Missing Parts of the Gospel

There are two very important parts of the Gospel of the Kingdom preached by Jesus Christ that that are so often entirely neglected.

1. God's Wrath
- Very rarely talked about, but what does it look like?

Joel 2:1-11 KJV

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.  The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:  And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

2. Repentance
- Occasionally it is spoken of, but what does it look like?

Joel 2:12-14 KJV

Therefore also now, saith the Lord , turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.  Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

Whatever it Takes

All the time as God has me witnessing  to people I hear their problems and I see the calamity that lays before them, and I do not attempt to steer them from it. I know that God brings us to a place of brokenness so that we can be humbled before Him, and ANYTHING a person must endure to get there is absolutely worth it. In fact, to the contrary, I pray that God will crush their pride, whatever it takes, so that they may turn to Him. If Hell served that same purpose, then I would not feel the need to prevent it.

I went to prison for 20 months, and it was an absolute blessing that I would never change. It was an opportunity that most people don't get, because I got to spend 6 to 8 hours a day in prayer and reading the Bible for 20 months. To some that would suck, but anything that brings us closer to Jesus is well worth it.

Here is a very real example in my life... I have men in my life that God has given me to love from when I was in prison. One guy in particular has gotten out and violated, got out again and violated again, and got out again. When I talk to him I tell him that if he belongs to God He will do whatever is necessary to bring him to Himself. Him going back to prison doesn't even cause me to flinch because I see the scope of the eternal. Whatever it takes will be well worth it. I know how bad prison sucks because I too was there, but who cares how bad it hurts if that is what is required to bring about the glory of God?

I have another friend, a very dear brother of mine, who has served 25 years in prison so far. He is a godly man now (has been for the last 15 years), and I would love to see him free. The thing is that we both know that our lives are God's, and we are willing to endure whatever He has called us to for His glory. We know that anything we endure for ANY amount of time is worth eternity with Christ.

If Hell was a duration of time that would end, and the result was eternal life, I would encourage anyone to endure whatever God has called them to knowing that the end result was eternal life.

Paul is the most blessed man with spiritual maturity in the Bible after Jesus came (in my opinion), and if I have this eternal perspective even though I am nobody how much more did He?! In Romans 9 he expresses his great sorrow for the Jews who could not receive the promises. If their missing out was only for a duration of time I am sure his response would have been of joy instead of sorrow.

I know it isn't though, so I preach the Kingdom of God and call people urgently to repentance.

Just Me

Coming to Christ is a point in a person's life where we see the truth about our depravity for the first time, and see the hope in what Jesus Christ did for us. God wants us to be free, for this is salvation. True freedom. Free from what other people think about us. Free from the guilt, the shame, and the burden of the things we have done. Free from our fears. Free from our limitations. Freedom to just be our selves, to be who God made us to be. Hope that God can do what we cannot, that where we fall short He is able to make up the difference. The moment of surrender before God, being baptized in the Holy Spirit, is THEE definitive moment of TRUTH in our lives. It is the moment where we come to terms with who we really are, who God really is, and what He has truly done for us. This is THEE moment of truth. From this point forward we will continue to grow into a person of commitment, of integrity, and of truth.

Some of us are able to just ignore the truths of the things we have done, which gives us escape from the guilt and shame temporarily, but in doing so the real us is subsequently buried even deeper behind our lies and denial. If we cannot at least be honest with our self, how can we ever be honest with anyone around us? A person who has a desire to be the best that they can be, to love those in their lives as perfectly as possible, will inevitably come to terms with the truth. Others will be satisfied with the relationships in their lives being shallow and empty, and may never have to come to terms with the truth. They will hold tight to their illusion no matter how the relationships around them suffer. We hide our sin from those who love us and from God Himself. We cannot be open, or honest, because of fear of what people may say or do.

There is such freedom in "coming clean", in facing the truth of who we are and what we have done. When we confess our sins, we are making ourself transparent. We are able to then simply deal with things in truth. Yes we did that, and yes we did that. Our "yes" is able to be "yes", and our "no" is able to be "no". When we reach the point that we can honestly say... "I am a liar." "I am a cheat." "I am a manipulator." "I am selfish.", we are then getting to where we can deal with truths.

At this point we have come to terms with who we really are, and must then decide what we want to do about it. Many of us will simply justify all of the things that we have done by either blaming our actions on someone else, or something else. We are capable of justifying whatever we want, however we want. Some will show simple complacency and just state that they are good with who they are. These people are those who do not care about what they have done to others by their actions. They are good, so they don't care. There there are still those who see what their actions have done to others, and their hearts break. It is these that come to their knees before Jesus. They no longer want to hurt anyone else, and there is great repentance for the things they have done.

The guilt and shame from the things we have done is washed away by the blood that was shed to forgive us. We are set free, because we acknowledge and accept that we are a sinful person. These things dwell in our flesh, and so we openly acknowledge them. We look to God to cause us to walk in love, giving everything we have to give to those around us. When we fall short of our goal, which we do constantly, we remember the blood of Christ, the love of God, and we repent, pick ourself back up, and start fresh. We never give up. We never stay down.

I am just a man, and I will never be perfect. Sometimes I lie. Sometimes I manipulate. I am far from perfect, but I know who I am. I am not afraid to just be myself. I am not ashamed that I am not perfect. I trust in God. I trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. As I spend more time with Him, the desires of my heart have changed. I lie less. I manipulate less. However, the sin will always be in this flesh. I do not need to bare the weight of guilt though. When I sin, I confess my sin, I whole heartedly repent, and I move on. All of our sins have been forgiven, and I do not need to hide myself from my Maker. I trust in Him to make me who He made me to be. I am free to be just me, and that is in Christ.

