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Topic: The modern church of today
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SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by TEXASGRANDMA:
If the Preacher never steps on your toes, you should question whether you are being preached the truth. Many times, I would tell my Pastor back in Texas, as I walked out the door, "Good Sermon, you stepped all over my feet!" He would reply "Sister Betty, I stepped all over my own toes, preparing the sermon."
Church should not be all about happy and make you feel good sermons. It should be preaching the truth. Let's face it some times what God has to say to us is very uncomfortable to hear.
This brings a whole new clarity to the phrase: "The Truth Hurts" ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
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Miguel
Advanced Member
Member # 47
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posted
While studying on this topic many thoughts came to mind and a lot of scripture also. I began to do a search
in my e-sword to compare scriptures that related to this topic there was so many of them, I began to read
them and one of them was;
(Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall
hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
On of the thing we read on this verse 10 is that many shall be offended but offended of what? We also read that we shall betray one another, what kind of betrayal? The word of God most of the time does not give a answer but we most receive it by faith and that Faith is of the Lord Jesus that teaches us through the Holy Spirit. We also read that we will hate one another and I asked my self does this mean also we that are born of the Spirit be able to hate?
What about;
2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand., nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
The word of God tells us “Not Soon Be Shaken in mind” why does our Lord say to us not too be soon shaken in our mind? What will cause our mind to shaken a part from this world? He also indicates to us not to be trouble, why not! In this world there is always trouble but yet He sayeth or be trouble! How does one can see and read these things and not be affect by inside our souls. It does not stop there He continues to say nor by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Oh the mystery and majesty of God unto man!
2Ti 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
To have been love of worldly ease, safety, and comforts at home, and disinclination to brave danger.
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Romans 9:11-24
Our Eschatology may vary even our Ecclesiology may be disputed among us but our Soteriology most assume a singularity and exclusivity which in biblical term is known as Quote; "The Narrow Way" and Quote!
Posts: 2792 | From: Stockton,Ca | Registered: Jun 2002
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helpforhomeschoolers
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Member # 15
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posted
And the voice cries in the wilderness! Amen Mac! This is an excellent sermon, timely and accurate. A very good word indeed that you have preached to us today. ![[clap2]](graemlins/clap2.gif)
Another issue that I see is the current philosophy that in the worldly church and that is that God's word is subjective, and cannot really be known to us to be TRUTH.
They teach that God's word is subject to our perceptions and feelings and opinions and that not one Christian is capable of knowing the TRUTH.
This scripture is often used to support this view:
1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
I belive that this scripture is true, we do know in part, we do understand in part. We do see through the glass darkly.
I do not know what God is doing in all people at all times. I may know what God is doing in me, but I cannot know what God is doing in you or in someone else at the very same time.
But I can understand God's word. God is not the author of confusion!
This scripture is a command:
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
God does not command us to do what we cannot by the power of the Holy Spirit do.
This command tells us to renew our minds that we can PROVE - which is to demonstrate what is the good, acceptable, and PERFECT will of God.
THE PERFECT.... not the permissive, but the PERFECT - that is to say COMPLETE, WHOLE, PERFECT will of God.
These people who teach that no one really can know what God is saying to his people will tell you that you cannot rightly divide the word of God...no one can and if you think that you can you are rude or presumptuous or prideful and all you can every have is your opinion of the word....but the scripture says differently:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
1John 2:26 - 27 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
We could not prove all things and hold the good if we could not by the power of his spirit know and understand HIS word. Even those who are not so fortunate as we to have the written word can know his word. The word of HIS Spirit does not contradict what is written.
The trouble I think is that we cannot live by feelings and we cannot live by emotions and we can not live by experiences all of which play a part in our rightly or not so rightly dividing the word.... but we must live by faith and seek understanding and right division of his word by prayer and supplication, studying HIS word and not the words of men, that we can show ourselves approved to HIM.... and not to men, but to HIM, who will teach us ALL things.
When he has taught us something and we know that HE has taught it to us then we have to stand on faith and should not be ashamed to do so.
I myself absolutely reject that we cannot know God's will and God's TRUTH. I reject that we cannot rightly divide the word.
When Jesus spoke to the devil Jesus said: It is written and I believe that there was a reason for this and we must stand on what is written and we must stand by faith and in Agape.
