FALLEN SAINTS

By Rick Mathes

John 6:67 (NASB77) ⁶⁷ Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?”

Satan’s arrows and saints’ friendly fire often cause seekers to fall away and remain condemned to eternal dying in the furnace of Hell. Even with the best of intentions unbelievers find our Gospel offensive. Think about it: God dies in shame on a death stake. That’s hard to believe. Jesus the man is fully God and equal to the Holy Spirit that forms a Trinity? How about Jesus of His own volition died and then rose himself up from the dead; the ultimate healing?

Many fear the persecution by family and friends is sure to follow a conversion. They will just laugh off your “born again” experience and just wait in the bushes to catch you when you sin.

More often than not the reason people turn their back to the Lord is peer-group pressure; your evil companions become your only support system and you would rather stay in comfort zone of sin and step out into the wilderness of vulnerability which is sure to follow your new life and new friends.

It’s really hard to let go of your sensual enjoyment of drugs, sex and rock-n-roll. You can’t even imagine a world without alcohol, loose women, gambling and crime. It really is  new planet when you forsake the devil an pledge allegiance to the King!

Sad but it is true, that many just plain don’t want to be bothered about religion. It’s just sheer laziness. Why waste time hanging out with Christians that just don’t know how to have a good time.

The reason some drop out is unsound doctrine. I’m not into handling snakes, drinking poison or jabbering in silly unknown language. Satan has to corrupt the church with false beliefs that unless you get the “real deal”, you will fll for anything a persuasive demon can preach to you.

Lastly is when the situation you are in changes from terrible to tolerable, this is when Satan persuades you that you don’t need religion, you can handle it one more time.