To hear the good news, the gospel of the trendy progressive church, we might believe that the message of Jesus is always welcome. Are all welcome? Will all be welcomed into His kingdom.
Jesus in fact, before words of welcome, called people to repentance, Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus also did not have welcoming or kind words for people who led others astray. Jesus said woe to certain people and declared that God would not welcome sinners into His presence and into His abode.
Depart from me you cursed. Not at all welcoming words, but progressive trendy religion would have us believe that the gospel welcomes everyone without any judgment or call for repentance.
The message of the early Church was not welcome to our little friendship groups, to our cosy comfortable meetings or our band of easy believers, but repent and believe the Gospel, repent and be converted, repent and be baptized. These early Christians were persecuted and ostracized for the faith, for following the Way. It could be very costly to be a Christian, and it still is in certain sad lands, bad lands.
John the Baptist preached repentance, not welcome to a happy time of fellowship down by the river.
So are all welcome? Yes, if they are willing and wanting to deal with their sin in repentance.
It would be foolish to say that we welcome people unwilling to put aside their wicked ways. Do we welcome dangerous career criminals, evil wolves in sheep's clothing who harm the flock of God, known sex offenders who have vile intentions, terrorists, pirates, slave traders and violent people who cannot control their behaviour? If we believe in safeguarding, then of course all are not welcome in certain circumstances.
It should therefore be, welcome to a message of repentance, welcome to hear the Gospel. We are sinners in need of the Saviour. He loves sinners and wishes them to avoid the coming wrath, the judgment of the unjust and exclusion of those who reject His salvation.
Sadly we have welcomed to the UK some very dangerous folk, now called bad actors. They are people who do not share our values at all, but are willing to use violence and dishonest means to achieve their ends. It is an inconvenient truth that we have welcomed people who believe in female genital mutilation, wife beating, child marriage, death to apostates, the preeminence of sharia law, rape gangs, slavery, mendacity to advance religious and political power, support for totalitarianism and forms of fascism, and other ideologies that oppose an open democratic society where there is the freedom of the press and free enterprise.
It should be a matter of grave concern that in Africa, where there are enormous resources and mineral wealth, there is so much corruption, economic instability, warfare, bloodshed, poverty and deprivation.
Year after year we hear of wars and alarming conditions somewhere in Africa. Genocide and revolutions seem to occur frequently. "Black Lives Matter" it is heralded in many places and yet I have heard relatively little about the massacres in parts of Nigeria, Sudan, Hutu tribes, the persecution of Christian unto death in certain areas , and other African nations where wars have been happening.
It is no wonder that many people wish to come to our land, but the current rate of immigration is having very sad consequences and conditions, and there will be catastrophes.
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