January 10 2018 – Click here to listen
Yesterday I received a response to my post Truth or Consequences and the person asked that I unsubscribe him and then added: “BTW – People like you are why I’m not a Christian.”
I responded: “ . . . Be happy to remove you. The word of God is . . . well, the word of God. If you don’t like God’s laws, then I suppose you can just make up your own and set yourself up as a god who makes laws for all creation. Don’t know what you have created or special knowledge that you have that enables you to discern that God’s laws are wrong and you are right, but it sounds like you are convinced. I hate to see you suffer the consequences of rejecting Christ’s sacrifice for your sin in not becoming a Christian, but that is definitely your choice.”
In the last two decades that I’ve been writing Words for the Day five days per week, I’ve received plenty of letters like this one. Many people disagree with me, but one thing sure, I invariably reference my musings to the Bible. Others might disagree that my interpretation is correct and that is their right; I don’t take it personally.
As for the particular post that this guy disliked, I stand by it 100%. According to the Bible homosexuality is a sin. Society can welcome it with open arms and attend all the same sex marriages they have time to attend; however according to the Bible, it remains a sin regardless of what anyone thinks. The same is true for witchcraft, Satan worship, and the occult. The Bible tells us that it is sinful and dangerous, and we should avoid it. So, when the folks who own Diet Dr. Pepper and Taco Bell, promote it is a norm of society to our nation and its children, in my estimation it is wrong. People will suffer from those sins as they will with all sins.
In the Gospel of Mark 4:11 – Jesus explained the disbelief phenomenon to the disciples: “You are permitted to know some truths about the Kingdom of God that are hidden to those outside the Kingdom. Though they see and hear, they will not understand or turn to God, or be forgiven their sins.”
Later in the chapter He explained the Parable of the Sower. This was about a farmer who planted seed and some of it fell on hard ground representing the hard hearts of some of those who hear God’s message and summarily reject it. Some seed fell on rocky soil representing those whose hearts initially received it with joy, but didn’t have deep roots and when faced with persecution wilted. Then Jesus mentioned that some fell on thorny ground representing those who receive the good news, but the attractions of this world and the delights of wealth and search for success and lure of nice things come in and crowding out God’s message.
Finally, He spoke of the seed that fell on good soil representing those who truly accept God’s message and produce a plentiful harvest for God.
Then He offers a final analogy in verse 21 when He asks them: “When someone lights a lamp, does he put a box over it to shut out the light? He answered His own question by saying: Of course not! The light couldn’t be seen or used. A lamp is placed on a stand to shine and be useful . . .
Interestingly later in the chapter Mark states: “He used many such illustrations to teach the people as much as they were ready to understand.”
My takeaways from all of this: When our “lamp is lit” and we become followers of Christ, we are to share the Gospel of Christ at every opportunity fully realizing that not everyone is going to embrace the good news of Jesus Christ and become a Christian. Some will be hard and summarily reject it; some will receive it but almost immediately fade away and go back to their old ways; and others will bend to the lusts of the world and society. But one group will truly accept God’s message and once redeemed will produce a bountiful harvest for God 30, 60, or even 100 times as much as was planted in their hearts.
I want to encourage you not to be discouraged by those like the fellow who sent me the angry response. My prayer for him is that others will witness to him too until he is
“ready to understand.” We all sin and violate God’s laws in some manner. Christians are no different than non-Christians, in that regard. All of humanity sins. What differentiates us from non-Christians is that we acknowledge our sins and that Jesus Christ died as punishment for them and rose again and now we who have trusted in Him have been forgiven.
My heart goes out to those who are not covered by the blood of Christ. They have violated laws that have been established by God Almighty. We have all broken them and continue to break them, but woe to those who have rejected Christ and have not been forgiven of breaking them and consequently must face Almighty God alone to receive judgement for them. The Bible declares the punishment for this: “The wages of sin are death,” and that sentence is spiritual, and thus, everlasting . . .
Hopefully your lamp has been lit. I urge you NOT to hide it and become a closet Christian, but to SHARE the Gospel regardless of whether people hate you for it. (John 15:18 – “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.)”
You are in the best of company when that occurs my good friends and when those seeds that you plant fall on good soil just imagine the joy in heaven.
Luke 15:10
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”.