Overlooked Scriptures

Here are some Scriptures that popular Christianity doesn't do a whole lot with.

"... brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:"
[2nd Peter 1:10b] Saint Peter is inspired to warn us that we can make our election uncertain, unsure and even cause ourselves to fall from God's kingdom if we Christians insist on doing wrong things (see 2nd Peter 1:4-9).

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
[Philippians 2:12] There are things we need to do to insure that God's good gift of eternal life flourishes in us and that we don't lose out. We are not trapped in the Kingdom of God. God does not lock the door, throw the key away, and kidnap us into HIS Kingdom. Sinful living can ultimately propel us, "at light speed" from God's presence, as surely as Satan's pride got him booted from the glory realms. And the saddest part about this separation is that it can sometimes happen without us feeling a thing. The Holy Spirit is such a gentleman that HE can leave our scene on tip toe. We can think all is well, when all has become chaos!

"Follow peace with all men, AND HOLINESS, without which no man shall see the Lord:"
[Hebrews 12:14] God calls us all to walk in holiness. Nevertheless holiness is a super high calling, so high that only God HIMSELF can make it happen. And it takes the Baptism in the Holy Ghost to even get onto the road of holiness, and then to move down that road toward becoming an overcomer.

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it." --Jesus [Matthew 7:14] "So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." --Jesus [Matthew 20:16] "For many are called, but few are chosen." --Jesus [Matthew 22:14] "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the END shall be saved." --Jesus Many churches hint that for the nominal believer entering Heaven in these very wicked times is almost as certain as the fact that you will own your own home, sooner or later. But the Bible strongly hints that reaching Heaven in the End Times is more like making it into a professional baseball team. Very, very few people make it into pro ball. Reaching Heaven's shores can be almost that difficult without God's great assistance. That is what my Bible says. My Bible tells me that "few" are chosen for Eternal life. Don't believe the "phony baloney" preachers are handing out that you can live a sloppy Christian life and make it to Heaven. You might make it...but the Bible warns that the chances of missing Heaven that way are too great to risk! For that reason I don't buy into the "Eternal Security" safety net doctrine. I buy what my Bible tells me. The Bible says don't live a sloppy Christian life! My Bible indicates, it isn't who goes to the altar who gets to Heaven...it is the one who lives a pure Christian life and makes it to their very last heart beat serving God victoriously!!! That's who makes it to glory!

"...Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" --Jesus
[Luke 18:8b] It is such a tough road, Jesus even wondered, what it would be like when HE returned. HE wondered whether HE would find many who follow and love HIM.

"Afterward came also the other virgins [foolish believers who had let the flame of the Holy Spirit go out], saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." --Jesus
[Matthew 25:11-13] Jesus informs us in this parable that in the last days foolish Christians, who allow the flame of the Holy Spirit to dim will be left behind on Earth. They will not be caught up in the "Twinkling of and Eye" escape of the true church to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax [grow] cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." --Jesus
[Matthew 24:11-13] It's NOT who enters the faith who gets to Heaven, it's the one who endures to the end of the journey who gets to Heaven. False prophets are not always devilish meanies. More often they are simply mistaken and ignorant preachers who proclaim what Dr. Goodlyteacher taught them in Bible School. We live in a day when tradition overrules the simple Words of Scripture. I myself have been at times a false prophet, teaching things I didn't really understand. God forgive me for teaching things that were in error. Help me to follow the Holy Spirit and the Word of God!

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the last days] shall not come, except there come a falling away first [much backsliding in the church], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition
[son of Hell];" [2nd Thessalonians 2:3] For some reason many believers are expecting a great revival to sweep the World as the marker of the End Time. But my Bible indicates the opposite will occur, a great falling away, saints losing ground, and even their faith.

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." --Jesus
[Revelation 3:10] Some believers who are more faithful at keeping the Word of God will be spared from going through the Tribulation period. These are the ones who are the "wise virgins" who Exodus from wicked Earth in the "twinkling of an eye." They leave to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a GREAT MULTITUDE, which NO MAN COULD NUMBER, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;...And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
[Revelation 7:9,13-14] The Bible teaches that more believers in Jesus than you can even number, millions and millions, will be martyred in the Tribulation. The shocking news is that it will be in the End Time Tribulation that Heaven receives the greatest number of new residents, NOT through the Rapture of the church! The greatest revival and awakening of all history will be during the horrible Tribulation times.

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. FOR IT IS A SHAME even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."
[Ephesians 5:11-12] Lord forgive me for watching those news documentary programs that reveal how wicked people did wicked things! If it is wrong to speak of these things, it must also be wrong to view a TV revelation of them. The calling to holiness is not a lowly calling. God is serious about we believers keeping our temple free of garbage.

