations to banning "small arms and light weapons" and ratifying a series of treaties, including the International Criminal Court Treaty, the Kyoto Protocol (global warming treaty), the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Click here to listen now."

Do words like this bother you? Scare you a bit? That is understandable. The world is getting darker. But keep your eyes lifted up, because all it does is demonstrate the veracity of God's Word.

Nothing in that teaser from CWN is a surprise. God's Word has already told us that there is a coming one world government which will be controlled by the Antichrist. One government, one religion and one economy. It's coming. Believe it. Believe it, not because you see it coming but because God revealed it long ago when people scoffed at the idea...but now it is coming to pass before our eyes.

This should renew the shoe-leather on our evangelism. Think of those around you who deny Christ. They deny the need for repentance. They think that "praying a prayer" saves them regardless of how they are living today.

1 Corinthians 6:9,10 tells us "Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

Revelation 21:8 puts it a bit differently: "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

The cowardly? You mean someone will go to hell because they are cowardly? That is precisely what God's Word says. "Cowardly in what sense?" I think Jesus said it best in Mark 8:38:

"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

You say "So being unashamed saves you?" No. But if you really are born of God, you have a new nature and that new nature will show itself in your life. If it shows itself in your life, it will be in a love for God and an obedience to Him. This includes evangelism. Life produces life! If you have no care for the lost, then you are lost yourself! Be warned. It was Charles Spurgeon who said:

"Have you no desire to see others saved? Then you are not saved yourself, be sure of that!"

Read that last line a few more times. Are you convicted? Do you care? If not, then you are lost!

For the believer, the one who is born again, this life is the closest to Hell he or she will ever get. But for the unbeliever, the worldling, this is the closest to Heaven they will ever get!

Brethren, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7, the time is short and "...the fashion of this world is passing away". "The fashion of this world"? Yes. The way things are done here. The good things, the bad things. It's all coming to a close. You can see it transpiring. The world is coming unglued even as it tries to glue itself together in one big conglomerate apostasy. And it will do that. It is coming to pass as we speak.

You say there is no hell to shun? Then you are lost! One who is born of God is not so deceived because the testimony of God bears witness and compels us to reach out to others who are perishing! Such garbage makes a joke of the Cross! You say "God is love, therefore there is no judgment"? My lost friend, you worship an idol, a god of your own invention that can no more save you from condemnation than change the color of the sky. You are worshipping the devil himself!

You who profess Christ? Do you really know Him? Then dare ask yourself the hard questions. Am I willing to take the least bit of ridicule for the sake of the Gospel? I'm not asking if you would say "I would die for Jesus". The question is, are you willing to live for him now even if it means being unpopular? If you won't do that, what gives you the silly notion that you would die for Him? Talk is easy. What does your life routine tell you? Does it betray the words that come from your own mouth? Will you be counted as a coward? Will Jesus, as Paul said in 2 Timothy 2, deny you before the Father because you have denied Him before men? Think about this, long and hard.

It makes no difference what mere men think. Let the paper tigers roar. They have no teeth.

As our Lord said in Matthew 10: "28 And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Therefore do not fear, you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. 33 But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven."

So, who do you fear...God? Or mere men? Don't let the headlines rattle you. Let them help you focus, find hope in the trustworthiness of God's Word and new resolve to remain obedient to Him.

2 comments:

Billy Edwards said...

The act passed the House last September, but it is doubtful that what is predicted by Howse is accurate. I agree with your assessment in the post, but I think Howse has overstated the bill.

Tim Brown said...

Hi Billy:

In any case, it would have to be signed by Bush to become law; which I don't see him doing.

The main point, of course, is the direction things are moving in. It could be further down the road. But of course, what I'm getting at is the general direction of things.