The Social Gospel of Heaven - Santosh Poonen - December 7, 2014
http://rlcfchurch.org/the-social-gospel-of-heaven River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker expresses profound gratitude for the experience of knowing Christ, acknowledging the danger of taking spiritual blessings for granted. The message centers on maintaining a sense of wonder regarding God's love, calling for a deep, overflowing experience of the Holy Spirit. It concludes with a plea to focus on the spiritual feast provided by God rather than the temporary attractions of the world.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
An opening prayer of wonder and amazementThe speaker opens in prayer, asking God to keep believers amazed by His love, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and the privilege of being His children rather than letting faith become routine.
Recapping the Prosperity Gospel of HeavenRecapping the previous week's teaching, the speaker explains that God tests how we use worldly wealth to see if He can entrust us with true heavenly riches.
The danger of self-absorption in the days of Noah and LotTurning to Luke 17, the speaker notes that the destruction in the days of Noah and Lot came upon people who were self-absorbed in eating, drinking, and preserving their own lives.
Living with a vulture mentality toward the prizeBelievers are called to live like vultures with their eyes fixed on the body and the prize, ready to be drawn straight to Jesus when He returns.
The opposite extreme: The Social GospelAs a reaction to the prosperity gospel, many Christians fall into the social gospel extreme where philanthropy and human compassion drive actions rather than God Himself.
Entering through the narrow wayJesus explains in Matthew 7 that many will do impressive religious and social deeds in His name, yet He will reject them because they practiced lawlessness instead of doing the Father's will.
The true meaning of the Great CommissionExamining Matthew 28 alongside Mark 16, the speaker stresses that going out must be based on the authority of Jesus to make disciples who know how to hear and obey God.
Bringing the lost home to the FatherJust like the father in the parable of the prodigal son waited for him to come home rather than just fixing his outward condition, God calls His people to bring the lost into eternal dwellings.
The sheep, the goats, and the brothers of JesusIn Matthew 25, Jesus separates the sheep and the goats based on whether they fed and cared for Him when He was hungry and in prison, identifying those acts as done to His brothers.Matthew 25:34–40
Drowning out the voice of Jesus with good thingsThe devil tricks believers by diluting the voice of Jesus with a flood of appealing human activities and mission projects, causing them to miss what Jesus is asking right now.
The example of the Macedonian church's joyful givingPaul holds up the extremely poor Macedonian church in 2. Corinthians 8 as an example of people who mixed deep poverty with heavenly joy, giving abundantly out of their dedication to the Lord.
Returning to our first loveThe speaker closes with a call to avoid a busy, loveless church mentality like Ephesus, fixing our eyes on Jesus instead and obeying every word that comes from His mouth.
