Tuesday November 25, 2008 SHIPWRECKED!
Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples of this. I turned them over to Satan so they would learn not to blaspheme God. 1 Timothy 1:19-20 I don't know who Hymenaeus and Alexander were, but apparently Paul was quite upset with them. He talks a little more about Hymenaeus in 2 Timothy 2:16-18; "Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness. This kind of talk spreads like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples of this. They have left the path of truth, preaching the lie that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; and they have undermined the faith of some." Well, now he adds someone named Philetus to the list. As he said, the cancer was spreading. He tells us about Alexander in 2 Timothy 4:14-15, "Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said." Many of you are old enough to remember the old Imperial Margarine ads that proclaimed, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" Well, there is no Mother Nature, but there is very definitely a Father God and it's not nice to try to fool Him or go against His people or lead them astray. I am sure that if Hymenaeus, Alexander, or Philetus could report to us today from where they are they would attest to that fact. When it comes to scriptures like the one for today, I experience turmoil in my Spirit about one Baptist belief that sometimes bothers me: "once saved, always saved." This is something I have prayed about for years, sought the Lord's guidance on, and studied His Word for the truth about it. Well, I think there comes a time, following a time of shipwrecked faith, that some Believers turn their backs on God. After much prayer, I truly believe that these people will get to Heaven, but they may smell like smoke because they will barely escape hell. You see, I was born Sharon Lee Kutch. However, my stepfather adopted me and I became Sharon Lee Mills. Yet, now, years later, I remain my birth father's daughter; I know because although he died April 26, 2001, I continue to receive his VFW correspondence. So, once a person is born into the family of God, I truly believe they will forever be His children, but how they spend eternity is definitely in the Father's hands. Yes, there comes a time when we have to do as Paul and turn people we love over to Satan for his sifting. If their faith is a faith that was truly grounded in Christ, I believe the convicting power of the Holy Spirit will lead them into repentance. Therefore, we should pray for them constantly, allow Satan to pilfer in their lives, but believing God to deliver them from the fire. Father, there is so much about Your Word that we have little understanding of. However, we can understand this - You love us! We praise You and thank You for that love. We lift up our loved ones to You and ask that You guard them and guide them safely into Your family. We ask that You use something this Christmas to reconcile their heart to Your ways and back to a full relationship with us as well. We stand on Your promises. Hallelujah, Amen! ******************************************* O. Addison Gethers e-mail address : [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] window live messenger: [EMAIL PROTECTED] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
