Faith Trumps Doubt

The Bible is truth—our understanding of God is at stake when people twist and contort His absolutes.  One must believe the Holy Spirit will reveal more and more to which only believers of Jesus will be tuned in to hear and understand.  But, many have cast doubt on Scriptures, questioning God’s ability to provide His creations with an infallible text.  If you are one of these who promote or permit such actions, know this:  “The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none…” and “There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:6a, 12). Your way may create avenues for a guilt-free lifestyle, but you will find no life through Jesus, only death through the devil.  To cast suspicion on Scripture, is to call God an incompetent trickster who can create the universe, yet is incapable of inspiring His creations to pen the Bible. 

Study God’s Word and consider these three points while reading: 

Revelation:  the act of God; the Holy Spirit imparting to the Bible writers truth incapable of being discovered by man’s unaided reasoning (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

Inspiration: the act of God; the Holy Spirit enabling the Bible writers to write down in God-chosen words, without mistake, the truth that was revealed to them (1 Corinthians 2:13)

Illumination: the act of God; the Holy Spirit enabling believers to understand the truth given by revelation and written down through inspiration (1 Corinthians 2:14-16) 

God wants desperately for us to wake up.  Nonetheless, He will never relinquish His holiness and righteousness to appease our sensibilities.  Check out Psalm 50.  God is the Mightiest of the Mightiest.  The Lord speaks and summons the earth because it is His—it was made by Him and through Him.  From heaven God shines brightly and His glory overwhelms all.  Our Lord Jesus will come and will not delay nor will He be silent.  The elements will rage about Him like a swirling hurricane.  He will catch up into the air His “consecrated ones, who made a covenant with Him by sacrifice” (faith in His atoning death on the cross).  Then, He will call out to the heavens and earth for all created to be judged.  The heavens proclaim His genuine goodness; His right to call judgment out on the wicked, for He Himself is Judge.  “It is dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).   

God is not upset with His creations for the lack of prayers, service, and worship.  He is disappointed and angry at our allegiance to the world.  His well-being does not teeter-totter on what we offer Him through tithes and offerings, our gifts and talents, or our time.  Albeit, those are ideal avenues to prove our loyalty and love for Him, but He does not need them to survive.  He sees all, hears all, and knows all the motives of our hearts.  The creation is His; He merely wants glory and honor from those He has saved through the sacrifice of His Son.  How can we deny Him gratitude when He has given such a gift—eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior? 

But many of today view God as in need of our attention.  Wrong.  He does not need us for survival, we need Him.  He desperately wants us to accept His Son.  Ultimately it is our choice to what our eternity will be—heaven or hell.  The choice has been laid bare in front of us; it is in no way God’s fault for what we choose.  A lot of Christians, nowadays, like to ride the fence.  Well, it’s either black or white; there is no grey in salvation.  It is either Jesus or Satan; Jesus or the world around us.  There is no middle ground.   

God desires and requires heart worship.  If our hearts and minds are set upon Jesus, our actions will follow suit.  Do not allow the world to dictate God’s stone-set way of salvation.  Following the world’s deluded way of being supreme to Jesus will cost you dearly in the end.  Don’t be blinded by technology and bad persons living in ease while the saved are persecuted. 

Do not doubt God's Word.  Do not dwell in life's distracting routine, forgetting God's presence and power.  Set your heart upon Jesus rather than the weekly schedule.  As believers in the true God, we must accept the gift of faith and trust God’s inerrant Word.  Nothing is impossible for the Almighty.    His Word was presented in the flesh (John 1).  Jesus came as God in man as the very Word of God.  He spoke the Father's words, He represented the Father, He advocated for Light over darkness.  God came to save us as one of us.  He sacrificed Himself to appease His holiness.  He gave Himself just like a parent to a child.  He is our Father.  Through Jesus I have been made right, or righteous, before God the Father.  How do I know this?  The Bible tells me so--and I trust it with my soul.  God is capable of presenting His written Word.  The Bible is truth.  Have faith in the Living God—He knows what He is doing.  In the end, doubt is defeated by sureness of what one hopes for and one's certainty of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).  This is faith.

Spiritual Training in Life

Think of your walk with Jesus as an athletic event or exercise(1 Corinthians 9:24-27).  Training with a daily regiment will help you reach your goals.  The more time and effort you put into it, the stronger and healthier you grow.  The same applies with our relationship to Christ.  In turn, we each have a race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1).  

