The Lord's Closet
Ministries, Inc.
Is Your Local Missionary
Founded By
Rev. Wallace J. Crowley Jr.
1989
Ministries, Inc.
Is Your Local Missionary
Founded By
Rev. Wallace J. Crowley Jr.
1989
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The Lord's Closet continues to expand as other agencies find out about the services TLC provides. We are asking every one to make a financial investment in the future of TLC. Your TAX-DEDUCTIBLE gift of only $ 5.oo will make a difference. Your donation is handled by - PayPal - it's fast, free and secure. Quick $ 5.00 |
As you look at the picture above, you might think, what a beautiful sunset or look at the awesome
colors. If you look a little closer you see a road way. The right lane is narrow and the left lane is
wide. They both look like they are leading to the sun. The Bible says that the road is narrow and
straight which leads to heaven. I wonder if God painted this picture with the narrow road on the right
because this is the right road that leads to His Son, JESUS CHRIST.
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I heard a story once about a man named Bob who died and went to heaven. He met St Peter at the
gate. Bob saw two doors and asked what they were. St Peter said that the door on the right which is
the smaller door leads to Heaven and the throne room of God. The bigger door on the left is the
elevator which leads to Hell and the lake of fire.
Bob asked if he could take a look at both places so he could make a decision which door he wanted to
go in. St Peter said as you wish and opened the door on the right for him to take look at heaven. Bob
looked in and saw the most beautiful place he had ever seen in his entire life. The colors were
absolutely beautiful and he saw a very bright light with people all around the light. They had their
hands lifted up singing and praising their Lord, Jesus Christ. He remembered seeing people doing
this in only one church that his aunt took him to. They seemed to be having fun just like these
people here. My aunt would always take me to church whenever I would visit her and she would read
me stories from the Bible. My aunt loved to go to church and read her Bible. I never really took time
to read the Bible and didn't understand what Jesus really did for me. I surely didn't share in the
excitement that these people had and to me all this religious stuff was boring. After my aunt died, I
never went back to church, except for weddings and funerals. I remember that my aunts funeral
wasn't anything like the others I went to. It was almost like they were having a celebration. They
said that my aunt was born again and that she has graduated. That she is walking the streets of gold
and that she will never cry again or have any more pain and that she is singing and will be happy for
ever. They seemed happy and excited for her, while I was crying, sad and empty. All I can say is that
they must have understood something about my aunt that I didn't know.
Bob then asked St Peter if he could check out the big door. St Peter took him to the door on the left
and instructed him, when you go in, you will be in an elevator, push the down button. Bob did as he
was instructed. The elevator went down and down and down. When the door opened he saw people all
around having fun. It was the biggest party he had ever been to or seen and they had the biggest
sound system I ever heard. Most of them laughing, drinking, dancing and smoking. Another group
appeared to be spaced out on drugs. He saw some of his friends with someone other then their
spouses. As he looked around he saw the same things that are going on all around us today. He
thought to himself, WOW!!!, this is the greatest party I've ever seen in my life!!!!!!!
Bob found himself back in the elevator going up. When the door opened, he saw St Peter waiting for
him.
St Peter said, well Bob, now that your wish has been granted and you have seen behind both doors,
have you made a decision which door you want. Bob instantly said YES!!!!! The small door on the
right reminded me too much about church and religion. I know that it will be boring there. On the
other hand the big door on the left is where everyone is having fun and doing all the things that feel
good. I love to party! I saw some of my friends there who died before me. I would much rather be
with my friends, have fun and do things that feel good then be bored, so I have chosen the big door on
the left.
St Peter looked deep into Bob's eyes, and said, are you absolutely sure?
Bob thought for a moment and his life flashed before him:
I remember that my mom and dad took me to church as a little boy. I thought it was boring and would
usually go to sleep. After my parents got divorced we stopped going to church. I always wondered
why people would go to boring church anyway. It was only the times, when I was visiting my aunt's
church, that I ever saw people having fun, singing, raising their hands and praising the name of
Jesus. Those people would actually tell each other what Jesus did for them last week. My aunt went
to church and read her Bible as long as I can remember. She never forced me to go to church or
jammed religion down my throat. Whenever we talked she would tell me that "Jesus loves you" and
then she would ask me , are you going to church? I could usually change the subject and move on.
I spent most of my teen years having fun and one party after another. My friends showed me how to:
cheat in school, lie, surf the net to find nude pictures, smoke, drink, do drugs, steal things to buy
my drugs and all the ways to have fun. My first girlfriend taught me about sex and said that if I
really loved her, that I would give her what ever she wants. I got arrested a few times for drugs, spent
some time in jail and ended up in rehab. Many of my friends got arrested and had to go to rehab too.
We all still love to party.
I got married and had two children. My wife went to the same church my parents took me to as a kid.
