There is no end to the methods and philosophies and paradigms and strategies that churches try to employ today to accomplish “God’s work”.
No end.
And there are countless books and YouTube’s telling Christians how to accomplish these “good works”.
Materials without end.
But what I don’t hear much from the church is truth. Of solid, biblical truth about the deeper life in Christ.
Like about half of the country, I was shocked when former President Trump was shot.
And overjoyed when he stood up and raised his fist to show that he was OK.
And then, on Sunday morning, I expected some mention of that event. Some statement about how terrible it was that Donald Trump was shot.
And, at the very least, I expected that the leaders of every local Bible church would take a few moments to pray for him and for his family. To specifically pray for him by name.
To ask the Lord for his health, for his family, and for his continued safety.
That would have taken about 60 seconds.
But nothing of the sort occurred.
It used to be, if someone was concerned about a problem in the church, that the leaders or even the pastor would not hesitate to find out what was on a person’s heart.
They would want to know what the problem was. To discuss it and to make any changes in the church that might need to be made.
Way back when.
Over the years, I’ve had many personal meetings with pastors and church leaders about doctrine, church practice, etc. Because they were actually interested in my concerns. They were actually more focused on truth than they were about their own schedules or about the programs of their church.
But not so much anymore.
What are people into today?
A short list includes Tarot, general “Meditation”, Spiritual Disciplines, Walking Labyrinths, Consulting Psychics, searching inwardly for one’s “higher power”, looking for a “spirit guide”, or engaging in some trendy Contemplative Spirituality technique.
Which even the Evangelicals are wanting to try out today.
Or maybe they’re praying to Mary, to “the saints”, to angels, or to whomever. Or maybe just praying to some other “dead guy”. Who, supposedly, is able to help them in this life and the next.
Instead of praying directly to and exclusively to Jesus Christ.
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (I Timothy 2:5)
To pray to or seek help from someone other than the Lord Jesus is an incredibly great error.
Which is often the result of believing in some neutral spiritual world? As if there are only benign and good “spirits” out there. That only want to do good things for us.
However, Satan and his evil spirits continually watch and move around seeking whom they may deceive, oppress, possess, or devour. Even attacking those who call themselves “Christian”.
What this all adds up to is that most people today are basically serving themselves up as a full-course meal for whatever demonic entity has been sizing them up.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (I Peter 5:8)
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Theologians today have a hard time just believing the Bible as it is written.
As in believing the simple, straight-forward interpretation of God’s words.
As if, God actually meant what He inspired. That He meant it to be understood simply. And to be believed it is without error.
And without the any theological twisting of His meaning into some symbolic, analogous, general thought. Instead of the amazing, wonderful truth that He “breathed out” through the writers of His words.
This is a problem all throughout the church today. Not simply among the expected unbelief of the Mainline denominations; who long ago abandoned the literal and straight-forward meaning of God’s words.
But this is also a problem common among those who claim to be born-again, who believe, supposedly, in the word-for-word inerrancy of the written word of God.
We will get just about any kind of interpretation you can think of today. And it continues to get worse and worse.
But in the end, what if, seriously, what if God actually meant what He said? That He used the exact words that conveyed His exact meaning so that those men in the beginning of the world as well as those men in our current age could all understand and stand upon?
What IF He actually spoke the words to convey the meaning which even the most “simple” among us could understand?
Such as the historical account of the earth and creation from the very first words of Genesis.
What IF that historical record might actually be true and accurate?
Despite the vehement contradictions of popular scientific consensus or popular cultural practices or the basic unbelief of the vast majority of supposedly “intellectual” and “academic” and ecclesiastical leaders?
But, of course, what would we do with all those more enlightened theologians who continue to muddy the waters of truth with their commentaries?
What would become of them?
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Every one of us is searching for something.
We each want to be happy and fulfilled.
We each want to have peace in our souls and minds.
But finding these very basic things is not easy. And most people miss the boat entirely. Slowly watching as their lives drift toward the treacherous reefs of spiritual destruction.
So, what is the answer? Where can one find the solution?
“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” (I John 3:20,21)
In recent posts, I’ve spoken of the necessity of going to the word of God versus trusting in our experience.
This is not to downplay experience. It is just to put things in the proper order to help us to defend against self deception.
Which is a danger we all face.
I say this because I watch a bucket-load of YouTubes. And I listen to sermons and podcasts of people that are very sincere that profess all kinds of “Christian” ideas that cannot save them.
Many of these people are very famous leaders, pastors, evangelists, etc. Who are trusting in things that cannot save.
No Way. No How.
The specific words in the Bible and their specific meanings are absolutely critical to Salvation and to the life of faith that follows.
But this doesn’t seem to be a big concern for those Christians who tries to gauge the quality of their lives based upon their works, their performance, or their outward displays of “love”. Words just don’t carry as much weight in such lives.
In other words, a person can live a very “acceptable” life in the Evangelical church today. Acceptably moral, acceptably involved, acceptably generous, and acceptably loving.
And, at the same time, hold spiritual truth very loosely when it comes to doctrine and creeds.
So that, it is not uncommon today for a believer to profess a very generalized and vague faith in Who Jesus Christ is and What His salvation is really all about.
Continue reading “Specific Biblical Words Lead to a Specific Faith”
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32)
There is a new kind of unity being promoted in our churches. A unity that is based on a common “salvation experience”.
As in those verses speaking of “the common salvation” or “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” or “the unity of the faith” (Jude 3:3; Ephesians 4:3-6, 13-14)
These verses are commonly misinterpreted by our church leadership. Even by those with Masters or Doctorates in Divinity.
This new unity is Not based on truth, but on a loosely accepted “experience” of salvation.
So that salvation has become something not based upon faith but on emotions or feelings or rituals or good works.
Continue reading “Unity is Based Upon Truth – Not Experience”
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