Is the seminary allowed? What is the difference between religion and theology?

Dear friends, religion teaches you how to get happiness in life through God. But God wants you to know yourself and him.

Excerpt from Ten Shekels and a Suit-paul walsh.

Now I ask you: What do you preach the gospel for? What do you believe in God for?

If you ask me, "Why did you go to Africa to preach the gospel? I will tell you that I went mainly to improve God's justice: anyone who has no chance of being saved will go to hell. I think this situation is very bad. To this end, I went to give those poor sinners a chance to enter the kingdom of heaven. " Of course, I didn't go with so many excuses. But if you analyze what I just told you, do you know what it is? It is humanism (based on human interests). In fact, I just regard the provision of Jesus Christ as a way to improve the suffering and miserable situation of mankind.

However, in Africa, I found that they were not poor innocent pagans, running around in the forest, waiting, and then hoping someone would tell them how to get into heaven. On the contrary, they are evil monsters! Live a life of "total disobedience to the God you know". In fact, their understanding of God is far beyond my imagination. They really only deserve to go to hell, because they completely refuse to live in the light, which is the light of their conscience, the law written in their hearts, the witness of nature and the truth they have long known. When I found this, I assure you, I was so angry with God that I sometimes said to God in prayer that what he did was really … very small. He sent me there, to those who were waiting to be told how to get into heaven. Because when I got there, I found that they already knew about heaven, but they didn't want to go in. They loved their sins and wanted to stay in it all the time.

I was inspired by humanism to go there. Because I have seen many photos of leprosy patients and many photos of ulcer patients. I have seen many pictures of local people's funerals. I don't want my human partner to suffer in hell forever after experiencing the miserable life on earth. However, it was there, in Africa, that God began to tear up this humanistic gilding! That day, in the bedroom, I closed the door and wrestled with God. Because I am here, I understand a fact: I think they are ignorant, they want to know how to get into heaven, and they are saying "I hope someone will help us"; But in fact, they don't want to spend any time talking to us at all. They are not interested in the Bible or Christ. They only love their own sins and want to continue to live in them. At the moment I understood this, I thought the whole thing was a lie and a joke, but I thought it was so beautiful! So I want to go home.

There, I was alone in my bedroom, honestly facing God with my true thoughts. I seem to hear him say, "Yes, isn't this the judge of the whole earth?" These foreigners are lost. They are going to hell, not because they haven't heard the gospel. They are going to hell, because they are sinners and they like their sins! And because they only deserve to go to hell But I didn't send you to get it. I didn't send you for them. "

As I heard (the clearest sound), I clearly heard (not the sound of physics, but the echo of the truth knocking into an open heart). That day, I heard God say to my heart, "I didn't send you to Africa for foreigners, I sent you to Africa for myself. "They only deserve hell! But I love them! I endured great pain for them in hell! I didn't send you for them! I sent you there for myself! Don't I deserve a painful reward? Am I not worthy of the man I died for? Don't I die for them and get nothing? )"

God's word turned everything upside down! ! ! Changed everything! ! ! Also corrected everything! ! ! I no longer work for my Micah (the boss, the gold owner), for the ten shekels of silver and a suit (not for self-realization, not for making the world a better place), but because I want to serve the eternal God! ! ! I didn't go there for these foreigners anymore! ! ! I went there for my savior, who endured great pain in hell "for those unworthy Gentiles". He deserves them because he died for them.

Do you see it? Let me sum up, let me sum up:

Christian belief says that "everything is ultimately the glory of God"; Humanism says that "everything is ultimately the happiness of people in this life or eternal life"

The latter originated from hell and acted as God. The former is born from heaven, and God is glorified. The latter is that the Levites are serving Micah, and the former is a heart unworthy of serving the living God, because God has the highest glory in the whole universe.

What about you? Why repent? How I wish to see some people repent again because they obey the words of the Bible.

George George Whitefield knew that. He once stood in Boston Park and preached to 20,000 people. He said, "Listen! Sinners! You are a monster, an evil monster! You only deserve to go to hell. Your most serious crime is that although you have committed a crime, you have not been kindly seen. " He said: "If you don't want to cry for your sin (your sin is" resisting a holy God "), then I will cry for you in george Whitefield!" Then he lowered his head and sobbed like a baby. Why? Is it because the listener is in danger of going to hell? That's not true. But because they are evil monsters, but they can't even see their own sins and don't care about their own sins.

