By EVANG. KENNY HILL

9213 VIRGIL

REDFORD, MICHIGAN 48239

In this day and age we are living in we've got major problems. We've always had problems with the world, full of new agers, homos, liberals, child killers, perverts, blasphemers and the like.

But I'm seeing Christians dropping there standards, letting this ungodly world into there lives, I'm seeing some our so-called fundamental Baptist singing groups doing meetings with denominations that are not right with God! Hirelings! Let me say it again, HIRELINGS!

And some of our respected men of God have turned from the old time way and getting far to deep in friendship with the world!

These are the last days and we as the people of God need to hold the STANDARD HIGHER AND HARDER THAN WE EVER HAVE IN THE PAST! We are going to have to get angry (and sin not), and mean, and downright righteously indignant against the ungodly dogs and swine of this world. Yet wise enough to know how to still have compassion on a lost and dying world, that doesn't know any better because we aren't showing them any difference between there ungodly lives and our so-called Christian lives!

It's not a time to bend and blend with the world, it's time to burn and churn against this ungodly mud ball! Serving Jesus Christ ought to be a matter of life or death because it is a matter of life or death!

When Serving Jesus is a matter of Life or Death

In Luke 15: we read of the prodigal son. Many people preach that the son is lost and when he comes back home, its a picture and type of being born-again, but I don't believe that. The way I read it, comparing scripture to scripture, it is certainly from the viewpoint of a back-sliden Christian, but that thought is for another day. Nonetheless serving the Lord had become a matter of life or death to the prodigal, though serving the Lord ought to always be a matter of life or death...

The Lord allows us to stay in this present world to fulfill our responsibility and calling, and when we are FINISHED, He takes us out of this place, unless we never return from that back-sliden state, then the Lord just takes us home EARLIER then when we were supposed to leave, according to our predestination in salvation.

Jesus prayed in John 17:15- "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil."

And after our job is done, this ought to be our Hope and prayer as Paul stated in II Tim. 4:6-7. "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand."  "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

But many times we get off track and an early retirement becomes a reality. Paul stated this reality in his first letter to the Corinthians in I Corinthians 5:10 "Yet not altogether with the fornicators, or with the covetous, or with extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye NEEDS go out of the world."

When serving Jesus Christ becomes a matter of life or death from the viewpoint of a back-sliden Christian state you will either...

1) REALIZE WHAT YOU HAD. Luke 15:17 "And when he came to himself".

When you get away from God, the Holy Ghost haunts you every step of the way, believe me I know what I'm talking about, why do you think they call Him Holy GHOST anyhow? This crowd that is in church for a little while and then falls out and back into their sin with no conviction about it, and not any bother whatsoever, and no chastisement, IS NOT SAVED!!! The true saint of God will realize what you had in the Lord, just like the prodigal.

2) REPENT OF WHAT YOU DID- v.18 "...and I will say unto my father I have sinned". There is no salvation without repentance and there is no restoration without repentance, would to God we'd get back to some old fashioned, Holy Ghost REPENTANCE and then we could really see some true revival!

3) RETURN TO WHERE YOU WERE. v.20 "...and he arose and came to his father". When someone falls away from the Lord and then comes back, He expects and empowers them to return to where they were to finish what work the Lord started thru that person. Hey the bible still says "The gifts and the callings of God are without repentance."

4) REJOICE FOR who HE IS! v.24 "for this is MY son." Hey we are children of the KING of KINGS, JOINT HEIRS AND IN THE VERY FAMILY OF GOD!! If we could just get a hold of that actual, factual biblical truth, we would NEVER stray from the FATHERS house!

Now if one does not heed to the Spirit of God there is another alternative to these above precepts...

You will still...

1) REMEMBER . . . But some . . .

2) REFUSE . . . Which will then lead one to . . .

3) REBEL . . . Against those God given convictions and will ultimately cause one to...

4) RETIRE EARLY . . . . Would to God it would not ever come to that for any of the Lord's dear saints, but sadly for some it will. ›