To:  All my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ:

To:  Those who are having problems with the positions of others:

YAHUSHUA (Jesus Christ) is coming soon!

I Cor 3: 15ff speak of our building a house.   It can be made of six kinds of material.  These are:

Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble.

Paul pressed to  the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus, as he said it.  He wanted a house made of pure gold.  Not that he had attained it, no, but he wanted it and worked daily for it.  So, he worked out his own salvation in fear and trembling, did he not?  And so it is with us.

Salvation of the body, soul, and spirit is God-given through the shed blood of His only begotten Son.  That is the FOUNDATION of the house we are building.  The foundation cannot ever be ruined, burned, flooded out, etc.  It is a firm foundation that will stand eternally.

God has given gifts to men who have accepted His Son.  These gifts come without repentance, that is God does not take them back.   Thus, the greatest gift, salvation of the whole person is without repentance, i. e. God does not take it back.  ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED….ETERNALLY SECURE!

Oh, but one’s heavenly house.  Now that can be another story.  Every person will build on the FOUNDATION, Jesus Christ.  His works after he is saved determines the value of the building.  Do what God directs in His word, and you will build with gold, silver, precious stones.  Do what you direct without observing His words, and you will build wood, hay, stubble.    These latter three will burn, baby, burn.  So when the fiery eyes of Jesus Christ in judgment are turned upon your house, if it is only these three, it will literally burn to the foundation.  But the foundation CANNOT be destroyed.  Thus, even if the whole house is consumed, you are still saved.  Why?  Because the foundation cannot be burned.  By the skin of your teeth, and that only are you saved.  You can live in the outermost reaches of God’s kingdom, far away from the Throne of God, if that is your wish.  Not I.

But the house built with gold, silver and precious stones CANNOT be burned with fire.  Not only the foundation, but the entire house stands.  That is what Paul was talking about when he “pressed upward for the prize of the high calling” as he put it.  He wanted a house that was indestructible when he stands before Jesus Christ as his judge, whose fiery eyes will try every work, of what sort it is.  Gold, silver, precious stone will stand the heat while wood, hay, stubble will not.   

“Yet he, himself, will be saved, even so as by fire” or we might say at the end of the burning, we are still there but only because of the work of Jesus Christ.

So, we need to not judge our brothers and sisters.  Jesus will do that when we appear before His judgment seat.  Our position in heaven will thus be determined by how we worked out our own salvation with fear and trembling, just as it applied to the Apostle Paul.  None of us are exempt, for all will stand in judgment.  Therefore “judge nothing before the time” is very good advice.

Now we know that Christ is seeking a Bride without spot, wrinkle or blemish of any kind.  Will He find her?  You bet!  She is here now, awaiting the call to “come up hither”.(Rev 4:1).  Beloved ones, cleanse yourself daily before the Lord.  Pray when you awake, when you work, when you shop, when you eat, when you prepare for bed, and before you sleep.  In other words learn to pray without ceasing, and you will remain as clean as a whistle before God.  How?  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to CLEANSE us from ALL unrighteousness”.  (I John 1:9)  Apply this minute by minute.   

The Apostle John wrote, “See how they loved one another”.  Get it?  Stop criticizing and leave it all to Jesus.  He has perfect 20/20 heavenly vision and sees the heart.  Love God, and love one another with as much as is in you.  This means to be “loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, gentle, temperate, and faithful” to one another.  That is the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:9). 

What does a man or woman gain if they get a little recognition or satisfaction inwardly here, but in the process not lose, but damage their house?  I know that I have done quite enough damage to my own house in my lifetime.  I hope to do no more and pray to that end. 

Think it over.  Christ is at the door. 

Maranatha

Gerry Almond