Hello friends!
Being a Minister & Pastor I must say I notice a lot of things. For instance, people are always asking me what religion I am. Their reaction will always depend upon the answer I give to them. Again for instance, if I answer the question with the statement Baptist it is accepted without question. I get the same reaction if I answer with the words Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal or any other religion name in which people relate to.
However, there is always one answer in which I can answer the same question with & will always get the same response, which by the way, seems to be a total & complete shock to the ones whom have asked me the question in the first place. That answer is I’m a born again child of God or I’m a born again Christian. This always amazes me. Why you ask? Simply because of this.
I find that people all around the world seem to know about every denomination known to man, yet few people seem to know much at all about the Lord. Friends, this is really very sad. After all, people need to understand that in Heaven, there will be no sections set up for all kinds of different man-made denominations. In fact, & this may come as a surprise to many, but the fact is that all who go to Heaven will indeed be a born again child of God.
It comes down to this simple fact. We either know the Lord as our Savior & live for Him, or we don’t know the Lord as our Savior & live for Satan. These are not my words, but the word of God. Denomination teaches us for the most part, all we have to do is go to church now & then, be a good moral person, & believe in God & everything is just fine. However, God says something altogether different.
He says, you believe there’s one God, you do well. Even the devils believe & trembles. Even the devil believes in God. The devil goes to church every time the doors are open. Just look around at all of the division in the word today. Think of all the churches that have been ripped apart. Think of all the evil going on in churches today. Is this of God? Of course not. Satan indeed goes to church and does every thing he can to tear it down & destroy it & bring division.
Yet the fact remains that there is only one true God. The God whom created the Heaven, the Earth, the Sea & all that there in is. How many people do you know who say I use to go to church until I got hurt so I don’t go anymore? Was it God whom hurt them? Absolutely not. It was man who hurt them. Yet, people continue to allow what man does, or how man acts, to come between them & God Almighty. Friends, we will not give an account to man. We will not answer to man.
However, we will indeed give an account & answer to God when all is said & done. Knowing this, let us put away all of man’s ways, all of man’s denominations, all of man’s traditions, & let us once & for all come to understand exactly what true & pure religion is. Not according to man, but according to God Himself. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this.
To visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself un-spotted from the world. James: 1:27. To keep ones self un-spotted from the word means one has to let go of man’s way & man’s teachings & follow the Lord & His teachings instead. In the end, it won’t matter that man has patted us on the back & said good job. It won’t matter how popular we became with man.
What will matter however, is what God has to say about us. After all, we will have no one to stand in our place & give an account of our behalf at that day. I will answer for me. You will answer for you. We will have no one to blame. We have two choices in life when push comes to shove, regardless if we turn a blind eye to it or not.
The two choices are these. We either take God at His word, believe & live for Him, or we reject God, His word, & live for ourselves. It really is that simple. God has not called simple people such as myself to preach His Holy Word simply to waste time. He has called people to preach for a reason. That the world may know that there is hope beyond this life. That there is a better way.
That God loves us & proved it by taking our place in death. That God has made a way for mankind to come back to Him & have true peace, even while living in a world as evil as it is today. That because He conquered death, hell, the grave, & lives today, you & I are able to have life also. However, one thing God will not do is force or push His way upon mankind.
Mankind, after hearing the truth, which is the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ, has a decision to make. Accept Christ or Reject Christ. Plain & Simple. The Salvation of the Lord is so simple a child can understand it. To do so however, one must put aside man’s ways, man’s opinions, & man’s teachings, & see what God Almighty has to say. Our ways are not God’s ways.
Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah: 55: 8-9.
Friends, it’s time to get serious about serving the Lord. God is coming back regardless if we are looking for His coming or not. Regardless if we believe it or not.
God Bless
Pastor Millard
Waltham General Baptist Church
