LISTEN: Kicking Sin Out the Front Door of the Church, While Letting An Abomination in Through the Back Door; In Greenleaf World, Can There Be At Least One Good Pastor?; The Acceptable Sin of Grace’s Fornication; and When Secrets Are Revealed, Don’t be Afraid to Deal With It (BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #25)

Welcome to BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #25. This episode is titled, Kicking Sin Out the Front Door of the Church, While Letting An Abomination in Through the Back Door; In Greenleaf World, Can There Be At Least One Good Pastor?; The Acceptable Sin of Grace’s Fornication; and When Secrets Are Revealed, Don’t be Afraid to Deal With It

Let’s look at four issues that were raised in the last episode of Greenleaf, titled “Two by Two,” (which, incidentally, equals four).

1. Kicking Sin Out the Front Door of the Church, While Letting An Abomination in Through the Back Door.

In the previous episode, Bishop Greenleaf led the charge to get Basie Skanks removed from his position as pastor after his gambling and other financial indiscretions were revealed. This is something that should have been done. But, in this episode, the bishop pays a visit to Carlton, the fired homosexual choir director, and asks him to come back while Charity is away. This is something that should not be done. We have a habit, in the church, of condemning some sins while allowing others to continue unabated. We overlook some people’s sins if they are giving a lot of money, if they provide a service to the church, or if they are uniquely gifted for their role and are thus seen as “indispensable.” No one is indispensable to God. And the church must not be afraid to stand against all unrepentant sin, meting out discipline where necessary, and trusting God to provide the right people for the job — people who will honor Him not only with their service, but with an obedient life.

2. In Greenleaf World, Can There Be At Least One Good Pastor?

We know that what makes Greenleaf a good TV show is the drama and conflict between different individuals that often comes about because of sin. But there is always room for the depiction of the good pastor who is above reproach, and striving to do the right thing. (By the way, Grace, who is trying to populate the church with the abomination of homosexuals and at the same time is committing fornication with Darius Rucker, is not good.) And in a show about the church, there certainly ought to be one pastor who depicts the Bible’s ideal of a man being a shepherd to the flock. There are bad ministers in the world, and the problem is they often get all of the attention. But there are many who are doing the right thing. It would be great to see a television show such as Greenleaf shine a light on them every now and then.

3. The Acceptable Sin of Grace’s Fornication.

Grace Greenleaf, who was at one time the heir apparent at Calvary, committed fornication with the Darius Rucker, the reporter she is dating, and it barely caused a ripple in the last two episodes. Certainly, Bishop Greenleaf and Lady Mae suspect what is going on, and they have said nothing about it. (Though, knowing this show, it’s going to turn into a big problem down the road. Our friend, Darius the Reporter is going to start reporting. He looks like a negro who would kiss and tell.) Their silence is a reflection of the church’s growing acceptance of premarital sex in the church. According to a study reported on by The Washington Post, 80% of unmarried evangelical Christians have engaged in sex, though they typically wait longer than other groups of people to do so. The church must be overwhelmingly committed to God’s design for sexual relations between a man and a woman within a marriage. The pastor must preach it; Christian parents must teach it. Fornication cannot become one of those silent sins that everyone knows is going on, but no one says anything about.

4. Christian People, When Secrets Are Revealed, Don’t be Afraid to Deal With It .

After the revelation last week that Lady Mae had committed adultery with another pastor years ago, it took the entire episode before she and Bishop Greenleaf talked about it. Instead, they spend all day tiptoeing around each other, giving suspicious glances and uttering snide one-liners. The only way true healing and reconciliation can take place is through open, honest discussion, with nothing held back. When a secret is revealed, family members, friends, and other relevant parties ought to come together — not for a time of blaming each other, sniping, or revenge, but for a time of confession, honesty, forgiveness, and the start of reconciliation or other damning secrets will begin.

Let’s Pray

—

In closing, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can be forgiven of your wicked sins of the past no matter how dark, God is available to hear your prayer of confession and to hear you ask to be saved from sin and from the punishment of sin which is eternal hell and separation from God. And you can begin a light-filled relationship with God Almighty today.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s laws. You have done some bad things. You have broken the commandments of God. So have I. And so has the Pope. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…” We die physically because of sin and we go to hell to burn forever, to be tormented forever because of our sin. God does not put us into hell; we put ourselves into hell because of our sin.

