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God versus Americans
by God can save any people, no matter how far fallen they may seem. He continues even these days to show up to unsuspecting people in unexpected ways. As for us, if we know the depth to which Christ went to pull us out of the muck and mire of our own sin, then we should also be confident that He can do the impossible and redeem us for His heavenly purposes. If we have even an inkling of God's greatness in Christ, then let's also be convinced that there is still a bountiful harvest of souls in the westernized world. Those who are taught by Christ have eyes to see this. At the same time, we have freedom in Christ to embrace our current spiritual standing, which amounts to utter hopelessness. It is helpful to think this way. Once we acknowledge our spiritual hopelessness, our best option becomes obvious, which is to throw ourselves wholeheartedly on the greatness of God in Christ. We will learn from experience that Christ's Divinity is even more overwhelming than the worst circumstance we can imagine. This current generation of Americanized wanderers has become adept at guarding their suspicions about the holiness of God. They know there's something about Jesus Christ, but it is more convenient for them not to think about it. This goes to show that people naturally hate the Truth when the Truth is Christ. Yet God built into every soul an irresistible thirst for this Truth. These wanderers cling to their tainted outlooks, claiming to be disillusioned by their parents, the church, or whatever happens to suit their goal of rejecting Christ. However there are also many who are sincere in their doubt, who are still youthful seekers at heart. They seek sincerely, with the intention of embracing the Truth in the event that they find Him, or else if He finds them, or however that might work. They want something more than what they've got, but they're also finished with overly-contrived religion. So what is left for us to do if we believe that Christ is who He says He is? If we follow Christ, then we our simple calling is to know Him as the Unequivocal Truth. Our calling is to become intimately acquainted with His Divine greatness, to the point that we know He is great, indisputably so. We should delight to know Him as the unalterable Truth, who is true whether or not the masses feel like confessing this. On the same note, Christ-followers must live, breathe, eat and drink Christ whether or not the rest of those who have heard of Him are actively obedient. Whether we who follow Christ face direct opposition or indirect hypocrisy, we have every reason to be encouraged in Christ so that we obey Him all the time, no matter what. Knowing Christ as the undeniable Truth is also essential for anyone who wants to communicate Him to other people. Knowing Him explicitly is, in fact, the only way to communicate Him. True faith in Christ is a quality of knowing that is impossible to fake. If we don't know Him, it will be impossible to fake knowing Him. If we do know Him, it will be impossible to fake not knowing Him. Sin has gotten the best of humanity and only the few who know Christ can distinguish this fact. Only those taught by Christ can tell the difference between freedom in righteousness and slavery to sin. All things considered, it should be obvious to us who know Christ that saving the stubborn, wandering masses from their own sin would require an even more stubborn Savior. We might ask, "Are they willing?" But this is not our concern. Nor does it depend on the headstrong, worldly majority to make themselves suddenly willing to accept Christ. It is up to the Spirit of Christ to overcome men's perverted desires and save them even despite themselves. This should be commonsensical to anyone who is taught by the Spirit about their own sin and the sinful world around them. Christ alone has authority to drag men, kicking and screaming, toward the Light that they naturally hate, just as He dragged each one of us who are now His joyful followers. It is Christ's place to save and it is our place to obey, no matter if the whole earth and everyone therein opposes us. We have nothing to loose except the shallow opinions of men who come and go like vapor. Therefore there is no more ideal time than now to gather in those people whom God has hand-picked, whom He will also use to construct His kingdom according to His heavenly design. Our confidence in all this is in God, that He created all people and to Him all people must eventually answer. As for us who seek Christ in the west, it is our duty to dwell in Him, to pray, to plead with wandering souls, to love our neighbors, to weep with those who weep, to preach the gospel by any means, to seek the Lord's will in every situation, to pray, to continually listen to His answers and to obey God however He gives us opportunity. God, who is faithful, will decide the outcome of these things. Let the chips fall where He may. We have heard of this kingdom, and know at least a few basic things about it. So who among us will show the wisdom of a child by utilizing what they have, starting with whatever basic truth we know and work onward from there? As innocent children trust their guardians, so also we should trust Christ to teach us as we go, according to our daily need. by Patrick Roberts. Find his book and additional resources at www.BooksByPatrick.com Patrick is an average Christ-seeker. His goal is to turn people to Jesus Christ. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |