The Abundant Life

This comes from Pastor-teacher Ken Silva, at Apprising Ministries

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:9-11, KJV)

You Can’t Handle An Abundant Life Unless You’re Born Again

So, you want an abundant life; then first of all you must come to understand the truth that mankind does not deserve anything from God but death for our rebellion against Him. And no, that doesn’t sound pleasant; but spending an eternity in conscious torment in a literal place Jesus Himself referred to as Hell sounds just a bit less pleasant, doesn’t it? One must come to God on the narrow road of following Christ; complete surrender, no questions asked, or go your own broad way with the esteem of self: “I want what I want and I want it now,” which ends in Hell.

Those are your choices. And I tell you in the Lord that anyone who promises you otherwise is lying to you. But you say: “God wants me to have life and that more abundantly.” Who is saying He doesn’t? However, God’s idea of an “abundant” life e.g. for Jim Elliot and Nate Saint was for them to be murdered by the very people they were trying to reach for Christ. That was their driving purpose; this was how these “followers of Jesus” were missional in seeking the best life now that God could give them. Still want to be a “Christ-follower”; or more accuarately, a Christian?

Then consider the great Apostle Paul’s abundant life by his own testimony:

in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 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. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28. KJV)

O and now let’s look at the greatest abundant life ever lived, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Who is only God Himself in human flesh. The Father’s idea for His “abundant” life was for all of the disciples of His only begotten Son to abandon Him; for Christ to be brutally crucified and punished for our sins. So away with all this seeker sensitive rubbish; this centered on self and man-pleasing infomercial gospel of pseudo-Christianity! Don’t listen to all this worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” (1 Timothy 6:20, NASB)

The Spirit prompts me today and so I come before you with a Word from God; and this is what the Lord says: “These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face” (Psalm 50:21). But now in all your great human wisdom you think that mankind is just too sophisticated for the “old-fashioned” and horribly “out-dated” preaching of Christ on the Cross and then letting God the Holy Spirit do His work so that it is God alone Who receives the glory?

Friend, let me ask you: Do you want to come to the Master’s table for what you think is upon it? Or, rather are you coming to Jesus whether there is anything nice on His table for you or not? For you see, your abundant life will only begin when all you desire is the Master Himself.