After God's own heart...

Everything in the world around us wants to give us a measuring stick, and tell us that we are capable to pass judgement. In fact, not only that we are capable, but that we have the right to do so. This was the result of the fall of man. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they made the choice to do as they pleased. As a result, from that point forward man has believed we have the right and the ability to choose right from wrong. This belief system has allowed for us to justify the ambiguity that exists in everything from our reasoning to our laws.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
- Genesis 3:6-11

When their eyes were opened they decided that it was a bad thing that they were naked, and that they should cover themselves up. This was not a bad thing, for this was how God had made them. It was through their own reasoning that they came to this conclusion. Then, based on their own discernment and the consequential shame, they decided it was prudent to hide them self from God. Notice what God says to them. "Who told you that you were naked?" God is asking them, "Who told you that this is a bad thing."

It is this belief that we have the right to decide right from wrong that separates us from God. We so easily look at a situation, or a person, and pass judgement. We want people to "measure up" to what we think they should be, or maybe what the world says they should be. Know this though my friends. Whatever we judge in another, KNOW that it is in us as well. The reason why we judge is because we desire to minimize that which is in our self.

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
- Romans 2:1

Who do we think we are anyways to be able to judge another? Are we really so delusional to think that we are better than they? If we do find our selves judging another, let us take that as a huge red flag that we should examine our own life for that thing we see in others. We are fools if we think we have any leg to stand on in comparing our self to another person.

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
- Romans 14:4

Judgement belongs only to God, and Jesus is ready to judge the living and the dead. Let us not put our self in the place of God, less we be put to shame for our conceit.

You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’
- Deuteronomy 1:17

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
- 2 Timothy 4:1

Let us give a perfect example of how the judgement of our own discernment is not the same as God's. Let us discuss a man who committed adultery with a married woman, while he was also married. God's says this is evil, and to not do it.

You shall not commit adultery.
- Deuteronomy 5:18

In fact, He says that to even look at a woman with lust is adultery, and that we should go to ANY extent to keep our self from sinning in such a grievous manner. He continues to state that if we divorce our wife for any other reason than sexual immorality, that we are causing her to commit adultery. God is so very clear about the importance and sanctity of marriage.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
- Matthew 5:27-32

In fact, God says that He hates divorce and that we are not to do it. He allowed for divorce only because our hearts are so hardened and selfish that often we cannot endure in love to see through our commitment.

“For the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”
- Malachi 2:16

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
- Matthew 19:4-9

It is from these principles that the traditional wedding vows are derived. In our world we live in today, most people would not consider this to be that big of a deal. We have strayed from God and do what feels good and right in our own eyes. Our judgement is so very different from God's in this aspect.

Let us continue to discuss the same man, who then proceeded to kill the woman's husband to conceal his sin. In today's world this would be considered murder in the first degree, punishable by the death sentence or life in prison. There is no disagreement about whether murder is wrong. As God says it is, so far, so do we. Granted this can change with time and circumstances, as is painfully evident in Nazi Germany in the 1940's and in other nations even today. We can justify the murder of another human however we like, but that doesn't make it right. This man did horrible things by any standard.

If we were to look at this man, though his adultery would not cause many people to blush now days, the homicide just might raise an eyebrow, maybe. We would all find it very easy to look at such a man, judge him and say that he is trash. It would be so easy for us to say that such a man has no right to even talk about God. This man did so when told of himself in a parable by the prophet Nathan. King David responded to such a man with great anger.

So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
- 2 Samuel 12:5

The thing is though... God called this man a man after His own heart. It was not, obviously, because the man did no wrong, but it was because of his repentant heart. When King David was confronted with his sin, he was deeply remorseful and repented. He desired to do what was right, and to please God. He desired to do what God wanted him to do. He accepted that he wasn't perfect, admitted what he had done, and turned from his sin completely and did what was within his ability to make it right.

And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’
- Acts 13:22

God does not expect us to be perfect, but to be repentant. He wants us to desire to do His will. He wants us to acknowledge our sins, confess our sins, and then to turn completely from them. If we judge based on what we see and perceive, then we might be missing something amazing that God is doing. Not only is it not our place to judge, but Jesus says that if we would give up that right that we would have no sin.

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
- John 9:41

We should let God be God, and leave the judging to Him, lest we our self fall into judgement. That person we are so quick to judge may be a chosen vessel by the Lord. He may be doing a great work in thier life, that He may be glorified. We do not know what God is doing. Ananias was faced with a similar situation. Saul, who was killing Christians, was in need of healing. God told Ananias to go to Saul, but Ananias said that he was a murderer. God said He had plans for Saul though, and that Ananias was to go to him.

Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
- Acts 9:13-15

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
- Isaiah 55:8-9

Let us only be concerned with where we stand before God. It is NEVER too late for us to turn to the Lord. He stands, ready to forgive, with the price for our sin already being paid in full. He will take us from where we are, and help us make right the wrongs we have done.

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
- 1 John 2:2

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
- Revelation 3:20

Let us turn to God! Let us confess our sins, and ask God to heal us. The forgiveness is already there, but we must humble our selves before Him. We must own up to the things which we have done, and we must desire to turn from our old ways entirely. Without turning to God, we stand under His wrath, abiding in the curses. If we will only come to Him, He promises to heal us.

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
- John 3:36

Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
- Hosea 6:1

It is NEVER too late!! NOBODY is too far gone! Let us not be fools and condemn someone else based on what we see. We have no idea what God is doing in someone's life, or even what He may have planned in our life.