Matthew 13:22 explains the cares of this life and his longing for money choke out God’s Word, and he does less and 
less for God.
Many would say the effect of the Church in North America and Europe is waning.
God explains why this phenomenon occurs: it is the direct result of focusing on ourselves rather than on God. Both Europe and North America are the world’s wealthiest regions; a direct result of the protestant work ethic to work hard and do good. Hard work resulted in material prosperity which eventually became an end in itself, a means for measuring a man’s worth and value rather than a tool for building the Kingdom of God upon the earth as it is in heaven.
Once our estate became the focus of our lives rather than the state of the world’s relationship to God in Christ the blessing of God diminished causing us to work harder and become more concerned with our losses and subsequent struggle for new gains further diminishing our time or treasure for the things of God. The spiral continues until Europe now is mostly secular and the United States is likewise descending.
The solution is to take literal God’s command to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. The solution is to sell everything we have and follow Jesus not walking away from Him because we love money and the comfort and status that it brings us.
A hundred million years from now the material gains we accumulated on this earth will be utterly meaningless and most likely not even remembered but the spiritual gains we sent before us into the kingdom of heaven will still be yielding a return on that investment.
God’s reward is reserved for those who work to build God’s kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is all those people who have been reconciled to God through Jesus the Savior.
What will we give our lives to, the building of our temporary kingdom or the building of God’s eternal kingdom?
The difference could be the result of heaven or hell, not just for ourselves but for those who live around us.
This is beautifully explained…THANK YOU! Here is a note from a friend who works in our fair ministry who was out witnessing on Tuesday. This is what all believers are supposed to be doing:
After my chiropractic visit in Plainwell on Tues I took a walk down the boardwalk going past the old paper mill and ending up at Dean’s Ice cream which is next to a little park on the river. I made sure I took my tracts with me. It was a beautiful day to be outside and I saw many young teens in the park.
I purposefully meandered past a picnic table with a teen girl and guy and went up to them. I asked if they wanted something to read (my colorful cartoon tracts) that would tell them how to go to heaven. They both wanted the tracts. I asked if they wanted to know how to go to Heaven and they both said yes. I sat down and opened my Knowing God Booklet and went through the gospel with them, each taking turns reading the verses out loud to me. When I got to the invitation (John 1:12), I asked if they wanted to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior and they both said yes. I said that they could pray a prayer out loud (confess with their mouth) but that it wasn’t the prayer that saved them, and asked who would save them. Once they said Jesus, I asked if they wanted to pray right then and they both said yes.
Just then the basketball game broke up and 4 teen boys came and sat at our picnic table asking what we were doing. I said I would tell them but could they give me a minute. They didn’t leave so Tarrin, 16yr, said that meant they were supposed to leave. Tarrin and Robert (15) proceeded to follow me in the prayer of salvation. PTL Once I gave a brief follow-up I went to the next picnic table with 6 other teens, 1 girl and 5 guys who had left our table and gone to sit at the next one.
Addressing the fellow who asked what I was doing, I handed him a cartoon tract also. He said, I get it, is this about Christianity. He had been to a boys school for 3 years, and didn’t believe in Heaven or Hell. and was a verbal skeptic. I told him if he wasn’t interested and wanted to go to Hell (I never say that and don’t know why I did) I wouldn’t shove it down his throat. He said, I didn’t say I want to go to hell. Another 18 yr. old teen at the other end of the table was also a skeptic and was confronting me with questions about why God didn’t make us all go to Heaven and how do we know that Jesus was the Son of God and he needed to see to believe and we’re not interested. I said, you can’t speak for the others.
This is the point when we become the living Bible. I recited John 3:16 and told them that God wants all of them in Heaven. Then l told about John the Baptist, Jesus 2nd cousin, who was in prison ready to get his head cut off by King Herod. Now they were all listening. I told the account and recited Mt 11:4-5, the blind see, the deaf hear…….etc. proving from Jesus own mouth who He is. One by one they left until one young man was left, Jeremy 13 yrs.
Jeremy would you like to know how to go to Heaven? Yes, he said. As we went through the gospel he told me that he had received Jesus when he was 9 yrs old. He attends Northbridge which is the church that the youth pastor from Northeastern Baptist started. We nevertheless, finished the gospel and I told him he was running with a pretty rough crowd. He said, don’t worry, I won’t give up my faith.
I hope these teens will always remember that beautiful Tues afternoon when some lady came up and told them about Jesus.
Joyfully,
Linda