The Amish Voice 5
Can a person know all about Jesus Christ,
such as:
He is the Son of God
He came to planet earth, died for their
sins, rose the third day, went back to
heaven and is coming again
...and still be cast into the lake of fire at the
end of their journey on earth?
On top of knowing all about Christ, can a
person also:
go to church every Sunday
follow all the rules of the church
get baptized
obey their parents and church leaders
live a simple hard working life, be
honest and separated from the world
...and still be cast into the lake of fire at the
end of their journey on earth?
The answer, according to God’s Word is yes.
For instance, consider the following Scrip-
ture:
Matthew 7:22-23
Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not
prophesied
in thy
name? and in thy name have
cast out
devils
? and in thy name done
many
wonderful works
? And then will I pro-
fess unto them, I never knew you: de-
part from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew is clearly talking about church peo-
ple who had good intentions; even to the
point of preaching, casting out devils and
doing many wonderful works. However,
when they got to the end of their life’s jour-
ney, they missed heaven and were ordered to
depart from Christ. What a sad and devastat-
ing end for people who tried so hard and
worked so diligently.
So, how does a per-
son, at the end of
their earthly jour-
ney, enter God’s
kingdom?
The answer of
course is, there has
to be a new (or se-
cond) birth event,
or as some say, a spiritual conversion.
You see it is very possible, and it happens
every day; two people can be living in the
same community, obeying the same rules,
going to the same church, following the
same Lord. Outwardly, they are a complete
match. The only thing that separates one
from the other is the fact that one had a spir-
itual conversion and the other one didn’t.
The one is
doing, doing, doing,
because s/he
is in a life-long process of getting right with
God, while the other is
doing, doing, doing,
because s/he experienced the second birth
and is
already
right with God.
It’s kind of like getting
married
. You don't
walk up to a person of the opposite sex and
say, I’ve decided to start
following you
around, make meals for you, hug you, pro-
vide money for your needs and tuck you into
bed at night
in order that we might become
husband and wife. No! We first become hus-
band and wife (it’s an event that happens on
our wedding day), and then we start
follow-
ing him/her around, make meals, hug, pro-
vide money and tuck him/her into bed at
night.
—Continued on next page—
Salvation: Event or Process?
—by Joe Keim
Once upon a time there was a rich King who
had four wives.
He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned
her with rich robes and treated her to the fin-
est of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the
best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was
always showing her off to neighboring king-
doms.
However, he feared that one day she would
leave him for another.
He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confi-
dent and was always kind, considerate and
patient with him.
Whenever the King faced a problem, he could
confide in her, and she would help him get
through the difficult times.
The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner
and had made great contributions in maintain-
ing his wealth and kingdom.
However, he did not love the first wife. Alt-
hough she loved him deeply, he hardly took
notice of her!
One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time
was short. He thought of his luxurious life and
wondered,
"I now have four wives with me, but
when I die, I'll be all alone."
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you
the most, endowed you with the finest clothing
and showered great care over you.
Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and
keep me company?"
"No way!", replied the 4th wife, and she
walked away without another word.
Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his
heart.
The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have
loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will
you follow me and keep me company?"
"No!", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good!
When you die, I'm going to remarry!"
His heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always
turned to you for help and you've always been
there for me. When I die, will you follow me
and keep me company?"
"I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!",
replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can
only walk with you to your grave."
Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning,
and the King was devastated.
Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll
follow you no matter where you go."
The King looked up, and there was his first
wife. She was very skinny and she suffered
from malnutrition and neglect.
Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have
taken much better care of you when I had the
chance!"
In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives:
Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much
time and effort we lavish in making it look
good, it will leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and
wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.
Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No
matter how much they have been there for us,
the furthest they can stay by us is up to the
grave.
And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected
in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of
the world.
However, our Soul is the only thing that will
follow us wherever we go.
Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it
is the only part of us that will follow us to the
throne of God and continue with us throughout
Eternity.
The King and His Four Wives
—Author Unknown