Gospel devotions: Loving Our Loved Ones - 2 Thessalonians 2

2 Thessalonians 2:10b They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 

I have a burden in my heart for much of my family and some of my friends. The burden involves their salvation. I know that I am far from perfect and a sinner of sinners, but sometimes my fear for those I love dearly is expressed in this question: do they love the truth about Jesus, or will they perish because they don’t know Him at all?

A lot of people have what I term ‘a Sunday school notion’ about Christ. They remember His parables and miracles. They recall His birth, life, and death but they never really get to know the Living Christ in their heart, minds, and lives. I hate to think about where they will end up after death, but if they don’t do something with the knowledge that they have of Christ, they will not end up in heaven.

Some people may be thinking, ‘Hey John, that’s very judgmental of you,’ but it isn’t: it’s actually being consistent with what the Scriptures teach us. Those who seem to imagine that as long as they intend to do something about it, but don’t get round to actually believing in Christ, think that God will exempt them from His Final Judgment. That kind of thinking leads to nowhere – except to the gates of hell.

Now I don’t need to be contentious – I’ve had enough theological tussling in my days – but I do mean to be blunt and candid: are their loved ones in your life, just as there are in my own, who know of Jesus and yet they’ve never given their hearts or lives to Him? Then what are we going to do about it?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we have many loved ones in our lives, both kith and kin, who have not yet committed their lives to You. Grant us words and ways that will convince them to personally discover who You really are, so that they will one day experience the everlasting joys of salvation. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, or ask a question about it, please send him an email to him at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Please also feel free to forward this message to any of your friends and family. Today’s image is an old abstract drawing of John’s called “Crossing Over,” which depicts the journey of the soul passing through the Cross of Christ to Everlasting Life. If you would like to view a larger version of this picture, please click on the following link:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/75/208654420_3eab83b2de_o.jpg

Going to Hell the easy way: Playing Games with our Faith

It’s not what we want to hear – that the Lord blesses and curses. We just want the good parts of the Bible to apply to us and reject the rest. Our generation of Christians is pampered compared to previous ones. We want things the easy way; we want our faith to be unfettered by commandments, demands, and curses from the Lord. We want God to accept us and never want Him to change us, before we will accept Him. We want to make God into our personal assistant, dumping our burdens on Him, and fully expecting Him to bail us out. Instead of revering the Almighty Ruler of the Universe, we want the genie from Aladdin’s lamp. In other words, we want to be in control of every part of our lives.

It doesn’t work that way and never has. We fool ourselves everyday if we think that God doesn’t judge our deeds. And if we turn off just because we read in the Bible something we don’t want to see, or hear from the preacher words we don’t want to accept, then we’ve become the biggest fools in all the centuries of Christendom.

I see people playing with their faith instead of practicing it. I watch folks indulge themselves at this time of year, instead of giving thanks and being grateful to God. I look at our depraved society and it sickens my heart, not because I’m better than anyone else, but because I’m part of the disease itself.

I want to tell people about Jesus and how stern He could be at times, but people don’t want to hear it. I want to preach a Gospel that demands an unconditional surrender to God, but people don’t want to do that. I want to shake up the whole of our civilization and shout out: “Don’t you realize we’re all going to Hell in a hand barrow?” but nobody wants to listen to that kind of Holy Roller talk anymore. We just want to be happy and have a good time. We just want to say to God on Judgment Day, what happens on Earth, stays on Earth.

I won’t play this game anymore because I love the people around me. I won’t dance with the devil any longer in order to keep the peace. I’ll do what the Lord calls me to do – to prepare people for His Coming and to help them get ready for judgment. To do anything less is to disobey God. To do anything other is to come under His curse.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we don’t want to think about judgment or accept Your non-compromising Gospel. We want to be happy, not harassed by You. We want to feel good, not to face God. We want to get to heaven, but none of us wants to die to our sins. O Lord, help us and save us; rebuke us and restore us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.