Does Jesus know you?
Friend I plead with you, whether you have time or not, please watch the video. This 1 hour of video is going to change the next 60 years of your life. If you are serious with God, please watch the video.
Paul Washer is the founder of the HeartCry Missionary Society. This video shows him preaching at a youth conference to which he was invited. At the end of the message he was told that he'd never get invited back to the church to speak again because of his harshness and refusal to preach anything else but the truth. What is Christianity coming to? Are we only becoming sensual listeners, willing to listen to only what we like to hear? And then we condemn the pastor of heresy when he preaches something we don't like to hear, even though deep down inside we know it's true? Friends, we cannot breed the spirit of sensuality in our churches, much less in ourselves! Christianity is more than the sinner's prayer, more than the confession of Jesus. Yes, salvation is free for all. We don't have to work for it. It is a free gift to all, Jews and Gentiles alike, from God. And yes, you and I today can have it.
But what does 1 Corinthians 1:18 say? "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1Cor1:18) What is the message of the cross? Has the spirit of sensuality blinded the Christians so much that we have missed out on the message of the cross? What is the message of the cross? The cross represents not just salvation, it represents TRANSFORMATION! To stop at salvation and deny transformation is to deny the message of the cross! The day you started to believe in Jesus Christ, you were called to "not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom12:2) You were called to be transformed. To be a radical Christian is to be a transformed Christian, born again, a new creation, a person who is in the world but not of the world, light of the world, loving God and hating the world.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Mat6:24) The Hebrew translation for 'money' is Mammon, which also means materialism. Friend, you and I cannot love both God and Mammon, which is of the world. Mammon has a personality of its own. It is beyond the dollars and cents and the figures in our bank accounts and other instruments of wealth. Mammon is a personality that poses a direct challenge to God! Those who serve Mammon will end up being slaves to Mammon. Mat6:24 clearly states that either you serve God or Mammon. Nothing in between. The Bible clearly states that there are only 2 ways to live - God-centered living or self-centered living.
One thing that I have observed in my years as a Christian. Not everyone who is willing to say the sinner's prayer is willing to pay the price that comes with it. I don't know if you have, but I have heard this saying, "Let's win the converts, then give them time and then we'll make disciples of them" and "We're winning more converts than disciples". There's no such thing as 'converts'! The Bible clearly states that either you are a believer or a non-believer, either you love God and serve Him, or you love Mammon and serve it. Either you love or hate God. There's no in between. You are either a slave to Christ or a slave to the world. I, for one, choose to serve God and love Him all my days. And friend I hope that you too, will make this choice. Complete transformation is required for the fulfillment of the message of the cross. Your confession of Christ must be both inward and outward. If you profess of Christ, then you must walk in the light, as God is light.(1John1-2) It's time to be Holy, as Jesus Himself was Holy.
It's time to stand for all we believe in. No more breeding of the Spirit of Mammon in our lives, in our churches, in our homes, in our communities. I pray desperately that fire from Heaven will come down this day and touch your heart, dear reader, that you might catch my heart in this post, that you might catch God's heart and will for you, that your eyes might be opened and that this day shall be a day of renewed commitment and conviction, a complete transformation that will last through time and eternity.
Mat7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Open our eyes
To see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire
Your light to be seen
Break down our pride
And all the walls we've built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires
We lay at Your feet
Let hope rise
And darkness tremble
In Your holy light
That every eye will see
Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised
God of all days
Glorious in all of Your ways
Oh the majesty the wonder and grace
In the light of Your Name
With everything
With everything
We will shout for Your glory
With everything
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise
Our hearts they cry
Be glorified
Be lifted high above all names
For You our King
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise
With Everything - Hillsong Live