Matthew 12:30, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad."
Luke 11:23, "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth."
If you ask most people if they are Christian, large numbers of them will say 'Yes'. When asked how they know that they are Christian, some will explain that because their parents are Christian that means they are also. Others will point out that they never miss church, that they read the Bible every day, that they are basically a good person and they do nice things like give to the poor. The bad news is most of these people wouldn't know Jesus if He walked up and introduced Himself.
Are you with Jesus or against Him? Are you studying and praying? Are you witnessing and preaching the gospel? Jesus gave clear instructions to His followers that we are to go into all the world and preach the gospel and teach all nations (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, John 20:21, Acts 1:8) . We are to tell others about the great things that He has done for us. We are to warn all people about the danger of hell and the lake of fire, and show them the love of God that gives us the free right to choose to become one of His children (John 1:12).
"What are you talking about? I go to church every Sunday. I even tithe and give to worthy causes."
You could be in church every time the doors open and give all that you have but are you ashamed of the gospel of Jesus? Do you tell others about how Jesus set you free from sin? Do you tell them how much He loves them? Are you living as a 'Closet-Christian' or are you willing to publicly claim Jesus as Lord? If you are, do your life and attitude reflect a true victory in Jesus? Are you serious about God or are you simply doing and saying what you think other people expect of you?
"But I'm not called to preach!"
Wrong! Those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and savior have ALL been called and ordained to preach the gospel. We are ALL to be witnesses for Him. If you are not helping to advance the kingdom of God, then you are helping those who want to tear it down. There is NO middle ground here. There are no sidelines. You cannot simply say "Jesus come into my heart and forgive my sins" and then go back to living life the same as you always did. When Jesus is truly in your heart, then there is change. You grow spiritually, becoming more like Him every day.
Ephesians 5:1, "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;"
The word 'followers' in this verse is translated from the Greek word mimetes {pronounced mim-ay-tace'} [strongs number 3402] and means an imitator. God wants us to imitate Him, just like children imitate their parents. We should always be striving to hear from the Holy Spirit and His Word growing up in Him. The more we do the more we become like Him. In becoming more like Him, we understand just how drastic things are and how seriously we need to spread the Word of redemption.
Jesus said that we would do the works that He did and greater. Now I have to admit that the thought of doing greater works than Jesus is awesome, but if you think about it, it really isn't. With the many forms of mass media and the Internet, it is now possible for Christians to reach out to more people than ever before. The gospel is now being preached in nearly every nation on earth and it still isn't enough.
In today's world we have a population in excess of six billion people, out of whom only about one half billion claims to be Christian, let alone actually know Jesus. This means that there are more than five and one-half BILLION people on this earth today that are destined for the lake of fire. This is totally unacceptable.
Christians need to reach out to as many people as possible, both in our own daily lives and ministries, as well as by partnering with ministries that are making the effort to reach out to the world. Hell is horrible. The lake of fire is an unthinkable fate. If we truly love God and believe that He loves us and His love lives in us, then we want to convince as many people as we can to come to Jesus and be saved from the fate of hell and the lake of fire.
1 Peter 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"
God has chosen all of us who have chosen to follow Him. He has chosen us to be special people to Him, and that we are to preach the good news of Jesus The Anointed One and His Anointing. His choice is clear. The questions that remain are: What is YOUR choice? Will you choose Jesus? Will you choose to work for Him or against Him? Will you help gather or will you scatter?
The choice is yours. Decide Wisely. Your Eternity is riding on it.
