some pointed questions...

here are some pointed questions to ask ourselves.

what does it take to stop you in your CHRISTian walk? one little word of criticism? one little threat of criticism? somebody in your office might think you're a weirdo because you read your bible during the coffee break?

what is your faith costing you? in much of the world it's costing them their lives. we have it so easy here in america. we have air conditioned CHRISTians. we know little of suffering. we don't have to sacrifice. we think our problems are big. but most of the world would love to have our problems. their problems are just matters of survival.

at what cost would you stay faithful to CHRIST? what could cause me to deny my faith? most of us are not worried about persecution. it's convenience. if it's not convenient i don't want to do it. there was a pastor one time who said, "i want to thank you for braving the rain last sunday." have you thought about the shear stupidity of that statement, they braved the rain. that means they actually had to walk out of their warm house, under an umbrella, maybe 15 or 20 feet to get into their car with the heater turned on, of course, then drive to the church, get out of their car and maybe they walked 40 or 50 feet under their umbrella. that is sacrifice! it's just so weak! if it's not convenient forget it!

how many people know you're a CHRISTian? how many people at work know you're a believer? not that you go to church. how many of them know what you believe? big difference. there are a lot of church goers. the number one reason that people don't witness is the fear of rejection. "what will they think if i tell them GOD loves them? what will they think if i say `JESUS CHRIST died for me and you?' what will they think if i invite them to CHRISTmas service?" who cares what they think?

if i see somebody in a burning house and it's falling down and they're inside, i loose all my fear of – it's none of my business. i just run in there and get them. it becomes my business if they're dying. and there are people all around us, folks, who are dying and going to hell. 176,000 people will die and go to hell in the next 24 hours and we don't care. every time i could snap my fingers 3 people die. that's why we have our church. people need the lord. and we shouldn't care what other people think because we realize it's not really them, it's the devil behind it all. those people need CHRIST. we don't want to be different. we want CHRISTianity and culture too.

just a thought from the front porch…