Do you see the difference? Do you see the difference? Here's the difference: some people just tremble with fear because they will suffer in hell, but they have no idea about their serious crimes, have no feeling about their great sins, and are unaware of their resistance and insults to God. He was trembling because his hair was about to burn.

Afraid! I tell you, fear is actually a "mediation work" that prepares us to accept grace. It is not a place to stay. The Holy Spirit will not stay there, which is why no one can accept Christ to the point of salvation unless they repent. No one can repent unless they know their sins. However, the holy spirit's job is to make people aware of sin and help sinners see that he is a criminal before God and only deserves God's complete wrath. If God wants to throw him into the deepest corner of the devil's hell forever, even 10 eternity is what he deserves. And he deserves more than 100 times, because he saw all his sins. He didn't just believe that he was caught, but he did see his sin.

This is the difference between our sermon on the podium today and that of john wesley (including whitefield above).

Wesley is a missionary who preaches justice and exalts the sanctity of God. He will stand there and preach for two or three hours. He is used to preaching in the open air, holding high the sanctity of God, God's law, God's justice, God's justice, God's wisdom, God's resentment and anger. Then, he turned to sinners and told them that they were guilty, openly resisting God, rebellious, disloyal and lawless. At the party, the power of God came too much. Once ... According to reliable information, when people dispersed, 1800 people were lying on the ground, completely unconscious, because they were inspired by the holiness of God. In this case, they saw the depth of their sin. God pierced their hearts and made them fall to the ground.

This happened not only in Wesley's time, but also in Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. A man named john wesley redfield led the gospel ministry in and around New Haven for three years in a row. The climax of his Ministry was a large-scale rally held in the stadium of Yale University, which was the first playground of Yale University in the18th century. The police are used to it. In those days, if they saw someone lying on the ground, they would go up and smell his breath, because if his breath was mixed with alcohol, they would lock him up. But if there is no smell of alcohol, he is suffering from Wesley redfield's disease. If you find someone with Wesley redfield's disease, all you have to do is carry him to a quiet place and leave until they wake up. Because if they are alcoholics, then they will give up drinking; If they are cruel people, then they will no longer be cruel; Those who are morally corrupt will abandon prostitution afterwards; If they are thieves, they will return what they stole. Because they saw the holiness of God and the depth of their sins, the spirit of God prevailed over them, because their sins were so heavy. Because God's power covered the earth, sinners repented of their sins and came to Christ to seek salvation. However, there is one difference. This is not an effort to convince the good man that he is in trouble with the bad God, but to convince the bad man that he deserves the resentment and anger of the good God. The result is repentance, which brings confidence and leads to life.

Dear friends, there is only one reason for sinners to repent, only one reason, because Jesus Christ deserves people's whole-hearted worship, respect, love and obedience, not because people are going to heaven. If the only reason for your repentance is to leave hell, then you are just a Levite, serving ten shekels and a suit. That's all. You are trying to serve God, because he will bless you. However, a repentant heart sees that this is a heinous crime, that is, using false gods to play the game of serving God, and at the same time refusing to give him the worship and obedience that a fair and just God deserves.

Why do sinners repent? Because God deserves obedience and love, and this sinner refuses to give it! Not that he repented to go to heaven.

If the only reason for a sinner to repent is that he can go to heaven, it is nothing more than trying to make a deal and bargain with God.

Why should a sinner abandon all his sins? Why challenge sinners? He came to Christ, why did he return (as God deserved)? Because God deserves the obedience he asks!

I have talked to some people who have no evidence of forgiveness of sins, but want to feel saved, even if they don't want to give themselves up to Christ.

I believe that only the following people are God's people, that is, God has really witnessed with his spirit that they are his children, whether they say it or not. They came to Jesus Christ and said, "Lord Jesus, as long as I live, I will obey you, love you, serve you and do everything you want me to do, even if I go to hell at the end of my life." Just because you are worthy of love, obedience and service. I don't want to make a deal with you "

Do you see the difference? Do you see the difference between the two? That is, the Levites served a suit of ten shekels, or Micah built the temple of God just because God blessed him, and some people repented for the glory of God.

Why do people come to the cross? Why do people embrace death with Christ? Why should people be willing to be crucified with the Lord, buried with death and resurrected with life? Let me tell you why. Because this is the only way for God to get glory from human beings! If you say that it is because you will get joy, peace, blessing, success or reward, then you are just a Levite who serves ten shekels and a suit.