As many of you and so many millions of folks around the world, Billy Graham had a large impact on my life. God used Billy to lead me to an everlasting relationship with Him. I frequently thank Jesus for the life of the greatest evangelist the world has ever known.Later, I attended a Billy Graham rally with my wife and kids here in Atlanta. It was an awesome thing that I will never forget.
I am so very excited for Billy! Just imagine what his reception is like. Would you join me by taking a moment to celebrate his life and work? Thank you!
THE TEACHING:
Do you ever feel overwhelmed, underappreciated, all alone, anxious, worried, afraid, confused, down and out? We all have. And those feelings are due to ignorance and unbelief. Ignorance of the Gospel and refuse to believe it when we learn it. Learn the promises contained in the book of John chapter 14:12-14 and ask yourself if you are truly willing to believe Jesus without a doubt.
You need never feel like the above. The remedy is to learn the promises of Jesus, learn the character of Jesus and give your life to Jesus (for real and not half way but totally)
You can be full of joy, health, power, confidence, courage, joyful expectation, prosperity and peace (a state of complete undisturbed relaxation). You can be the shining city on the hill and the lamp to draw others.
God/Jesus/ The Holy Spirit has told us: “Neither has eye seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things that have been prepared for those of us who love them; but, they are revealed to us by the Spirit.”
We can not hear the Holy Spirit if we are distracted by the cares of this world and the noise all around us. If however, we press in, if we intentionally surrender our consciousness and attention to the voice of the King in the person of the Holy Spirit, we will be renewed and changed. Our old man will slip away and we will become new creations in Jesus. We will know peace!
Focus on our circumstances distracts us from the solution and enforces and empowers them. The answer was given to Paul by the Holy Spirit. Paul reported to us:
“For we cast our eyes not on the things which are seen; but on the things which are not seen, for the things that are seen are temporary and subject to change, but the things that are not seen are eternal and of God.
Which seem more important and urgent, the things we see or the things we don’t see? Hint: the things that we can not see, created the things we do see.
KING JESUS was pretty emphatic about the benefits of
pushing all in on Him and the consequences of a lukewarm relationship with Him.
A “Great Religious Leader” made the unwitting comment that there are “people who are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good,” In fact the opposite is true. Most people are so earthly minded that they are no heavenly good. To be earthly minded is to be earthly bound. To be heavenly minded is to be heavenly bound.
Though the King of Kings and Lord of Lords promised us that if we would be born again, (this means to actually become a new person filled with the Spirit and willing to let go of our old sin nature and the things of the flesh) we would enter the kingdom of heaven here on earth, very few actually have.
To be sure, it is impossible to invest too much in our King!
Enjoy some of Jesus’ Words about this subject:
God took me physically to the cites of all of the 7 churches of the revelation. All are located in Turkey where the Jews having been dispersed before the time of Jesus, had established “Churches/Synagogue’s.”
John, Paul, and Peter evangelized the towns and people living in that area which was known as Galatia. Laodicea is a beautiful village in Galatia, that found great wealth as a crossroads market. The city is located about 5 miles northeast of the city of Colasse the town to which Paul addressed his epistle to the Colossians.
The people practiced a mixed bag of carnality, paganism and Judaism combined into insanity.
The city of Laodicea had “disgusting water”. It was received through an aqueduct from a spring, 5 miles from the city. As one writer described it, It was lukewarm foul smelling and dirty; not hot for bathing or refreshingly cold for drinking but lukewarm. When one tasted it they would spit it out.
The church at Laodicea was neither hot nor cold but merely lukewarm in its relationship with God. Lukewarm is how I would describe many today in their walk with our King.
Read these words from Jesus; given to John on the Isle of Patmos where he had been exiled for teaching the Gospel in Ephesus a few miles west of Patmos:
“And to the church at Laodicea write: These are the Words of the Amen, the trusty and faithful and true Witness, the Origin and Beginning and Author of God’s Creation: I know your record of works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth!”
“For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor blind and naked.”
“Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be truly wealthy and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see.”
NOTE: The carnal people of the area always wore black. White was a symbol or the purity of Jesus and those who followed him.
Translation: Jesus the Amen the one who can be trusted and is the Truth and The Word, is chastening you with His Words. Pay attention, this is urgent. I see your actions. I know that you are consumed with your earthly lives. You believe that possessions and things obtained are the basis of your worth.
You believe that your things and the pursuit of them are more important than your relationship with Me, which is at best lukewarm and of no value.
CHANGE!!!!! Find your wealth in Me (Jesus) and My Gospel and things of the Spirit, which are foreign to the flesh. Let go of the pride of life and the cares of this World.
