In our Bible study this week, we came to a passage of Scripture, and it really pointed out to me one of the biggest problems in the church in America today. In Luke 14:26-33 Jesus
says, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. For which of
you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘this man began to build and was not able to finish?’… So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My
disciple.”
People misread this and think He is telling you to hate your family, but look at the context of the entire passage. He is saying to count the cost. That you should love Him more than even your family. That if you really follow Jesus and talk about Him and witness to people, you may alienate family members…follow Jesus anyway. Don’t be afraid of what man can say, and make sure you are ready to die for Him. Count the cost. Jesus says there is a cost to following Him. But when is the last time you heard that preached in a typical church in America? The Jesus being peddled amongst most of the mainline preachers and teachers is a Jesus with NO cost. He not only saves you, He also helps you get a better marriage, a better life, and when He comes back, you skip the tribulation period and go straight to the wedding supper of the Lamb. No risk, no downside, just a loving Father who is going to make sure you get rewarded even for doing nothing; just saying you love Him is all you have to do. It DIRECTLY contradicts tons of Scripture, including the one above, and contradicts even what we see in the lives of the disciples. Those guys, Peter and Paul and the rest, mostly died martyrs' deaths. They probably followed Jesus a lot closer than most lukewarm Christians in America, and it didn’t end well. They were persecuted, thrown in Jail, etc.
The church in America is lukewarm because we teach a “success-driven grace” instead
of actual Biblical truth. It simply is not true that there is no downside to following Jesus.
If your Jesus story is all rainbows and kittens and everyone loves you still, then you are
likely not following Jesus the way He tells you to. The average Christian in America does not witness to even one unsaved person; they just don’t talk about Jesus unless they are around other Jesus followers. But approach someone at work who is not a Christian and witness…that rarely happens. We are taught not to talk about church and politics at work.
That is straight from the devil-how else are they going to hear if Christians don’t tell
them? And Jesus is coming soon. So I ask you-how are you living? Are you telling your unsaved friends about Jesus? Or are you keeping Him to yourself? What happens if your unsaved friend dies and he finds out that Jesus could have kept him out of Hell and you knew Jesus and never shared it? And now he faces eternity in Hell…not a very good friend, are you? Let’s get after it today. Let’s get our house in order, spiritually, mentally, physically, so we can be ready when the end times come to witness and lead everyone we
know to Jesus. The time is coming soon. Are you ready?
Pastor Brian
P.S. My message this week will be on “Getting our house in order”. I will be talking about how to get spiritually, mentally, and physically ready for Jesus’ return. Whether it is next month, next year, or 10 years, there is no downside to getting your house in order. And of course, we will be learning it straight from Jesus’ own words. It is a MUST-hear sermon, so you don’t want to miss it. And come ready to take notes; it is that important! If you don’t have a church home and you are within an hour of Lawrenceville, I encourage you to check out our little church. You will feel the love the minute you walk in the door. There truly is no other church quite like it. Check us out! 10:30 on Sunday morning at 900 Cripple Creek Dr., Lawrenceville. It will encourage and help you grow, and you will feel loved! So come this Sunday; we'd love to have you! If you can’t make it, you can watch it on our YouTube channel @TheGreatAwarenessChurch, where we livestream every Sunday or catch it during the week. Be blessed!
P.P.S. My book, “The Last Instructions of Jesus (Before He Comes Again)," is a deep dive into Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus' last words, and it is a game-changing book. You can click on this link to order or go online to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. Click the link below and get yours today!
https://www.westbowpress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/867418-the-last-instructions-of-jesus
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV)