I would hope that everyone in our government would become Christians. I would hope that everyone would be a supporter of pro-life and against abortion. I would hope that everyone would be against illegal immigration and against drugs and alcohol and sex outside of marriage, fornication, and adultery. All of these principles I wish the whole world was for.
However, just because you are a Christian patriot or you are a Christian activist or you believe in the principles of Christianity is not in and of itself enough to enter into the kingdom of God. Remember that Jesus Himself said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of God, but those that do the will of my Father in heaven."
We need to make sure that we have a very intimate and real relationship with Jesus such as Steven did, such as even the apostle Paul did who previously was killing Christians. We need to make sure that we have received the Spirit of truth and that we are doing exactly what the Spirit of truth is calling us to do. Too many Christians are serving God their way and they appear godly before men, but they're not fruitful for the kingdom of God.
This is very sad because there are very, very good men. Men that are doing wonderful things. And I would hope that there are more good men and more good women. But being good in and of itself does not bring about the righteousness that God wants for us. The way to everlasting life is already known. It is already been made. And that way is through Jesus.
But we can't just believe in the cross. All of us as Christians know that Jesus died. He resurrected. He made the way for us through His blood on the cross. But the portion of the gospel that is not being taught or followed rather in church is that we also have to bear our cross. Whoever does not bear their cross is not worthy of the kingdom of God. They're not worthy of Jesus because they're not proving their salvation by what they do. They have no fruit to prove their repentance.
Too many Christians think everything was pinned on the cross. They think they're entitled to go to heaven because they said a prayer in the past and now they're just going to heaven. Without a daily relationship with Jesus, we are not eating His flesh nor drinking His blood. We're not living on the daily.
Make sure that you have a real relationship with Jesus. Make sure that you have really repented of your sins because without righteousness and without this daily bread from God, you certainly aren't entering into heaven. Even if you're a Christian activist, even if you're going to church, paying tithes, doing all these good things in the world, you need Jesus.
Jesus is the way to everlasting life. You need to profess Him as your Lord, your King, your Savior, your God. You need to say, "Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see you. Open my ears to hear you. I profess you as my Savior." And then you need to hold on to Him and obey everything He tells you to do. You cannot serve God your way. Too many Christians are serving God their own way. They're bringing their own sacrifice to God. It's called the Cain sacrifice.
But how do we sacrifice like Abel? How do we bring the sacrifice that God accepts, not the sacrifice that we bring to God that He rejects? Remember that Cain also brought a sacrifice, but God rejected that. We want to bring the sacrifice to God that is well pleasing to Him. And we know that comes by obeying the words of Jesus.
Are you today obeying the words of Jesus? Are you a fruitful son or daughter who is in connection to God through the Son? Or do you just feel entitled to go to heaven? Believe that you're going to heaven because you have good deeds, because you speak a lot about God, because you read the Bible, you lead Bible study, you go to church. Do you feel like you're going to heaven because of your deeds?
Or are you entering into the kingdom of God because you're holding Jesus's hand and he is leading you there? Make sure you're not deceived by Christian patriotism or by Christian activism or by just being a good Christian that goes to church. Make sure that you really repent, that you receive Jesus as your Lord, your King, your God, and that you're led by His Holy Spirit. Unless you're eating Jesus's flesh and drinking His blood, you have no life.
