Absolutes

Those of us who were raised Pentecostal have always been excited about a new evangelist preaching in an excitable way what we call the old-time doctrine. Yes sir, down with the trends and fancies of the day just give me that old-time Word. Sounds great doesn't it? However, most of the time we shout a little bit, dance a little bit, and worship and then within two days we go back to doing the same things we did before we heard that new evangelist. Why is it that we have professed to have the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit on a generation and yet can be so spiritually fickle when it comes to just basically living right and treating people with respect as we should? That is the question most non-Christians and even-non-Pentecostals are asking today-"If you guys profess this Holy Ghost power, why doesn't it give you the ability to love one another and help one another when you are in need and treat people right?"

There is a need for sound doctrine today. There is a need for absolutes.
2 Timothy 4:3, 4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;  and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."

I am not talking about Church of God doctrine, or denominational doctrine, I'm talking about Biblical doctrine. The Bible is still filled with absolutes by which we are known as believers or not. A professing Christian may not be perfect, but he or she will do all within their ability to make sure to adhere to the true doctrines of the Word of God.

So what are some of those absolute truths?
-Salvation-Whosoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved.
-Living a sanctified, holy life-Possessing your vessel (body, mind, and soul) in sanctification
-Being filled with the Holy Ghost-Acts 2
-Bearing the fruit and gifts of the Spirit-These identify you.
-Restraining yourself from vengeance, gossip, and deceit-Controlling your actions.
-Carrying for the needy and hurting-doing the work of the Father.

For so long we have majored in minors and that has hurt the Kingdom of God. I have shepherded precious people who had all the trappings of Spirit-filled believers, yet they bore no fruit as a believer in Christ should. Nope, I'm not judging, just stating facts. I know myself that I have fallen short in some areas of my life and had to sharpen those areas up to be the best that I could be for God and it wasn't based upon some new doctrine or spiritual fad. It was based on the absolutes of the gospel that my life was changed by God and I had to do things differently if I wanted to give Him honor and glory.

I cannot tell you how to worship because worship is based on your relationship with God. I cannot answer every mystery of why things happen in your life or mine when we serve the Lord that are bad, painful, or hurtful. I cannot tell you the answer to certain things that have happened around us in our families and homes that have had a negative effect on us. But I can tell you I believe that God still has absolutes that we can build upon even in times of need and will do so in closing. These are some absolutes you can count on:

He is Almighty.
He is a Bridge over troubled water.
He is Closer than the mention of His name.
He is Dedicated to His children.
He is Encouragement personified.
He is Full of grace.
His Goodness is everlasting.
He Helps us in the time of need.
He is In control of your situation.
He Just cares about you.
His Kindness is beyond compare.
His Love is boundless.
You Matter most to Him.
Your Needs He will supply.
He is Patient and concerned.
He's ears are Open to your cries.
He Qualified you for eternity with the availability of His great salvation.
He Rescues the hurting today.
He Saves the needy.
He Totally knows what you are facing and going through.
He Uses every means necessary to show you His glory.
He Verifies daily how much He understands your problems.
He still Works miracles today.
His Spirit is a spiritual X-ray of your soul.
He is Zealous to see you make it out of your turmoil and restored to high ground.

Thank God for absolutes! They still work today!