The Way We Represent Christ

 The Way We Represent Christ - By Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com “Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (Psalm 32:11). We live in the time of the signs, and prophecy is being fulfilled quickly. We hear news headlines, or people talk around the water cooler at work, and the words are of doom,gloom, and fear. It’s so easy for us to lose sight of the fact that Christians can rest easy in God’s truth. God hasn’t changed at all, and His word is still truth. Unfortunately, many Christians choose not to study God’s word. Liberal media gets high priorityin reading material, but God’s word is left on a shelf to gather dust. As that happens, it’s the secular view of life that gets seared into our minds and hearts. In October of 2023, Hamas committed a vicious and heinous act of terrorism against Israel. At first, the world was stunned that such a brutal attack could be done by one groupof humans against another group. Then, the liberal media began blaming Israel. If you study Scripture, you’ll understand that God gave that land to Abraham and to his children forever. God had made a covenant with Abraham. “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: theKenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (Genesis 15:18-21). There were no conditions or time limits on that promise. There have been times when Israel has fallen out of fellowship with God, but that didn’t cancel the promise. Much later, God did give rules to Moses to pass along to the Jewish people. “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought youunto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the wordswhich thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:4-6). Israel is a treasure to God, even when they are in rebellion. They’ve been in rebellion for many years. In 1948, Israel was reestablished as a nation, not because of any workof men but because God ordained it. The Jewish people have all rights to Jerusalem and, indeed, to every inch of Israel. When God makes a promise, He will never go back on it. Prophecy is an important Biblical study, and Christians need to make every effort to understand it. Why is this important? God doesn’t want us to be taken by surprise. Hewants us to understand the times in which we live. By understanding, we can find peace when others are wringing their hands and fretting. Prophecy is also a great witnessing tool. Sadly, even Christians are having trouble dealing with all the evil that’s happening in the world. The horrid attack that Hamas inflictedupon Israel has many people talking about the end times. Some talk mockingly, but others truly want to understand what God says. Scripture tells us that Jerusalem will be a “problem” to all nations. Guess what? There’s a war going on today because the Muslimnations that surround Israel want to destroy them, and all nations of the world are affected. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that daywill I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:2-3). Some say this is a prophecy concerning the final battle when Christ returns at the end of the Great Tribulation. That may be, but it looks very much as if it could be happeningnow, before the Tribulation. What we can absolutely know for sure is that God will never allow Israel to be uprooted again. Prophecy is clear on that point. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, andfrom Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judahfrom the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:11-12). If you study the history of how it all came together for Israel to be reestablished, it was miraculous and obvious that God orchestrated it. In the last few years, much has happened to cause anxiety. The pandemic caused so much trouble, and what we know now makes it look even worse. Evil men were behind it, andthe supposed “cure” was just a long line of jabs. There’s talk of more pestilence coming. Food tampering, as well as genetic tampering (as in the days of Noah), is a reality today. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, He gave some signs. “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise againstnation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8). Jesus said not to be troubled when we see these things, but He also said it’s just the beginning. As I see prophecy being fulfilled, I get scared and upset, but I also findpeace knowing that God has told us what is coming, but He has also promised Christians that we will be Raptured prior to the final seven years of history. We’re seeing things happening faster, and we can trust in the Lord to take us away from the Tribulation.Christians need to represent Christ in a way that honors Him and gives hope to others, not in a way that follows the world. Unfortunately, we’re seeing another sign that the days are coming to an end. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famineof bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:11-12). Today, people just don’t study or share God’s word. Paul also wrote a letter to Timothy warning about what will happen to congregations in the later days. “Now the Spiritspeaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstainfrom meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1-3). Many pulpits today are filled with much false doctrine… doctrine of devils. There is truly a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. This lack of teaching allows world eventsto put fear into the hearts of Christians. There’s no reason to only blame preachers. Most people have access to Bibles and can study Scripture for themselves. There are many excellent Bible teachers online, but use discernment; there are many false teachers.The best way to study and teach Scripture is to start in Genesis 1:1 and teach line upon line and precept upon precept through Revelation 21:21. That way, no important truths will be skipped. If you are a Christian and spend your time fearfully listening to all of the bad things happening in the world and fretting and worrying about what you read, remember thatMSNBC and CNN raise their ratings by feeding on people’s fears. Satan also feeds on lies and fear. No wonder many Christians are scared. Instead of keeping tuned to God, they stay tuned to secular programming. Christians should be the ones who are calm andfaithfully representing Christ. We are the ones who need to have answers to help the unsaved find salvation and peace in Christ. Peter is a good example of a man who was changed by Jesus. Peter followed Jesus for years but didn’t really know Him. That’s like many Christians today. It wasn’t until afterthe resurrection that Peter let go of his fears and became a true man of God. He no longer hid in fear of people knowing he was a follower of Christ. He wrote letters of encouragement that still edify us today. In his first letter, Peter spoke of living aGod-honoring life. If you walk closer to Jesus, you will have less fear. “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be readyalways to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:14-15). If a non-believer is filled with anxiety over news reports or anger because they blame Israel for the war, do you have answers? If they look at you and you’re anxious andhave no joy in the Lord, will they even know you’re a Christian? On the other hand, if you show joy in your life because you are a child of the King, they may feel comfortable asking you about your peace. Will you have an answer? Can you explain why Israelowns the land and why the war is happening? Can you explain that things will get worse and that the only hope to escape the horrors of the Tribulation is to truly repent of sin and turn to Jesus? These are important answers to important questions. If you represent Christ with joy and strength, you are serving Him well. The world holds no hope for anybody. For a person who has not given their life to Christ, there isno chance to live eternally in Heaven; they face an eternity in the lake of fire. On the other hand, Christians have so much in which to find joy. Our sins have been forgiven. Do you really understand what that means? Sin separates us from God. Even what we think is a small sin is still sin and will condemn us to an eternity in the lake of fire. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If you dwell on that fact, it can be very depressing, but there’s more to that thought. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God hathset forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier ofhim which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26). You cannot have any joy or peace unless you have realized that you are a sinner and that sin has separated you from God. It’s time to repent of sin; that means to change yourmind and turn to Christ. If you live an adulterous lifestyle, that’s sin. Repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness. He will forgive you. Then, turn away from sin. You cannot represent Christ in a good way if you’re living a life that glorifies the world. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Give your thoughts to God, and don’t let fear stop you from representing Christ in a way that honors Him. God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed. If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).