 

Consider the sport of track and field.  Individual races are set forth, but all the contestants arrive as members of  teams.   Athletes spend hours, days, weeks, even years training for one particular event.  They expend blood, sweat, and tears into their hearts devotion.  Each race counts as points toward the final tally.  The more individual victories, the better the team finishes.  Runners, whether they be sprinters or long-distance, cannot afford to be distracted in their training or even in the race.  If they turn their heads to see where the other runners are, their steps will become choppy, cumbersome, and they lose balance. 

 

Life is similar.  To each Christian is given certain tasks.  We are to seek them out, know what they are, prepare ourselves for the race, and contribute in victory through Jesus.  This is how we give glory to God.  This is how we stand united and tall for Jesus.  By following His lead, we will give the Father glory in all that we do.  The more we train, the stronger we get.  The stronger we are, the better equipped we are to handle the attacks of self and others. 

 

By training as runners for Christ, we will contribute to the victory.  Dedication is the key to any successful venture.  If we fail to exercise our minds, how will we be able to stand with Scripture pursed on our tongues?  If we fail to prepare our hearts before God, how will we be able to stand tall as victors on the podium of life?  If we are distracted by the gifts and talents of others, because we fail to seek out our own, runs will falter and we fall flat on our face.  Don’t worry about the other races and runners around you, concentrate on your race.  Win and contribute to the total score as best as you can. 

We cannot be ill-prepared, or terrified, to step onto the track of life and run our individual race.  To  do so is perpetuating the carelessness of faith throughout the nation and world.  Yes, we will face opposition, but our focus should be on the prize (Philippians 3:14).  

Christians must remain united as the body of Christ and perform, in sync, as the winning team.  Our lives are our ultimate race.  Run in such a way to win others over to the family of God.  Jesus must be the Head of the body and we as the body's members must acknowledge this fact.  If we can't unite, then the devil will divide us.  The better we handle the daily grind of training, the stronger we are at withstanding internal pressure, the more capable we are of handling external pressure.   

Christ Jesus was victorious and we have His Spirit.  Have faith He will have your back.  He is our Counselor or Divine Coach for the competition.  Take advantage of His presence.  Call on Him for aid in training, trust on His attendance in your contest.  He will manifest Himself in power through your speech, through your bravery, through your compassion for others.  He will latch onto your soul and carry you along with winds of supernatural strength of purpose in Jesus' name.  He will give you wisdom and knowledge, insight and discernment.  Have faith in His presence.  He is God, He resides within all believers. 

Love is Intolerant of Lies

Who tells the truth, one who loves or one who deceives?  Love is viewed as acceptance, an open door policy without Christ as the only way, the only truth, the only life leading to God the Father.  If Jesus is excused from God's love, salvation is not and will not be attained.  Deception is a tactic of Satan.  If he cannot get someone to deny Jesus, he will trick their honest sensibilities.  He uses cults and false religions to call those in search of acceptance.  Today's most common lie is "spirituality" or the longing for something outside ourselves.  I have been referred to a new wave of "religion" led by Oprah Winphrey.  Simply put, she states Jesus' reason, or primary reason, was not the cross but to teach us how to live a Christ-like life.  Now, on face value this may sound harmless.  But nothing could be further from the truth!  Jesus came to sacrifice Himself on the cross to atone for mankind's sins.  He did not come to teach us the way, because He is the way.  Before Christ, we were under law, with it's regulations teaching righteousness.  But, Jesus abolished it in favor of grace (undeserved favor).  The only way to receive God's grace is through absolute belief in Christ's death on what?  The cross.

Salvation is not based upon human effort, but through faith in Jesus' self sacrifice on the cross.  The problem with Oprah's, and others, "feel good" spirituality is they say Christ came to teach us how to live and we should follow His example.  Yes, we are to follow His lead, but in absolutely no way does our following, in and of itself, grant salvation!  If that were the case, salvation would be based on works.  Then Jesus' death was for nothing and we would be worshipping a flawed God.  Meaning He came to show the way, but His way only ended in death rather than life.  No, Jesus' purpose in coming was death on the cross and resurrection.  No one should be accepted as a brother to Christ, as a co-heir with Him (Romans 8:17), without first accepting the unequivocal truth of Jesus' atonement on the cross, His bodily resurrection to God, and that He is the Christ, the Messiah, God's Son--God in flesh.
    
False teachers of this age teach the doctrine of demons--avenues leading away or around Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 4:1-2).  They will appear as honest, trustworthy, wise people--ones who the masses will be attracted to.  If a Christian's level of maturity is that of an infant, one of child-like faith but no depth in the understanding of Christ, they will be easily entangled in deception--such as Oprah's new religion.  Christ is the way, the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Defender, and Teacher of lives being transformed into Christ-likeness.  If God's message through Christ Jesus is watered down to please the masses, then people are being led to eternal separation from God.  People who do such are cohorts to the doctrinal teachings of demons masquerading as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
    
In order to know deceit when it is introduced, Christians must know Scripture.  We don't have to be scholars.  What we must be is independent of outside views and base everything we hear and see off the Word of God.  This is done by reading it, using the concordance to cross reference verses and words--simply put, spending time with God earnestly searching His truths out.  2 Timothy 2:15-16 covers this well--

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.  Their teaching will spread like gangrene."
    
If we continue to accept or tolerate abominable and contorted views of Christ, God the Father is not in us (1 John 2).  Love is a truth which is intolerant of lies.  Love is not blind and it is not weak.  God's truth cuts and love is speaking God's Word honestly.  If people choose to ignore truth, that does not mean the truth becomes weak.  Veracity is not based upon people's acceptance--the truth remains whether it is believed or not.  Humans acceptance is not the activating agent--that was taken care of by Jesus' death on the cross.

Let Us Not Be One of the Many...

Much of the world still views God as a judgmental, harsh, old man sitting on a throne bitter towards those below His feet.  This is heresy.  God is loving, holy, completely pure, spotless, immaculate, profoundly good and extremely long-suffering.  His holy attributes prompted Him to send His Son to save the world, not condemn it—“For God so loved the World…” (John 3:16).  If you think He is harsh, you don’t know God at all.  

Why would a harsh ruler send his only begotten son as a sacrifice to appease his own righteousness?  And why would that son accept such a role?  They wouldn’t.  Cold, embittered rulers would provide no way of salvation and condemn all to punishment, let alone lay down their life for those who deny them as king.  In His infinite compassion, God does sit upon a throne—a throne of righteousness.  Webster defines righteous as morally right or justifiable, virtuous, genuinely good.  God is the Father of all by virtue of creation—He created absolutely everything—and wants to save His creations from the punishment of offending His holiness.  He cannot simply look the other way—He is pure and long-suffering, but evil cannot stand uncontested anywhere in His creation.  He had to do something, so in love He sent His Son to take our place in condemnation.  He sent Himself.  God was poured out into the tent of a human body to provide a pure, unblemished, holy lamb for sacrifice, knowing no other way was possible (Isaiah 53; Philippians 2:6-11; Hebrews 10:1-18).  

Now that is not a harsh, judgmental, cold, bitter God.  That is neither self-seeking nor arrogant. That is love.  It is forgiving, self-denying, self-sacrificing, and pure.  We as humans are the selfish ones who pout and raise our chins in disgust that He doesn’t base our salvation off of works.  But you tell me, is a simple acceptance of Jesus as God, and as Savior, more difficult than working for salvation?  I fail to see the logic in people saying God is cruel, casting good people into hell.  The road to damnation is paved with good intentions, but if you fail to accept Jesus as your Savior, then hell is your eternity.  I think it cruel for those good people to deny Jesus and His ultimate act of love.  The unsaved, good people cast themselves into hell by choosing to deny the one determining factor of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Humans are the bitter, cold ones denying God’s love. 

Let us not be one of the many condemned by outright denial of Christ, nor with words claiming Him, but hearts separate from Him.  Have respect for the Holy One.  He will judge all—believe it now or you will.  When in worship, know exactly who you’re coming before.  We are children of the Living God—think like it, act like it, worship like it.  Do not be like the Israelites in the book of Malachi who placed earthly leaders ahead of our heavenly Father.  “Oh that one of you would shut the (church) doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty… (Malachi 1:10).  “A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master.  If I am a father, where is the honor due me?  If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty (Malachi 1:6).  God wants our love and respect; this comes from the heart, not from “useless fires” of lip service.  Know who you claim to love.  How can you worship or love someone without knowing who they are? 

If you truly wish to know peace and contentment, approach the throne of grace in confidence and you will be forgiven, accepted into the family of God.  He will clear your guilty conscience, wash your sins away, and raise you up with Him in a new life (Hebrews 10:19-23).  Just as He died to sin and rose from the dead by the gracious love of His Father, so too will your old self die and be resurrected to Him in new life—now in the spirit and in bodily form at His definite return (Romans 6:1-14).

Sightless to Severance

America has lost it's sight.  We claim to be a Christian nation, but I can't see how that's possible.  When I say America is blind, I mean we don't see how warped our Christian views have become.  Have you noticed the anger stemming from Jesus being talked about in society?  We, as Christians, are free to speak of God in generalities--that He is love, that He is forgiving, that He is eternal, etc..  However, the specifics of God, in how He has chosen to reveal Himself through His Son, yields great debate and conflict.

When Jesus walked the earth, He chose to reach out to those who were spiritually neglected and chastise the religious institution in place for thinking themselves worthy of God.  Social and economic indifferences were rampant and the "religious minded" were oblivious to those in need of God.  Often Christ was critiqued and criticized for socializing with "sinners."  What was His response?  "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy not sacrifice.'  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:13).  He told the religious leaders of that day to go and think upon those words, because they obviously had no idea what they meant.

Nothing has changed.  "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land.  There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed" (Hosea 4:1b-2).  There is corruption throughout this nation.  Social barriers are in place for the poor and disenfranchised, economic injustice courses through the legal veins of the court system, the rich get richer and the poorer get poorer.  How can this country be Christian when Christ Jesus is denied access to hearts among those who call themselves Christian?  How can America be Christian if Christ is denied?  How can Christianity be Christianity if Christ's own words aren't heeded?  There seems to be a serious divide between what Scripture accurately states and what Americans chose?

I just can't get past a country claiming "In God We Trust" while denying God in the revelation of Jesus Christ, and then having the audacity to use Christ's name in Christianity--the chosen "religion" of today.  Christ is not and should not be a religion.  Jesus did not come to start a religion and I don't think Christianity is so, but it has morphed into such with convenient-store-denominations on every corner.  Yes, Christian is a name for those who believe in Christ--but it is more than a name or label, it is a way of life, it is a state of faith in God, it is resurrection to a new life through the resurrection of God in flesh.  But, the world has taken Christianity and a worldly value system of earthly logic and selfishness forming an apostate nation.  We once believed in Scripture, we once believed in the inspiration of the Bible, we once believed in Jesus.  Not now.

Why is it so hard to believe Jesus is God incarnate?  Many freely admit there is a God, a creator.  If this belief is accepted, then why is there difficulty in believing that same God, that same creator couldn't appear as one of His own creations?  God is infinite and eternal, yet He poured Himself out into human flesh--effectively making Himself nothing because His infinity was limited to a body (Philippians 2:5-11).  Why did He do this?  To save His creations, to save His love from demise in sin.  He came in the likeness of man to save mankind.  And when He did this, His name was Jesus.  And once upon a time, America believed this truth.  But the onset of instant gratification, by way of computers and technological advancement, has created a nation of gluttons.  We have turned our backs on the one true God.  We would rather indulge lustful eyes and pleasure-driven minds.  Jesus denies the sinful nature, therefore a once Christian nation has fallen away from Christ.

Jesus needs to be acknowledged.  The church needs to stand for Christ as He died for us, with compassion rather indignant anger.  We cannot be like the Pharisees of old and look down our noses at those who fall away or those who have never believed.  The church must represent Christ.  Christ's heart must take the place of our cold indifference.  Many Christians are solely satisfied in just making it to heaven by having faith in Jesus.  But, Jesus would have us go further and develop a heart of compassion, reaching out to others around with a deep, abiding concern for their souls.  Because, without an acceptance of Jesus as the final, determining factor of salvation, there is a harsh, permanent existence for those who die without Him.  And if the love of Christ is in Christians, then there should be a real concern for those without Him.

"Knowledge of" versus "Relationship with"

Based on John 5:39-47

Jesus talks about those who "diligently study the Scriptures because (they) think by them (they) possess eternal life" (v. 39).  But, as my Bible's footnotes say, "Any interpretation of Scripture which does not lead to Christ is an incomplete interpretation."  Christ Jesus said, "These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life (vs. 39-40).  Said people are the type who, as I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, have a profession in Christ, rather than a profession of Christ--or Christ as a career.