She thought we should go to church as a family so our children could learn about God. To keep peace
in the house, I put my suit and tie on, went to church and gave my $1.00 every Sunday. I heard some
more of the stories from the Bible. I never saw anyone praising the Lord or telling anyone else what
Jesus did for them last week. I was bored out of my mind.
St Peter said "I have done a little checking and already know all that, Bob. God gave you thousands
of opportunities to learn more about Him, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You heard many times why
Jesus died on the cross for your sin and you had many opportunities in your aunt's church to accept
Jesus Christ as your personal savior. It's now time to make your decision. Will it be the door on the
right or the door on the left?
I said " church was really boring, I never understood why the people in my aunt's church were so
happy and I just want to be with my friends and party.
St Peter granted me my choice.
Instantly I found myself on the elevator once again going down. When the door opened SATAN,
himself greeted me and said "welcome to HELL".
I looked around and was shocked, there was no party, no sound system or music and there wasn't
anyone laughing, drinking, smoking or having fun. This place stunk, was filled with smoke and was
hotter then H...... The elevator must have stoppled on the wrong floor, something is drastically
wrong. I could hear people screaming and crying, I could hear people begging to get out of here. I
also heard people cursing God. Something is very wrong, this is not what I saw before.
I looked at Satan and he just smiled and said GOT-YA. I said to Satan where are all the people and
the party that was here a few minutes ago. Satan said to me, I am the master of lies and deception. I
created a scene of a party and people having fun so you would choose me. He said to me, when you
were 2, I taught you to say NO and when you were 3, I taught you to snitch cookies and when you
were 5, I taught you to lie to your parents and friends, and when you were 7, I taught you to steel
candy and when you were 9, I taught you to curse and when you were 12, I taught you to drink liquor
from your dad's liquor cabinet and when you were 13, I taught you that you were a teenager and had
more rights, I also taught you to hate school and your teachers. When you were 15, I taught you that
you were cool and that smoking cigarettes was real cool, and when you were 17, I taught you to do
drugs. When you turned 18, I taught you to: think that you were an adult, that you knew more then
your parents, there was no longer a curfew and that you had the world in the palm of your hands. By
the time you were 21 I had almost total control of your mind and body. I now had you hooked on
cigarettes, pornography, drugs, sex and parties where all these things went on every night. But most
of all I had control of your mind. Remember the day that your aunt took you to church, I was there to
confuse your mind so you wouldn't find out the truth of what is in the Bible and how much Jesus
loved you and why Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. Every time that your mom and dad
took you to church, I was there to make it boring to you. You see Bob I am the master of deceit,
illusions and lies. I am the one that caused your mom and dad to divorce. You blamed God for the
divorce, not me. You see Bob, all along, you knew deep down in your heart that what you were doing
was wrong and yet you made the choice to still do all those things I taught you. As I said in the
beginning GOT-YA. Welcome to Hell.
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** THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION IN YOUR LIFE IS : **
If you were to die today would you go to heaven and are you 100% sure?
Many people would answer this question yes and their reason is: I go to church, I was baptized, I
went to Sunday school, I'm a good person, I never hurt anyone, I go to youth group, I am a Lutheran,
Methodist, Baptist, Catholic or ???????. None of those things will get your name written in the
BOOK OF LIFE or make you joint airs to the kingdom of God.
Are you still 100% sure that you would go to heaven? You can be! Read on!
You need to realize that the story above is not the way things happen. If the story above was true, we
could openly and blatantly sin our whole life and choose the small door on the right and get into
heaven. God gives us many opportunities along our path of life to make a choice to follow Him
instead of the world. Many of us follow a certain religion, denomination, church, or pastor, because
our generations before us did so. The words of Jesus Christ says, "I am the way, the truth and the life
and NO ONE comes to the Father except through me". That is a blanket statement to all humanity.
The part of the story above, that is true, is how Satan deceives us into following the ways of the world.
If it feels good, do it. Everyone else is doing it, so it's OK for you too. Or maybe even, unless you
are a member within a certain religion or denomination that you will spend eternity in HELL.
The Word of God tells us in John chapter 3 "that unless a man is BORN AGAIN he shall NOT see
the Kingdom of God". At a Monday night prayer meeting the pastor asked the congregation to raise
their hand if they were BORN AGAIN. Almost all hands went up. Then the pastor asked about 20
people what born again meant to them. Surprisingly there were 20 different answers. Most of the
answers were based on the denominational church that they grew up in. In the church that I attended
for 27 years of my life, I never heard the term "BORN AGAIN" no less what I needed to do to be
Born Again or what Jesus meant by what He said to Nicodemus "you must be Born Again". Maybe I
missed that Sunday or fell asleep.
