"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ"
I Corinthians 11:1

The St. Paul School
with Frank Eiklor, Walter and Cecilia Contreras, Eileen Young)

WHERE JUDGMENT BEGINS - PART 7)
("At The House Of God")

LESSON 81 Part 7

INTRODUCTION

It is often said by dedicated Christians that "we are nothing". And, of course, without Christ we are nothing and can do nothing of eternal value. Yet each soul is of incalculable worth. We would have to be, for God to offer His sinless Son to suffer and die in our place.

That is why-in this thin slice of "time" inserted into eternity-we find ourselves left on earth even after receiving Jesus and being ready for heaven. Believers form a body called His Church and we are left with a manual-the Bible-with specific instructions on how to get and keep our priorities straight.

Well some 2,000 years after the Book of Acts, it's obvious to most Christians that there has been a lot of slippage. The Cross has been replaced with creature comforts, materialism has consigned spirituality to the rear seat, and a love for the lost has given way to just playing church.

But God loves us too much to allow these games to continue forever. Persecution is now the norm for Christians in vast parts of the world. Only in the West do we argue over "rapture vs. tribulation". The rest of Christendom sees the world's "rupture and plenty of tribulation". Now it's coming here as the Lord warns us that "judgment must begin at the house of God" and we are warned to "be zealous therefore and repent" (I Peter 4:17, Revelations 3:19).

I'm sharing ten areas where the church will have to wake up and shape up in a hurry. Past lessons have covered the first six that you can find in our School of Leadership archive or click the titles below. The first six lessons in this series are:

1. FAILURE TO EMBRACE GOD'S HEART FOR ISRAEL AND THE JEWS
   
   
2. SUBSTITUTING PROGRAMS FOR EVANGELISM
   
   
3. THE "PROPHETIC WORD" DANGER
   
   
4. WHAT GOD CALLS THE REAL "EVIDENCE" OF BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
   
   
5. HEALING THE FRACTURED BODY OF CHRIST
   
   
6. A SOFTENING OF SIN TO GAIN NUMBERS, MONEY AND PROMINENCE

Here are two more areas where the Holy Spirit is calling for change.

7) A WORLD VISION THAT HAS BEEN LOST AND REPLACED WITH CHURCH COMFORT AND PROGRAMS

What is Jesus all about? What is the church's reason for existence? Saving the lost (Mark 16:15). Discipling the saved (Matthew 28:19,20). Empowering the disciples (Act 1: 8). Sending disciples to evangelize souls coming to churches, not coming to churches, and living in spiritual darkness all over the planet (Matthew 24:14). Everything-yes, everything-that we make more important than the above is idolatry that will bring God's judgment on our waste of time, treasures and talents.

8) CHRISTIANS EDUCATED IN EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE WORD OF GOD

I learned how believers in martyr churches, having obtained a single Bible, tore out the pages and passed them around not merely to read but to memorize and then exchange. They thirsted to know the mind of God so that they could more fully obey Him.

Now walk through the evangelical churches in North and South America and Europe. For the vast majority of Christians-no daily devotions or memorizing scriptures. Most can't quote correctly five verses or know where they are found.

Paul told the Corinthian church that "some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to you shame" (I Corinthians 15:34). Would he repeat that to the churches in America? Jesus said " If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). How many Christians today would qualify as disciples using that scriptural criteria? You get the point. Which will lead us to point 9 in our final lesson.

Next lesson, the conclusion of Where Judgement Begins