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ, the loving Lord of glory, preached more on hell than anybody in the Bible. He preached more on hell than he did about Heaven. He said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Now that is bad news, and I know most people do not want to hear any bad news. But you have to hear the bad news because the good news is good news because there is bad news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins. He is the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, your sins and mine. And all we have to do is trust Him and believe that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you and me so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

And please believe these words found in Romans 10:9 & 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Saved from what? Saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell.

If you believe in your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer and mean it from your heart: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life — even some of the sins being brought out in this show called Greenleaf. I am sorry for my sins, and today, please have mercy upon me a sinner. I believe with all of my heart that You died for me, was buried, and rose again. Now, Lord I pray that You would fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to repent of my sins and to follow You for the rest of my life for Your glory, praise, and honor, and, from this point on, to be the shining light that You want me to be. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, and for His sake, Amen.

Beloved friend, if you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read my pamphlet titled, “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Until next time, my beloved, may God bless you and keep you. We look forward to seeing you for the next Gospel According to Greenleaf podcast.

LISTEN: Basie Skanks Resigns from Triumph Church; 53% of Real Pastors Should Do the Same and Revival Will Break Out, and Pastor, You’ve Got a Whipping Coming! (BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #23)

Welcome to BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #23. This episode is titled, Basie Skanks Resigns from Triumph Church; 53% of Real Pastors Should Do the Same and Revival Will Break Out, and Pastor, You’ve Got a Whipping Coming!

LISTEN: Pastor, Start a Business Or Get A Job! (BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #22)

Welcome to BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #22. This episode is titled, Pastor, Start a Business Or Get A Job!

Last season, Jacob Greenleaf abruptly left his father’s ministry and church and went to work for Basie Skanks’ new church plant. Now, he is out of Basie’s good graces and is doing open-air preaching, doing real church ministry, with only an online donation fund to support the work. But, he still has a wife and two children to provide for.

In the 12th episode of Season 2, “There’s More to The Story,” Kerissa, his wife, confronts Jacob about the lack of income and the raggedy house that they are living in, which he was somehow able to keep from Basie Skanks. Debts are high and the money is low. Bills are piling up, repairs need to be made to the death trap house, and him not bringing in any money is a cause for concern particularly to his no-nonsense wife. She encourages him to get a job or use the online donations to take care of expenses. But Jacob has grown super spiritual and refuses.

Kerissa’s advice to Jacob about using donated funds to pay for family funds has biblical precedent. First Corinthians 9:14 says, “The Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” So, if Jacob is committed to being a full-time preacher, a full-time minister and pastor, it is perfectly fine for him to take of what people have given to his ministry and use it to provide for the basic needs of himself and his family. Bishop Greenleaf shared a story with him and his wife at dinner last week, how that he got a job when he started the church, and how he worked for a while before the church could support him. Thousands of pastors have done so, and many pastors need to do so today.

Allow me to say here, not all pastors and preachers are called to full-time ministry. (On top of that, not all of God’s people give to the Lord’s ministry as they should, so that a worthy pastor who should be fulltime is not supported as he should be.) In such cases, it is perfectly fine for the preacher to have a job or to run his own business, and I recommend preachers run their own business or their profession. And I hope you understand preaching is not a profession, but a calling. A profession is soemthing like being a medical doctor, an attorney, or something like that. The Apostle Paul was employed as a tentmaker. He was what we would call today a bi-vocational pastor or a freelancer. He made and sold tents in order to provide for his own personal needs so as not to be a burden to the churches he ministered to.