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
I guarantee you the devil knows the word of God. How else would he know when we dont?
You have to bind the strong man to spoil his house!
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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bygrace
Advanced Member
Member # 4847
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posted
quote:
I have said that you should look for a Church that you are happy in, but I should have clarified that.
This wasn't you that I was speaking of Betty ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
It was a fellow member of my church....
But you are correct..I always appreciate your words of encouragement and common sense.
bygrace
Posts: 162 | Registered: Jul 2005
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hardcore
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Member # 4492
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posted
Of course, I could not agree more with all of you.
Yes. We should be happy in church. Happy because the Word is being preached without compromise, not happy because we "feel good" when we leave. If you're not convicted about something when you leave church, you weren't paying attention. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Going to church is not about us, it's about Him.
Posts: 627 | Registered: Mar 2005
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TEXASGRANDMA
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Member # 847
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posted
I have said that you should look for a Church that you are happy in, but I should have clarified that. While I think it is important that you are happy with your Church because if you are not, you will soon quit. This happiness should not be at the cost of hearing the truth.
If the Preacher never steps on your toes, you should question whether you are being preached the truth. Many times, I would tell my Pastor back in Texas, as I walked out the door, "Good Sermon, you stepped all over my feet!" He would reply "Sister Betty, I stepped all over my own toes, preparing the sermon."
Church should not be all about happy and make you feel good sermons. It should be preaching the truth. Let's face it some times what God has to say to us is very uncomfortable to hear. Yes, I am happy with my Church but, it is because my Pastor is not afraid to speak the truth of God's Word.
Hope this clarifies where I stand. By the way I was not offended but wanted to make myself clearer. Sometimes, what comes out of my mouth is not exactly clear. It would help if people could read my mind ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) , just kidding you don't want to be in that cobwebbed, underworked machine.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
http://www.indieheaven.com/artists/mm (son-in-law)http://www.myspace.com/mireles
Posts: 4985 | From: Washington State | Registered: Jan 2003
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bygrace
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Member # 4847
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posted
Thank you for this Miguel,
I agree it is so heartbreaking. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a church that is not compromising the Gospel messgae.
While there are many (styles) of churches, the end result must always be preaching the blood of Christ. This cannot be denied.
A dear friend said to me, "you must find a church you are happy in."
my response to her was - "I am not looking for a church that makes me "happy" per say, but a church that God is happy with.
I wouldn't want to be made happy all the time, I have too much growing left to do...
bygrace
Posts: 162 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Miguel
Advanced Member
Member # 47
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posted
The modern church of today has welcomed with open arms anyone who wishes to come in, as it should, but unfortunately many that have come in also want to bring in with them their false doctrines, their false and ungodly beliefs, and their pagan and sinful practices. They say that if they cannot bring in their own personal beliefs, then they will not come in. And what does the church usually do? It timidly steps aside and watches as all those ungodly doctrines and beliefs march right on in.
Apostasy---Living in an age of unbelief
There will be a revival of religion that will sweep the world in the last days. It will not, however, represent the truth - instead, multitudes will be deceived by false gospels, false prophets, false doctrine, and false messiahs.
"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive a great many people." - Matthew 24:10-11
Apostasy, which is the rejecting and the discarding of your religious beliefs will be rampant in the last days just as Jesus said it would.
Two things happening at the same time.
2 Thessalonians 2:3, says that in the end times there will be a falling away from the faith. "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come (speaking of the end times) unless the abandonment of faith comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, that son of destruction."
Matthew 24:14 says "And the gospel of the kingdom of God shall be preached in the whole world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come".
This is interesting because these two things are going to be happening at the exact same time. First, as we get closer and closer to the tribulation period, the Word of God is going to be taught over the entire world, much as it is today. But yet at the same time most people will be abandoning whatever faith they have. It appears that very little of what is being preached is going to be accepted and followed. The earth will be full of false Christians that allow the word of God to go in one ear and out the other. Again just like it is in these present times.
A great many verses all through the Bible deal with this coming spiritual famine. The following verse is a good example.
Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord God, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord."