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto ALL pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and INCREASING in the knowledge of God;"
[Colossians 1:10] God expects growth and increase in a our spiritual lives. HIS standards are very, very high. If I want to avoid having to get my purification through tribulation and execution, I need to grow in holy living via the power and aid and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. Saints in the past might have lived a bit on the spiritual sloppy side, because they were going to enter Heaven by the way of the grave, and the old-age-dying process brings a kind of purifying to us. But those of us who might have to face the end times may have to go through the Tribulation. And tribulation is a hard way to get purified...but tribulation does a "bang up" job, I can assure you; that is if you stand true and don't give up. But what if you are like me and can't take the sight of blood and gore, especially your own???

"And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." --Jesus
[Luke 9:62] Token and/or temporary commitment is not acceptable in God's Kingdom. God is looking for a very high standard, so high that we need HIS help to reach it. That is why God gave us HIS Holy Spirit to be our comforter, teacher, purifier and keeper. In these evil last days the in-filling with the Holy Spirit is more necessary and almost mandatory, in order to make Heaven.

"And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." --Jesus
[Mark 4:16-19] There have been and will be many believers who start out with Jesus and then reject the Kingdom of God because they didn't realize that the Christian life is not a trip to Disneyland, or because of anxieties and worries in life, or because their love of the things of this World turns out to be far more important to them than Christ. Just like some seedlings sprout and die, some believers also come into the Kingdom only to turn around and exit, for one reason or another.

"And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." --Jesus [Mark 8:34] "...and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." --Jesus [Matthew 28:20b]
So much wrong teaching has been spread around these days that many believers are confused. These confused "name-it-and-claim-it" believers are saying, "Yeah, but where's my Hummer..or at least a good used BMW...you know Lord, you promised that I would travel first class if I went with you??" Yes, having Jesus traveling with you is ALWAYS FIRST CLASS!! But, it is First Class by God's standards and NOT necessarily by our standards! God hasn't promised us Hummers and BMWs...but HE has promised us that we would have HIM with us, that we would not be alone. And this is accomplished through the Spirit of God...and that's WHO and what we really need, Jesus with us through the Holy Spirit's presence and in-filling.

"For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt." --Jesus
[Mark 9:49] Hey! God is in the purifying business! I can't sneak my problems into Heaven. I got to die to get in! I've got to go through the fire, one way or another. Sinners have a fire to go through too...the Lake of Fire (and that cleansing takes awhile...a long while). So I've decided to let God put the heat on me NOW, because I've discovered that only dead people go to Heaven...dead to the world, dead to the fleshly desires, dead to all evil,... or as a martyr in a coffin. Physical death is a very fiery and purifying thing. As my mother lay dying, her interest in everything of this world faded and only Jesus mattered to her! But there's another way...the fires of the Holy Ghost! That fire, from and through the Spirit of God, can render you dead....even though your heart keeps beating! That fire prepares you for the "Twinkling of an Eye."

"And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? BEHOLD, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."
[1st Samuel 15:22] Somebody is saying, "But I thought if I go to church, jump for Jesus, wave my arms wildly, run to the altar with tears, run around the sanctuary, shout 'hallelujah' and really, really, really worship God with all my might...well, I thought all that sacrifice to the Lord...and making a fool of myself for Jesus would truly get me closer to God...anyway that's what the worship leader hinted."
NO!!!! God is looking for those who obey HIM all week, not for those who sacrifice when the worship leader says "jump for Jesus." Obedience to God is better than sacrifice!! Besides, the Holy Spirit is the ONE that tells you when to jump for Jesus...not the worship leader....churches are getting all mixed up.

"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: FROM SUCH TURN AWAY."
[2nd Timothy 3:5] When I run into believers who are religious, but deny the mighty workings of the Holy Spirit, I'm supposed to kindly, sweetly, and without negative comments, quietly get away from them and stay away from them...at least that is what my Bible seems to say. Nevertheless a lot of experts hint that I'm supposed to forget about such things and work with these worldly believers to save the world.

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,.."
[Jude 1:20] In this short verse Jude gives away one of the best kept secrets about the gift of praying by the Spirit of God in the Heavenly language. The gift is for edifying or building up the individual believer in a supernatural way. And truly using this gift, in private times with God, accelerates and advances the life of Jesus Christ within us. The primitive gift of tongues in prayer is the doorway to infinite things in God. Limitless vistas of spiritual growth are opened, problems are solved, revelations are given. There are no words to express the realm of prayer that is opened by this gift. And the interesting part is that this gift of tongues dissolves personal pride, because only God can get the credit when this gift is involved. When I pray in the spirit I don't know what is going on, but I know it is wonderful. And so when things happen I can't take any credit. I know it is God and God alone who must get the glory.

