Two Extremes in April 2012

Last week we were all basking in hot weather 

which is unusual for the time of year,

the daffodils and other flowers were flourishing,

the sheep and their young were frisking about the meadows,

ladybirds were in abundance, 

as was the blossom.

it was glorious

The sun cast shadows everywhere.

How quickly things have changed

in the past two weeks, we have had two extremes of weather

Revelation 3:14-22

¹⁴"And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,' these things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

¹⁵I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 

¹⁶So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 

¹⁷Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked 

¹⁸I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 

¹⁹As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. 

²⁰Behold, 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. 

²¹To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 

²²He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." '

Genuine

There are times when it is hard to tell if something is genuine, when my daughter was a child she looked at a leather belt that said genuine leather and asked "where's genuine?"

Oft times we can get away without using the genuine article sometimes something that is compatible will do and probably be much cheaper and with something’s it doesn't matter. I recently purchased a Samsung laser printer and bought toner that was compatible, once the toner ran out and I replaced it the printer just wouldn't print right, there was no way it would accept these toners so I ordered Samsung toners and it worked fine.

It maybe doesn't matter so much with things but what about faith, religion, Christianity etc.? Does it matter what church I go to, what religion I belong to, don’t all have the same God it’s just different roads to heaven? I mean surely as long as I go to church and do good things and work hard to be good myself that’s all that really matters?

I would like to quote you something quite startling from the Bible that Jesus Himself said Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!

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So not everyone who thinks they are going to heaven are!!

How then can anyone get to heaven?

There is only one way, and that is through the Lord Jesus it has nothing to do with church attendance, it has nothing to do with how many committees you are on, it has nothing to do with good works, it has nothing to do with confessing to priests etc. etc. It has everything to do with God’s grace, if you want to be a genuine Christian. 

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. 

Redemption is a gift from God and when we repent, believe then our sins are forgiven and we walk in God’s light, we are new creatures in Him which will produce good fruit, we will want then to please and serve Him.

There is only one genuine religion, there is only one genuine God, there is only one genuine way to be saved from sin, guilt, shame and the wrath to come and the only way to find out is by reading the word of God, the Holy Bible prayerfully asking for understanding and guidance from God the Holy Spirit.

Those that enter the kingdom of heaven will be those who do the will of the Father, 

Matthew 7:21  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven, 

Acts 17:30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 

so, this is the will of the Father that we repent, how?

Acts 2 :38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

There are a lot of counterfeits and they are not compatible, only one way.....JESUS.