While guaranteed by today's "prophets" that we are in the "greatest revival ever," the church is sinking deeper and deeper into apostasy. Jesus warned that in the last days that there would be many false prophets that will appear and deceive many people, and today as the last days draw to a close, false teachers and preachers are gaining in tremendous popularity, and satan is well on the way to success in enslaving the world in sin and false doctrine. His goal is to accomplish this dark objective and to reestablished his Church, Mystery Babylon.
Counterfeit Christianity
False forms of Christianity have become popular in our culture and it seems there is a resurgence of interest in things "spiritual." The media has been a leader in offering everything from movie stars searching the world over for divine inspiration, to controversial TV programs that feature attempted death blows to Christ and to Christianity. Then there are the millions throughout the world who are involved in the occult, astrology, witchcraft, spiritism and Satanism. There are so many areas in present day society that are simply out to destroy anything associated with Jesus Christ.
But the most obvious sign of the spiritual decline of Christianity is apathy, the simple lack of interest or the indifference toward anything and everything that deals with God. Apathy towards the house of God, the Word of God, even the very presence of God. Apathy sometimes overtakes a believer - even an entire body of believers - before they are even aware that anything is wrong.
What fuels this apostasy
Unbelief:
Implicit or explicit rejection of the authority of God's Word is being spread throughout the Church, often it seems with the sole purpose of leading God's people away from His Word, and usually done with the active approval and tremendous encouragement of those practicing gross immorality. Pulpits across America are silent about sin and do not tell their congregations of their need for repentance. Rather, they preach a politically correct gospel of "tolerance" of sin.
In this world the unique and absolute claims of Christ are constantly being rejected on an intellectual level, thus fostering a subtle emotional hostility to many Christian beliefs. This creates an atmosphere that saps the strength of Christianity, because if the Christian beliefs are in question, then faith is corrupted, other beliefs become distorted, worship becomes weak, interest begins to die, and Christians begin to fall away. The above can all be summarized in just two short verses. Romans 1:21-22 "For though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. So claiming to be wise, they became fools".
According to a recent survey, while 88% of those polled believe that Jesus Christ was a real person, what they actually believe about Him differs sharply from scriptural teaching. Forty-two percent of those surveyed believe that while He lived on earth, Jesus committed sins, just like other people. Even among born-again Christians, one-quarter believe Jesus sinned during His time on earth. So much for the sinless Son of God and for verses in the Bible like, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God". 2 Corinthians 5:21
Most pulpits are silent about sin because those sitting in the pews do not want to hear anything that might shatter their perceived security. For many in the pews don't want to be made to feel uncomfortable. If they do the church leaders are afraid that they will walk out the door and not look back. Or, maybe the preacher is more interested in the collection plate and he believes that if he preaches anything controversial, he will lose some large contributors.
Fear:
A large part of the church is held in bondage because of fear of the unknown. They don't know their Bibles and they don't know about the promises of God. They have little knowledge about what God wants and how to obtain it. Most Christians today are Bible illiterate. They rely on what others tell them. Self help books flourish and authors fill bookshelves with titles extolling every kind of human wisdom - but they do not contain the truth of Scripture.
Fear drives some to seek knowledge in places where truth is the most distorted. New Age teachers abound with messages from supposedly ascended masters and spiritual guides. In todays world it is taught that man and not God is the one that can solve the world's problems. Well known teachers and authors teach that most things like sin and sickness are all illusions which can be overcome with the power of the mind. Modern society is full of teachings about reincarnation, Yoga, dream rap, channelling, pyramidology, astrology, meditation with nature, metaphysics, hero worship, shamanism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, and hundreds of other ungodly beliefs. You might expect to find these teachings at some remote New Age retreat center, but incredibly many of them are being taught today in our schools and churches.
For most Christians caught in this web of fear, they say that they indeed profess faith, but they instead look to works for their salvation, for they really have no faith. They judge others according to their works for that is their only barometer, i.e. that which they can see. They walk by sight exclusively and not by faith. What can I do for God? And, what are you doing for God? And, what can we do for God? They can indeed be very busy workers, but unfortunately they do not listen to the voice of God or to the Word of God.