Build up your heavenly wealth by living a life committed to drawing close to Me. Make Me (Jesus) the most important thing in your life. Pursue me with all of your heart and being, and you will find what you seek in Me and My Gospel, not in earthly things.
Paul under the direction of God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, wrote this: “The carnal (flesh/earth/seen bound) mind is not subject to God. Neither can it be!” Why? Jesus gave us the answer in no uncertain terms:
“Any kingdom (our soul realm: our hearts, minds, and beliefs) that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand.”
(Matthew 12:22-24)
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You can not serve God and mammon (things of the earth, jobs, sex, money, fitness, food, shopping, alcohol and drugs, fear, anger, bigotry, hatred, bitterness, resentment, un-forgiveness, gossip, movies, news, computers, personal devices and any other thing that detracts our hearts and minds from God.)
(Matthew 6:24)
“For everyone who comes to Me and listens to My Words in order to heed their teachings, and does them, I will show you what he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid a foundation upon the rock (Jesus is the Rock) ; and when a flood arose (problems, missiles, financial challenges, health issues, fear, anxiety, worry; whatever the flood in your life) the torrent broke against the house and could not shake or move it, because it had been securely built
or founded on the rock.”
(Luke 6:49)
Here are Jesus’ promises of the benefits of investing our time and energy; in the pursuit of Him and His teachings:
“If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend.”
“And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the truth you hear will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you—and more besides will be given to you who hear.”
“For to him who has (depth of knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus and His promises) will more (Spiritual wisdom and depth of Knowledge of the things of God) be given; and from him who has nothing (lack of knowledge or desire for knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus or little knowledge or interest in the Gospel) even what he has (knowledge of the Gospel) will be taken away from him by force.” (by the lies and deceit of the evil one and the cares of this world.)
(Mark 4:24-25 )
“My Words are Spirit and Life! The flesh counts for nothing.”
(John 6:63)
“Come to me all of you who are weary and heavily burdened by religious rituals that provide no peace, and I will give you rest refreshing your souls with salivation.”
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me following me as my disciple, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest renewal, blessed quiet for your should, For My Yoke is easy to bear and My burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30)
“If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ask whatever you want and it will be yours.
(John 15:7)
King David made this true and prophetic statement:
“HE WHO dwells in the secret place (In the presence of the Holy Spirit) of the Most High (God/Jesus/ The Holy Spirit) shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the almighty (Whose power no foe can withstand).
(Psalm 91:1)
Consider these Words of King Jesus: “ Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem (and we) murdering the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you!
(Today, those who preach the un-compromised, unedited truth and ALL of the Gospel and promises of Jesus, those who are sent to you in this day, are frequently scorned, hushed, unsupported and mocked as they were then.) How I have longed to gather you up as a mother fowl gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused.
(Matthew 23:37)
More from Jesus about us of this generation and them of His:
“But to who shall I liken this generation? It is like little children sitting in the marketplaces who call to their playmates, We piped to you [playing wedding] we wailed sad mourning songs [playing funeral] and you did not mourn and beat your breasts and weep aloud.”
(Matthew 11:16-17)
Can you imagine how Jesus who paid the heaviest price that has ever been paid, to guarantee our salvation, forgiveness, health, grace, faith, prosperity and victory over the evil one and all of his; feels when we refuse to believe that He did what He said He did?
How must the King of Kings and Lord of Lords feel when we just can’t endure a long teaching about Him but spend the day at a football game?
Here is a commandment from our King:
“Enter through the narrow gate.; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.”
“But the gate is narrow contracted by pressure and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.”
(Matthew 7:13)
Translation: It is easy to walk through life ignoring God. Many will find themselves separated from God and living in eternal suffering without hope because they just don’t care. To these poor souls, the Bible is just allegorical. To them the Bible is a parable, a fairy tale, written by men, translated by men, full of error, unfair, unjust and untrue.
There are saved “believers” today who are living lives of lack, ill health, poverty, and misery.
They could easily walk in joy, health, and prosperity by learning of Jesus through study and making a choice to believe Him beyond the shadow of death. They have entered through the wide gate of self-inflicted ignorance and Spiritual apathy.
God told Hosea the prophet that His people perish for a lack of knowledge. Have you ever heard the parable of the two wolves? It speaks of two wolves inside of us.
One wolf is the Spirit the other is the flesh. The one you feed is the one who is the stronger.
Ask yourselves this question. How much time each day do you spend on work, television, computers, cell phones, iPods, politics, fitness, shopping etc; and how much time you spend on learning the promises of Jesus.
Learn about yourself, how much time of your week is devoted to praising, eulogizing and giving laudation to our Lord.
Where does Jesus fall on your totem pole?
