Appointment with Jesus Christ

Appointment with Jesus Christ

Carol Stavro

ISBN 978-1-0980-7970-3 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-0980-7971-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Carol Stavro

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

1st copyright © 1994 with the Library of Congress (unpublished with a different title)

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The verses taken from the New American Standard Bible translation correspond with the Received Text or were adjusted to be so. All adjustments are in brackets.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Chapter 1

The Three Circles

Chapter 2

The World

Chapter 3

The Counterfeit Church

Chapter 4

The Remnant

Chapter 5

The Wheat and The Tares

Chapter 6

Appointed Times vs. Traditional Times

Chapter 7

The Candy

Chapter 8

The Cross of Salvation

Chapter 9

An Eternal Relationship

Chapter 10

The Great Provider

Conclusion

About the Author

Dedication

To my precious Lord Jesus Christ, who inspired me to write this book by the Holy Spirit. I thank the Lord for teaching me His Word that has meant so much to me.

The Scripture that spoke to my heart as I wrote this book were the words of Jesus in Luke 9:62 which says, No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. For me, that Scripture means not to look back at the past, but to live each day in the present so I will have a future in Jesus.

To my husband, who has spent countless hours using his amazing editing and computer skills finalizing this work. He is truly a Psalm 1:1–3 man. I am blessed to have him in my life.

To my mother, who is in her heavenly home with Jesus Christ. She had unconditional love for me and never ceased praying for me.

To those who have endured many sorrows and sufferings in life, please be encouraged—Jesus Christ is the answer!

Acknowledgment

I thank my son for his generosity in the initial investment of this book. His kindness is much appreciated.

My friend, Virginia, who is in her heavenly home with the Lord, supported me with great diligence, love, and prayer. She also blessed me with beautifully crafted art inspired by Jesus.

Introduction

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).

For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:22–23).

On judgment day, we all have an appointment scheduled with Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. On that day everyone will stand before Him and be judged. We will either enter eternal life with Him or be sent to eternal separation from Him in the lake of fire with the devil.

Along with His message of salvation, the Lord wanted me to write this book in order to share a few things He has taught me over the years. Specifically, I want to alert the reader to some deceptions that might keep him or her from entering into eternal life with Jesus.

Chapter 1

The Three Circles

One day while I was in my kitchen, the Lord began talking to me about three circles. He told me to draw three concentric circles on a piece of paper and to label the outer circle the world, the middle circle the church, and the innermost circle the remnant. At that time, the Lord did not expound upon what He had said.

Later on, the Lord spoke to me about the circles again. He said to change the middle circle from being labeled church to counterfeit church. I thought, Why did He do that? In response, He told me that since the birth of the church in the first century, there have been counterfeits pretending to be God's people. Counterfeit Christians say they are saved but are not in good standing with God.

According to Webster's Dictionary, the word counterfeit means made in imitation of something else with intent to deceive; forged; insincere. Think of what I have just stated in light of counterfeit money. The fake money looks real, but it has no value except to those making it for deceptive use.

Jesus told me the world and the counterfeit church promote the same sins. Tragically, instead of setting people free, the counterfeit church like the world encourages them to stay in bondage to sin. By emphasizing an unwholesome atmosphere, counterfeits chase after unrighteousness while calling it righteousness.

Additionally, counterfeits do not keep to themselves. They seek to infiltrate and corrupt God's people. By sowing false doctrine and seeds of discord, the fake Christians work hard to bring down those who stand for the Lord.

The following is a list of the fruit of the counterfeit church: Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: [adultery], immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, [murders], drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19–21).

The innermost circle labeled the remnant is the true church. According to Webster's Dictionary, the word remnant means, that which remains of anything. In the context of Christianity, remnant means a residual or small group who has not abandoned the Lord. They are the church or called out ones spoken of in the New Testament. The remnant is God's people who love the Lord and serve Him in total obedience. In the Scriptures, examples of remnant congregations are the Acts Church in Acts 4:32–35, the Smyrna Church in Revelation 2:8–11, and the Philadelphia Church in Revelation 3:7–13.

The following is a list of the fruit of the remnant: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22–23).

Throughout this book, I will refer to the doctrine of Christ. When asked about His teaching or doctrine, Jesus therefore answered them, and said, ‘My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me' (John 7:16). Since God does not change, Jesus received the same teaching that God gave to Abraham and Moses, namely, …that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments… (2 John 1:5–6). Just like God in the Old Testament, Jesus gave commands not suggestions.

In practical terms, the book of Hebrews records what the early church regarded as the fundamental teachings of Jesus. Listed in it is the teaching of faith, baptisms, the resurrection, and the laying on of hands, which are not too controversial. Also, in the list, there are teachings like repentance and a coming judgment day, which are more controversial. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:1–2 KJV).

Aside from those basic teachings, the apostle John made it clear how important the doctrine of Christ is to the believer. He observed that no one has the true God who does not have the doctrine of Christ. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son (2 John 1:9 KJV).

To be clear, the leadership of a church must seek and obey the Lord in order to be faithful and true to Him and not pursue their agenda. If the leadership walks in the doctrine of Christ, then that congregation is a remnant one. On the other hand, if the leadership walks contrary to the doctrine of Christ, which I call the doctrine of the antichrist, then that is a counterfeit church.

