Mar 31

 “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God…” 2 Thessalonians 1:8

Many have constructed an erroneous image of God in their minds. They have believed that because God is love, He cannot therefore be a party to distributing judgement, which may cause the suffering of anyone, regardless how sinful or guilty they may be. This could not be further from the truth of the essential and righteous nature of Yahwah. That God is love is a fact of scripture, but that this fact precludes and disqualifies Him from being a righteous judge of sin, is gross error! It is in fact His love that will demand justice be brought on those who have not ‘known’ Him. God’s love is not a fickle, fluffy, cover-all-without-righteous-process, kind of love. Calvary is the evidence that His love demands justice. Those who believe in Jesus have their sins remitted and paid for by Christ’s sacrifice at Golgotha, but their sin WAS PAID FOR! The love and righteousness of God, demanded that sin be judged! Through the atonement at Calvary, He has already given mankind the way ‘out’ of future judgment and death, by judging sin on the cross, in the death of Jesus. When humans refuse to ‘know’ God, that is, to acknowledge Him, His love and what He has done for them, they are placing themselves in line for the judgement, which is coming on this earth. They are saying by their actions, they do not want the salvation from death, which God has provided. They are despising God’s provision, and turning away from the only hope of escape. They are stating, they are not accountable for their actions to God and that He has no claim or authority over them. They are denying the fact that as the Creator of all things, including humans, He is our God and King! In spite of this wilful ignorance of God, disregard of His laws, choice to live in sin, and give their life’s allegiance to the devil and their own fleshly desires, many will still claim that ‘because God is love’, He will not judge them or punish them with an eternal retribution! This is simply wishful thinking! The kind of judgement which God has already purposed and revealed in His Word, which He will visit on sinful humanity, is intense with the purity of His Holiness and the indignation of His righteousness! Described as a ‘flaming fire’, the vengeance or judgement of God, is not going to be comparable in devastation, destruction and permanence, to anything man has ever known before! Sin demands and merits such reckoning. God has given man plenty of time and warning to evade, get out of the way and escape such judgement. The real question is why does most of humanity not heed to the loving wooing of the Saviour? Let us make every effort to warn those around us of the impending danger they are facing outside of Christ!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Mar 11

“Which is not another…” Galatians 1:7

Paul had laboured hard with the church at Galatia. He had ensured that they were exposed to the whole counsel of God and understood the gospel of truth. Here we find him expressing surprise and concern over how quickly and with little discernment, they were influenced to follow teaching, which did not support or reflect the truth they had learned from him. Sadly this is not an uncommon fact among many believers. Those who instead of aligning what they hear to God’s Word, as the plumbline and benchmark, merely accept anything that ‘sounds like truth’, will inevitably end up accepting error and a false gospel. False doctrine, promulgated by false teachers, was a serious concern in the early church, and it remains a primary cause of alarm in our day and age. Far too many subscribe and too easily consent to teachings of men, that cannot be satisfactorily substantiated by the Holy Scriptures. Tradition and cultural preferences, often play a major part of bending understanding, and twisting the truth of the Bible to suit the customs and practices of the people being addressed. To some degree this was happening in the early New Testament church, where people of various cultures and established religions, came into the relatively new Christian faith, in spite of accepting Christ, they also tended to include and impose factors of their own beliefs, upon others. Paul speaks against these troublesome individuals, and sees them as perverting the pure and true gospel of Christ. Satan has been intent in manipulating humanity to adulterate and pollute the purity of God’s Word. During the establishment of the church, and often since, many ‘gospels’, so called, have been formulated, and offered as ‘truth’. Paul makes it clear that though some may present alternatives as ‘another gospel’, they are not really “the Gospel” at all! We too must take a stand the way he did. We live in a time when all kinds of substitutions, changes and replacements are being inflicted upon the established Word of God. Many gnostic writings, which had in the past already been disqualified from being included as part of the revealed and inspired message from God, are being resurrected, and presented as viable options and choices of belief for Christians. We should view this as Paul did - a perversion and falsification of the truth! When we hear or read material which cannot be aligned with the revealed Word of God, the Bible, as it has been known and established now for many centuries, let us stand firm and resolute for the truth. It has been correctly stated that "if we do not stand for truth, we will fall for every lie". We are encouraged to distinguish and discern truth from error, through the Spirit of God and the inspired text. It ultimately becomes our personal responsibility to stay true to God and not be moved, affected or persuaded by any of the winds of false doctrine and false gospels, published and proclaimed by false teachers. Let us carefully buy into, treasure and never sell out, the truth God reveals to us from His Word!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion