By John Larkins
Can you explain, even to yourself, why eternal salvation is not our highest priority? In the history of Almighty God’s relationship with humans, this has been His top project, even so important as to require the torture and death of His Son. It would be a great service if I could find out why many are unconcerned. Have the false teachers actually persuaded them that they have no role in convincing the Son of Man of their desire to join God in Heaven, even though they ignore Jesus Christ’s teachings that He will bring them into His judgement? In Christian charity, I am compelled to warn them.
We know that Jesus Christ came to this earth, born of Mary, to form a Way for all men – those who lived before, during and after Jesus’s own days on earth as the Son of Man. Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptist, is pointed out to us in Mark 1:1-3: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: As it is written, in the prophets, behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the lord, make His path straight. John did baptize in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”
John preached of one coming after him, saying “I indeed have baptized you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” Jesus had little time to waste in His great mission and immediately began selecting and notifying His new church apostles. Jesus said to them, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” In Matthew, we are treated to the inspirational speech encouraging His apostles in their evangelization campaign to convert the Jews from the Mosaic Law to The Way, Christ’s Church of the New and Everlasting Covenant. Jesus told His missionaries to avoid the gentiles and the heretic Samaritans while concentrating on conversion of the Israelites (priorities are important). He warned them that He, Jesus, was separating family members (just as they are separated today) in choosing to convert to Jesus Christ’s one true Church or continue in a man-made religion.
Jesus says in Matthew 10: 34-37, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father and a daughter against her mother. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” There is a great deal more that Jesus says, but those who are not going to salvation cannot bear to hear it. If they wish, the Bible has been ready for them all their lives.
The New Testament story was written by members of His Church, and the Bible as a document was completed about the year 100. John is believed to have died around this time, and the Catholic Church collected all appropriate writings to be compiled as a book about 200 years later. The Catholic Church is the Church you read about in the Acts of the Apostles. After those days, sacred inspired words are written in various Catholic documents, such as the Catechism and the Nicene Creed. You may remember that Jesus gave Peter power to teach with authority; that has been done for 2,000 years. The two most important gifts delegated to Jesus’ Church are the power to forgive sins (John 20: 23) and to consecrate holy communion (Matthew 26: 27- 29.) Thus, Jesus is present body, blood, soul and divinity in His Church. Shouldn’t we all join Him?
For the past 15 years, John Larkins has evangelized on the street, door-to-door, in tent revivals and in church situations. Contact him at johnlarkins@bellsouth.net.
