Jesus Army: Magazine - Radical Bible

"Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance— isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.'" (Matthew 7:21-23,The Message)

BEWARE OF theory with no practice. The ultimate disaster (and major bonus for the enemy) for any serious God-follower is that he or she become an “expert” (chatting scriptures by the dozen) but doesn’t actually do a great deal about it. Jesus said that “from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” – if you find that God’s Kingdom has come into focus through the stuff in this mag – do something about it. Go for the life that is founded on maximum obedience (don’t even settle for 99 per cent obedience!)

James, in the Bible, puts it straight: ‘Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.’ (James 1:22-24, The Message).

The Church, particularly in the West, is haunted by Christians who have said “this far and no further.” The result is that some of the tougher parts of Jesus’ teaching are swept under the carpet of acceptable trendy religion. Hundreds have Luke 12:32 on their fridge magnets – ‘Fear not, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom’. All very good Sunday school stuff, but look at the very next verse! ‘Sell your possessions and share with the poor. Provide for yourselves treasure in heaven…’

We must, if we are to be the generation that God is looking for, take God at His word and live for the heavenly treasure. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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