Readiness
The fruit of truly following Jesus in the end time should be a readiness to live with Jesus forever. That means over time I should be more peaceful, more faithful, more loving, more hopeful, more joyful towards people. I should be more like heaven and those who live there. This is a test we should all be applying to ourselves right now. I see a ton of "Christians" growing in anger, pride, delusion, and a spirit of blame and accusation. Growing in a negative spirit is a big sign you or I are on the wrong path.
Your words are revealing your heart, and right now, many are alienating the harvest from the Lord of the harvest by their careless and angry words. God loves people on the left just as much as he loves people on the right. He loves kids protesting in the streets just as much as he loves the police on the other side of the line. Satan hates people and tries to narrowly define them in accusation. God is trying to free people. Many in the church are growing cold.
Matthew 24:10“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
11“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
12“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Heaven doesn't have a section for the prideful, the boastful, the lustful, the arrogant...The mean spirited.
Heaven is coming to earth, if you die before that happens, or you are here when that happens, and you get to the gate of the New Jerusalem, you need to be ready to live In heaven. If you ask the gatekeeper to show you the angry place of heaven, or the greedy place, or the self centered part of the city, you will get pointed back out of the city.
Many people, whether they realize it or not, are growing more hateful towards others destined to live in that very city. At the same time, a whole bunch of people are growing more insightful, more tolerant, more loving...More repentant.
There is only one way to grow in these areas....It is repentance.
"Other people" aren't the problem with the world. Bad politicians aren't the problem...Bad parents aren't the problem...Bad welfare recipients aren't the problem, greedy rich people aren't the problem...Black people aren't the problem and police aren't the problem. Gay people aren't the problem.
A prayerless church that hardly KNOWS, or at this point even WANTS to know, the heart of the Father of ALL these people IS the problem. The prayer that corrects this issue isn't pointed at other people, it is pointed at me. Repent, for the kingdom is at hand, which means "you better get ready to live with Him now, while there is time!"
A massive lack of love that doesn't compromise truth is the problem. Some parts of the world delusionally believe you love people by ignoring truth. That isn't love. Another part of the world believes that truth can be carried outside of love. Truth is their gun. That isn't truth. Truth and love can only be carried for real in the emotions of Jesus. Love and truth can only coexist where there is holiness.
I won't overcome this unfortunate state of being by getting my picture taken with some black people, giving more money to a cause, going to united worship events, serving meals to others, or campaigning for a political movement, or just checking out from caring about real problems entirely.
I will only overcome this unfortunate state of being in the world and church by seeing how MY state of being is unfortunate, mourning it for myself, and then overcoming with small increases of understanding and victory over time...Storing oil.
Oil is pressed out of something. If I want oil, it's gotta get pressed out of me. Pressing other people, even from a distance, doesn't give me any oil. It doesn't give you any oil.
The Sermon on the Mount is an action plan for ME to change, not a good story about how others should act.
People that are actively getting ready for Jesus' are praying to DO the Sermon on the Mount. What I have found is that, over time, I am going from being angry and closed minded to slightly more loving and open minded. I no longer care about liberals and republicans (though, until recently, I was a lifelong conservative), I'm learning to see people as knowing Jesus or not knowing him, and wanting to do whatever I can to learn to love and sacrificially serve both kinds of people because I am getting God's heart for BOTH.
I'm not growing in fear, I'm growing in hope. I'm not seeing conspiracies of people, but rather conspiracies of demons against all people. I'm learning to tame my tounge... Just a little .. because I'm seeing more of my own slippery heart and sinful speech. I'm learning to grow in confidence that people can change because I'm actually changing. I'm growing in love, even towards those that intentionally and overtly hurt and lie about me....It's got very little to do with "them" and everything to do with me and Jesus getting to know one another.
Jesus is coming really soon. If you don't repent actively, there will be no place for you in a kingdom perfected in love. There is no greedy section of heaven. There is no loveless section of heaven...Bigoted...Selfish...hurtful.... boastful...You won't find these quarters in the city. You won't.