This is what the Bible says about the two kinds of leaders or shepherds. A true shepherd is a type and shadow of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me… (John 10:14).

In contrast, the counterfeit shepherd is a type and shadow of the devil. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber (John 10:1). Furthermore, the Lord refers to false shepherds as hirelings who have no interest in the welfare of the congregation. He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them (John 10:12).

I have witnessed both types of leadership and can truthfully say that being under the authority of leadership that follows Christ is the only way to grow spiritually. Those in that type of atmosphere will learn to live and serve the Lord wholeheartedly.

Please note below the visual representation of the three circles. Be blessed as you read on, and think about which circle YOU will choose!

Chapter 2

The World

Angelic Rebellion

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). At some point after the creation, there was an angelic rebellion in heaven. We are not told the particulars of that rebellion but the sin of pride seems to be central to it. A group of angels, led by the devil, did not like the way God ran things and decided to create a new world order. Their pride was such that they thought they could win a war against God. However, God defeated that uprising, and the devil and his cohorts were banished from heaven.

Once banished, the devil plotted to rob the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, of their right to rule the earth. The devil was successful. Adam and Eve sinned and paradise was lost. They went from paradise to poverty—spiritual poverty.

In its place, God allowed the devil to install his unrighteous system called the world. From that point on, the devil's reign of terror commenced and will continue to plague mankind until his system is completely destroyed by Jesus Christ.

The world or the cosmos, which is the Greek word for world in the Bible, is where everyone is born and resides. What is more, it is the order of things or the organized system everyone lives in and has numerous parts such as government, religion, education, culture, and the economy. Along the same lines, the world could be referred to as The Matrix after the movie of the same name. It appears real and will last forever. But, the world is going to pass away and all that belongs to it will disappear. Unlike the world, God and His Word are eternal. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:17).

Attributes of the World

In the first chapter, The Three Circles, I mentioned the outer circle is the world. The Lord showed me further revelation of the circles in that they all have nine attributes, characteristics, or traits. As in all three circles that will be discussed, leadership is key. Whatever the leadership implements derives from their beliefs and motives, which will be followed by people of like mind.

In this chapter, I will concentrate on the world where its people are comprised of those who are unsaved and where anything goes. It has always been a free for all and will continue to be so until the world ends. The world will always do what is good for them. Because it is an unnerving place to dwell in without Him, I pray the world wakes up and realizes their need for the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Listed below are the nine attributes or nine Ps as they relate to the world. There may be other attributes, but these are the ones the Lord gave me. The Lord said the people in the world:

Love pride

Harbor prejudice

Embrace pollution

Seek popularity

Pressure others

Engage in persistence for evil

Praise themselves

Abuse power

Avoid purity

1. Love Pride

Webster's Dictionary defines pride as an undue sense of one's own superiority; arrogance; conceit.

Do you remember the words to the familiar song, My Way? Think of those words for all people and not just a particular person who wrote and sang it. The words speak of the end of peoples' lives as they face the final curtain. They look back, and say they have planned each chartered course, each careful step in their life. They were their own authority and made decisions according to that thinking. As each refrain ends, the people proclaim their victory by saying, I did it my way.

In other words, their way was the best way to live. That is true because many people decide each and every day the best way they believe to live. But, in reality, is that the best way to live?

I can only say in my life that some decisions I did it my way were the worst decisions. I know those decisions were made because of my pride. Many times songs convey a deeper message than is perceived on the surface. I believe people should use My Way to see themselves in a new light and address any pride in their lives.

Pride in Self

In the world, there is pride or superiority, and it is offensive. With pride, people see themselves as the authors of greatness in everything they do. The unspoken sentiment is, no one can do anything as well as I can.

Why is that? Prideful people do not want to take a critical look at themselves or their actions. It must be someone else who is wrong because they can never do anything incorrectly. When questioned, they turn the situation around and find fault in the ones who question them. Without hesitation, they always take offense at personal criticism.

The world's self-pride is clearly displayed in two areas: organizational membership and buildings. In this first area, the world can be seen boasting of its organizations and how large they are. Membership numbers are an indication of success and the world likes to let everyone know how successful their particular company or group is. As an example, a Fortune 500 company will alert the media to an expansion and give out the number of employees it will increase by. Similarly, a newspaper or magazine publishes its circulation or readership numbers, which is no different than the number of subscribers to a social media website. It is all done to show appeal and organizations take pride in the numbers of members they possess.

Secondly, the world constructs buildings and skyscrapers as symbols of their magnificence. The world even has a competition as to who will have the tallest building. The taller the building the greater the pride will be in man's accomplishment. Pride in one's self lives on as newer buildings must be taller and grander than previous structures.

The world's quest will always be to magnify their pride. However, prideful people really have nothing to boast about. All their accomplishments cannot be taken beyond the grave. For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, and the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD. The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, ‘There is no God' (Psalm 10:3–4).

Pride in Wealth

There is also pride in one's wealth. In the second type of pride, the attention is on money, clothes, vehicles, neighborhoods, and careers. Prideful people pat themselves on the back