Christian Support Group Community Group
This is a place for everyone who loves Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (or those who are seeking Him), to come and discuss important issues in their lives and find support from fellow believers in regards to their faith and life. We uphold the Bible and living a Christ-like life, not as a way to heaven, but as a reflection of our love for God.
A HARSH VERDICT
This seems a harsh verdict (to born-again believers) but it comes surely out of a loving, compassionate heart:
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
However despite the harsh the warning, there is still hope in the last section. God has not abandoned them, but rather has told them if they repent, they will be restored to Jesus, and they will be victorious.
I think we need to take this warning seriously! There are many today who are antinomians, and say we only need to "rest in God's grace." They have even changed the definition of repentance. I won't mention publicly the name of this group here, but if you want to pm me, I will tell you the name and the leader of this group.
I also know there have been times I have turned away from God. For example, after 4 or 5 years of unending RA pain and deformities, I stopped reading my Bible, praying and going to church for 2 years. God did not give up on me. He whispered for me to read the Psalms. I finally picked up my Bible and started reading 5 a day. I learned that the Bible had real people, with hurts and pains, and they often cried out to God in despair. And God met them where they were, just as he met me!
That is when God gave me a new Bible believing church with friendly people and then called me to go to seminary. I could not do the work and ministry I am doing now if I had not gone through that deep valley, where I thought God had abandoned me. Of course, it was me that turned away from God, but yet, he never left me or forsook me!