"And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 'The kingdom of heaven is like......'" (Matthew 22:1)
In Matthew 13:10, the disciples asked Jesus, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" One of the reasons Jesus, "spoke...by parables," is that He did not "offer" The Kingdom of Heaven to the flippant, those caught up in the heat of emotion, to get out of some kind of trouble, the casual religion seeker. The Kingdom of God/Heaven is for, "those who hunger and thirst after righteousness," those who, "hunger and thirst after," the Living Triune God Himself, those who hunger to be obedient Followers of Jesus Christ, in short, "those who hunger." Vine says that the Greek word for, "hunger," means, "to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire."
If you ever study the revival meetings of Charles Finney, you will notice that he did not allow entrance into the Kingdom, responses to the message of salvation, the "born again experience" to be a casual decision. Many times Finney would tell people who responded to the Gospel message, "If you are sincere, come back this evening." Wesley instituted "the mourners' bench," a place and attitude of, "For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, not to be regretted of; but the sorrow of the world produces death." It was not a time of, "Well, I really messed up my life," but a time of, "against You and You only have I sinned."
Henry Clay Morrison, the president of Asbury College in the early twentieth century, once said, "There are many thousands and tens of thousands of souls in Paradise today who found Jesus Christ as a personal Savior at the mourner's bench. It will be well understood that there is not virtue in a bench, by whatever name it may be called, but it was good for the sinner, before the congregation and community, to rise up in open surrender and come forward and kneel at that humble little altar, as a confession of sin before his fellow beings, throwing him or herself upon the mercy of God."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I earnestly desire to be a fisher of men as You were and are. Amen.
*********
Be sure to see a Pro Israel Voters' Guide at: www.apf327.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
In Matthew 13:10, the disciples asked Jesus, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" One of the reasons Jesus, "spoke...by parables," is that He did not "offer" The Kingdom of Heaven to the flippant, those caught up in the heat of emotion, to get out of some kind of trouble, the casual religion seeker. The Kingdom of God/Heaven is for, "those who hunger and thirst after righteousness," those who, "hunger and thirst after," the Living Triune God Himself, those who hunger to be obedient Followers of Jesus Christ, in short, "those who hunger." Vine says that the Greek word for, "hunger," means, "to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire."
If you ever study the revival meetings of Charles Finney, you will notice that he did not allow entrance into the Kingdom, responses to the message of salvation, the "born again experience" to be a casual decision. Many times Finney would tell people who responded to the Gospel message, "If you are sincere, come back this evening." Wesley instituted "the mourners' bench," a place and attitude of, "For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, not to be regretted of; but the sorrow of the world produces death." It was not a time of, "Well, I really messed up my life," but a time of, "against You and You only have I sinned."
Henry Clay Morrison, the president of Asbury College in the early twentieth century, once said, "There are many thousands and tens of thousands of souls in Paradise today who found Jesus Christ as a personal Savior at the mourner's bench. It will be well understood that there is not virtue in a bench, by whatever name it may be called, but it was good for the sinner, before the congregation and community, to rise up in open surrender and come forward and kneel at that humble little altar, as a confession of sin before his fellow beings, throwing him or herself upon the mercy of God."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I earnestly desire to be a fisher of men as You were and are. Amen.
*********
Be sure to see a Pro Israel Voters' Guide at: www.apf327.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
