Written 12/14/16
We Must Make up our Minds
Spiritual "Fornication" (idolatry) against the Lord is thinking (continuously) about anything other than God (vain thoughts vain imaginations etc). God is a jealous God and He demands all our thoughts. This is what His Word says.
And God deserves all of our attention all the time. THAT is loving God. If you really love God then you will do this thing. You cant love Him with all your heart and and then not love Him with all your heart. Jesus said you will do one or the other.
"No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. " Luke 16:13
Only giving the Lord a portion of your heart is not serving God at all. And it isn't being a believer like the apostles and disciples were. They were completely sold out. Look at what happened to those who pretended to be sold out but lied to the holy Spirit (God and Christ). I'm talking about Ananias and Sapphira in 5th chapter of Acts. But everyone else gave all. And we have to give all too! Why would they have to give all, but we, professing believers, don't have to? It doesn't even make logical sense. And it contradicts the whole Bible that tells us to give our whole heart to God. Or at least seek and strive to give our whole heart. Greater love hath no man, that he lay down his life for his friends. And Christ in us guides us (the surrendered believer) into full growth which is often translated as being "perfect". It is a partnership (covenant, holy agreement) between us and God, sealed in the blood of Christ! This is the most serious business on earth. And I talk more about that here.
But people wonder why we aren't seeing a really powerful move of God like in the book of Acts. They were sold out. And they turned the world upside down for Christ. Why can't we do the same? The answer is we can. And we have to.
Listen to The Lord through Paul:
Be therefore followers of God, as dear children; [[[following him all day. as a child beloved of his father would]]]
And walk in love, [[[To "walk in love" is walking in the commandments. The greatest being - loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself without stopping. If we really have entered into Jesus (and He in us), then we have entered into rest (sabbath. "come unto me .... and I will give you rest"), we have ceased from our own works. we are dead with Christ and raised again in newness of life. And that is when we have been given the ability to love God according to His Word. And that is the only way to make it into the kingdom of heaven!]]]
as Christ also has loved us, [[[as Christ "ALSO" loved us as an example for us to do the same. ]]]
and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. [[[and we give ourselves the same exact way. When a sacrifice is consumed it doesn't get up and do its own thing]]] Ephesians 5:1,2
We have to be just like Stephen if we want to make it into heaven. So selfless that we pray for our enemies while being stoned to death by them.
Stephen was made perfect in love. that is what he displayed. Complete selflessness. Just like Jesus Himself. And just like us who truly believe the gospel.
We have Stephen's example. We see what he did. and the whole word of God tells us the same. the whole bible teaches us to die as Stephen died.
You call the Bible the "Word of God" and then you think God doesn't expect you to keep His Word?
If you don't believe this, then your baptism was a lie. You didn't die in a watery grave like you promised you were doing. You swore an oath and now you say you don't have to keep it.
Please also read through some of my most recent messages about keeping God's Word in the right hand column
You can be saved!
God loves the people in the world so much that He came down to die for us. If God is opening your heart to His message and you feel convicted for your sins which have separated you from a holy God and you feel the need to be forgiven, then say this prayer. This is how I was powerfully converted to the Christ in 1997!
Say, "My Lord and my God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe Jesus the Christ died on the cross and shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of all my sins. I believe Jesus raised from the dead and ascended into heaven and is now on the right-hand side of God listening to this prayer. I open up the door of my heart and I invite You in, Lord Jesus. Thank you, God, for saving my soul and I vow to serve you with all my heart which is the first and greatest commandment. Amen."