Christ says, "I do not accept praise from men" (v. 41).  Now some may get confused at this--"Aren't we to give glory and praise to God?"  Yes.  "Then why does Christ say He doesn't accept such praise?"  Because, the praise He refers to is from those who live according to the flesh, rather than by the Spirit (Romans 8:5).  They stand before others in their own name desiring adulation by seemingly preaching the Word of God.  They gain pleasure from knowledge accumulated through study and the prominence they feel it gives (John 12:43).  Their hearts are self-righteous and the heart is what God weighs, not a man's words or intellect.  The sinful nature is one that cannot please God (Romans 8:8)--this is why Christ states, "I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.  I have come in my Father's name, but you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name , you will accept him" (vs. 42-43).  Multitudes of teachers, preachers, and laymen stand upon their knowledge of Scripture, yet have no personal connection with Christ Jesus.  They are false Sheppard's. They teach the morality and ethics of Scripture rather than a relationship with Christ.  They have not entered the sheep pen by the gate and have climbed in by some other way--they are thieves and robbers.  Christ is our gate, He is the entrance to which Scripture leads (John10:1-18).  To preach only the "ethics and morality of," excluding Christ as the one and only Savior, is sinful.  If Jesus is our true Sheppard, then our ethics and morality will take care of themselves by way of the Holy Spirit.

The type of persons who fixate upon the Bible's words instead of developing a walk with Christ are deceiving scores of people.  They project a Christianity of knowledge only, compared to Christianity as a personal relationship with the Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Study and knowledge of Scripture is good, and necessary.  However, as Proverbs 9:10 states, " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  In other words, reverential awe or wonder produced by the Lord's grandeur and authority is the beginning of what is right and true.  Knowledge of Jesus, or the Holy One (read Psalm 22:3-5), is real knowledge.  Scripture, all of Scripture, is meant to reveal Christ.  If the "study of" gives persons an air of superiority, then their praise before God falls flat.  "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.  But the man who loves God is known by God" (I Corinthians 8:1b-2). 

If the Scripture is to be believed as inerrant and inspired, then our hearts should listen and believe it's content.  The Bible is all about Christ--from cover to cover, from beginning to end.  Study Scripture, but study it to know Jesus--do not study to know more than the other fella, or to prove those who don't believe wrong.  God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) went through a great ordeal to save us.  The cross, death and resurrection should inspire us to love God, to seek Him out, to spend our lives desiring to know Him better.  Scriptures teach that Christ first loved us (John 15:9) and gave Himself for us (John 3:16).  Should this not stir our hearts to love Him rather than simply knowing of Him? 

Do You Owe Any Favors?

For me, D.L. Moody states it succinctly.  Having listened to an online audio sermon of his, “Consecrated to Christ”¹, a retelling of a conversation he had with a young man stuck in my head.  Paraphrasing:  Moody asks the young man, “Look out the window, what do you see?”  The young man answers, “People going about their lives.”  Moody asks him to look again, “What do you see?”  Young man answers, “People out in the rain.”  Moody asks again, “What do you see?”  The young man flustered asks, “What am I supposed to see?”  D.L. Moody replies, “Souls.” 

I liked that story.  Logic dictates if you care for the soul, caring for the physical well-being will follow.  Love is God’s essential quality that seeks the best interests of others, regardless of other’s actions, an affectionate well-being of others, the benevolent affection of God toward His creatures, and is commanded of believers(John 15:12).  It is seeing the creations of God—not enemies, not burdens, not tasks.  Understandably, this is much easier said than done, but love is strength of conviction.  One: to snatch others from the wide path leading to hell, and two: nurturing the growth of those on the narrow path to heaven. We may not be able to stand certain people, or just don’t feel like dealing with them, but we have to learn to look past the scabs of life and see with the Spirit’s eyes.  Straining to see the souls God encased in flesh, developing a looking-past-the-exterior mind-set.  This does not mean we have to be friends with everybody we meet, but we should in love watch out for other’s best interest—eternity.  “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). 

“God is love.  Whoever lives love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).  Claiming to be a Christian, while having no interest for the welfare of others, and stirring up dissent among believers is terribly hypocritical and of the devil.  Satan’s name means deceiver—he will trick us into believing we are living in the Spirit as hate, dissension, lack of caring and encouragement course through the heart.  Do not be misled—such a life is a lie before God.  This doesn’t mean we have lost our salvation; simply, we are living outside God’s loving will.  We cannot expect our prayers to be heard living in such duplicity.  “If (we) love those who love (us), what reward will (we) get?...And if (we) greet only our brothers, what are (we) doing more than others?  Do not even the pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:46-47). 

