NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! 

This article is about King Solomon; yes, the son of King David and Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife), yes, Solomon who had two personal encounters with the Almighty God (1 King 3:5, 9:2), and yes, the man who built the first temple in Jerusalem, and dedicated it with such a beautiful prayer!  (1 King 8:22-61).  This is the Solomon who is credited with writing Song of Solomon and portions of the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.   

As an Israelite, Solomon knew the word of God including the law that prohibited Israelites from intermarrying with their ungodly neighbors (Deut 7:3-4).  He also knew the promises God had made to both David his father, and later to him.  He also knew the consequences if they disobeyed God.  Here is a portion of the prayer he offered at the dedication of the temple, “Now Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.’  And now O God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true” (1King 8:25-26).     

God gave Solomon wisdom beyond measure; making him the wisest man that ever lived.  So what happened, and who bewitched him that he threw everything away?  He could have had any woman he wanted in Israel; he could have had as many women as he wanted, but instead, he went to foreign countries to marry their princesses, “King Solomon, however, loved foreign women…They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods… ‘He had seven hundred wives of royal birth…and his wives led him astray” (1 King 11:1-3).   

I find some portions of the account of Solomon’s life discouraging, disappointing and frightening.  Why?  Well, how often does God appear to people with such detailed, personal information?  One would think because of his experiences with God, he’d cling to Him and be inseparable from Him, but no, unfortunately, he chose his own path; how sad!  Did he disobey God because he thought nothing could jeopardize his relationship with Him, or did he think he was so spiritually strong and could safely play with sin, or did he think he was too special to be held accountable by God?  I find it frightening, because I believe if it happened to him it could happen to anybody; you and me, “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Cor 10:12).

So why did Solomon blatantly disobey God when he knew what the consequence was going to be?  He must have thought the law did not apply to him or he was above the law.  Could that be pride?  Proverbs tell us, “Pride goes before destruction, haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18).  He must not have understood that God does not make excuses for anyone’s sins, and no one is exempted from keeping His laws.  He judges sin wherever He finds it.  If the wisest man of all time experienced such tragedy, what can happen to everyone else?  We need to walk closely with God, taking nothing for granted.  May He help us to denounce sin, and make no room for it to have dominion over us.

The root cause of Solomon’s troubles was his disregard for God’s command regarding marriage; the command that prohibits believers from becoming unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor 6:14). 

Consequently, Solomon lost favor with God, “The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice…I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you” (1 King 11:9-11a).  

Solomon demonstrated his disobedience by first marrying unbelieving women, and then going on to worship their gods.  How do we demonstrate our disobedience?  The how might be different for each person, but the end result will be the same; grieving God’s heart, and consequently experiencing His judgment if we don’t repent.  Should we deliberately live in sin, disregarding His Word?  We need to wake up; this is scary!  Granted, we live in “Grace Era,” but “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!” says Paul, “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer (Rom 6:1b-2)?  Remember, No one is above the law, including you!

Laughter is healthy

Not laughing could be a sin…

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” Psalm 126:2 NIV

 A cheerful heart is good medicine… Proverbs 17:22 NLT

Recently, a friend sent me these funny quotes from a church bulletin: “Remember in prayer the many that are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say ‘Hello’ to someone who doesn’t care much about you.”

Pretty funny…but with enough truth to make you think. We who have been in a church community for a while may not realize that some people might be sick of the church. Do we have a reputation of only reporting gloom and doom? Are we convinced people are hard to love when it actually might be that we are the one hard to love? When our church community becomes nothing but a cozy bubble, we turn the church into nothing more than a suffocating place where we can complain and use our inside jokes on each other. That comfortable feeling can put up walls for newcomers and a message that says, “Don’t bother trying to break into our group.”

Christ’s community should always be reaching outward. We who have found a new life in Christ should become the most winsome of people. If we reoriented our attitudes and filled them with the Holy Spirit, we might be shocked at how many would like to hear our message. Who wouldn’t like to be around happy, joyful people who have a sense of humor? If we offer only deadly, dull, or harried, hyped-up communities of worship, we will be closing the door to those who are searching.

 Today, let’s not take ourselves and our family so seriously. Chuckle when a teenager says something crazy. Tell a story on yourself. Show the world you are human and a Christian. Authenticity is how you show a newcomer the Lord’s joy is real. And, if you are struggling to connect to community, don’t despair. Throw back your head and laugh. That laughter will open doors to friendship and as an extra bonus, you’ll be healthier.

Taken from: Changing Zip Codes: Finding Community Wherever You're Transplanted published by Lighthouse Publisheing of the Carolinas.

Peak into New Disicpleship Book Designed to Challenge Mature Christians

On Amazon at amzn.to/1qY6MGa

Introduction: Do You Want to Hear from God? 

When I turned 50, I had an epiphany. I had always been big on setting goals and planning my next big thing. Then at age 50, it occurred to me that I might only have about 25 or 30 years left to do whatever needed to be done. Maybe less. 

I suppose I’m not the only one to think such thoughts. Hence, we now have the famous bucket lists that many of my friends are creating. Would it surprise you to find out that most of those lists are filled with exotic places to visit? (I certainly want to go to Eastern Europe and Australia) The lists might include a new place to live, a certain car to own, or achieving some level of expertise in a sport or game. My conversations with others on the subject commonly come around to amassing some amount of net worth that will allow them to at least maintain their current standard of living.

