RELIGION OR SALVATION

Religion consists in fulfilling rites, forms, ceremonies, percepts, laws and commandments. Salvation consists in the imparting of a new life by the receiving of a person.

RELIGION is what man does for God: Salvation is what God does for man (Isaiah 53:6)

Religion says: something in my hand I bring: Salvation says: Nothing in my hands I bring (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Religion is trusting in a work we do: Salvation is trusting in a work that has been done (Matthew 26:28)

Religion depends on our behaving: Salvation depends on our believing (Acts 16:31)

Religion says we must act our best: Salvation says we must accept God’s best (John 3:16)

Religion depends on the sufficiency of character: Salvation depends on the sacrifice on the cross (1 Corinthians 1: 18)

Religion tries to furnish a sacrifice: Salvation trusts on a finished sacrifice (John 19:30)

Religion tries to bring us from darkness to light but Salvation does bring us from death unto life (John 5: 24)

LIFE FOR LIFE

Years ago two brothers were living in an oriental city. The younger brother hung around with his bad companions, and day and night the power of evil drew him more and more into an abyss that would finally destroy his life. The older brother, however, was considerate towards other people, loving God and following the teachings of the Bible. His brother’s careless lifestyle deeply worries him and often tried to talk to him to turn from his wicked ways and he showed him a way out of the grip of his bad habits.

Unfortunately his brother showed no sign of regret. He totally ignored all the good advice and held on to his shameful lifestyle. His older brother kept on praying for him, waiting for God’s intervention.

A HOPELESS SITUATION

Late one night there was a loud knock at the door of the elder brother. He quickly opened- and surprised, he pulled his younger brother inside. “What’s wrong?, he asked.  Altogether pale, trembling and with blood-stained clothes his brother gasped, “Help me, hide me! They are after me. Look at the blood! I have killed the man! Oh no! It all happened so quickly. There was no time to waste as the older brother desperately sought a way out of this hopeless situation.

In great love for his brother an idea suddenly formed in his mind. Without comment he changed the bloodstained clothes of his brother and put them on himself, giving him his own clean shirt to wear. He pushed him into a room and locked the door. When the Policemen came, they arrested the older brother. They grabbed him, bound his hands and pulled him along to throw him into prison.

Not defending himself, not even saying a word, the man was sent to prison straight away. The next morning he was ordered to a hearing. He did not defend, but kept repeating the words “I know that I must die because of this crime and the sooner the better!”

CONDEMNED TO DEATH

After a few days he was taken to court. The judges listened to the accusers. The considered the police report. They asked the accused man, “Do you want to say anything to justify yourself?”- No, he said firmly, lowering his head so that his innocent look would not betray him. There was convincing evidence which made the judges pronounce a death sentence on him.

 The evening before his execution he asked the director of the prison to grant him one last wish. He wanted to write one last letter and asked the director to forward it unopened to the addressee after his death. The director studied the calm and peaceful face of the condemned man. A bright and heavenly radiance shone from his eyes. There was no doubt about his honesty and so his wish was granted. Later that evening the prisoner handed a sealed envelope to the warden to be delivered. Then he was left to himself for the last hours of his life.

THE SEALED LETTER

In the morning he was taken to the place of execution. After his death a messenger was sent to deliver the sealed letter. A man pale with fear received the letter nervously. After a long stare at it he broke the seal, and moaning in pain he read slowly, “Tomorrow I will die for you, wearing your clothes. And you- may you live in righteousness and holiness wearing my clothes and remembering me! The criminal was shaken to the very depth of his heart. He read the words again. They seemed unbelievable to him.

GUILT ATONED FOR

The director was speechless and sent the letter to the judges in charge. They questioned the murder who confessed everything, his past life, the murder, his escape and his cowardly silence. In his terrible guilt he finally cried, “Kill me, I plead with you, let me die”. But there was nothing more to settle. The words of the victim “I will die for you!” had settled it all. It expressed the awesome power of brotherly love.

THE CHANGED LIFE

With a heavy heart the pardoned young brother returned to his home where he cried to God in total anguished. “Lord, he pleaded in tears, help me! I am guilty, unhappy and I really regret my past life. However, I want to make a new start. My brother died for me so that I could live today. He let me have his clothes but I am totally unworthy to wear them. Lord, I depend on you to change me and protect me from all sin and wrong, so I can wear my brother’s clothes without shame.

THE POWER OF LOVE

The significance of this story can be found in the Bible. Maybe you have read or heard the gospel many times without it having any affect on your life. However, the message of the Bible is addressed to you personally. Think about the words of Jesus, his life, his death and his resurrection in relationship to your life.

The Cost and Reward of Evangelism

Evangelism is a notable, heartwarming, fulfilling, rewarding and glorious divine commission enterprise after Jesus Christ for building the Church, building nations and people for God.

Evangelism like Church mission in general is based on the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The cross is the spirit, message, life, direction and system of conduct of evangelism as Church enterprise.

