More than two weeks ago we have been doing Birthday celebration services, you know November is the month which most members in our Church celebrate birthdays.
Then, more than a week ago, we conducted a funeral service in a very indigent family which requested us to conduct the Bible Services and the funeral service for free.
I have also speaking invitations for the thanksgiving celebrations in November and this month of December. Thank God for the opportunities.
Also, I was requested to preach in a Bible Service in the home of the Municipal employee who died with brain cancer. This family belongs to the rich family in the town and the reason that most visitors during that night I preached the gospel were the richest people in the town with the Municipal Officials.
I felt little bit nervous to preach at the front of these people, but anyway the Lord used me with the power of the Holy Spirit, which also gave me wisdom.
The Message
I preach the word of God taken from 2 Peter 3:10-18.
I emphasized about our life and everything we have here on earth is only temporary and we are going to live in eternity, then if we are saved we will live with God in the new heaven and the new earth, but, if we are not saved we will go to the everlasting torment.
Then I quoted Lazarus and the rich man in the book of Luke.
I let them to picture out how terrible must be to be in hell/hades like the rich man who asked a one drop of water from a finger of Lazarus to satisfy his thirst, but never granted. And the problem having tormented with tremendous thirst, he was never be dehydrated and have to die, but lives in eternal torment.
The last request of the rich man who is in hell/hades tormented, was to send Lazarus to his 5 brothers to tell them to repent of their sins before they will die so that they will not go with him in hell. The rich man in hell felt a great concern for his brothers who are not ready to go to heaven. But again his request was not granted.
Why does the rich man go to hell/hades after he died? Is that because he was rich and Lazarus went to heaven or paradise because he was poor? No!
The reason why the rich man is tormented in hell because of unbelief about God.
We will see clearly that he was full of unbelief about God, when Abrahan said to him, Moses and the Prophets are there on earth let them hear and believe their message. But the rich man, replied no! They will not believe unless one will rise from the dead to tell them about life after death.
Now why the rich man say that they will not believe Moses and the Prophets?
It is because he experienced already with his 5 brothers that they have heard the message about God preached to them, but they never believed. And the reason he was so concern because if they will not believe the message and repent of their sins while still alive they will go to where he is after they died.
My Opportunity To Preach The Gospel
So I have now the opportunity to preach to the audience about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I said, forgiveness of sins is only granted after a heartfelt repentance, but repentance will not take please unless he first heard and believed the message of the gospel.
There I emphasized the importance of the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the importance of the task of the preacher.
In order to be saved or someone will repent and his sins will be forgiven, there must be a preaching of the gospel first before it is accepted. Jesus said, go to all the world and preach the gospel, he that believes and is baptized shall be saved.
Apostle Paid said, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to them that believed...
The Audience
While I was preaching, there was a very silent mode of the people, listening, the Holy spirit was cooperating, the dogs never did any noise, I remember one time I preached, there was a dog always barking. But this time, it was really God in action, even the microphone and the amplifier cooperated. The owner of the amplifier told me after the service that he was wondering that his amplifier has no problem during the service.
When I started to preach, it seems the others were hesitant because they were talking with the group, but after the introduction, I've got their attention, because I said, no one can escape from death and the judgement of God.
So I continue to preach, about the way of God that people will get saved from sins. I said, God saved us through the Lord Jesus Christ who died to pay our sins, then what Jesus did must be known to all people by means of preaching and it is up to you to believe or not the gospel.
But the Bible says, he that believes will be saved but those who don't believe will be damned.
That is exactly what happened to the rich man who will forever be tormented in hell, because he don't believed God. When someone do not believe the gospel, he actually rejected the only means of God for him to saved.
People will not go to hell because they have committed the grievous sins; stealing, murdering and so forth, but they go to hell because of unbelief about God. There is no grievous sin in the power of the blood of Jesus for someone who believe the gospel, but only the sin of unbelief that the power of the blood of Jesus become powerless.
Those are the points that made no one did not raise their hands when I requested them to raise their hands with faith in God for their salvation. Hallelujah! Then I led them into prayer!
Jesus Did Not Pay The Sin Of Unbelief
After the service I was wondering, why is the condition for salvation is believe? Why did Jesus say, there must be a belief of the gospel for salvation?
As I meditate the word of God, I remember what I said the message that it is unbelief about God that makes man a sinner. He is not a sinner after he committed the sins.
Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, they were not sinners after they have eaten the fruit of the forbidden tree, but they become sinners before they ate that fruit, it was the sin of unbelief in the word of God.
God said to them, do not eat or else you will die. Doubt came into their hearts followed up by unbelief then the action. Before they have eaten the fruit, they were sinners already.
Murders, adultery and all committed sins are only the results of the sin of unbelief. Jesus never died for the sin of unbelief, he only died for the results of the sin of unbelief.
Jesus only paid the fruits of unbelief, but not the sin of unbelief. The reason why, one must have to believe the gospel because Jesus never died for unbelief. He bore our sins, he paid already our sins, those are the sins - the actions of our sinful nature.
We are not to pay our sins anymore, Jesus paid it all, but we are responsible for our belief.
We are not responsible for the payments of our sins, but we are responsible for our belief. People will not go to hell because they have committed sins, but they will go to hell because of their unbelief of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That is why, salvation will be received by faith/belief in the gospel our Lord Jesus Christ.
PS
Prayer requests:
Please pray for a good digital Camera that we can use for our activities. My wife won a digital camera in 2004 in a raffle draw of Avon Cosmetics that she is a dealer. But in 2009, it got troubled beyond repair. From that time, we used to borrow a camera when we have highlight occasions. We have so many activities that cannot take a good picture.
Include also in your prayer for the Sunday school department building for children. We need some finances to build this project, since the children in our church is increasing in number.
Thanks....
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