 

The world seeks every opportunity to criticize followers of Jesus, and we as His followers give ample ammunition by not living out His love—by being more concerned with our own lives, by being so caught up in the “rat race” we fail to slow down, stop, and listen to the needs of those around us.  Don’t think to yourself, “I’m too tired to lend an ear,” or “The next Christian who comes along will pick up my weight and I’ll return the favor next time.”  How many favors do you owe at this point in your walk by expecting the next fella to do what you should have done in the first place?  Nothing ever gets done; no love is ever displayed if we all wait for the next person to do it for us.  After all, if Jesus had that mind-set—where in “hell” would the world be now, literally? 

 

 

¹    D.L. Moody, “Consecrated to Christ,” Colonial Baptist Church,  http://media.colonial.org/node/1250 

I may be wrong, but...

Is Christ portrayed in the lives of His followers?  From my perspective, the world would answer, "No."  As an addict, I am far from perfect.  I fail in my efforts to live for Christ.  The main reason being the use of the personal pronouns "I" and "my" in that statement.  Galatians 2:20 clearly states I no longer live, but it is Christ who lives in me.  If this is true, then how can I do anything?  I cannot.  It is Jesus' Holy Spirit who labors for the Father's glory through me.  But, the "me in me" still wishes to control things.  I wish to do this and I wish to do that.  In this thinking, I apparently try to serve two masters.  This is impossible.  I either serve one or the other (Matthew 5:24).  Even though I think my motives are pure, because I seek to please God, I live in error.  By ignoring God's way in favor of my own, my motives are driven by self ambition.  What else could it be?  In turn, doing the right thing for the wrong reason is sin.   The end result will always be failure.  More harm will arise than good, because as Jesus states in John 15:5, "...apart from me you can do nothing."

And this is what the world views--a bunch of Christians serving self, rather than God being allowed to work through His children.  Consequently, the church, as a whole, has become weakened and her light has been diminished (Matthew 5:14-16).  Once we were atop a hill, shining brightly as a beacon, as a representation of Christ.  But, in modern times, we have covered that light with self-centeredness and self-righteousness.  The Holy Spirit is ignored in favor of personal pronouns--"me, myself, and I."

Somehow, these worldly views have seeped into the church.  Christ Jesus was, and is, about self-sacrifice.  I mean, that's pretty obvious--He sacrificed Himself for humanity's salvation.  Yet, large numbers of Christians, His proclaimed followers, expect to serve without sacrifice.  I'm as guilty of this as anyone.  Selfishness, greed, arrogance, self-ambition run rampant throughout many, individual bodies of believers.  Now, this is not this case as a whole, but one bad apple ruins the entire bunch.  A little yeast works itself throughout the entire batch of dough (1 Corinthians 5:6).  If genuine, well-meaning Christians stand idly by without speaking when prompted by the Holy Spirit, then our light will continue to weaken.  Knowing this to be true--how can we allow falsehood, false faith, selfishness, deceptive motives, and the like dominate what the world views of God's children?  Why are we too afraid to stand for Jesus when we have the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Strength, the Spirit of Power, the very Spirit of God as our Guide, as our Counselor, as our Friend who has our back?

                                                 

Responsibility

I grew up under Godly, Christian parents.  My dad was a pastor whose ministry was geared toward crisis churches.  He was constantly called upon to advise, counsel, and/or pastor churches with serious problems.  Problems such as distrust between leadership and congregations, dissension, derision, racism, child abuse, slander, sexual immorality and the like.  Being there are numerous churches who experience these sad realities, I moved around quite a bit as an adolescent.  In church after church dad was called to, I witnessed the same things over and over.  Dad angered a lot of people and I could never understand why--I mean, they called him to their churches to root out the issues, then they would turn on him bitterly.  Dad always made it clear beforehand that he was out to reinstate Christ as the head of the church and sought God the Father's glory, not man's praise.  He would confront the problems head on not backing down.  I never understood other Christians lashing out so venomously toward my dad and his family for preaching what all Christians claimed to believe in--yet as I got older I grew to understand the simplicity behind the rage.  Simply put, pride.  It's always the other person's fault, no one accepts responsibility. 

Adam and Eve started this trend.  When confronted by God in the Garden of Eden, as to what they did, Adam answered, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it" and Eve replied, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate it" (Genesis 3:12, 13b).  Adam passed the buck onto Eve and she in turn blamed the serpent.  Neither accepted their own decision to disobey.  And that in effect is what sin is, a direct disobedience toward God.  Nothing has changed to this day.  We all love to blame the other fella, because to be called out on our wrongs is abominable toward our pride. 