It is the spirit and vehicle and glory of Go, Preach, Teach, Disciple the nations and the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:19

 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Great, joyous and glorious but it comes at great cost to Church people but there is a promise of reward along the way as well as at the end.

Jesus Christ is the best example of evangelist. In John 4, he demonstrates how to evangelize in his encounter with the woman at the well.

The cost of Evangelism

Evangelism is a command by Jesus Christ to His disciples. Therefore, if you are a disciple of Christ you are under his command to bear fruits by winning souls for him.

John 20:21

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.-KJV

1.       The first cost of evangelism is abandoning self-interest, sacrificing desires, joys, gain and glory in life for the sake of the Gospel mission just as Jesus did.

Philippians 2:6-8

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

2.       Living a sanctified, righteous and faithful life of identification with, obedience of and dependent upon Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

3.       Substituting to and depending upon God (Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God).

4.       There is a cost of engagement with Satan- the works of the enemies of God and man and his agents among spirits, men principalities and powers.

a)      Jesus overcame satan as well as the challenges of human desires and dictates in the wilderness- Matthew 4:4-11

b)      Jesus proved humble and obedient in battles with the flesh, sin and death in the garden of Gethsemane- Matthew 26:36-46

c)       Jesus rejected the praise of man- John 6:15

THE REWARD OF EVANGELISM

We, as Christians are to tell the Good News of Jesus Christ either verbally, writing or most importantly our deeds.

Revelation 22:12

 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

1.       Our First and most important reward is ETERNAL LIFE. –John 3:16

2.       There are three main crowns in Christian service and life

a)      Crown of righteousness –II Timothy 4:8

b)      Crown of Life- James 1:12, Revelation 2:10

c)       Crown of Glory- I Peter 5:4

This apart, we have crown of pure gold (Revelation 4:4), the spirit of glory, also marks, garments and special names from God.

3.       There is promotion due to faithfulness in service (Matthew 25:21).

Evangelism is a great and wonderful divine ordered spiritual mechanism for creating new man, creating new societies, creating new world- great spiritual enterprise with eternal significance.

Matthew 10:32-33

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

CHRISTIANITY AND SPORTS

I used to be a Real Madrid fan. I stayed all night in the newsroom just to watch 90 minutes of football match. Sports was just a ‘good thing’ for me. Therefore, Sports was okay until I got really born-again last year (2012).

Once I was born again, I hated the things I loved and loved the things I hated. Sports was something I used to love but now I hate it to the roots.

NOTE: You can NEVER be a dedicated Christian if you still follow your favourite sports team or sports idol.
The eternal benefit of sports is nil. The benefit of godliness is eternal company with God.

GOD HATES SPORTS

God has never been involved in sporting activities ever since creation. Sports is something created by the devil to destruct Christians and the world from following Jesus.

When Jesus Christ was ascending into Heavens he said ‘Go preach the gospel to world”. If the disciples were engaging in sporting activities I wonder where True Christians will be by now.

Sports is full of competition and God through His Son Jesus Christ taught us not to compete with each other. He said we should love one another and by that people will get to know Him (1 John 4:7-14)
Pastor Ken Raggio writes 'Sportsmanship is not one of the Christian virtues. Competition is quite contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us to take the lower seat, turn the other cheek, defer to others, serve, honor and reverence one another. Sports enforce the exact opposite values. One-upmanship is very opposite of submission.'
 

SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD

The Bible clearly teaches an uncompromising stand against indulgence in the things of the world as represented by the dance, beauty pageant, the theater, sports, fame, lust of money, immorality, lust of power, lust of the flesh and movies.

Romans 12:2

And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

  THE CHARACTER OF SPORTSMEN

Sportsmen have tattooed, put on ear rings, waste money on strip girls (Prostitutes), and married to unbelievers; they are always seeking their interest, fame, worth and status.

The question is if you claim to be a True Christian which of the above is commanded by God for Christians? Did Jesus seek after those things?

Sportsmen DO NOT care about Salvation or Eternity, all they care about is their bank account and girls to fornicate with.

When a Sports team wins a game, it’s promotes the activities of Prostitutes, gamblers, alcoholic beverages and sex. In fact those evil things depend on sports to survive.

Sports is an idea from Satan to destroy even True Believers of the Word of God. Some sports personalities seek the help of fetish priest, horoscopes, they cheat with their ages and they are enhanced by other negative factors to improve their performance.

SPORTS IDOLS

In the FIRST place, no True Christian baptized by the Holy Spirit will be involved in Sports. If you are doing sports, I urge you to go back to the Bible.  These sportsmen “ignorantly” point to Heaven and talk about God but deep down their hearts, their father is the devil.  

Remember God will judge our hearts, thoughts and actions not merely words of praises to Him. Jesus wants us to be doers of the Bible not hearers and praise singers.

TIGER WOODS was reported to have been sleeping with several other women daily when he was married.

MARIE JONES and other several athletics have been strip off their titles due to enhancement drugs.

DIEGO MARADONA was reported to be addicted with cocaine during his hay days.

ASAMOAH GYAN, Ghana’s team captain is a Hip-Hop artiste.

