BAH, BAH, GOD'S SHEEP

BAH, BAH, GOD’S SHEEP

The part of God that we too often don’t want to acknowledge is His judgment. Who likes to be judged? Judging was a regular part of my life when I was a student at Oklahoma Baptist University. In the music department, I worked all semester in preparation for what was called a “jury”. It was at that time that I was held accountable for everything I learned vocally during the semester. Most of the time I was prepared; therefore, the judging by my professors went smoothly. There were other times in which the judging was harsh. Never did I enjoy the judging. There is a judgment acknowledged by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. It is here that we find a vivid picture of the Great White Throne Judgment. At this judgment the “shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (v. 32). He will separate those whose names are in the book of life and those whose names are not. For those who are His, He will say “Come, you who are blessed by my Father: take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (v. 34). For those who are not His, He will say “Depart from me, you are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41).
As you read this, you may be saying to yourself, “Aaron sure is in a gloomy mood today.” On the contrary, it is quite the opposite. I am writing this with a sense of joy, hope and urgency. The joy is in knowing that I have Jesus in my heart. He has given me a joy that the world cannot take away. The hope is in knowing that I need not fear the Great White Throne Judgment. Because I have Jesus in my heart, I am 100% sure that I am in the group that Jesus calls the sheep. At the Great White Throne Judgment, I do not have to fear the wrath of God. Instead, I get to enjoy eternal life with my heavenly Father. The urgency is in knowing that there are many today who would be considered goats. There are so many in our communities that do not have a personal relationship with God. If God’s eternal judgment were to come today, most of this world would be sent to eternal punishment. Knowing this fact should bother us. I feel that we don’t like to think about this fact, so we just ignore it and go on with our lives. Instead, this should spur us on to sharing our faith with everyone we come in contact with. How many people do you know that would be considered “goats’? “Many!” you say. Then what are you doing to share your faith with them? We at First Baptist Church have many opportunities in which to share Christ with a lost and dying world. Let me highlight two. First, on November 8th, we have an opportunity as a church to impact our city with the truth of God’s love. Plan to be a part of this incredible outreach opportunity. Second, there is a new ministry at First Baptist Church called Light Ministry that could use your help. This ministry reaches out to people in physical need while at the same time, trying to meet spiritual needs. Light Ministry is in desperate need of our help. In order to reach as many people as they can with the Gospel of Christ, it takes workers. This ministry goes right along with what Jesus said in Matt. 25 when He stated, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…I needed clothes and you clothed me…”(vs. 35-36). Contact Ashley McCord to help with this new ministry opportunity.

What will you do to spread God’s light and give hope to the hopeless?
Aaron Hodges