THE WISEST BUSINESS IN THE WORLD

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Soul winning is the wisest business in the world. For who is wiser than he who prepares his neighbour for eternity (Prov. 11:30). The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is wise wins souls for eternity. Entire world is kept for fire, all of our worldly achievements will end up there. Nothing we can take to our final destination except people.

1 Thess 2:19-20 After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you!. Yes, you are our pride and joy.

Matthew 6:19,20 says, “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where its safe from moth and rust and burglars. Look at Abraham, Hebrews 11:10 says, Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.

WHO IS RICH

John 14:2

"In My Father's house are many mansions..."

Life's greatest tragedy is living without knowing what we are living for .

We are heavenly beings having a human experience.Life on earth is so short, soon it will pass away.Material richness is an illusion. We came here naked and will go from here naked.Time and space cannot define who is rich or poor. Man is an everlasting being either in heaven or in hell.Earth is like a bridge, don't build our house on it; one day it will collapse .Godly wisdom is the great treasure that you can take to the final destination.

Luke 12:21: "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God".

THREE TYPES OF GOSPEL

1.LEGALISTIC GOSPEL

Keeping the ten commandments is like juggling ten balls at a time. Popular religion is legalism. The Bible refers to it as a different gospel. "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel." Gal 1:6

How does one come out of legalism ?

Phil 3:9

And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law's demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith

AMP

2 MATERIALISTIC GOSPEL

Phil 3:18-19 says:

"For as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things

How to overcome materialism ?

First of all know who you are in Christ and His love.

Eph 1:11

It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living,

Rom 8:37-39

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing — nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable — absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us

3. TRUE GOSPEL

Very few wise people can choose true gospel :

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."JIM ELLIOT

John 12:25

Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. [Whoever has no love for, no concern for, no regard for his life here on earth, but despises it, preserves his life forever and ever.]

Matt 11:30

For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good — not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

AMP

2 Cor 4:17-18

These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible)

Rewards of true Gospel followers

1 Rev 22:3 they shall reign [as kings] forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities).

2.Dan 12:3Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

3. Mark 10:29 to 30

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.

Why did Jesus refer to Judas Iscariot as a friend?

Jesus said, "My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for." Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. Mathew 26:50

When one asks who is our real friend, the first thing that comes to mind is a person who always does good.What do we mean when we talk about real goodness? Real goodness is being in the perfect will of God just as crucifixion was the perfect will of the Father upon Jesus.Judas' wrongful betrayal of Jesus was the vehicle that carried Jesus towards the perfect will of God. In the end, Judas' action was beneficial for Jesus.

WHAT WE CAN TAKE TO HEAVEN

"Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.

For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],

2 Cor 4:16-17AMP

Luke 12:

20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God

NIV

"LIFE MINUS LOVE EQUALS ZERO." — RICK WARREN

"Love it was that made us, and it was love that saved us. Love was God's plan when He made man; God's divine nature is LOVE.

True Spirituality is all about Gods love .

Phil 1:9

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings 10 so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: 11 bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

When we come to the last moment of this lifetime and we look back across it, the only thing that's going to matter is 'What is the quality of our love?'" - Richard Bach

WHAT WE CAN SAY ABOUT GOD

Augustine tells of a vision of seeing a little boy at a beach scooping up the ocean thimbleful by thimbleful and emptying it out on the sand. Then he sees an angel who tells him that this boy will have emptied out the entire ocean long before Augustine has exhausted what can be said about God.

ATTEMPT TO BE HOLY IS A WASTE OF TIME

Don't try to be holy but know how to be holy

Holiness is not "Clean yourself up then come to Jesus" but rather "Come to Jesus just as you are then He will clean you up."Rick warren

Gal 5:4: Message bible

I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace

Holiness is an understanding about finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross

1 Cor 1:30 :KJV

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

Holiness is a great freedom

Gal 5:14 : Message Bible

For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom

Holiness is a heavenly spiritual blessing in Love

Eph 1:4 : Message Bible

Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.

Holiness takes away fear of death

1 John 4:16-18

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. 17 This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day — our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. 18 There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life — fear of death, fear of judgment — is one not yet fully formed in love

OUR LIFE TIME ON EARTH IS TO INVEST IN ETERNITY

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep

to gain what he cannot lose"

Jim Elliot.

All are working knowingly or unknowingly their way up toward a permanent residence at the highest level of life.

John 14:2 In My Father's house there are many dwelling places (homes)

The spiritual state of being we have on Earth is the spiritual state we take with us to heaven.We do not go to heaven. We grow to heaven here on Earth.

Prov 24:3-4 AMP

Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation], And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Eccl 8:6 There is a right time and a right way to do everything, but we know so little.

Good News Bible

Lack of prayer is the cause of lack of time. P Kreeft