Although this piece is a judgment, I'm trying hard not to be "judgmental." At least, I am consciously making an effort to relinquish judgment, because Jesus asked me to in the Word. I am actually appreciative when someone informs me that I'm being judgmental so I can stop it, stop it now. This piece came rather forcefully and quickly to me and, frankly, is not something I would have chosen to write (but, in some way, I must have consented to write it). Because of its ease in coming and because it appears to have an urgency in its theme, I include it as an example of extreme Christianity. I pray that God uses this in His way for purposes beyond my own limited perception.
Stop It! Stop It Now
How many religions are there? How many different ways are there to contact God? Thousands? How long are we going to fight each other over which way is right? How long are we going to do battle with those we think are wrong? How long?
Stop it. Stop it now.
There is a long and winding line of people who hunger for the truth but somehow remain unsatisfied. The line consists of Christians, Buddhists, New-Agers, Jewish and atheists and agnostics and thousands of others. They line up, reaching for life's deepest meanings but instead of using a shovel from their own hearts, they reach with a spoon that has been forged by their religion, taste it lightly, and that is all.
Stop it. Stop it now.
There has been only one teacher who has overcome the world. Only one. Jesus Christ. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. If we are living life as if it is "same ol' same ol'" then we are not following Jesus at all.
Stop it. Stop it now.
If you are Buddhist or other eastern religion and embrace the concept of reincarnation in which you live one life after another, consider this: Would you rather have a life that is far greater than the lives you are leading now? Are you growing tired of constantly rein-habiting bodies over and over and over again? Does it look as if the door to Ultimate Enlightenment is any closer to you than it was last life?
Stop it. Stop it now.
Are you a Christian? Do you believe in Heaven or hell after death? Do you believe that, based on one prayer, accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and confessing all your sins to Him, provides you with a key to the gates of Heaven after death? Do you then sense that your work is completely accomplished even though you fail to be Christ-like on this earth?
Stop it. Stop it now.
Are you a New-Ager? Do you turn to psychics and Ouija Boards and Tarot Cards and astrology and numerology for your answers to life's questions? Has your palm been read or have you spoken with the dead?
Stop it. Stop it now.
Everyone, please, stop and consider Who has overcome the world and how He did this. Jesus Christ, pure and simple, is for ALL of us who resist His teachings and resist His example. He came to draw ALL men unto Him.
Stop it. Stop all else.
Listen.
He came that we might have abundant life and have it now. Easterners, not next life. Christians, not after death. New Agers, not at the turn of the next card or at the next psychic reading. Now!
Stop it. Stop all else.
Listen.
Jesus taught that He is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. He asked that we follow His teachings. He asked that we absorb Him, take Him into our bodies, into our hearts, into our minds and that we live our lives as if we ARE Him. Are we doing something else besides this?
Stop it. Stop it now!
Follow the One whom God sent to show us the way out of our endless, dusty, futile trails we leave on this tired planet. That One is not the Jesus Christ perceived by the Buddhists. He is not the Jesus Christ perceived by the New-Agers. He is not the Jesus Christ perceived by the Muslims. He is not the Jesus Christ perceived by the Jews. He may even not be the Jesus Christ perceived by many Christians! If you are creating your own perception of Jesus…
Stop it. Stop it now!
Jesus is for everyone. His blood was shed on the cross for all of us. Without Him, we are quite stuck and quite sick. He didn't just come to heal the sick in body. He came to heal the sick in heart, the sick in emotions and the sick in mind. If you can't see this…
Stop it. Stop it now!
And see it. Open your long shut eyes and listen to the message that came down from God directly into our ears and our hearts. Do you have any doubts that God sent His Son to us? If you do…
Stop it. Stop it now!
Look, now, to the One God sent to the world. Don't ask God to save you from just your sins. Ask Him to save you from your life! Don't ask God to make you change your mind. Change your mind NOW and forget about how you don't feel like it. The truth is true whether we feel like it or not. If you don't feel like accepting Jesus' abundant life…
Stop it. Stop it now!
Atheists and agnostics? The very life you have and the very breath you breathe is teeming with God's gift to us. Your hearts couldn't beat without God's life and without God's love. The pain and sorrow and devastation you see on this planet that has made you turn your backs on God, is not the real issue.
The real issue is you don't feel like helping God. You have given up and cast your fate to the wind. And what has the wind done with it?
Stop it. Stop it now!
Jews. Jesus was never of this world so He did not fulfill your expectations and consequently, does not qualify as the Messiah forecast in the early religious literature. While you wait for the actual Messiah to come, Jesus slipped quietly in and sits on the throne beside God in Heaven. He beckons for you to follow Him and sit with Him, but you wait and wait.
Stop it. Stop it now!
Christians. The church is where people congregate to study about and worship God. If the world's carnality is allowed to seep into it and you find that loving God and His children are no longer the highest priorities.
Stop it. Stop it now!
The world waits anxiously for answers and spends its time in commerce promoting gadgets and gizmos to make our lives easier and as entertainment advances, we all try to keep abreast of it.
Stop it. Stop it now!
Come unto Him and accept that He loves you. There is nothing here! Nothing here at all that you really want. Take His teachings at face value. You don't feel like it?
Stop it. Stop it now!
Take His love which He so generously offers. You've got more important things to do?
Stop it. Stop it now!
Believe wholeheartedly in Him because we are who He came for. We are why He died. His blood covers the earth NOW. His life (so abundant) is ours for the taking. He is the resurrection and the life! Do you have a problem with that?
Stop it. Stop it now!
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