By David J. Stewart | March 2014
Philippians 3:8-9, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
The question is not “Do you love Jesus?”; but rather, “Do you love Jesus
more than everything else?” I speak to born-again believers. The world is
dying in their sins without Jesus Christ. What are we doing about it? Are we
investing for eternity? My friend, I challenge you to spend your life for
what really matters. Don't waste your life!
The apostle Paul said that he lost everything for Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:8), but he rejoiced and said he considered it ALL DUNG that he may win Christ! Paul was formerly a Pharisee. He was wealthy and had it made financially. All he had to do was continue being a Pharisee. Albeit, Paul forsook all to follow Christ after he got saved. To be a Pharisee was a coveted position. Every parent wanted their child to one day become a Pharisee. It was a highly honored, lucrative and culturally envied position. Yet, Paul gave it all up to follow Jesus Christ, instead suffering persecutions, beatings, hunger, scourgings, et cetera . . .
2nd Corinthians 11:24-30, “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.”
Paul's story was so unbelievable that he assured the church at Corinth that God knew he wasn't lying . . .
2nd Corinthians 11:31, “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.”
Likewise as Paul, I have lost much in my life, but I count all loss but dung that I may gain Jesus Christ. If I hadn't suffered and gone through all the horrible experiences that I've endured in life, then I couldn't and wouldn't be what I am for God today. Nothing that has happened in your life shall be wasted! God can take your abusive childhood, your trauma, your health afflictions, your mental and physical disabilities, a divorce, your failures, awful sins of the past, mistakes and blunders, horrifying experiences, traumatic events, being the victim of a crime, addictions and everything good or bad that has happened in your life—God CAN AND WILL use all that has happened to you for His glory, praise and honor! Such was the case with Moses, a total misfit! Amen!
God can and will use anybody who becomes a fool, humbling them self in the sight of God (James 4:10). 1st Corinthians 3:18, “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.”
Losing One's Life For the Things of Jesus
Christ
Philippians 2:20-21, “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.”
What a convicting statement! We all could do more, think more and give more to Jesus Christ. In the parable of the sower and the seeds in Luke 8:12-15, which fell amongst four different types of ground, the third group are the seeds which fell amongst the thorns. The seeds began to grow (so these are believers), but they were CHOKED by the thorns. This represents the Christian who is deterred from serving Jesus Christ by the cares of our daily life, the pleasures of hobbies and enjoying life, and the making of money. None of these things are sinful perse, but they become sinful when they dominate our life and hinder us from investing in the Kingdom of God.
There is plenty of things that we can all do to serve God. We can all PRAY. The Bible teaches that prayer is a form of labour. Colossians 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Notice that labouring in prayer is necessary to pleasing God completely. We don't hear much about prayer from the horde of greedy internet, radio and television preachers who are sadly setting our country's spiritual barometer. It is tragic that most churches are patterning their doctrines, music and vision by following the apostate Bozo ministers on radio and TV these days. It's really sad!
As of March 2014, Answers-In-Genesis founder Ken Ham (a heretic) is building a $73,000,000 Noah's Ark theme Park in Kentucky which will be privately owned and is 100% intended to be a money-making machine, projected to generate $4,000,000,000 (yes, four BILLION dollars) in state revenue over the next 10-years. God never intended for wicked men to turn the Bible into a money-machine, exploiting the holy Bible, mocking the Lord by turning the truth into entertainment. The real Noah's Ark has been discovered (a 52 minute documentary by investigative author G. Edward Griffin).
My friend, even if you are stuck working all the time on two jobs, you can still faithfully support missionary work (and then you share in all their labors as co-laborers together for Christ). Instead of investing all your money check-after-check after two weeks, laying up for your big retirement, I'd recommend using that money for missions instead, because that's an eternal investment. So many people foolishly dump all the money, a little here and a little there for 30-years or more into a 401K retirement or something similar, and then they die before ever claiming the money. The government Thrift Savings Plan has over $1,000,000,000 in UNCLAIMED benefits (because the members died while still laying up earthly treasures). All it takes is one divorce, whose average cost now is a staggering $50,000!!! Poof, there goes all your life's savings! All it takes is a criminal or civil court case against you, and need a lawyer. Poof, there goes another $75,000!
