Galatians 1:6-7: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Which is not another; but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”
The Departure.
The opening lines in my prelude to this literature were a paraphrase inspired by the lyrics in the gospel song titled People Need The Lord, written by Greg Nelson and Phil McHugh in 1983. That song captures the essence of what I’m writing in this literature, and it will form the fulcrum on which it revolves.
Because we were created by a higher being (Almighty God), we have this innate desire to associate with Him; nothing else can truly replace that. People know that they need a Saviour to save them from their limitations; we all have limitations, but only those to whom it really matters seek God’s intervention. Do you?
Ps. 61:2 – “From the ends of the earth, I will cry to you for help, for my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
Ps. 61:3 – for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.” NLT
However, it is not everyone who responds to that natural need for God; some even ignore Him. Others deliberately move headlong into uncertainty, with their load of care, avoiding the very thought of finding help in the Saviour, Jesus Christ, because they view such a decision as weakness; they would rather figure out a plan for their self-help. But is depending on Jesus Christ really a weakness? Is it a shame to turn to one’s Maker for the very help they know is beyond their own reach? Why do people have such a mindset? Why do people view religion as a weakness? Why do some people have such an uncharitable view about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Why would anyone keep carrying the heavy load of sin and guilt they are not supposed to carry anymore? Is it because they disbelieve that the atonement for our sins paid by Jesus Christ’s blood is real? Who is working behind the scenes to rob mankind of their right to seek solace in a Saviour who’s willing to accept them as they are? Did I hear you say Satan?
Rev. 12:9: “And the huge dragon was cast down and out – that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him.” (AMP)
Yes, you’re right, but he’s just a deceiver whom anyone can resist unless they have found his deception too good to ignore for the reality that God loves and cares for them; and that’s the sad reality with most people! Mankind’s complacency is their own undoing!
Satan is guilty of deceiving mankind, but then mankind is also guilty of spreading that deception, too!
I listened in total shock as a very popular bishop of one of the Pentecostal churches in Nigeria publicly declared in a YouTube video that God has not called them to preach about heaven and hell. He said that even though they believed in the existence of those two spiritual dimensions, one of which is where a sinner or a saint must ultimately spend eternity, yet he insisted that God didn’t call them to preach that! So, in essence, he was saying that they don’t talk to people about that in their sermons because they’re not obligated to. What can be more proof of a departure from God’s way than that?! For the avoidance of any doubt it is imperative to note that the basic message in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that of reconciliation with God which leads to eternal life in Heaven for those who believe, and a warning of eternal condemnation to Hell for those who depart from God. The preaching of those basic truths of the Gospel is the duty of every child of God. It is unfortunate for anyone to want to hide under the facade of a specialized call in order to deny their unfortunate members the benefit of this very important truth. How else can they be warned of the consequences of a Christless life without mentioning Hell fire, or of the hope of eternal life with Jesus Christ without mentioning Heaven? In His Gospel Jesus Christ mentioned Hell 11 times and Heaven more than 50 times; should a wilful departure from His lead in this matter not be construed as a departure from the truth? Whose agenda is this really? Who are its targets? It is bad enough that Satan has a choke hold on man’s innate desire for God, but it is even more tragic that man himself supports the devil with their recklessness.
Jer. 2:12 – “The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay, says the LORD.
Jer. 2:13 – For my people have done two evil things: They have forsaken me–the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” NLT
Complacency makes people keep forsaking the God whom their innermost being screams for! They think “I’m fine,” so they stop fighting to be free from Satan’s lies, stop seeking the true way to eternal light and life, and try to stop feeling the weight of a life without Jesus Christ. The innate need is still there, but they’ve numbed it. That’s the smoke screen doing its job!
Job 36:5 – “God is mighty, yet he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.
Job 36:8 – If troubles come upon them and they are enslaved and afflicted,
Job 36:9 – he takes the trouble to show them the reason. He shows them their sins, for they have behaved proudly.
Job 36:10 – He gets their attention and says they must turn away from evil.
Job 36:11 – “If they listen and obey God, then they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant.
Job 36:12 – But if they refuse to listen to him, they will perish in battle and die from lack of understanding.
Job 36:13 – For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help.” NLT
Programs keep running, songs keep playing, but nobody’s desperate for God anymore. We mistake our much involvement with church activity for being born again.
People drown their innate desire for God with work, vibes, hustle, and they call the forcefully silenced conscience “peace of mind” when it’s really just a temporal anesthesia. Jesus Christ warned about it in Revelation 3:17:
“You say, I am rich… and do not know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”
That’s complacency; a wrong diagnosis of one’s self, and it makes a man think he needs better circumstances. The truth is he needs a new birth, because the problem is innate. Only Jesus Christ can truly fill in the God-shaped vacuum in the lost sinner’s heart. But will they come to Him? Will you now?
Isa. 53:6: “All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own…” NLT
To Be Continued.