Here are three reasons why many preachers today should consider getting a job or starting their own business. And again, I recommend starting your own business. Some years ago, I had the privilege of meeting with some Mennonite brethren. And even though we disagreed fiercely about some things, for example, they were against the use of computers, yet they wanted to come over to my house and use my computer, and stuff like that. Another thing we disagreed on was, they liked to do the holy kiss. That is, when they greeted each other, a handshake was not enough, they had to kiss each other on the cheek on both sides. Somebody tried to approach me like that and I nearly had a conniption fit and we parted ways. No man has ever kissed me and I know my dad kissed me when I was a baby, but no man has ever kissed me in my life, God forbid. But one thing I did learn from these Mennonite brothers, they were good at starting business that could support their family, but not only their family, their ministry and their wordwide outreach. You may see a farmer going into Wal-mart every now and then and his wife with a scarf on his head, but he is probably a millionaire. They know how to start all kinds of businesses and they live off of the businesses and they give the money to churches and to foreign ministries. So I learned a lot from them, and I want to encourage preachers to start their own businesses. But people don’t know this, but T. D. Jakes, who receives a good salary from his church, has a business on the side that pays him more than his salary. He probably doesn’t even take his salary at this point. So that frees you up and allows you to do some things and be a blessing to other people. Annyway, here are three reasons why many preachers today should consider getting a job or starting their own business.

1. With mistrust in preachers today on the rise due to the prosperity gospel and wealthy preachers owning planes and helicopters, living off of the giving of their parishioners, it is a good idea to have your own income and not be seen as taking money from the church or God’s people to live on.

2. If a preacher has a job or his own business, he does not have to worry about people refusing to support the ministry because they don’t like something that he has preached. He does not have to temper his speech in fear of people not supporting the ministry or the church; he is free to speak as the Lord leads him and let the chips fall where they may. And with the kind of church-without-walls, real church ministry that Jacob has in Greenleaf, he better get another source of income in a hurry.

3. Oftentimes, the preacher will make more than enough money from his job and especially his business and he will be able to not only cover the living expenses of himself and his family, but use the profit to support the ministry that he is called to — whether as a pastor, evangelist, missionary, church planter, or leader of a nonprofit organization. The ministry will not be solely dependent upon tithes, offerings, or donations. The ministry will go on.

If a preacher is called to full-time ministry and is blessed to have faithful supporters of the Lord’s work, that is great. But, in this day and time, it is wiser for most preachers to have their own income independent of the ministry in order to ensure that 100% of what is given to the ministry is actually used for the ministry. Every preacher should want to say with Paul in First Corinthians 9:17-18: “For if I do this thing (that is, preach the Gospel) willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.”

Let’s Pray

—

In closing, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can be forgiven of your wicked sins of the past no matter how dark, God is available to hear your prayer of confession and to hear you ask to be saved from sin and from the punishment of sin which is eternal hell and separation from God. And you can begin a light-filled relationship with God Almighty today.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s laws. You have done some bad things. You have broken the commandments of God. So have I. And so has the Pope. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…” We die physically because of sin and we go to hell to burn forever, to be tormented forever because of our sin. God does not put us into hell; we put ourselves into hell because of our sin.

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ, the loving Lord of glory, preached more on hell than anybody in the Bible. He preached more on hell than he did about Heaven. He said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Now that is bad news, and I know most people do not want to hear any bad news. But you have to hear the bad news because the good news is good news because there is bad news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins. He is the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, your sins and mine. And all we have to do is trust Him and believe that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you and me so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

And please believe these words found in Romans 10:9 & 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Saved from what? Saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell.

If you believe in your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer and mean it from your heart: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life — even some of the sins being brought out in this show called Greenleaf. I am sorry for my sins, and today, please have mercy upon me a sinner. I believe with all of my heart that You died for me, was buried, and rose again. Now, Lord I pray that You would fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to repent of my sins and to follow You for the rest of my life for Your glory, praise, and honor, and, from this point on, to be the shining light that You want me to be. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, and for His sake, Amen.

Beloved friend, if you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read my pamphlet titled, “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Until next time, my beloved, may God bless you and keep you. We look forward to seeing you for the next Gospel According to Greenleaf podcast.

LISTEN: Bishop Greenleaf, What “Cross” Are You Preaching About? (BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #21)

Welcome to BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #21. This episode is titled, Bishop Greenleaf, What “Cross” Are You Preaching About?

Many have noted the unwillingness of today’s preachers, particularly those who lead prominent megachurches, to be offensive. Most try to keep quiet on issues that are controversial so as not to draw the ire of one side or the other, case in point, the subject of the abomination of homosexuality. This tendency came to the forefront early on in the 11th episode of Greenleaf Season 2, titled “Changing Seasons.”