Any
number of unforeseen events can wipe out your entire savings, retirement and
future plans. Why not invest into the Kingdom of God, where there is
absolutely NO WAY of losing your reward, just so long as you are a genuine
born-again Christian saved by Jesus' precious blood and not your own,
rotting, self-righteousness. JESUS SAVES!!!
Consider the Elephant Dung Beetle
This little beetle pictured to the left is very hard-working. All he does in the course of his day is steal some elephant dung. The beetle carefully forms the dung into a perfectly round ball so he can roll it to wherever he lives. The beetle in the photo is upside down, using his back legs to push the dung to his dwelling place.
Likewise, many Christians spend their lives pushing dung around, never doing anything for God with their life. Can you imagine standing before God one day and learning, from Heaven's perspective, that you did nothing more significant with your entire life than push balls of dung around. This is what you are doing when you live for money, a career, a hobby or materialistic things instead of serving God.
I don't want to one day stand before God and realize that I didn't do anything more meaningful for the cause of Christ than push around dung balls my entire life like most believers are doing. The average professed Christian fills 18 inches of pew every Sunday and never sows the seed of the gospel, never supports missions, never takes a stand against the wickedness of our generation, never uplifts the fallen, never helps the poor, never prays or fasts, never does anything for eternity! There are so many OPEN DOORS that we can go through for the Lord to make a difference for eternity, but you have to have a burning desire to serve God. DO YOU INVEST FOR ETERNITY???
Revelation 3:8, “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”
The World is Dying in Their Sins and Going to Burn in Hell
My friend, there are an estimated 7,000,000,000 souls living upon the earth, nearly all of whom are bound for eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire. There are more people alive today than all of history's population combined! Think about that! God is so wonderful. God loves you and me so much that He sent His only biological (begotten) Son into the world to be rejected, hated, mocked, spit upon, beaten, scourged and crucified as a common criminal by mankind. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay. Thank you Lord!!!
My treasures are laid up in Heaven. Jesus told us not to lay up earthly treasures that cannot go with us into eternity; but rather, to lay up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20). I've made thousands of enemies over the internet since 2002 because of my uncompromising stand for Jesus Christ for THE TRUTH! Likewise, I am beloved by thousands of people around the world who've either come to the Lord, or have been edified (spiritually built up) by my humble labors, or all of the above.
And of course, there are some people who visit my website and don't agree with most of what I say, if anything. That's ok, I still love them and pray for them. Everyone is welcome. I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with what I say. That's what makes America great. It's ok to agree to disagree agreeably! I have received numerous e-mails over the years from people who said they hated me at first, and disagreed with just about everything I said on my website ministry; but now one, two or five years later they love me and agree with most of what I say. THAT IS THE POWER OF THE TRUTH MY FRIEND! Romans 10:17 teaches that hearing the truth of the Word of God induces faith in the listener. I cannot change anybody's life and that is not my goal. My goal is for the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16) to change your life permanently for God. My goal is The Great Commission!
Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
The Great Commission is more than just preaching the message of Christ's death, burial and resurrection (i.e., the gospel) to the lost. The Great Commission includes four parts:
- GO YE into all the world and preach the gospel. Many churches are lazy and don't GO YE.
- MAKE DISCIPLES of every tribe (nation) the world by preaching the gospel. The world is our mission field.
- BAPTIZE converts as a public profession of their faith by total immersion in water.
-
TEACH converts to observe (guard against loss) Christ's example through a life of obedience and faith.
Are you wasting your life or spending your life for what really matters?
“Faith Children's Village”
Orphanage in Zambia, Africa
I heard a humble Missionary in March of 2014, Brother Phil Hunt, preach 4 times at our Baptist church in Micronesia and he is a faithful man of God, who's been sowing the seed of the gospel for the past 25 years in Zambia, Africa. If it weren't for Brother Hunt, this article wouldn't have been written, because I never would have heard him preach. He's married with 7 children. They have an orphanage for homeless children in Zambia. One little girl walked 2 days alone to find Faith Children's Village. Our church prayerfully and financially supports Pastor Phil Hunt's ministry. A shocking 15% of children in Zambia have no parents. 50% of Africa's population are all under the age of fifteen. Whereas 1-in-3700 women in the U.S. die as a result of complications during pregnancy labor, 1-in-16 African women die in Zambia due to medical complications during labour! The medical care is woefully lacking.
