Freddie Gage, author of the booklet, "All My Friends Are Dead!", believes that there is a time-line in which a person must be saved. No one knows just when this deadline is. But, once a person whom Jesus is calling crosses this deadline, the Spirit no longer will call the person to repentance. Please read these compelling points from the booklet. And, please heed the Spirit's call.
1) The Spirit convicts a person of sin and draws him to be saved. When the people heard Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost, "they were pricked in their heart" and asked Peter, "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come' ...And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev. 22:17).
2) A person comes to God when the Spirit convicts and draws him, or he does not come at all. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). The Holy Spirit is the agent through which God draws men. We do not come to Christ when we get ready. We come while He calls us, or not at all. Also see Jer. 31:3.
3) When the Spirit brings a person under conviction, it is important, even urgent, that he respond quickly,...immediately.
"Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart." (Psalm 95:7-8)
"Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near." (Isaiah 55:6)
"Choose you this day whom you will serve." (Joshua 24:15)
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation." (Heb. 2:3)
4) There may not be a "convenient time", or even another time to come to Christ. Felix came under conviction. The Bible says, "He trembled." But he sent Paul away until a more "convenient" time (Acts 24:25). We do not find any record in the Scriptures where he had another chance. He had crossed the deadline.
King Agrippa, being under conviction, said to Paul, "Almost thou persuadeth me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28". But "almost" was not enough. We do not find that he ever came under conviction again.
A greedy rich man crossed the deadline. He was told. "This night thy soul shall be required of thee" (Luke 12:20).
"Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Prov. 27:1).
5) God is longsuffering and merciful (See Psalm 103:8, 2 Pet. 3:9), but His patience will wear out.
"My Spirit shall not always strive with man"(Gen. 6:3)
"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Prov. 29:1)
"Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord" (Prov. 1:24-29). Conar's condensed paraphrase of this verse in Proverbs might read like this: "Because you have refused My outstretched hand of grace; you will call upon Me, but I will not answer. You will seek Me, but not find Me. For you have chosen not to trust Me."
"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin" (Heb. 10:26). In other words, Christ died in vain.
"For thus saith the Lord God, The Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not" (Isaiah 30:15). Conar's paraphrase: "If you will come to me, you would have rest, salvation, and confidence; but you would not."
Scriptures teach that those who reject the salvation offered them are "without excuse"(Rom. 1:20-21). Because of their wilful disobedience, the Bible says, "God gave them up." "God gave them up." "God gave them up." (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).
Although Christ performed many miracles, there were those who still refused to believe on Him. The Bible says, "yet they believed not on Him" (John 12:37). Because they would not believe on Jesus, there came a time when "they could not believe" (verse 39). They had sinned away their day of grace.
Oh, if people could only see that the deadline is drawing nearer with each passing minute. With no guarantee that the Spirit will call again tomorrow, or even within the next hour, why are people so quick to put off accepting Christ?
All to soon they might learn that the God of love and mercy is also the God of wrath, severe wrath.
Dear friend, has the Spirit spoken to you, perhaps through these notes? How have you answered? Have you answered the Spirit's call by receiving Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior? For the Scripture says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believest unto righteousness; and with thy mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10).
Or, have you answered His call by rejection Him? For you see, to say "Not just now" or, "I will later" or, "I plan to, sometime"; these are but different ways of rejecting Christ. There is no neutral ground. At the moment He calls, we will either receive Him or reject Him. In the Scriptures, Christ Jesus teaches, "He that is not with Me is against Me" (Matt. 12:30).
And, as you have seen in these notes, Felix, Agrippa, and the greedy rich man had only one opportunity to receive Christ. Their one opportunity was also their last opportunity. With their rejection of Christ, they crossed the deadline.
Is the Spirit now convicting you, trying to draw you to Him? Is this your last opportunity to come? Can you be sure of another? According to the Scriptures reviewed earlier (namely: Psalm 95:7-8; Isaiah 55:6; Joshua 24:15; 2 Cor. 6:2; and Heb. 2:3 in point #3, above), the answer is clear. Today...this hour...this moment is all you can be sure of.
Rejecting Christ is a serious thing. There is an eternal risk in saying "No" to His call. "The Spirit and the bride (the church-my note) say, "Come"...And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). This is the last invitation recorded in the Bible. Is it Your last invitation?
Dear friend, why don't you come to Him NOW?
Note: Most of the material used in this study is taken from the booklet, "All My Friends Are Dead", by Evangelist Freddie Gage.
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May God speak to your heart! Bob Conar