The Bible was written for everyone. Everyone is an individual and I can prove that because everyone
that was ever born or will be born has different finger prints. God has created us as individuals and
has given us a physical identity that NO ONE else has, FINGER PRINTS. Even two identical twins
have different finger prints. Figure that one out. The Bible also says that God knew us sense before
the beginning of time. Once again we see that we are also individuals spiritually.
Being BORN AGAIN is also an individual thing between YOU and GOD. It has nothing to do with
religion, denomination, your church or pastor. The Bible says in John chapter 3 that "flesh gives
birth to flesh and that the Spirit gives birth to spirit and don't be surprised at my saying that you
must be Born Again"
If you can put everything that you know about religion, church and denomination aside for a while
and get down to God, the Bible and you, you are at the starting place of beginning to know God
instead of knowing about God. God wants a personal, 24/7, intimate, full circle relationship with you.
The Bible has stood the test of time. It is a multifaceted book that gives us all the directions of God's
principals of life, love, how to raise our children, how to treat others, how to manage our finances, the
wages of sin, and so on. There is nothing in this world and life that is not covered in the Bible. If you
have not read the Bible, start in the book of John and keep reading the book of John until you
understand all the basics. Then you will understand the rest of it. The book of John is like the
footing of a building, which supports the whole building. Please start reading your Bible today! If
you don't have a Bible, come to TLC and we will give you one.
The Bible says that there will be many false religions and false gods in our world. God wants a
personal, 24/7, intimate, full circle relationship with you. I could say that a hundred times and it
would not be enough. God wants a bride / groom relationship with you. Jesus said "I go to prepare a
place for you and one day I'm coming back for my bride".
Picture a married couple with a dream of living in there own home happily ever after. You heard
about this beautiful place in the mountains by a lake. You went there and just knew that this was the
most beautiful place you have ever seen. You decided to build a house there for your bride. Would
you work diligently on it every waking hour, so you could go and get your bride as soon as it was
done? Every day you would look forward, with great excitement, to bringing her home so you could
fulfill your dream.
Do you think that his bride was anxiously waiting for him to come and get her? When you become
the Bride of Jesus Christ, you will be anxiously waiting for your groom to come back for you, so you
can spend eternity with Him in the special place that He prepared for you.
The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the groom and the church is the bride. We are the church, not the
building down the street with the cross on the top, therefore we are the bride of Jesus Christ. Would
you like to know that you are the Bride of Christ. When we become the Bride of Jesus Christ, God
calls the angels from the north, the south, the east and the west to have a big party in heaven, because
there is a new light in a world of darkness. We then become joint airs with Jesus Christ to the
kingdom of God. We become one with Christ spiritually. Our name is written in the Book of Life.
Then you know, that you know, that your place in heaven is secure. Your whole life changes as you
honor your Groom with everything you do, think, say. God then gives you spiritual gifts called the
fruits of the spirit, which are LOVE, JOY. PEACE, PATIENTS, KINDNESS, GOODNESS and SELF
CONTROL. The Bible says "we will know them by their fruits". If these gifts are not evident in
someone's life, I wonder what god they are serving.
I hope you noticed that there is NO religion, denomination, or church in this whole story. Start
today building that bride / groom relationship with Jesus Christ, just you and Him, so you both can
fulfill that dream of spending eternity in Heaven together.
The Bible says in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that
whoever believes in Him shall not parish but have everlasting life". God's plan is perfect and if we
would only follow that plan our lives would surely be different. The simplest part of the plan is to be
the Bride of Christ.
The Bible says "that all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God" and "the wages of sin is
death" or eternal separation from God. One of the greatest parts of His plan is forgiveness. The
Bible says if we confess our sin to Him, that He will forgive our sin, that He will put our sin as far as
the east is from the west and that He will bury it in the depths of the ocean and remember it no more.
Ask God today to forgive your sin. If you're not sure how to do that, pray this simple prayer.
Dear heavenly Father, I know in my heart that I have sinned against you. I ask you this day to forgive
me of all my sins, whether I've sinned knowingly or unknowingly. I ask that you would cleanse my
heart and mind of all my sin and that you would help me not to sin against you today. I ask all these
things in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. THANK YOU Father for forgiving me and loving
me.
If you're not sure how to become the Bride of Jesus Christ, please feel free to give me a call or stop in
and talk with me. Please don't miss spending eternity in heaven because you didn't take the time to
find out.
Rev. Wally
(908) 534-1777
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| The Lord's Closet is a local, nonprofit, nondenominational ministry dedicated to meeting the physical & spiritual needs of the economically disadvantaged & invisible working poor since 1989. Phone - (908) 534-1777 Fax - (908) 534-2747 |
| Chartered by Kingsway Fellowship International of Des Moines, IA The Sun Never Sets On Kingsway Ministries |