Well, I fell prey to this ill-conceived pattern of thought.  My dad passed away when I was nineteen, suffering intensely for many months.  I became enraged at God and His family.  I thought, "Why would I want any part of a God who has caused my dad to suffer in life and death?  And why would I want to be part of a family who constantly attacks one another?"  I began to judge God based on other's actions, thinking He must be like His family.  I blamed God for my misery, I blamed others for my anger.  I spent the last twenty years addicted to liquor, drugs and sex.  With every passing year I became angrier and angrier toward God.  I was blinded by pride.  So much so, I was unable to even contemplate the cause of my misery was myself.  Not until I almost found my way into a box six feet under, did I finally wake up.  Sad to think it took almost dying to clear away conceit, but I thank my heavenly Father for the close call.  I have realized Jesus is nothing like the world system which surrounds.  He has called out to me with patience and infinite amounts of love and grace.  I subsequently returned to the church hoping for a warm welcome.

Sadly, this was not the case.  I reached out over and over receiving very little comfort and encouragement from Christ's representatives.  Honestly, no one seemed to even care this prodigal had returned home.  Oh, don't get me wrong, they smiled and praised the Lord, but very few, if any, actually reached out to me offering assistance in my growth in the Lord.  This was extremely disheartening.  Here I was calling out for help, asking for comfort and friendship, only to get cold shoulders of no response.  Where's the compassion?  Where's the love, man?

Thank God the seed of Truth landed upon fertile ground within my heart, or else I would have walked away again never to return.  Unfortunately, this is the case with countless populations of people throughout the world.  The apathy within the church nowadays is spreading at a bacterial rate.  The coldness and compassionless reactions of those claiming Christianity are turning many off from the faith.  Many unbelievers view Christians as high and mighty, self-righteous, haughty individuals who only care about professions in Christ rather than professions of Christ.  Christ as a career is the plight among many pastors and teachers today which only lends credence to 1 Timothy 4:5, "...men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think godliness is a means to financial gain."  Titus 1:11 also mentions similar type of men, "They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach--and that for the sake of dishonest gain."  Not to mention 2 Peter 2:3, "In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up..."  Christianity has been severely damaged by such leaders.  The grace of God is mistaken for a license to live freely at the expense of others.

Leaders are not the only ones to blame here.  The congregation of believers must accept responsibility as well.  We have in the last decades become a self-righteous people, judging others as lost and with no hope of change.  Too often Christians forget that we too were once saved, which implies we were just as lost as those who are still lost.  And to continue on with apathetic walks of Christianity impales true grace.  None of us deserve salvation.  "We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  Yet, God's grace is a gift of undeserved favor even to the worst of sinners.  We as Christians cannot continue to blame the darkness in the world solely upon the unsaved, when we continue to act in such selfish ways.  We must accept responsibility for our own actions or should I say lack of action.  Furthermore, we must stand for biblical truth and cast out false teachers who deceive multitudes.  Responsibility is an individual action which holds corporate healing.

"In God We Trust"--please

"In God We Trust"--that is what our nation is based upon. Sadly, it is nothing more than a motto nowadays. We are a nation who believes and follows technology, power, and prestige. God is an afterthought or more to the point a hindrance for many. Jesus has planted the Word of truth and many "Christians" have trampled it underfoot. Scripture is taught, heard, and professed, yet many fail to live it out. So many denominations have popped up, they're like convenient stores on every corner. 

 

God likes variety--this is obvious, just look at nature and humans created in His likeness. There is nothing wrong with variety in the church and how people worship differently. But, Jesus needs to be at the center. Without Him, there is no Christianity. Countless churches are divided and worldly within. Homosexuality is commonplace amongst many places of worship which biblically is confirmed as an abomination (Leviticus 18:22, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Romans 1:18-23). 1 Corinthians 6:9 also mentions the sexually immoral, adulterers, thieves, the greedy, swindlers, slanderers, and idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

 

Yet, take a look around. With a nation claiming "In God We Trust" and close to eighty percent professing Christianity, how can many churches not be twisted, or convoluted, in their actions and beliefs. This is a nation bent on me, me, me and that mentality has found it's way into modern Christianity. Jesus Christ did not come to form a religion. He did not come to lead others to lives fixated on self. He came to save the world from sin's condemnation and subsequent judgment. I have heard stated, "Religion is man going to God, Christianity is God coming to man." This succinctly describes many churches today. Religious platitudes are thought to lead us to salvation, when in fact it is Christ who came to earth which provides eternal life. The work has been done by Jesus on the cross, all we need to do is believe on Him--this is the core of grace--undeserved favor.

