WHAT WILL MAKE SO MANY "GODLY CHRISTIANS TO MISS THE RAPTURE! “and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Mark 4:19 How does it sound to you, that so many genuine Christians who live godly and holy life will miss the rapture and eventually be disqualified from making heaven? Does this not seems impossible? But it is a simple reality that many will face immediately after the rapture. So why will so many genuine Christians who have experienced genuine salvation and sanctification miss heaven after all self denying and commitment to God? The answer is because of the love of the world, hidden and higher worldliness. You may think a Christian who lives a godly and holy life should not have problem with worldliness, yes, that is applicable to straight worldliness, but Satan has several cunning worldliness in this end-time. WORLDLINESS “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15. Worldliness is having more care and concern for earthly things than for heavenly things. That is a simple and biblical definition of worldliness, and you can simply apply it to your own life. There are two groups of worldliness - Tangible Worldliness and Intangible Worldliness: (1) Intangible Worldliness is the care for the flesh, fashion, fortune, fame and figures of this world. This worldliness makes you to live in opposite to God’s word, and do contrary to His will; it draws you back from living a life that pleases God, and it makes it difficultly impossible for you to walk in the Spirit. When one is entangled with this type of worldliness, holiness of life becomes impossible, because you cannot be worldly and walk with God at the same time. This type of worldliness is clearly seen in one’s passion, lifestyle, mode of dress and in the type of music, movies, and manner of people such a person goes with; it is the lust of the flesh and lust the eyes. This worldliness is a poisonous worldliness that prevents spiritual wholesomeness and wholehearted commitment and service unto God. As attractive and deceptive this worldliness is, it is not really a problem to this group of godly Christians and churches who will eventually miss the rapture. (2) Tangible Worldliness: This is the the problem of so many godly brethren in this end time which will eventually hinder them from making heaven after their genuine salvation and sanctification. Satan never gives up on a child of God or on a church of God, he walks to and for just to devour. When the devil sees you are determined to abstain from every form of intangible worldliness of fleshly and outward worldliness in your Christian life, he will come up to entrap you with tangible worldliness. Tangible worldliness is the concern for the things of this life which seems good but indirectly distracts and diminishes your love for God. Tangible worldliness is a hidden and higher form of worldliness of the pride of life. When the devil sees you are less concerned and not distracted by the seduction of immorality, worldly dress , music and movies, he will introduce the concern of this life to you. It is unfortunately that so many godly and wonderful Christians are falling prey to the concern of this world by devil. The worldliness of the pride of life is the concern for personal and earthly projects – the concern to buy land, to build your own house, to buy a car or a better car, to send your children to expensive school, and so on. Much as all these are good and even necessary, but the concern for them becomes worldliness, it even becomes higher worldliness. When the devil is set to distract you from your commitment and service to God, he will throw a cheap piece of land to you, and you will begin to set your concern to start building; he will throw a robust job or business opportunity to you that will take all your time and concern, gradually you are occupied with it, you set a time and target for yourself and absorbed with its pursuit. Little by little, your time for Bible reading and prayer will reduce, your love and concern for brethren, family and friends will go down, and your passion for evangelism and follow up will diminish; compromise will indirectly sets in, lying and hurry to get things done quick will come in, because you need to finish your project, because you need to complete the money for the car or the thing you want to buy. Before Satan can drain and dry your seriousness and zeal for Christ, he will first have to distract you with the concern of this life that really seems good and necessary. “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” James 1:14. Do you wonder why so many Christians are so concerned about the pursuit of their building projects, love of cars, latest electronics and we are occupied with worldly things even more than the worldly people? It is the end time trick of the devil to trap so many believers in hidden and higher worldliness. The concern for your personal project and pursuit has distracted you from serving God as supposed, it has blocked your eyes from freely helping people with your resources, because everything is centered on your projects, not even enough. The more you achieve the more you pursue, because of competition with co-workers, co-neighbors, and church members - of latest cars, phones, shoes; better houses, expensive dress, corporate suites. You don’t care about others just because you need to finish your building project, buy a car, or electronic, or build a business as if you are a permanent resident of this world. By so doing, you are barren in the fruit of goodness towards brethren, your family and friends; your time for Bible study and prayer has reduced because you need more time to make money, and no much time for personal evangelism. ANSWER THESE TO EXAMINE YOURSELF These following questions may help you to examine yourself if you are still in the Lord or lost in the tangible worldliness: 1, What is the percentage of your monthly income you use to assist fellow brethren and your extended family members and friends? (Worldly excuse may be, “I don’t even have enough for myself.” It is not because you don’t have enough to help others, it is because you are absorbed with the concern of this world) 2, How many hour do you create per week for personal evangelism and follow up? (Worldly reason may be because you are too busy with the concern of this life or too high for God’s business) 3, How much do you spend from your monthly income to buy Bible and Christian materials for evangelism, for followup and for phone calls to minister to people? (If you are entrapped with tangible worldliness, definitely your targets and concerns of this world will not allow you that.) 4, Can you sell that your beautiful car or your land to assist a member of your church in urgent need? This is not for prophetic offering for double return, but for godly fruit of goodness for heavenly reward, can you? (A worldly excuse may be, “If God asks me to, I will.” But do you have to wait till God asks you to go extra mile to help your church member or you have to just know the need? Did the disciples of Acts heard from God before they sold their lands to distribute?) The tangible worldliness does not say you should not preach holiness, righteousness but it only makes you lack practical love of God. You can do away with outside worldliness, but what about the concern of the project of this life? There is no worldliness as dangerous as being chocked with the concern of this life – what to eat, house to build, cars, expensive clothing, etc. The same thing is applicable to some churches, they preach holiness and righteousness, they avoid outward worldliness of dressing but they are entrapped with the tangible worldliness of concern of building projects. Is there any worldliness as worst than a church spending millions of money to build befitting multimillion auditorium without a single free clinic or canteen for their church members? Is there any tangible worldliness elsewhere than a church that claims holiness and Bible but have no scholarship programs for their members whose parents cannot avoid school fees? What other tangible worldliness will be worst than a Bible church that centers on different multiple building projects without building people, without concern for the people, without free school for their members and without free materials? And what about you? Have you really surrendered all, including your possessions like Barnabas, for God’s glory? We need to face the reality now before we face the real thing of the rapture. Love without purity is lust, and purity without love and caring is hypocrisy; purity is pure love. When you really have the vision of heaven bursting in your heart, you will care less of this earthly projects of house, cars, and the passing stuffs of this life; you will see yourself as a stranger in this world and store your treasure in heaven by kindness, sharing, evangelizing and helping people. Acts 4:34-37 “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. 36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” This message is from RTEM, If you will like to totally surrender or rededicate your life to Jesus Christ, please click on this link, read and pray as directed facebook/notes/evangelism-rtem/how-to-experience-genuine-salvation-in-jesus/136918606447865 You can also contact us on email or phone for prayer, counsel or if you need biblical enlightenment on personal issues: Revelation of Truth Evangelical Ministries, (RTEM) Nigeria Our Email: rtemoutreaches@yahoo Our Tel: (+234) (0)803 924 9751, (0)705 937 3351, (0)802 578 7942. Our Facebook page, you can like for daily article on your wall, please like and then click on the "liked" and add to "interest list" facebook/pages/Revelation-of-Truth-Evangelical-Ministries-RTEM/244086502364394 If you will like to be receiving our weekly articles by email, please, send REQUEST to our email above. If you want to read other Christian articles and Bible Studies on several other topics from this ministry, you can please click on this link and see several topics. facebook/groups/468590419840054/files/ You can join to receive new topics.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:30:23 +0000
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