At a meeting of the Metro Memphis Council of Churches, one pastor shares the story of a sixteen year old boy who tried to commit suicide, suffering brain damage in the process, because he thought God couldn’t love him because he was a homosexual. Basie Skanks tells the other pastors that they need to address the issue openly in the church. Following the meeting, Bishop Greenleaf tells James, ‘You can’t sound off too loudly about anything other than the Cross,’ reflecting his desire not to rock the boat by saying anything publicly about a controversial issue. When the same issue comes up later at a family dinner, Lady Mae expresses the same sentiment, saying, ‘Why does anyone need to have a conversation about these things?’

Bishop Greenleaf appears to believe that “the Cross” — the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ — is the only thing he can preach about without being controversial or offensive to some segment of the congregation. And many pastors feel the same way. They only preach about the love, and mercy, and grace of God and how He sent Jesus to die on the Cross for us. When God tells all Cross preaching preachers to preach the Word in season and out of season and preach the whole counsel of God including against sin that caused the Cross in the first place such as homosexuality, adultery, stealing and other sins.

Preaching to crowds of cross-necklace-wearing saints, these pastors lose sight of the fact that the cross is a bloody instrument of torture devised by the Romans to drag out the death of criminals sentenced to capital punishment. It is not just a symbol of God’s Love. Romans were repulsed by the sight of crosses bearing the naked bodies of criminals rising above the skyline. They walked by, shaking their heads in disgust. It was considered the ultimate shame to die by crucifixion, and it was normally a punishment reserved for insurrectionists, political traitors, and the lowest of violent criminals.

More importantly, the Cross represents the violent clash of man’s sinful rage with the righteous judgment of God. On the Cross, the world’s sin was rolled on Jesus and God poured out His wrath on Him. It was an outrage — the world’s only innocent Man ever taking the punishment deserved by all the world’s guilty creatures.

The message of the Cross is an offense because it tells man that he is a sinner. The Cross tells man that there are some things that God does not approve of. The Cross tells man that sin, including homosexuality, is wrong, and that it must be paid for.

David Mathis wrote: “What we preach is that you are a glorious creature gone tragically bad, that you have rebelled against the God Who made you, but that He did the most difficult thing imaginable to win you back and lavish you with His eternal goodness.

“It is wondrously good news. But unavoidable is the offense, that insulting supposition, that bad news that sets up the good. Did you catch it? You’ve gone tragically bad. You’re a foolhardy rebel against the most powerful Being in the universe. There’s nothing you can do to save yourself, earn God’s favor, or get yourself out of the cosmic pit you’re in — the pit you dug and can’t climb out of.

“The offense is that the magnitude of God’s solution — the slaughter of His own Son — shows the magnitude of our wickedness and frailty and utter inability. Yes, the Gospel says you’re more loved than you ever could have dreamed, but as Jack Miller and Tim Keller have noted, at the same time it says you’re more sinful than you ever imagined. And that’s repugnant to the natural palate.”

We must cease believing and preaching as though the Cross is inoffensive. Paul said in Galatians 5:11 that the “offense of the cross” could not be removed from his message. If the unbelieving world is, from time to time, not offended by the way preachers talk about the Cross, if they’ve never felt the Cross as offensive, the preacher is not communicating the whole message of the Gospel. He is skipping the part about man being a sinner and being deserving of eternal punishment in hell for their sin such as homosexuality, adultery, and lying. Yes, we must have a conversation about these things. Yes, we must ‘sound off loudly’ about the Cross, but when we do so, we must make sure we are talking about the Cross of Jesus Christ Who came to die for sinful men and save them from eternal hell.

Let’s Pray

—

In closing, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can be forgiven of your wicked sins of the past no matter how dark, God is available to hear your prayer of confession and to hear you ask to be saved from sin and from the punishment of sin which is eternal hell and separation from God. And you can begin a light-filled relationship with God Almighty today.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s laws. You have done some bad things. You have broken the commandments of God. So have I. And so has the Pope. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…” We die physically because of sin and we go to hell to burn forever, to be tormented forever because of our sin. God does not put us into hell; we put ourselves into hell because of our sin.

