2005-04-21 - No Fence to Sit On

Matt 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. (NASB)

This is a little bit of a tough one.

It's not difficult to understand at all. It's crystal clear. There is no need to get out a ton of research material, to get the meaning of this verse.

It's tough because it shows that the idea of sitting on the fence is an illusion. You may not have made up your mind for or against Christ. But by the lack of a decision, you are sitting in grave jeopardy. "He who is not with Me...", anyone who has not made a decision to follow Jesus Christ as Savior, "is against Me;", has refused the salvation freely offered by God and is, therefore, still spiritually dead.

The idea of living your life as you will and then coming to Christ at the last minute is a self-deception of the highest degree. There is no way of knowing when your last breath will be taken and under what circumstances. A brick could fall from a building and kill you in a freak accident tomorrow.

If you have accepted God's free gift of salvation, then you have something to do: participate in the gathering. Standing on the boardwalk handing out leaflets or speaking in public may not be your gift. There are other ways to participate. Pray for those who do go out, and for the hearts and ears of those hear to be open. Contribute to missions beyond your regular giving. Participate in clothing drives, meals for the hungry, etc. All of these items extend the hand of mercy to a world that needs to know the love of God that we know - that Jesus Christ has come and lived, died and rose again to save us from sin and break the power of death. Participate in the call saying, "Come."

There is no fence. There is a line so clearly drawn. Straddling the line is as sure as being on the side that consciously refuses to acknowledge God on God's plainly-stated terms.

Do you need a guarantee?

John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out . (NASB)

If you willingly and honestly accept Christ as your Savior from sin and as your Lord, He has promised not to turn you away. If you are serious about turning around, having a change of heart and mind, and walking away from this old life in exchange for a sure promise of eternal life worth living, He says, "Come." If you are tired of the faded promises of this world, and tired of trying to struggle on without direction, please come.

If you have made your mind up and need some help getting started, write anyone of us. We will be happy to help you and find a good local church that will help you even further.

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come ." And let the one who hears say, "Come ." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. (NASB)

Grace & Peace,
Mike

jmhoskins@gmail.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org