The narrow gate is for those who find the Holy Spirit and follow Him with everything they have. There are two meanings to this teaching:
First, those who reject Jesus and attempt to enter heaven from some other way, are walking the broad path of destruction and condemning themselves.
Second, there are many who will accept and surrender to Jesus. They will spend their eternity in the kingdom of God. But on earth, they will not enter into the Kingdom of God. They will never receive, enjoy or employ the earthly power and blessings that Jesus died to give them. So sad.
There are a few who find the narrow path. Those who do, give everything they have to Jesus. They make Him their King and mean it. They freely and joyfully give their time, talents, money and strength to Jesus.
A great way to check your commitment is to look at your giving. Giving is the greatest evidence of faith. Who gives money to an unseen God or a God they do not know, or a God in whom they do not believe; except as an act of faith?
Most cheerful givers give out of love for others and our Lord. They expect nothing in return but for others to know and love Jesus as they do. Jesus taught us that “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Without Judging yourselves, ask yourself where your treasure and your heart REALLY are.
(Luke 12:34)
Benefit? God loves a cheerful prompt to do it giver and will not live without them. He multiplies their seed sown and causes all grace to abound unto them.
(2Corinthians9:6)
This is how Jesus explained the benefits of giving:
“Give and gifts will be given to you; good measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into the pouch formed by the bosom of your robe and uses as a bag. (In our world, our purses/wallets /checking accounts.) For with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others, it will be measured back to you.”
(Luke 6:38)
Those who do not give or give grudgingly and out of necessity; never know the joy of giving wholeheartedly expecting nothing in return.
There is no greater feeling than to give to support the gospel or to help another in need or to lift a person’s spirits. NOTHING in this life returns such happiness. NOTHING.
I have never seen a “cheerful” giver do without or live in lack or want.
Most “believers” believe that they can not afford to give because if they give, they will not have. When they do give, they give meaningless offerings out of coercion and grudgingly and out of necessity, which nullifies the value of the offering.
Tithing is forced, coerced, works. It is meaningless and unacceptable to God. Our Father only accepts and blesses offerings given cheerfully.
Those who choose the narrow path are plain to see!
They press in tight to our King. His Word is their life. They make a commitment to believe every single dash and comma of His teachings. They live by the Word of Jesus.
They don’t think or believe that Jesus’ Words are all precise and true, the KNOW IT! They know all of His great and precious promises and KNOW and JOYFULLY EXPECT that they want nothing.
They KNOW that Jesus has already given them everything they will ever need or want and they receive by unwavering belief.
They show joy and happiness. They are happy people. They make others smile and laugh. They are joy givers. They avoid negative people like the plague. They overflow with love for Jesus and ALL of His children. They love to give. They are not perfect but they strive to be living examples of the love of the King.
Narrow Pather ’s have little desire for the things of this world and turn from the earthly to the Godly. Their heart’s desire is to spread the unedited un-compromised Gospel of Jesus to as many folks as possible. Winning the lottery for them would just be more fuel with which to distribute the Truth.
As Jesus said. you will know them by their fruit. Jesus’ Narrow Pather’s beam love (As teacher Ron Reeser explains) to all around them.
They have no fear of anything, why should they have fear when they have the Word, Jesus, The Holy Spirit and an Angel who sees the face of God every day?
Following the narrow path is a commitment. It means to be honestly purposeful and intentional in willingness to change, and ridding ourselves of our unregenerate selves. It means to become TRULY new persons in Jesus.
Narrow Pather’s KNOW that it is not they who live, but Jesus who lives within them. They know that they died, were buried, and rose from the dead with Jesus.
Following the narrow path is a decision, a choice. Those who make that choice live in heaven on earth, because they have absolutely entered into the Kingdom of God.
And You? Ask yourself how important Jesus is to you. Do your actions reflect that? DO NOT JUDGE OR CONDEMN YOURSELF!
No one has reached Spiritual perfection. Merely check your commitment and ask yourself what you are willing to change and give to your King and the pursuit of His Word.
Have you a desire to wipe your life whiteboard clean and start all over again? Are you tired of you? Are you tired of fighting and struggling and trying to force the world to follow you?
Are you bound to the duct tape of the things you see? YOU CAN CHANGE. JESUS HAS WIPED YOUR SLATE CLEAN.
The newness of life is merely a decision you get to make by receiving Jesus and surrendering to Him and giving ALL of your cares to Him.
I pray that you will become truly committed to reprioritizing your life. I pray that you will become willing to go to any length to become a new person in Jesus. I pray that you will find the narrow path and follow it to the heavenly life Jesus gave you through His works, not yours.
This teaching was presented to you by Pastor Allen Fleming who is the leader of Throne of Grace/ KnowJesusKnowGrace.Com ministries.
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Pastor Allen Fleming
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