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ, the loving Lord of glory, preached more on hell than anybody in the Bible. He preached more on hell than he did about Heaven. He said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Now that is bad news, and I know most people do not want to hear any bad news. But you have to hear the bad news because the good news is good news because there is bad news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins. He is the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, your sins and mine. And all we have to do is trust Him and believe that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you and me so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

And please believe these words found in Romans 10:9 & 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Saved from what? Saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell.

If you believe in your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer and mean it from your heart: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life — even some of the sins being brought out in this show called Greenleaf. I am sorry for my sins, and today, please have mercy upon me a sinner. I believe with all of my heart that You died for me, was buried, and rose again. Now, Lord I pray that You would fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to repent of my sins and to follow You for the rest of my life for Your glory, praise, and honor, and, from this point on, to be the shining light that You want me to be. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, and for His sake, Amen.

Beloved friend, if you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read my pamphlet titled, “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Until next time, my beloved, may God bless you and keep you. We look forward to seeing you for the next Gospel According to Greenleaf podcast.

LISTEN: Wait On God’s Justice and Save Yourself a Whole Lot of Trouble (BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #20)

Welcome to BCNN1’s The Gospel According to Greenleaf Episode #20. This episode is titled, Wait On God’s Justice and Save Yourself a Whole Lot of Trouble

In the two-episode midseason premiere, the church and the Greenleaf family have to deal with the aftermath of Mac ending up dead during a fight with Grace. Grace, who had been itching to see “justice” done over Mac’s molestation of girls in the church including her sister, goes over to Mac’s apartment thinking that he has her daughter. During the fight, although she gets a few bruises, she picks up a broken bottle to defend herself and cuts Mac with it. He bleeds to death as she interrogates him, only calling the police after he tells her he doesn’t have her daughter and that he is “sorry.” Lady Mae and the church’s lawyer tell Grace that she can plead self-defense as law enforcement begins to get involved, and they vow “to move Heaven and Earth” to make sure Grace doesn’t go to jail.

In the end, we see that Grace does not take her father’s advice to leave her desire for justice and revenge with God. She would not have found herself in this difficult situation if she had taken heed to Romans 12:19: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

In the church, there are many things that go on that we feel are inappropriate or wrong. We, too, will be tempted to take matters into our own hands, but when we do, we only end up with a bigger mess to deal with. We must take comfort in the knowledge expressed in 2 Peter 2:9 that ‘the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of his trials, and how to reserve the ungodly unto the day of judgment to be punished.’

Saints, there are some battles that God will sign you up to fight. But you ought not to sign yourself up to fight battles that are not yours. God is a just God Who will see that justice is done. He doesn’t need your help to do that, because all you will do is make a bigger mess of things that will cause you pain for years and years.

Let’s Pray

—

In closing, if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can be forgiven of your wicked sins of the past no matter how dark, God is available to hear your prayer of confession and to hear you ask to be saved from sin and from the punishment of sin which is eternal hell and separation from God. And you can begin a light-filled relationship with God Almighty today.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s laws. You have done some bad things. You have broken the commandments of God. So have I. And so has the Pope. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…” We die physically because of sin and we go to hell to burn forever, to be tormented forever because of our sin. God does not put us into hell; we put ourselves into hell because of our sin.

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ, the loving Lord of glory, preached more on hell than anybody in the Bible. He preached more on hell than he did about Heaven. He said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Now that is bad news, and I know most people do not want to hear any bad news. But you have to hear the bad news because the good news is good news because there is bad news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins. He is the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, your sins and mine. And all we have to do is trust Him and believe that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you and me so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

And please believe these words found in Romans 10:9 & 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Saved from what? Saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell.

If you believe in your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer and mean it from your heart: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life — even some of the sins being brought out in this show called Greenleaf. I am sorry for my sins, and today, please have mercy upon me a sinner. I believe with all of my heart that You died for me, was buried, and rose again. Now, Lord I pray that You would fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to repent of my sins and to follow You for the rest of my life for Your glory, praise, and honor, and, from this point on, to be the shining light that You want me to be. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, and for His sake, Amen.

Beloved friend, if you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read my pamphlet titled, “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Until next time, my beloved, may God bless you and keep you. We look forward to seeing you for the next Gospel According to Greenleaf podcast.