CHRISTIANO RONALDO has a baby with another woman whose identity cannot be revealed.

BENZEMA, RIBERY were reported to have raped an underage prostitute some years back.

The above and many more stories, actions, thoughts and decisions of these sports idols clearly lead to death. Sports and it’s icons will lead you to HELL if you follow them with all your heart, mind and soul. We even understand that there are some Lesbians in the female teams.

THOUGHTS

So tell me, can God involve Himself with this evil thing called sports?

Which Sports personality imitates Jesus?

Can these Sports idols engage in evangelism?

Have any life (soul) been saved through sports?

How can a True Christian have the same interest/ thing in common with gays, atheists, fetish priest, unbelievers and demons?

THE ‘FALSE PASTORS’

Sometimes, it hurts me to see Pastors praying for these sportsmen to win a match only to be using it for their lustful desires. Instead of the Pastors telling them to REPENT from their evil and cruel ways, they pray for them to win.

CONCLUSION

When Jesus Christ warned us to “Take Heed, and Keep your lamps burning”, He was not referring to your sports team. He said we should watch and pray, because the devil will deceive many. Don’t be deceived, Jesus is interested in saving souls to Heaven not sports or other fleshly activities.

Romans 8:6-8

 For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: and they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Give your heart a a better passion, a passion for the love of God, people and eternal life. The things of the world means nothing on the day of Judgment!

Note: i have not watched TV since 2012 (when i became really born again)!

GOALS OF EVERY CHRISTIAN

Everybody has goals in this life.  As Christians we also have goals that determine our purpose in this life on earth. Our goals defers from the goals of the people of the world. The world (pagans) are aspiring to be famous, rich, wealthy, higher status, higher educational ladder, etc. But as Christians we CANNOT have the same goals as unbelievers.  

NOTE: A Christian is someone who is practicing the Word of God.

We are called to light in this dark world. We have to continue walking in the light of God and having faith that in the last day, Jesus will call us home to dine with him.

Today, we discuss the goals of every Christian.

1.     To  Please God

This is our primary motive on earth. There is no other purpose than to please Jesus Christ our Lord and Personal savior.  In all our daily activities, we should be mindful that all that we do should be in the glory of God and nobody (human) should take that credit.

Colossians 1:9-10

 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

2.     To Know God

The second goal is know God. We can know God by reading and applying the Bible, praying and been led by the spirit.  Perhaps this is one of the challenging goals but we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us. Knowing God do not come in a day, it takes continuous effort to reach there.  The Bible says Enoch walked with God for 300 years and he was righteous in the sight of God. God took him to Heaven.

John 17:3

 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

3.     To be fruitful to Jesus Christ

We are called to bear fruits to God. We can only bear fruits when we imitate Jesus Christ, the High Priest and the leader of the Church. Everything outside this is worthless. We should be ready to separate ourselves, suffer and carry our cross for the crown. We are going to render an account to Jesus for our decisions, actions and thoughts about Him.

John 15:4-5

 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

4.     Love one another

In this world, people will hate you because of Jesus Christ but we (Christians) are not suppose to hate them but to love and pray for them. We must love as Jesus loves us.  Jesus said the whole commandment in the Bible is sum up as ‘LOVE’

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

5.     To live at Peace

Living at peace starts when we love one another. One of our goals is to live in peace with all men. Sometimes, it’s challenging but we have to apply the Biblical command with the help of the Holy Spirit. The world may provoke, insults and persecute you but we have to pray, love and to live in peace with them.

Romans 12:18-21

 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

6.     To Spread the Gospel

If you know what you have been saved from by Jesus then it’s a sin not to spread the good news. The gospel can be sum up as the birth, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise in Heaven for all who believeth. Christians are commanded to spread the message of the Lord Jesus to all tribes, nations, Kingdoms, and everywhere in the world.

Matthew 28:19

 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

7.     To grow to maturity

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and personal savior that is the first step, the next step which is one of the goals of every Christian is to grow into maturity in Christ. Growing into maturity means to take the image of Jesus Christ. People should see Jesus Christ in all that you do. We have to be led by the Holy Spirit to bear all the fruits of the spirit. As Christians we have to be periodically examining ourselves of our level of faith and maturity in Christ.

Ephesians 4:13

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

8.     Our Final goal is Heaven

Our suffering, trials, persecutions, goodness, righteousness, and holiness are preparations to Heaven. Every Christian goal is to go to Heaven. If you don’t have such a goal then you have examine your salvation. Heaven is our home, earth is the preparation field therefore we should not live like the pagans do.  We have to be eternity minded.

Revelation 7:9-12

 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Conclusion:

God guarantees that all Christians should be able to meet their goals. We have no excuse in not reaching our goals. When we miss any of the goals we have indirectly miss the FINAL GOAL-Heaven. We ought to be extra careful in the way we live in this dark and evil generation.

The FINAL goal should be in our heart, minds and soul. We must be Ready, Prepare and Awaken for the Second Coming of Christ! Shalom.