Ignorance:
Without regular communication with God through prayer and regular study of God's Word, we are at the mercy of the doctrinal storms that are raging in the church today. Much of Christendom is now in an apostate condition as professing believers accept "new revelations" even though they conflict with the revealed Word of God. New Age occultism of every variety is exploding not only in the secular world but also in the church, and this has lead to the greatest worldwide revival of paganism ever known. In fact these times are so bad that Christianity no longer tries to rid itself of paganism; it now prefers to adopt it.
Spanning the globe and encompassing hundreds of millions of teachers and disciples, it has within its fold thousands upon thousands of individual cults, churches, groups, and organizations. False doctrine is so prevalent and so acceptable today that it has caused so many things from murdering unborn children to the complete acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle to be not only acceptable, but be considered a believer's God given "right". And sadly, many of those who preach a distorted gospel have gained strategic leadership positions in denominations and theological schools, enabling them to spend their entire lives deceiving and misleading.
All kinds of radical groups claim some affinity to the gospel of Jesus Christ, but only serve to confuse the weak and borderline Christian. The KKK for example has as one if its rallying cries, "We are Warriors fighting for our great white race, our families and our savior Jesus Christ", all the while cursing, beating, and even killing those of a different race or religion.
In many ways the Church has turned to the beliefs, teachings and practices of the world and the cults. Popular ungodly movements and teachers are influencing the Church to such a degree that many so called followers of Jesus Christ embrace reincarnation, astrology and communication with the dead. No longer are we to look to God, now we are to look to other things. Now it is man who will be able to solve the problems of this world through non-biblical methods such as self-esteem therapies, inner-healing rituals, binding demons strategies, and "Christian" mysticism. All through the churches today, professing Christian leaders are promoting spiritual beliefs by demoting Godly Christian doctrine and encouraging unity even if it means embracing overt paganism. We are truly in an age where most of the church has been absorbed into the world.
Much of Christianity has been deceived in their spiritual beliefs because they do not read, study, and understand the Word of God. Without Bible knowledge they have no idea what God expects from them or what they can expect from God. So they rely on men for their spiritual information and these men many times will deceive their followers. And unfortunately a deceived person does not know that they are being deceived. So they are blinded to the truth. Thus the deceived person may be sincere, but he is sincerely wrong. This is because when blindness does meet truth, blindness does not know that it has confronted truth. Thus, spiritual blindness to the truth causes human ignorance which in turn can cause a person with a good heart to do things that are extremely offensive to God.
Carnality:
In the heart of the average Christian today there is little focus on Christ's second coming because that would end the pursuit of pleasure and prosperity. Instead of Christ as the object of affection, the popular church is attracted to a celebrity, an evangelist, a project, a political cause, a fund-raising campaign, a new building, or supposed miracles and healings. Faith has turned to fantasy with a message of health, wealth, and comfort. In that kind of environment "easy believism" flourishes and many people who associate themselves with the church aren't even Christians. They may have a form of godliness, but they deny its power. Satan is still using this form of deception, and often his representatives are being disguised as ministers of righteousness. While propagating that which brings death and darkness to the mind and heart of the sinner, they profess to be representatives of enlightened living. This is satanic deception.
Carnal man needs God, but he prefers a god that condones carnal behavior. False religion appeals to the carnal nature because it offers loopholes to justify sin and wrong doing. The carnal heart is inherently opposed to God's commandments. The carnal mind loves to build walls between itself and God. The carnal heart does not hesitate to trash God's wisdom by presumptuously thinking it knows more than God and how things ought to be done. False religion loves the carnal heart, making it always popular with the masses.
Theology in many modern churches is focused on meeting people's needs, on solving one's problems so one can live more comfortably. To them the physical body is what is important, not the unseen soul. And for that reason few churches hold to a Christ-centered faith that helps a believer stand in the midst of his trials and look to Jesus Christ for aid and comfort. For all too often the twentieth-century church takes its cues and defines its role by the ways of the world. It accommodates a consumer-oriented culture that wants, above all else, to feel good. And it focuses on action at the expense of character, on doing rather than being. There is nothing wrong with seeking to meet people's needs or creating programs to do so, and the church setting should be an environment where non-Christians feel welcome. But at the same time the purpose of the church is to follow and promote the Godly doctrines and beliefs found in the Word of God, not to bow down to satan and the world and accept false information as its doctrine.
