ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO THE KINGDOM?
Original post date: Sat May 20, 2006
The news is filled with teaming crowds in the streets. They are demanding "rights", even though they are not citizens and even though they have not professed loyalty. Coming in like a thief and a robber, they protest that they are good people and have done nothing wrong.
Mexicans in cities both close to and far from the border? Well, yes, but that is not the crowd I am talking about. I am talking about hordes of people - Americans and those from other countries who all are demanding from God and who are "holding him to his word". They have not come through the sheepgate, but as it says in John 10, as a thief and a robber. There are hoards of people who want all the benefits of the kingdom of God without seeking righteousness first. They believe they can get in other ways -
First, they think they can buy their way in. Like Simon the Sorceror, their eyes get big as saucers [[EMOTICON:SHOCK2]] when they see the miracles and the works of God. They would not be a crass as Simon was, but they give to get. They do not GIVE. They simply send money to questionable ministries with the expectation they will get back every cent they send plus much more. In exchange, all the endemic problems in their lives will be solved - by fiat. NO repentance, no tears, no change, just money.
Some don't have the money or the crassness. They try to sneak in.
They hide in the proverbial gas tanks under the gospel train and seek to come in piggybacked on other Christians. Not just Mom and Dad, mind you. They latch on to other saints and figure they'll be close to God if they stay close to the saint. Jesus checks credentials. If you are not coming in by the blood, you are illegal, and will not become a citizen of heaven.
Some mimic the works of the kingdom. The immigrate in and assimilate.
Many assume they are true believers. They may even heal the sick and cast out demons, but Jesus himself said that he would tell those who did these things without TRULY knowing him to depart from him. [[EMOTICON:ANGRY3]] Only what is genuine is worth counterfeiting. There are many counterfeits around today, and like counterfeit money, they are similar in most respects to the genuine. However, the little detail that is false gives them away to the truly children of God trained to detect the genuine from the false. Illegals look like good citizens in many respects. However, those who are not legitimately in the kingdom will not remain.
Still others come by brute force. They bypass the gatekeepers - and the borders of the church are more porous than the Mexican border). They come in and WORK HARD. They ingratiate themselves and make themselves indispensable. They are not living in accordance with the rules, their language is not the language of the kingdom, but the language of their past life. They will fly the flag of their own sovereignty above that of the Lord, yet they will demand kingdom blessings. [[EMOTICON:THINK1]]
You see, life in the world is tough. Satan doesn't pay well. The wages of sin is death. People want better. They hear about how good it is where God is. Problem is, they just want the goodies, not the whole package.
The Shepherds need to see eye to eye. They need to have one standard to get in - a passport issued by God himself. The Shibboleth is "Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and he is the only say to salvation". If you can't say that sincerely, you are out on your ear and back to your homeland. I John is very clear about this.
Friends, there will be no amnesty. If you are hanging around Christians and the church without a passport, you will be deported to hell by the Son of God himself. There will be no guest workers in heaven. There will be no "illegals" in heaven. In some churches, there are more illegals than saved. The pastors do not want to chase them out because they watch the children, they set up rooms, they provide security, and they pay money. Wouldn't you like to see the gates closed and only the bloodwashed given status? We need a purifying of the church.
I have nothing against immigration. All Christians are immigrants.
We leave sin and enter eternal life. We just have to do it by the Book. NO other way will work. Invite people who are loyal to kingdoms other than our Lord's to switch allegiances. Remember, unless we proclaim our loyalty to the Lord, we cannot receive the benefits of his eternal kingdom.
God bless.
COMMENTS
Name: Wootay
Date: Sat Apr 15 11:09:45 2006
Comment: Church isn't a place for Christians. How did they first become Christians, anyway? It's not a place that needs to shut the door on the lost! You are way off if you think that.
I enjoyed your metaphor of immigration, but when you talk about borders, Heaven has its borders to allow Christians in and everything else out. But the "church" is nothing more than a place to fellowship and worship God. It doesn't even have to be a building with a steeple. Jesus never preached at what you would call a traditional church. Sometimes he sat on a boat and taught people sitting on the shore. Sometimes he taught on the side of a mountain. And I'll guarantee you He didn't tell certain people to go because they were bad and others to stay because they were good.
You can't earn your way into Heaven, and you don't have to earn your way into church. You do, however, have to earn your citizenship, and one of the qualifications should be that you didn't break our federal laws to get here.
Name: JohnTheEvangelist
Date: Sat May 20 15:09:04 2006
Comment: I note that the church is the Body of Christ which comes together in local bodies. Being in a church building no more makes you a Christian that being in a window factory makes you a window. Christ let all come to him, but he was no stranger to telling the truth without compromise, and by so doing many left him and he did not chase them. We simply need to be sure that those among us are truly blood-washed saints, and that we do not assume that because they hang out at church buildings or home meetings or whereever else we are that they are in the Kingdom of God.
