“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that all those having faith in Him might not perish, but might have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Those who belong to a godless world spend their years and their energies in getting and spending, always seeking more than they have; this is the driving force of the world; more, more, more! This covetousness not only reflects the nature and character of the devil who corrupted the flesh of man, but is a reaction to the profound oppression that lurks in every godless heart and tells them; “I don’t mean anything to anyone”. But this is a lie! John 3:16 testifies to something that people tend to forget; every human being is important to God!
The tragedy is that Christians today don’t seem to carry about within them the manifest joy of knowing that, individually, they are important to the Lord of glory. Instead, there seems to be a stoic indifference to the world about them and a spiritual apathy in their relationship to God. Many Christians attend Church regularly, only to sit in silence as the minister conducts events in accordance with a preconceived liturgical format; prayers are muttered into a deaf ear and fall to the ground unheard.
Soon, the glory that surrounded the new born believer evaporates and disappears as the mist is dispelled by the sun; the heart becomes oppressed by religion and soon, the believer finds himself hardened in heart; although he still believes, he is a carnal man in a fallen world. These things should not be!
But they are the consequence of the spirit of the world and the spirit of anti-Christ invading our gatherings; if we hang signs out the front of our Churches saying “All Welcome”, then we shouldn’t be surprised if the demons of hell establish themselves in the midst of God’s people like a fifth column. This has happened repeatedly in the history of Christianity. In every revival that has been brought by the Spirit of God, it has been closely followed by the manifestation of the counterfeit kingdom.
“Be subject therefore to God! Resist the devil and he will flee from you! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you! Cleanse sinful hands and purify divided hearts!” (James 4:7-8).
All of these verbs are in the imperative!
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