Quick Thought/Question

Why are so many Christians accepting the world's definition of love over God's? Love is not an acceptance of all beliefs and lifestyles--to live and let live, so to speak. Love is the sacrifice of oneself to the betterment of those who surround. No better example is that of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He came to give the worst of sinners the very best of God through mercy and grace.

The world strives to make God's love judgmental. How is that you may ask? By calling true Christians bigots, because God's love in them precludes them from sacrificing Biblical truth. Humans tend to think there is an x,y,z format to God--meaning there is more than one truth and how dare Christians proclaim otherwise. Well, to be frank, there is only one truth--salvation comes through Jesus alone--no if's, and's, or, but's. As a Christian, how can we love others by denying or sugar-coating this truth. Love at the expense of veracity is no love at all. Deception or half-truths only lead to destruction.

Quick Perspective on Hypocrisy

I don't want persons thinking I believe the majority of Christians are hypocrites. This is not so. What I do feel, and see, is an overwhelming number claiming Christianity yet excluding Christ. Statistics show close to eighty percent of Americans are Christians and worldwide approx. 30,0000 sects claim Christianity—this simply cannot be. If this were true--why are there so many wars, why is there ...so much hate, angst, and agitation? Some claim the morality of Christianity, but deny Jesus’ deity. Others believe in Jesus’ deity yet ignore His commandment of “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Great numbers just perpetuate the status quo by sheer apathy to those who are poor in spirit. What I mean to say, large numbers say or think they are Christian when in fact they are not.

This is not to say countless Christians are not genuine. Many are obvious ambassadors to the light of Christ, but they are far outnumbered, sad to say, by the world around them. This is the generation of apostasy—one without love, unforgiving, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, abusive, etc. And these same persons claim Christianity—huh?

 

This is my stance on hypocrisy in the church. I love the church as it is the body of Jesus, with Him being the Head, which is why I don't want the sin of disobedience, disloyalty, or denial to be what others continue to see. Many non-Christians see the discord and duplicity of those calling themselves Christians and want nothing to do with God's family. I find this sad and even sadder that few are doing anything to stop or change such views. Very few are standing along the wall in the gap exclaiming the truth of Christ(Ezekiel 22:30). As a consequence, the doctrine of darkness is pouring through an undefended wall breach.

How Can This Be?

Today, Christ and Scripture are debated to the point of compromise. How can this be? Jesus is downgraded to a great teacher or prophet; Scripture is viewed to be out-of-date. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Jesus is God and Scripture is inerrant. Naysayers shout in opposition, that's their choice and right due to free will--given by God. However, those who claim Christianity while diluting God's Word have fallen from grace. God does not change, therefore His Word is eternally consistent. To pacify the world by back stepping over Scripture's truth perpetuates the downfall of the church.

How many feel as I do? Did Jesus intend for the church to have a market-madness-mindset? Jesus stated, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Maybe it's just me, but I see discord, dissension, selfishness within Christianity today. There are far too many Christless Christians led by Apostles of Apathy. It's time to wakeup and become aware of the storm on the horizon.

What CC is About

This is a page where I'd like to discuss people's views toward the church, America, personal life experiences and perspectives.  It seems there is an awful lot of apathy running rampant throughout the world today.
     Christianity is Christ Jesus calling out to man to believe on Him as Savior, Lord, God, and to glorify the Heavenly Father by following His Son.  Christianity should not be considered a religious sect, but a new life lived through Jesus.  "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" Galations 2:20.  However, today's church seems to have lost it's way.  The church is the body of Christ and Christ is the Head of the church. But, society, or the world, has seeped into our fellowship with Jesus and twisted Scripture to pacify what the "self" wishes to control.  "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
     This is what is happening today.  Many upon many churches are without Christ, therefore are leading people away from eternal life with God.  The world attacks those who stand for biblical truth, because it goes against everything they want. In turn, they bring together those who teach what they want to hear, rather than Scripturally accurate teachings.  Not only this, but a great majority has just given up and abandoned the faith.  They no longer wish to hear anything about Jesus.  This world is turning into an egocentric driven land.  Christ is ignored in favor of self-spiritualization.
     I wish this page to be a sounding board for the Lord.  I imagine, no, I know many will disagree with me.  But that is free will in action--as is my stand for my Savior.  Convoluted Christianity Blog is meant for discussion, comments, and posts.  Let's talk about our views, perspectives, and stances.