There are many who know the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified but they keep it in their pocket. They don’t want to be converted by the Cross of Christ because it will hinder their best life now agenda therefore they keep this knowledge in their pocket in order to use it when death comes knocking on their door so that they may have eternal life in Heaven.
Can Jesus Save the dying thief on the cross? Absolutely. Anyone who calls upon the Name of Jesus this side of Heaven can and will be Saved on the condition of accepting HIM as their Lord and Saviour. We are Saved by Grace through Faith. Our Salvation is not of works, lest any man should boast.
HOWEVER, the irreparable harm that is done in the lives of others, those that surround the thief who has the Gospel in his pocket but rejects the Salvation of which it offers, cannot be undone when the thief accepts Christ.
I feel strongly in my heart that they’re many in this world today that the Lord is wanting to use to bring their’s into the Kingdom of God….their loved ones; their children, parents, brothers, sisters, co-workers, etc. but pride stands in the way.
“22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” Luke 16:22-24
Hell is real. Hell is eternal. Hell is a CONSCIOUS eternity. The rich man today is still seeking for that water which he will never have. I can’t help but wonder, did someone keep the Gospel from him; did they keep the knowledge in their pocket for their use at a later date for eternal Salvation OR was he the one with the knowledge in his pocket with good intentions of accepting when all other measures were exhausted for their best life. We never know the day nor the hour that the Lord will demand of us our soul. In our carnal minds we may have it all planned out but quite frankly that’s foolish. The gates of hell open wide for those who believe such and once the gates of hell close behind the lost soul it is indeed eternal. There is no purgatory…that too is a lie from the devil.
If you are one who has been keeping the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified in your pocket for a later date, I urge you today to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. TODAY is the day of Salvation. There are those around you, YOUR loved ones that need to see YOU converted into the image of Christ Jesus so that they too can believe. There are eternal souls in your path that the Lord is wanting to use YOU for His Glory in their lives but until you pull that knowledge out of your pocket and submit unto Jesus Christ and Him crucified, the damage done continues to worsen. I life misspent can certainly and will always be forgiven upon repentance but the damage cannot be undone.
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. Be the vessel the Lord wills you to be…not the vessel we will ourselves to be. The Holy Spirit is jealous over the powers of darkness that has control of your life and HE and HE alone if fully capable of apprehending those powers and lay them waste if we will simply submit unto the Cross of Christ for our Salvation AND for our daily living for God.
The Promises of God are yes and amen but they are also conditional…conditional on conversion which is repugnant to the carnal mind which is precisely why we keep them in our pocket; we don’t want to be converted. I speak because I know. For most of my life I confessed Christianity because I had knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified but just like so many today, I kept this knowledge in my pocket for use if I got sick, got old, got old and sick. You name it, I had an excuse for it.
However, praise be to God His Arm was not and is not shortened. I stand here today converted. Not perfect, but converted. Daily submitting unto the Cross of Christ; daily fighting the good fight of faith in the Cross of Christ and able to live unto God because I applied the knowledge of the Gospel to my own heart and it is doing just what the Bible says it will do. It removes those things that are not pleasing to God and places in my heart the desires of God. It reveals to me those things that are not pleasing to God and points me to Calvary for deliverance. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is His Commission in the hearts of the Believer.
This glorious Gospel has this effect on all who believe with their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord but it will do nothing if we keep it in our pocket.
-Donna Clark Warren
Living in The Spirit 