I have been spending a lot of time meditating on God's Word and the Lord
has been speaking many things to my heart, but mostly He has led me to
focus on Salvation and so that is what today's message is about.
Before Jesus was received into heaven, the last command He gave His
disciples can be found in Mark 16:15 which declares, "Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Every believer needs to
keep in mind that there is a whole world surrounding us that needs to hear
the simple message that Jesus Saves and only through Him and the work that
He completed on the cross by His death, burial and resurrection can we be
accepted into heaven. (Ephesians 2:8-9) (Romans 10:9-10) (John 1:12)
I received this story from one of our members and thought it had a good
message of how every person needs to hear the Gospel of Christ now before
it is too late for those souls that will be lost for all eternity. Read and
think about this message and with conviction I challenge you to make up
your mind to share Christ with everyone you come in contact with.
THE LETTER FROM HELL
One day a woman named Louise fell asleep in her bed, and dreamed a very
frightful dream. She dreamed that someone in Hell wrote a letter to her,
and it was to be delivered to her by a messenger. The messenger passed
between the lakes of Hell, and found his way to the door that would lead
him to the outside world.
Louise dreamed that the messenger walked to her house, came inside, and
gently but firmly woke Louise up. He gave her the message, saying only a
friend had written it to her from Hell. Louise, in her dream, with
trembling hands took the letter and read:
My Friend I stand in Judgment now,
And feel that you're to blame somehow.
On earth, I walked with you day by day,
And never did you point the way.
You knew the Lord in truth and glory,
But never did you tell the story.
My knowledge then was very dim;
You could have led me safe to Him.
Though we lived together on the earth,
you never told me of the second birth,
and now I stand this day condemned,
Because you failed to mention Him.
You taught me many things, that's true,
I called you "friend" and trusted you,
But I learn now that it's too late,
You could have kept me from this fate.
We walked by day and talked by night,
And yet you showed me not the light.
You let me live, and love, and die,
You knew I'd never live on high.
Yes, I called you a "friend" in life,
And trusted you through joy and strife.
And yet on coming to the end,
I cannot, now, call you "My Friend."
---Marsha
After reading the letter, Louise awoke. The dream was still so real in her
mind and sweat dropped from her body in pools. She swore she could still
smell the acidic stench of brimstone and smoke from her room. As she
contemplated the meaning of her dream, she realized that as a Christian,
she failed in her duty to "Go out to all the world and preach the Gospel."
As she thought of that, she promised herself that the next day, she would
call Marsha and invite her to church with her.
The next morning she called Marsha and this was the conversation:
"Bill, Is Marsha there?" "Louise, you don't know?" "No, Bill, know what?"
"Marsha was Killed Last Night In A Car Accident. I thought you knew."
Author Unknown
There are many people who don't believe there is a real physical hell, but
they picture hell as a state of mind and not a real place. The story in
Luke 16 shows that hell is a place where all unbelievers go and in hell
the souls there have the same senses as they did when on the earth. They
can see, hear, taste, smell and remember. Here are some excerpts found in
Luke 16:19-31, which is the story of Lazarus and The Rich Man.
In Luke 16:23-24, the Bible declares "And in hell he lift up his eyes,
being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus,
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I
am tormented in this flame." Abraham then explained to him how there is
no way for them to be in physical contact because of the great gulf-fixed
set between heaven and hell. (Luke 16:26)
The man then went on to say the following in Luke 16:27-31, "I pray thee
therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I
have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into
this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the
prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if
one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him,
If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead."
I have heard many people ask the question; how can a loving God send
anyone to hell? The truth is that God does not send people to hell, but
we send ourselves to hell by rejecting the sacrifice that God made by
sending His only begotten Son to the cross to die for all mankind. God
wishes for none to perish but for all to come to repentance as it is
written in 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as
some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any
should perish but that all should come to repentance."
God has set forth His Word and has called ministers from around the world
to proclaim that only through Jesus Christ and the work that He completed
on the cross can we be saved and accepted by God the Father. Just as the
man in hell wished for his brothers to repent and believe, so it is with
God and all of the angelic host in heaven who rejoice over that soul that
has repented and been redeemed by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(John 3:16) (Acts 4:12) (Luke 15:10)
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
James 4:13-14 "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into
such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It
is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth
away."
Isaiah 55:6-7 "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him
while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man
his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy
upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Romans 6:22-23 "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to
God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For
the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord."
All scriptures can be found in the King James Version.
I encourage you to read the story of Lazarus And The Rich Man in its
entirety which is found in Luke 16:19-31 and use it as a Bible lesson if
you feel led to do so by the Lord.
To God be all the Glory, Honor and Praise for His leading and anointing
upon this work.
In Christ Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry
|