Cheated?
Have you ever launched out to purchase something of great importance only to find that the more you got into the process, it seemed, the more came out that you had to do in order to have what seemed to be promised so simply at the start?
If you have ever purchased a streaming service or internet-based service, you may know what I am talking about. The advertisement said you would get ….. but what they didn’t tell you is that the …… would cost you extra to have…..
This is how some in the church are made to feel at the hands of some ministers. They are given an overview of wonderful things, but then when they say yes, they are then told the reason some are lacking is that……….
It’s a yes you received Jesus, but to experience all that He has to offer you, you must……….
When this is done to people, it makes the claim of abundant life and the promises of God that are supposed to be yes and amen, a hoax or a cult-like trick to draw you in at first and then put you on the hook for more.
It’s like being told that what you signed up for was actually the bronze plan. To get the silver, you must….. and then if you wish to go all the way to the gold, you must…. Only the elite among us can experience the platinum offer…..
It is as if all the wonderful things offered in Jesus have levels of membership involved. So some of the preachers make sure to tell the ones listening to them that they’re missing out, but if they will give more, and …… then they will walk in………..
This kind of instruction causes passages such as 2 Peter 1:2-4 to be like some sort of fairytale.
2Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The promises of salvation, deliverance, healing, and abundant life by being filled with the Spirit are true! They are true for every believer in Christ. They are true based on what Christ did to secure them for us. They are ours by simply believing. The repentance needed today is not that of sins in particular but rather of the sin of not believing the truth that all has been purchased, paid in full, and made available to us in Christ. Believe is all we’ve asked to do.
1Corinthians 3:21 Therefore, let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:
The Corinthians were all caught up in who had the best teacher. Competition and comparison ruled their existence. Meanwhile, they did not realize that all was theirs and there was no need for all the competition and comparison to start with. They had been given by God a rich supply of all that was needed in Christ, and Jesus had given these gifts to them to enrich their lives, but by picking and choosing, they were cheating themselves of the full blessing of the buffet set before them.
Things were being presented in a way that suggested they were missing out, and it led them to think that if they just…… If they did ………. It also led to promoting one gift over another just to feel better.
I’ve not been cheated, and there are no things withheld from me simply because I haven’t reached level 14 and become part of the more spiritual “in crowd.” All is mine in Christ! Everything God promised is mine in Christ. It is all withdrawn by faith in Him. None of it is based on my performance to get it. There is no “But wait!” There is believe. Believe in His completed work at the cross, believe in His goodness, believe in His integrity, believe in His faithfulness, and believe that what He has said is as true for you as much as it is for anyone else. You have not been cheated, and there is not something else that you must do in order to experience all that He has promised you. Jesus can be trusted! Only believe.
