"They are into the here and now and a God in heaven and an afterlife is to them useless.. "
I have heard it taught , and it resonates within me as truth, there are 4 types of people-
1-unsaved
2-newly saved
3-carnal christians
4-spiritual Christians
most stay as carnal, concerned mostly about the things of this world, when Jesus would have us increasingly conformed to His image, that is what is intended from our growth in Him, He must increase and I must decrease.
Jesus told us on that day some would have done wonders in His name, yet He never knew them, we must have an ongoing, personal relationship with Him.
Here is a teacher who says it very well and from whom I have grown greatly.
It is my hope and prayer you enjoy and are blessed from it.
Thank you for those thought's. Honestly that list reminds me vividly of a conversation I had with a homeless man years ago. I have to tell the story. (sorry if this sounds self boasting, it's about an unreal day I had)
*VERY LONG STORY*
The first thing I did when digging myself out of a hole was work with my father, I manned up and spent one summer working myself ragged installing air conditioners, the number of which we have yet to meet since. I didn't know it at the time and still don't recognize it fully, however this was the start of the companies residential legacy. Today we do everything at half the price of the other guys and it's mostly done right. Long way around of saying that after several years I started attending a trade school down town. Being downtown was an odd experience, full of everything you could imagine, mostly homeless people. Colorado had just started a law that allowed for "public camping" or rather homeless could sleep on the streets without concern of the police. This mindset was one that I had for years as I previously took my "best friend" for a ride in my sisters old broken down HS car and the glovebox was full to the brim of 5 dollar bills. Being a jealous man he started to rag on me and I said "oh that's not my money, it's for Jesus".
Anyways, my point is that every day during the walk down the 16th street mall I would give money to one or two homeless people. One time I was on the bus and heard a man asking desperately for a dollar and being ignored completely. At the next stop I got off the bus and walked through the sea of people and when I reached him he looked to the ground and tried to step out of my way. I countered every side step until I met him head to head and gave him a few dollars. He said "THANK YOU!" as I walked away. I don't know if he wanted drug's or needed something to eat but all I knew at the time was he really needed a dollar.
I tell those stories as a lead up to this one. One time I was on my way to a McDonald's at the mall and a man cornered me and asked me about god, he gave a whole schpeel and asked if I wanted a book of god, opened it and gave me a quick explaination and I said sure! I mean, I wanted to read it and prove that Jesus was everywhere tending to everyone. Then he said "that'll be $10 and more is appreciated". I gave him $20 because I was commited at this point, couldn't just walk away. So I went into the McDonalds had my meal, and as I was walking out there was an intoxicated man aggressively confronting another man just trying to have his meal. The man sitting there with an end of times billboard next to him and the guy was mocking him about god. I intervened and the guy turned his hostility towards me. I said, look man you're obviously starting it, and he taunted me as we both left the McDonalds. Luckily we went seperate ways but soon after I saw another homeless man who had previously borrowed a lighter to smoke crack......... he passed me with a devilish look.
So........ all of this is to lead up to the conversation I had.
I sat down on a park bench to smoke the last of my two cigarettes, I was shaken by the past hour and didn't know what to think. A homeless man walked up and asked for a smoke, I gave him my last one and we had a chat. Half way through this chat another homeless man walked up asking if I could spare a smoke, I said no......
But........... all of this relates to what he told me. That there are 4 types of christians, exactly what you said here. He said that he had read the book I had and the 4 types was his response. He told me that he was sleeping in a stairwell, told me where it was, and that he was working day labor to get a leg up.
I never opened that book and threw it away but it was a couple years before I did so. Another thing he told me was never give more than $5 to a homeless person, and I have followed that. Granted as soon as our conversation ended and I hit the street a toothless man popped up selling suckers, I only had a $20 so I gave it to him.
edit: I will watch that video now!
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