Fervent Prayer
“And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”
But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.””
God has got no grandchildren - What does that mean?
It means that every single one of us, old and young, male and female alike need to find Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. You don’t get to Heaven because your grandfather was a great preacher, your grandmother was a great intercessor or your father and mother are pastors in a church. That does not give you a ticket, an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. You have to find Jesus for yourself. And that is why James 5 is such an important scripture.
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) avails much.”
James 5:16
You and I need to pray fervently for our loved ones, especially those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We have a saying here at Shalom: "Good people don’t go to Heaven, believers go to Heaven." That’s right!
If good people went to Heaven, I am firmly convinced that there would be a lot of people from other faiths who would enter the Kingdom of God before us. It's not about doing good works, it is about a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. We need to pray the effective prayer and God will bring them in.
I don’t know how many mighty men and women of God, I have read about (I am talking about preachers who have shaken the world), that entered the Kingdom of God because they had a praying granny, a praying mother, praying father or grandfather. Some of them, their parents prayed for them for years and years and even as I am recording this message today, I know that many of you are praying for your loved ones who are in the far country... Do not stop because God will answer your prayers. He is a faithful God. He doesn’t want one single person to be lost but all to be saved.
As you go out on this Monday morning, please remember - People need to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Have a wonderful week.