If you want to serve God, then you ought to support missionaries like Brother Hunt. We should all support missionary work through a local New Testament Church. I only support Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches, because their beliefs line up with the Scriptures more than any other religious group. Albeit, being Baptist doesn't get you saved any more than traveling to Russia makes you Russian. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN! (John 3:5-7). I am first and foremost a born-again Christian, a woeful sinner mercifully saved by faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). I am saved by CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS!!! (Philippians 3:9).
Please note that Missionary Phil Hunt's Zambia, Africa ministry is serving under the IBM Global (IBMG) missionary board. I had the delightful opportunity to hear his preaching four times, and then shake hands with Brother Hunt after the mission's conference and was touched in my heart by his passion for souls, his choice of preaching over the 4 nights total, and what the Lord is accomplishing through their obedient labors in Zambia. Our pastor and his wife have physically traveled to Zambia, Africa to see first hand what's going on there. There are plenty of missionaries to support. You have to do your homework and pick the one's whom you feel God is laying a BURDEN upon your heart to support. You won't go wrong supporting Missionary Phil Hunt and his wife with 7 children on the mission field.
This
very article which I have written on Counting All Things But Dung That I
May Win Christ was inspired by the Wednesday night (last night) of our
Mission's Conference, which was preached by the keynote guest missionary,
Pastor Phil Hunt. He used the exact same dung beetle photo that I've used
earlier in this article. It is an African dung beetle. If you want to give
to God's work to glory and honor God with your substance, then you and I
need to give to mission's work which is being done in Jesus' name. The
gospel is that Jesus died, was buried and resurrected from the dead after
three days. Anyone who receives the gospel as full-payment for their sins
has eternal life. Salvation is not achieving, it is receiving what Christ
has freely done for us by shedding His blood and applying it to the heavenly
Mercy Seat (Hebrews 9:12,22-24).
Baptist International Missions Incorporated (BIMI)
Most people aren't saved (born-again). Matthew 7:13-14 teaches that the way to life is narrow and few people ever find it, but the highway to Hell is filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic! Of the few people who are genuinely saved, few believers live day-by-day for the THINGS WHICH ARE JESUS CHRIST'S! Here is a great place to allow Christ to support missions work THROUGH YOU (Galatians 2:20). 2nd Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Christ's strength can only be made perfect in our weakness. Are we willing to become weak financially, that God may be strong through our sacrifice for Jesus . . .
Baptist International Missions
Incorporated
(Mission board and missionaries are all King
James Bible only)
Matthew 25:40, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
It is important to understand that when Jesus spoke of losing one's life, He is speaking to His disciples (which includes you if you're saved). Jesus says to pick up your cross and follow Him. That's not a plan of salvation; but rather, a call to duty as a Christian believer . . .
Matthew 10:33-39, “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”
What does it mean to take up one's cross?
*A CROSS = Problems that come because you've identified with Christ!
Across means standing up for Jesus. The best way to interpret the Bible is with the Bible. We learn from 2nd Timothy 3:12 that living godly in Christ Jesus brings persecution, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Jesus said in John 7:7 that the world hates Him because He testifies against it that their works are evil. The sinful world hates the holy (morally perfect) name of Jesus Christ and the holy Bible (John 15:19). If we SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES as Jesus commanded in John 5:39 and live according to the teachings of Christ, the sinful world is going to hate Christ in us. They don't hate us; but rather, Jesus living in us (John 7:7; Galatians 2:20). If you carry a holy Bible, the world will give you up! The world hates Israel because God gave the world a guilty conscience through Israel, that is, the giving of the Old Testament Law.
Don't waste your life! Don't waste your hardships! God can use all of the bad things which have happened to you to help OTHERS. Don't waste your death. So many people die needlessly overdosing on prescription drugs, smoking (stroke or heart attack), drinking (sclerosis of the liver or cancer). Many Americans die prematurely from grotesque eating habits. We ought to eat right and take care of the human body, which is the temple of God's Holy Spirit (if you are a born-again believer - 1st Corinthians 3:16-17). END
