Saturday Night on Mill Ave inTempe

Praise the Lord as tonight was exciting as we had laborers for the Lord from both sides of the valley. We had Ken, this was his first time after coming to the seminar that we had on July 30th, who came from Avondale. Brandt & Haleh who live in Queen Creek, Jeremy, Tish and Joshua from Mesa, and Marcus Kat and Alex from Maricopa.

Catherine and I set up the sign asking, "Are you good person, take the test and get a free souvenir"  Lately, instead of offering money to answer trivia questions to draw a crowd, I now offer to give away free glow-sticks. I don't get it, what is it about a glow-stick that draws so many groups of people to take the test to get one.

Shortly after announcing that I was giving them away to anyone who can prove that they are a good person, I had 4 young teenagers, 3 guys, and one girl, stop and raise their hands. I asked them if they considered themselves to be a good, which all said yes. I then asked them that I would be asking them some questions to see if it were true. I was not going to use my opinion or the world's point of view, but God's Ten Commandment, would that be okay?  I say this to you so that you understand that I don't trick anyone into answering them, I make it very clear how we are going to come to that conclusion. 

After they admitted to breaking four of the most common, I asked how did they think God would find them, innocent or guilty?  They all responded ,"innocent!" I then asked how could a Holy, Righteous and Just God find them innocent when anyone who breaks God's Law would have to be guilty? They then said they where leaders from Young Life and their God was a loving and forgiving God. 

I tried to explain that God was not only a loving God, but a Righteous, Just and Holy God and because of that He must find a Law breaker guilty, or He wouldn't be God. I also mentioned that I hadn't heard anything from them about repentance, Godly sorrow that Jesus spoke about. Again they defended their position that Paul said that they only needed to believe in Jesus and they were saved. 

I then asked, saved from what? They already admitted to lying, stealing Blasphemy and lust of their heart, and it doesn't seem like you have any remorse. So if they have been given this information by the church they attend, that your God is a loving and forgiving God, then based on that statement alone, every human being is going to Heaven and no one would be going to Hell. We need to be careful about what we say to those who are lost and not give them a false God to worship.   

Jeremy also tried speaking to them as well. If you only speak of God's love and not the Wrath of God then you have created a God that is not the God of the Bible. 

I find it sad today as so many who are being raised in the church have been told of a false God, that Jesus, or God is a loving God and now believe that their sins are forgiven.

One problem, Jesus Himself states in several places, Mat 4:17, From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Mat. 11:20, Mar 6:12, Luke 13:3,5, Jesus repeats Himself. 

Peter, in Acts 2:38, Acts 17:30, Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.  

Revelation has several as well, Rev. 3:3 is one of them.

So where am I wrong?  

Tell me if you have been told the same message as these youngsters. Maybe it's time we speak the whole truth to those who are in and out of church!