Revelation 21:22But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
24And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
25Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
26And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
27But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 22:10And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
11“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
13“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
14Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
15But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Galatians 5:19Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Your words are revealing your heart, and right now, many are alienating the harvest from the Lord of the harvest by their careless and angry words. God loves people on the left just as much as he loves people on the right. He loves kids protesting in the streets just as much as he loves the police on the other side of the line. Satan hates people and tries to narrowly define them in accusation. God is trying to free people. Many in the church are growing cold.
Matthew 24:10“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
11“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
12“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Heaven doesn't have a section for the prideful, the boastful, the lustful, the arrogant...The mean spirited.
Heaven is coming to earth, if you die before that happens, or you are here when that happens, and you get to the gate of the New Jerusalem, you need to be ready to live In heaven. If you ask the gatekeeper to show you the angry place of heaven, or the greedy place, or the self centered part of the city, you will get pointed back out of the city.
Many people, whether they realize it or not, are growing more hateful towards others destined to live in that very city. At the same time, a whole bunch of people are growing more insightful, more tolerant, more loving...More repentant.
There is only one way to grow in these areas....It is repentance.
"Other people" aren't the problem with the world. Bad politicians aren't the problem...Bad parents aren't the problem...Bad welfare recipients aren't the problem, greedy rich people aren't the problem...Black people aren't the problem and police aren't the problem. Gay people aren't the problem.
A prayerless church that hardly KNOWS, or at this point even WANTS to know, the heart of the Father of ALL these people IS the problem. The prayer that corrects this issue isn't pointed at other people, it is pointed at me. Repent, for the kingdom is at hand, which means "you better get ready to live with Him now, while there is time!"
A massive lack of love that doesn't compromise truth is the problem. Some parts of the world delusionally believe you love people by ignoring truth. That isn't love. Another part of the world believes that truth can be carried outside of love. Truth is their gun. That isn't truth. Truth and love can only be carried for real in the emotions of Jesus. Love and truth can only coexist where there is holiness.
I won't overcome this unfortunate state of being by getting my picture taken with some black people, giving more money to a cause, going to united worship events, serving meals to others, or campaigning for a political movement, or just checking out from caring about real problems entirely.
I will only overcome this unfortunate state of being in the world and church by seeing how MY state of being is unfortunate, mourning it for myself, and then overcoming with small increases of understanding and victory over time...Storing oil.
Oil is pressed out of something. If I want oil, it's gotta get pressed out of me. Pressing other people, even from a distance, doesn't give me any oil. It doesn't give you any oil.
The Sermon on the Mount is an action plan for ME to change, not a good story about how others should act.
People that are actively getting ready for Jesus' are praying to DO the Sermon on the Mount. What I have found is that, over time, I am going from being angry and closed minded to slightly more loving and open minded. I no longer care about liberals and republicans (though, until recently, I was a lifelong conservative), I'm learning to see people as knowing Jesus or not knowing him, and wanting to do whatever I can to learn to love and sacrificially serve both kinds of people because I am getting God's heart for BOTH.
I'm not growing in fear, I'm growing in hope. I'm not seeing conspiracies of people, but rather conspiracies of demons against all people. I'm learning to tame my tounge... Just a little .. because I'm seeing more of my own slippery heart and sinful speech. I'm learning to grow in confidence that people can change because I'm actually changing. I'm growing in love, even towards those that intentionally and overtly hurt and lie about me....It's got very little to do with "them" and everything to do with me and Jesus getting to know one another.
Jesus is coming really soon. If you don't repent actively, there will be no place for you in a kingdom perfected in love. There is no greedy section of heaven. There is no loveless section of heaven...Bigoted...Selfish...hurtful.... boastful...You won't find these quarters in the city. You won't.
Revelation 21:22But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
24And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
25Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
26And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
27But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 22:10And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
11“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
13“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
14Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
15But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Galatians 5:19Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
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