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
[1st John 2:27] Now here's a Scripture that rarely if ever do you hear anything about, especially from Bible teachers and preachers. This is not on their list of favorite Scriptures. But truly pastors and Bible teachers have an important work. They reach people for Christ, disciple them and are supposed to get them to where they can receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Then these teachers need to hand that Spirit-filled believer over to the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost so that the believer can enter THE SCHOOL OF THE SPIRIT. But that is where a problem has emerged. Many preachers and teachers don't want to hand off discipled converts exclusively to the Spirit of God for advanced studies. They want to keep their pupils in their classroom eternally. But believers will never get out of the incubator and mature in Christ until preachers and teachers wean them to the Spirit of God. God has given pastors and teachers a huge job, and that is working with rookies and newbies.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
[Isaiah 26:3] This verse is the secret of true, continuous revival in the believer. When you have "perfect peace" you have got revival. But the secret is keeping your mind "stayed" or fixed on the Lord. It is an interesting exercise to attempt to keep your mind on God for a period of time. One saint told me that he made an effort to practice this. He found that at first he could only do it for a few minutes. But eventually he came to the place that he could keep his mind on God for long periods. Ultimately this takes Divine intervention...but it has to do with the part of the verse that says, "...because he trusteth in THEE."

"Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour."
[Isaiah 45:15] We must seek God every day. HE will never be found by those who make no search for HIM. Although our God is every where present, HE cloaks HIMSELF. HE has the ability to totally cloak HIS awesome presence and power, and HE does it so well that we can be convinced there is no God at all. But every day we must choose HIM as our Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator, Flight Engineer, Owner, Operator, President of our company, Chief stock holder, Boss and Master. We must call upon HIS Name and tell HIM that we love HIM and grant HIM total control, total ownership and total leadership upon our being for that day. God is a lover, and HE expects and demands that we pursue HIM every 24 hours. And if we vigorously seek after HIM, then we will have the privilege of finding HIM for a season. But then we must seek HIM all over again. Why is HE like that?? Because it makes us into better and purer and more pleasing children of HIS. It makes us strong in the Lord. HE does it because it is the ultimate way to improve us.

"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
[1st Corinthians 11:31] We Christians need to develop the art of judging ourselves. We need to stop developing the art of judging others. That is God's department. We never judge anyone but ourselves: me, myself I, unless the Holy Spirit takes over our lips, like HE did Stephen's lips. [See Acts 7:51-53] Stephen, the first martyr, said some very, very strong things to the Jewish high council, that no Christian would EVER say on their own!! But Stephen was under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and God was speaking to the Sanhedrin using Stephen as a mouth piece. We believers NEVER do such a thing on our own!! Judgment is God's area. God is the parent! One child does not discipline another child! Stephen didn't speak on his own! We are to judge me, myself and I, not our brother or sister...just me, myself and I.

"Abstain from all APPEARANCE of evil."
[1st Thessalonians 5:22] God's standard for us is very high. HE wants us to advance and grow in righteousness. HE wants us to get to the place where we not only don't do any evil, BUT, that we never even appear like we might be doing evil. We are to so arrange our lives that we don't go any place without HIS direction. We don't go any place that Jesus wouldn't go. This is why Billy Graham and his associate ministers agreed early on that they would never enter any room were a woman was alone in that room, unless their own wife accompanied them into that room. And they kept that vow with great purity, even though it meant that they sometimes appeared "peculiar" in this world of loose living. There are many unwise believers who are seldom concerned about the spiritual APPEARANCE of what they do, and where they go, and how they dress. They live presumptuously. They are very concerned about how "COOL" they appear. And they cannot stand to be "peculiar." They must be "cool." But God calls us to pure living so that we never give Jesus a bad reputation. God wants us to have hot hearts...but the world wants us "cool."

" But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." --Jesus
[Matthew 12:36-37] Every day that passes we discover that people's words become less and less trustworthy. Today we must operate by the rule that you can't trust what is said. You have to get it in writing. Even then companies and organizations find ways to escape from their promises. They steal pensions. They rob the poor. But God is going to hold us to every single word that ever came out of our mouth. HE is going to judge us on even the jokes we told. I see that even a good joke that wasted God's and our time on Earth, when we should have said something better, even those idle words, of a good joke, may come back to haunt us!

These Scriptures really convict me. I can see why they don't get much attention. But, I think maybe I better give them the attention they deserve. My future counts on it!

clint

Updated February 1, 2014

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