Continuing in 2 Peter chapter 1 ( http://tinyurl.com/5adcu7 )
Today's focus - verses 12-15: So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. As a pastor and occasional preacher, I get great affirmation from these words: ...I will always remind you of these things...
When I preach, I preach about Old Testament passages and New, but always about Jesus. I preach word studies and topical messages, but always about Jesus. I have been asked why I always mention salvation and always offer people a chance to accept Christ. Maybe you have had the same question about your pastor. Consider this story:
Which reminds me of the lesson that D. L. Moody, the Billy Graham of the 19th century, learned.
After proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to a crowded hall in Chicago, the evangelist closed
his message by encouraging the attendees to go home, consider the claims of the gospel, and
return the next week to settle the matter in their lives. But that night Chicago heard the ringing
of fire alarms and the clatter of horse-drawn water wagons being hurried through the streets. Mrs.
O'Leary's cow had kicked the lantern, and the Great Chicago Fire swept the city—hundreds of
lives were lost. Because of that, D. L. Moody committed himself to never again forget to urge
people to receive Christ immediately—before it is too late.
And consider this information: How would your approach to evangelism be different if you
knew that one-half of the people attending your church were not Christians? As shocking
as this idea may appear, this is a hard reality for many churches in the United States.
Researcher George Barna has discovered the disturbing fact that "half of all adults who
attend Protestant churches on a typical Sunday morning are not Christian!" This fact was
reaffirmed in his recently released work, Boiling Point. Here he states that people who call
themselves Christians but are not born again are "a group that constitutes a majority of
churchgoers." Many who attend Protestant churches have been "anesthetized" to the Gospel,
he says. These are people who have mentally accepted correct beliefsbut have "lived without
a shred of insight into what a relationship with Christ was all about." Equally shocking is Barna's
discovery that the typical non-Christian church member has been attending church for at least
10 years. No longer, then,can it be assumed that regular church attendance, even for many
years, isa guarantee of a person's salvation.
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Questions:
1. Are you sure of your calling?
2. If so, how did that happen?
3. If not, what steps are you taking to know?
"Christian, remember the goodness of God in the frost of adversity."Charles Spurgeon
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