On Sin and Salvation

You know things are intense when it's Monday night and you're saying, "Man, it's been a tough week." That's what happened to Mike and I last week. In addition to the troubling things my Bible study girls shared last week, some serious sin issues have been brought to the light among our students. And when confronted Biblically, some chose to say, "I know it's wrong, but I don't want to stop." The interesting thing is, while I am sad for those individual students, all week I had an excitement, almost, because I kept thinking, "What if this is God preparing our hearts for revival? What if He is putting us through a purifying fire so He can show us His glory?" When I mentioned it to Mike, he said he has been praying for revival, too. He changed his whole talk for Thursday night, to talk about sin instead. Have you read Hebrews 10:26-31 lately? For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. I know and believe that once you are in the hand of Jesus, no one and nothing can snatch you out. But those verses are very sobering. Downright scary. Mike used them in his talk Thursday, then I was able to use them in Sunday School this morning. I had to come home instead of going to church, because Jessica's tummy hurt and Mike was in Texas, so I listened to Bro. Al's sermon on the Wedgwood web site. And guess what verses he read in the middle of his sermon on Sep. 9? Yep, Heb. 10:26-31. (I love it when God does that.) Anyway, Mike didn't have a huge crowd on Thursday night, but they listened and responded and one gave his life to Christ! Please pray with us that this is only the beginning of great things. "Mercy-drops 'round us are falling, But for the showers we plead!"