The news is filled with teaming crowds in the streets. They are demanding "rights", even though they are not citizens and even though they have not professed loyalty. Coming in like a thief and a robber, they protest that they are good people and have done nothing wrong.
Mexicans in cities both close to and far from the border? Well, yes, but that is not the crowd I am talking about. I am talking about hordes of people - Americans and those from other countries who all are demanding from God and who are "holding him to his word". They have not come through the sheepgate, but as it says in John 10, as a thief and a robber. There are hoards of people who want all the benefits of the kingdom of God without seeking righteousness first. They believe they can get in other ways -
First, they think they can buy their way in. Like Simon the Sorceror, their eyes get big as saucers [[EMOTICON:SHOCK2]] when they see the miracles and the works of God. They would not be a crass as Simon was, but they give to get. They do not GIVE. They simply send money to questionable ministries with the expectation they will get back every cent they send plus much more. In exchange, all the endemic problems in their lives will be solved - by fiat. NO repentance, no tears, no change, just money.
Some don't have the money or the crassness. They try to sneak in.
They hide in the proverbial gas tanks under the gospel train and seek to come in piggybacked on other Christians. Not just Mom and Dad, mind you. They latch on to other saints and figure they'll be close to God if they stay close to the saint. Jesus checks credentials. If you are not coming in by the blood, you are illegal, and will not become a citizen of heaven.
Some mimic the works of the kingdom. The immigrate in and assimilate.
Many assume they are true believers. They may even heal the sick and cast out demons, but Jesus himself said that he would tell those who did these things without TRULY knowing him to depart from him. [[EMOTICON:ANGRY3]] Only what is genuine is worth counterfeiting. There are many counterfeits around today, and like counterfeit money, they are similar in most respects to the genuine. However, the little detail that is false gives them away to the truly children of God trained to detect the genuine from the false. Illegals look like good citizens in many respects. However, those who are not legitimately in the kingdom will not remain.
Still others come by brute force. They bypass the gatekeepers - and the borders of the church are more porous than the Mexican border). They come in and WORK HARD. They ingratiate themselves and make themselves indispensable. They are not living in accordance with the rules, their language is not the language of the kingdom, but the language of their past life. They will fly the flag of their own sovereignty above that of the Lord, yet they will demand kingdom blessings. [[EMOTICON:THINK1]]
You see, life in the world is tough. Satan doesn't pay well. The wages of sin is death. People want better. They hear about how good it is where God is. Problem is, they just want the goodies, not the whole package.
The Shepherds need to see eye to eye. They need to have one standard to get in - a passport issued by God himself. The Shibboleth is "Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and he is the only say to salvation". If you can't say that sincerely, you are out on your ear and back to your homeland. I John is very clear about this.
Friends, there will be no amnesty. If you are hanging around Christians and the church without a passport, you will be deported to hell by the Son of God himself. There will be no guest workers in heaven. There will be no "illegals" in heaven. In some churches, there are more illegals than saved. The pastors do not want to chase them out because they watch the children, they set up rooms, they provide security, and they pay money. Wouldn't you like to see the gates closed and only the bloodwashed given status? We need a purifying of the church.
I have nothing against immigration. All Christians are immigrants.
We leave sin and enter eternal life. We just have to do it by the Book. NO other way will work. Invite people who are loyal to kingdoms other than our Lord's to switch allegiances. Remember, unless we proclaim our loyalty to the Lord, we cannot receive the benefits of his eternal kingdom.
God bless.
COMMENTS
Name: Wootay
Date: Sat Apr 15 11:09:45 2006
Comment: Church isn't a place for Christians. How did they first become Christians, anyway? It's not a place that needs to shut the door on the lost! You are way off if you think that.
I enjoyed your metaphor of immigration, but when you talk about borders, Heaven has its borders to allow Christians in and everything else out. But the "church" is nothing more than a place to fellowship and worship God. It doesn't even have to be a building with a steeple. Jesus never preached at what you would call a traditional church. Sometimes he sat on a boat and taught people sitting on the shore. Sometimes he taught on the side of a mountain. And I'll guarantee you He didn't tell certain people to go because they were bad and others to stay because they were good.
You can't earn your way into Heaven, and you don't have to earn your way into church. You do, however, have to earn your citizenship, and one of the qualifications should be that you didn't break our federal laws to get here.
Name: JohnTheEvangelist
Date: Sat May 20 15:09:04 2006
Comment: I note that the church is the Body of Christ which comes together in local bodies. Being in a church building no more makes you a Christian that being in a window factory makes you a window. Christ let all come to him, but he was no stranger to telling the truth without compromise, and by so doing many left him and he did not chase them. We simply need to be sure that those among us are truly blood-washed saints, and that we do not assume that because they hang out at church buildings or home meetings or whereever else we are that they are in the Kingdom of God.
posted by John | 10:25 PM
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