15/01/2012 - THE HIGHER PURPOSE OF CHRISTIANS

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To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

II Thessalonians 2:14

Our message to the people has nothing to do with what religions preach throughout the world. A big mistake made by missionaries sent to the most diverse places on Earth where the Gospel followers are still a minority is to associate with the religious men who claim to be Christians. Those missionaries panic at the local hostility and in order to protect themselves they band with some \”Christian missionaries\” whose Christianity is only a façade. As a matter of fact they do not understand that the Lord’s command “Greet no one along the road” (Luke 10.4) must be complied with. If those missionaries had the same glory that dwelt in Jesus they would be protected as the Lord was.

Before we heard the Word of God we were lost and had no prospect of salvation. But then, the sweet message of the cross enlightened us and, with joy and faith, we made the best decision of our lives. As a result, the devil\’s power over us came to an end and we became part of God\’s people.

However, knowing he would not be able to undo the work that the Spirit of God has done for us, the devil has strived to turn us into religious bigots. This is very dangerous because if this happens, we will end up neglecting the commandments of the Most High, and he who does not keep nor fulfill the orders of the Father does not love Him and therefore is not loved by Him.

Our call is more than just a mere change of religion. We were taken out of the kingdom of darkness and conveyed into the Kingdom of the Son of God (I Peter 2:9). The old marks of the past no longer exist on us. By faith in the name of Jesus and with the guidance of the Word, we can do all the things that the Savior did in His earthly ministry (John 14:12).

We must understand that even achieving some success in faith there is something else we must obtain. The apostle Paul said we must obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This should become a target to be pursued. The same anointing poured out upon the King of Kings is at our disposal. The Son of the Most High left His divine prerogatives and came to earth to be a man like us. Now, if we obtain His glory, we can act the same way Jesus acted.

The glory given to Jesus enabled Him to act like God. One day He stood in the boat, which swung wildly in the middle of a raging storm, and commanded the wind and the sea to stand still. Therefore, both the wind and the sea obeyed Him. Christ ordered the lame to walk, the dumb to speak, the blind to see and the demons to beat a retreat and His commands were never disobeyed. The same can happen in your life: you will be a blessing when you have the Lord\’s glory.

In Christ with Love,

R. R. Soares