The modern church of today has welcomed with open arms anyone who wishes to come in, as it should, but unfortunately many that have come in also want to bring in with them their false doctrines, their false and ungodly beliefs, and their pagan and sinful practices. They say that if they cannot bring in their own personal beliefs, then they will not come in. And what does the church usually do? It timidly steps aside and watches as all those ungodly doctrines and beliefs march right on in.
In today's world more people are concerned with animal rights than with the rights of unborn children. True Christians know in their hearts that abortion is murder, so when was the last time you heard your church come out against the horrors and evils of abortion? You would think that they would be talking about this horror every single Sunday. You would think that all churches would get together and have tens of millions of believers descend down upon Washington and not leave until the laws were changed. And why should they not do this? Isn't saving a life, any life, extremely important? But unfortunately their silence on a subject like this tells their parishioners that abortion is not all that bad, that it can be condoned, that it can be tolerated, that there are exceptions. Their silence on so many vile, evil, and sinful practices like this, simply tells their followers that practices like these are tolerated by God.
God doesn't want his followers to be people who love their religion. He wants his followers to be people who love the truth. Christianity was never meant to be a religion but rather a relationship between you and Jesus Christ. You and other believers were to get together in small groups and study the Word of God. Religions are man made organizations, and all of them practice some degree of apostasy. We can see that by all the false beliefs, the falsehoods, and all the man made doctrines that they practice.
We use to call evil and ungodly things, sins. Then we gave in and called them sicknesses. Then as they became more and more popular we were persuaded to call them socially acceptable. Then they were called normal. Now we have been convinced to disapprove of anyone who is critical in any way of these ungodly practices. The church of today tolerates just about any type of perversion. There are very few practices that are prevented from entering into God's house, and much of it is welcomed and accepted with open arms. The biggest thing missing in the churches today is fear of God.
There are even brand new versions of the Bible that have been published over the last few years. But unfortunately these versions have been greatly altered, changed, and rewritten, all in the attempt to insert man made beliefs into that version so that it becomes politically correct.
Sin is rampant throughout the entire church of Jesus Christ, but instead of bowing our heads in shame and sorrow we instead excuse the vilest of sins as mere weaknesses of the flesh, and unconcernedly believe that because we are under grace rather than under Law, we have a special dispensation to practice sin. And if one disagrees with such reasoning, he is generally labeled as simply being an intolerant, uncaring legalist who is unable or unwilling to understand and accept the views of others.
The word of God has hundreds of warnings about being led astray. Below are just four examples.
Acts 20:29-30 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, and will lead astray many followers".
2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, will not listen to the true teaching, but will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and wander away to myths and fables".
Mark 13:5-6 "And Jesus answering them said: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, I am He, and will deceive many."
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
The emphasis of the modern church today is not on Jesus Christ or the Word of God. The church of today has as its main concern the importance of tolerance. Tolerance to what ever anyone believes in. No longer are there any taboos or restrictions on the most vile, sinful, and degenerate beliefs. No longer are there lines that will not be crossed. No longer is the Word of God important. The mission of today's church is to accept anything in order to make everyone happy. To please everyone. To just get along. But unfortunately, when faith contains everything, it contains nothing.
All the false teachings, the false doctrines, those made up Biblical interpretations, the acceptance of so many things by silence, all remind me of a verse in the Book of Malachi.
Malachi 2:17 "You have wearied the Lord with your words."
Yet you say, How have we wearied him?
By saying, All who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord, and that he delights in them."
So you have to ask yourself the same question that was asked in the book of Luke.
Luke 18:8 "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
So they claim they come in his name but they do not teach his message. And therefore, we who were to overcome the world, for the most part have allowed the world to overcome us. We simply ignore so many verses in the Bible that warn believers about the false teachers teaching and spreading false doctrine.
Galatians 1:8 "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."
In this "pick and mix" age of spirituality, what is important for most churches is not what is Biblically correct, but rather what is politically and culturally correct. And unfortunately people can be lead astray so very quickly if their religious experience is not based on a personal understanding of sound information found in the Word of God. This is why the Son of God himself gave us a rather sobering warning, a warning that most Christians still choose to completely ignore.
Matthew 22:14 "Many are called, but few are chosen."
