29 August 2007
On the 25th of August, I hitchhiked from Kooskia to Boise. I got dropped off in Boise and got something to eat at a McDonald’s restaurant. I read this newspaper article, while I was eating, and it was about Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The article said that during a crisis in her faith, she prayed to the Pope in 1958. She prayed to the Pope? You gotta be kidding me! Only a heathen moron would pray to the flogging Pope! Since I had first heard about Mother Teresa’s work in Calcutta, I had always scanned news articles to see if she ever talked about Jesus. She never did. Maybe she repented of her sin on her deathbed and asked Christ into her life, but I solemnly assure you: if she had the same nonfaith that she had in 1958 when she passed from this life, she is most definitely burning in hell.
Helping orphans or poor people in Calcutta or any other work will not appease God’s wrath--only the Blood of Jesus will. What horrible arrogance and pride to think that your work or effort can save you from hell. And Mother Teresa got a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979--she definitely made peace with the world system--the world absolutely loved her--but did she ever make peace with God through His son Jesus Christ? Again, maybe she got saved on her deathbed. I was never impressed with her life. Now, if she got saved (by grace through faith; not by works lest any man should boast), and later, when she could perceive the Lord’s voice speak to her spirit, and the Lord told her to go to Calcutta to help the poor--well then, that would be absolutely beautiful! That would be called a good work because the Lord told her to do it. The will of man always precedes a work; the will of God always precedes a good work. You can always judge a tree by its fruit.
I remember many years ago--it might have been in 1986 or 1987--this TV news program was interviewing Jimmy Swaggart (a well-known TV evangelist in the 1980s) and they asked him about Mother Teresa. He said that Mother Teresa’s working with the poor in Calcutta would not save her from hell. Let me tell you: the world let out a howl when he said that. How dare Jimmy Swaggart speak about Mother Teresa like that--the world was in love with Mother Teresa (but, of course, the world hates Jesus Christ with a perfect hatred). But Jimmy Swaggart spoke the truth: our works cannot save us; we are saved by grace through faith.
When Mother Teresa fed those poor people in Calcutta, did she give them the Bread from Heaven, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ (and I am not talking about that little cracker that some priest gives out during a so-called communion ritual at a church service)? (I am in constant communion with my Heavenly Father--it is a spiritual communion--it’s not eating crackers in some dead church) Or did she give them the food that perishes? Give people the Gospel first and then give them food for their bellies. Seek the Kingdom of Heaven first and everything else shall be added unto you. When we abide in Christ, we are broken bread and poured out wine (a sacrificial life--like Christ’s death on the Cross and his sacrificial ministry as he walked the earth) to those around us. If we abide in Christ, we can only bear much fruit to feed those hungry hearts that the Lord has placed in our path. If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, you are spiritually dead and you can only give people stale bread and swamp water. Abide in Christ and people will be drawn toward you and then you can give them the Bread from Heaven.
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Hebrews 13: 13: “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.”
I John 4: 5-6: “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
The Last Supper
Amen, Tim. Telling it like it is... There are so many scriptures and comments I'd love to list here in response to your timely post, but I think I will settle on this one by I believe Matthew Henry: "God's enemies are always portrayed as his friends and His friends as his enemies." The Devil is the master of deception. I hope she confessed and accepted Christ before passing.
ReplyDeleteI remember I was living at this Christian hostel in Ellensburg, Washington back in 1986-1987. This hitchhiker stayed for a couple of nights. One night we were reading some Scriptures and that hitchhiker preached with authority on parts of the Book of Hebrews (it was very edifying). He later said, "Tim, all is not what it appears." Christian Pharisees and other false Christians are into appearance--the outward show of religiosity.
ReplyDeleteConcerning Mother Teresa of Calcutta: the world media was absolutely in love with her: she fed the poor of Calcutta food for their bellies, NOT the Bread from Heaven--Jesus Christ. False Christians/Marxist Christians are into material salvation--they are not into reviving and feeding people's spirits with Jesus Christ (because, of course, they are spiritually dead and servants of the devil).
Will Charles Stanley ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize? Of course not! Charles Stanley and other Christians like him preach Jesus and Him crucified and this convicts the world system of sin.
I am so glad you posted this very timely message. We are sorely lacking for Christian leaders of the church to speak the truth. Most of the time I hear nothing but silence as the world continues its march toward death.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JMD. I don't know why it took me so long to post this. As you can see, I originally wrote it in my journal back in 2007.
ReplyDeleteThe world loves its own and will do everything to promote and protect someone who is conformed to the world. Those who are truly surrendered to Christ are hated by the world. You will know them by their spiritual fruit.
I actually did not follow Mother Teresa but read a few small newspaper articles of her work in the slums. I am not surprised that she would not speak of Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteWhen my aunt and uncle were Catholics (left the church years later) all I every heard them talk about was the holy father. I finally figured out they meant the Pope and not our father in heaven.
Years ago while Mother Teresa was still alive, someone did a film documentary on her life. She would say that they were feeding the poor, clothing the poor, helping the poor, they were doing this and they were doing that. She never said that the Lord called her to this work or that the Lord provided for them or that the Lord was saving certain people or that the Lord was healing certain people.
ReplyDeleteI have met Christians who DO minister to the poor. They give these people the bread of heaven first (Jesus) and then bread for their bellies. These Christians ALWAYS talk about the goodness of the Lord, how the Lord provides for them, how the Lord is saving certain people, how the Lord protects them and so on. Faith in the Lord is the key thing--not faith in themselves or faith in their own works.
When people ask me about my hitchhiking, I tell them that the Lord TOLD me to hitchhike, that the Lord provides for me and that the Lord protects me and that the Lord is using me in intercession.
In the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no self will--there is only our heavenly Father's will.
You will know someone by what comes out of their mouth.
I would like to know how many true Christians have been awarded he Nobel Peace Prize (none?). We are not here to make peace with the world system. We are here to make peace with our heavenly Father through the precious Blood of Jesus Christ (which was shed by a very violent act--crucifixion; Jesus was sacrificed by His Father. Jesus, the Lamb of God, took away the sin of the world). Christians are at war with the world system.
ReplyDeleteWoe unto those people whom the world speaks highly of--like Mother Teresa of Calcutta. "The love of the world is enmity with the Father." Anyone who is conformed to the world hates Jesus. And the world media absolutely loved Mother Teresa of Calcutta.