Thus, today's church has arrived at the point where they not only have accepted and embraced all those individuals that have sin and evil in their hearts, but they tell us that we must also tolerate and accept their sinful views and ungodly beliefs. "View tolerance" is not only tolerated today, but it is now being readily accepted by the modern, politically correct church. Also, if someone, anyone, is offended by just about anything in the church, then church doctrine has to be amended and changed. This is not only rampant in the church, but it has also spread and saturated all areas of our ungodly society. Malachi 2:8 is alive and well and very prevalent in the churches of today. "But you have departed from the way; and with your teachings you have caused many people to stumble."
Religious leaders are increasingly prone to ambiguity and compromise in vital areas of doctrine and morals. The result has been a surge in divorce, cohabitation, sexual promiscuity, perversion of every type, teen pregnancy, incredible numbers of abortions, child abuse, drug abuse, rape, cheating, shoplifting, embezzling, bankruptcy, incivility and disrespect for the law, and violent crimes of every imaginable type - the very things that God prophesied would happen to nations that forsaked his laws. In fact, one of the very best examples of people standing around and doing absolutely nothing can be found in the congregations of today's Christian denominations.
Hosea 4:1-3 "Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, you break all restraint. There is bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn, and everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Even the fish of the sea will be taken away."
You have to ask yourself where is the fire in the belly of churches today? Where's the enthusiasm and the commitment? Where is the moral outrage at all the tolerance that churches show to so much sin? Where are the Godly leaders? Where are all those concerned Christians that claim they stand for Godliness, righteousness, and justice? Where are the voices that should be screaming out at all the many ungodly wrongs taking place in this country and in this world?
Also, most churches today have some type of governing board or committee that oversees the church. This board of deacons is usually made up of church parishioners that have for the most part, been very successful in the secular world. And this board exerts tremendous influence upon everything that the church does and believes. So if members of this board have liberal and worldly attitudes toward certain evil beliefs, then it usually is not very long before these evil beliefs are incorporated into church doctrine. Thus, that old saying. "satan works better from pulpits than from any other place", just may be correct in many of today's churches.
And the effects of all this? Unfortunately in today's world this all leads to a great many of today's churches promising safety to those on the broad way to ruin - and predicting ruin to those on the narrow way of God. The Word of God is full of warnings and two of the best are:
Ezekiel 34:8 "As I live, declares the Lord God, my flock has been caught and eaten by all the wild animals, because the flock has no shepherd. The shepherds do not search for my flock. No, they fed themselves instead of my flock."
Isaiah 5:20 "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness".
Consequently, there are a great many warnings in the Bible about false preachers teaching false doctrine and one of the best is found in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 5:26-31 "For among My people are found wicked men; they lie in wait as one who sets snares; they set a trap; they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich. They have grown fat, they are sleek. Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; they do not plead the cause, yet they prosper. And the right of the needy they do not defend. Shall I not punish them for these things, says the Lord. Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this? An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so."
To worship God is a great thing, in fact it is the greatest thing that any believer could ever do. But God wants to be honored with respect and dignity. Worshipped sincerely, fervently, and reverently. Certainly not the religious "claptrap" one experiences in so many churches today, where the drums beat out offbeat jungle rhythms and the parishioners call it worship. Where the people scream out unintelligible words and call it respect. Where the rolling of eyes is considered some kind of honor and bodily spasms are considered a way to show praise. Where guttural grunts and groans are considered ways to show your love for God.
It is amazing to see that just about everyone and his brother has come out of the closet. They come out gleefully exclaiming to the world every perversion, every ungodly practice, every lie and falsehood that they have or hold. That is except for the Christians. They timidly stay in the closet, much too frightened to come out into the light to proclaim their Godly beliefs. They would much rather stay in the darkness and hope that all the injustices swirling outside their door just simply go away. They forget that sobering verse of scripture found at Jeremiah 8:20 "Harvest is past, summer is ended, And we have not been saved."
No greater or deeper degree of depravity can be found than when men call evil, good; and then cherish it.....
AU
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Romans 9:11-24
Our Eschatology may vary even our Ecclesiology may be disputed among us but our Soteriology most assume a singularity and exclusivity which in biblical term is known as Quote; "The Narrow Way" and Quote!
Posts: 2792 | From: Stockton,Ca | Registered: Jun 2002
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