It is very unlikely that many of those lists include the decision “doing whatever God calls me to do.” Can you imagine how the rest of your life might look if you made that decision today? Whether you are 18, 30, or ancient of days like me, you could make a major impact in the days left to you. 

Are you too busy? Are you worried about money? Do you think you do not possess the needed skills? Do you doubt you know what to do? Does it seem too big? Will you miss your TV too much? Are you afraid your family and friends will think you are weird? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you are missing the Jesus that Paul, John, Matthew, Mark, James, Luke, Peter, and Jude talk about. 

I’m not a special person. I’m a layman like most of you. I have prospered in life, but 5 years ago I lost almost everything and had to start over at age 60. I have some talents and skills, as do you. I wish I had more talents and skills, just as you do. 

I do know this: if only one out of every 100 people that love Jesus in the US made a decision today to “do whatever God calls me to do” for the rest of their lives, this country and the world could experience revival unlike any other. Are you going to sit by and let someone else be that “one” who will enjoy all the fun, all the amazing best that God has to offer you while here on earth and then in heaven?
To take up God’s call requires a lot of hard work, determination, and most of all, faith. Remarkably, if it really is God’s call, and you respond with your whole heart, the yoke will seem light as a feather.
Seniors, you can choose to kick back and start counting the sunsets. You deserve it. You’ve worked hard, and now it is someone else’s turn. Is that where you are?

On the other hand, maybe you’re a young go-getter and you want treasures and fame here on earth. You might be promising God that you will use your money and fame to further the Kingdom later. I can identify with that very easily. Is this you? 

Possibly, you have been badly wounded by life, and you’re struggling to put one foot in front of the other. You think God can use you later. Are you hiding behind your wounds? Do you think, “I’ll do it when the kids are grown and through college. I’ll surrender to God’s call on my life when I have $500,000 in net assets.” Do you think that God dare not call a parent with small children?

How do I know you think that way? Easy. I have thought those thoughts.

We need a revival in the US, and throughout the world. The ability to communicate the Gospel to every person on earth has never been easier. The world has never been more ready to hear the message. Unless you are missing the news, you probably think we are certainly in the last days. There isn’t a lot of time left to make sure your loved ones and those in your community have Christ in their hearts. 

If you are ready to commit to God fully and avoid any potential of being seen as lukewarm, this book is the outpouring of my heart intended to provide you with a pathway to victory. Here is an outline of the path. Each step is based on a decision. Just like your initial decision to follow Jesus, you will be making decisions throughout your walk.

• Decision: That I will listen to God for His call on my life.
  
• Decision: That I will do what is necessary to hear and obey God's call on my life.
  
• Decision: That in order to be in a position to hear God's calling, I will love Him and others, and seek the intimacy that accompanies that love. I hunger and thirst for a right relationship with Him and others.
  
• Decision: That in order to love like that, I will be poor in spirit and more humble. Humility means that I trust God for my direction, not myself or other people. I believe what God says.
  
• Decision: I will become a disciple of Christ, which means watching and hearing what He teaches, then doing those things.

The Bible describes five kinds of folowers of Jesus: the multitudes (Matthew 4:25), casual inquirers (John 4:9), disciples (Matthew 5:1), close disciples such as Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1) and intimately close disciple (John 13:23). Which kind of follower are you? 

The multitudes blend into the crowds on Sunday mornings. Rejecting service opportunities. Giving intermittently. Avoiding relationships. Avoiding commitment. They like being part of the crowd that gets close enough to Jesus to mollify the yearning desire in their hearts for relationship with Him, but not so close that His expectations touch them.

The casual inquirers ask endless questions about inconsequential matters. Seldom do they change their attitudes about the Lord but, rather, they relish the dispute and disagreements.

The disciples change the direction of their lives. They turn and follow Jesus after their encounter with Him. They learn from Him, they serve Him, they testify to what He’s done in their lives, they share His love with others, and they stay close to Him. Even when they drift away and wander off, they eventually turn around and come back to a close relationship and fellowship with Jesus.

The best picture of the intimate disciple is John reclining against Jesus with his head on Jesus’ breast. Do you think John heard Jesus’ heart beat? I do. And I want to be that disciple--the one that is so close to Jesus that I hear His heartbeat. Do you? I believe you can be!

You can be the kind of disciple who is so close to Jesus that there is no room for anything to come between Him and you. The kind of disciple that worships Him as closely and intimately as humanly possible. The kind of disciple that hears God’s voice distinctly calling to His service. The kind of disciple that, upon hearing God’s call, answers: “Here am I. Send me.” 

The rest of the book is now available on Amazon as a Kindle book or in print. The Kindle version is on sale. Normally $2.99 but until the end of October, the ebook will be just 99¢.

God Sees Beauty Despite the Mess We Make of Our Lives

Joy and I stood before the artisan anticipating his newest creation. The old, bearded man picked up a small, clear, glass tube with callused hands and gently stroked it. The two-thousand degree fire spewed from the dragon's mouth and we could feel the intense heat from a few feet away. While others came to the medieval fair for entertainment and sports, we came to enjoy the musicians and artists.

Would the artist create a dog, a cat, a dolphin, or something else from the dozens on display behind him? Scattered about on the table of the lamp maker were hundreds of discarded shards of glass. If the broken and shattered pieces had been found any place else, they would have been thrown in the trash as worthless. But in the hands of the expert, little creatures of beauty sprung into being. The man "knew" his creations before they were sculpted into existence. With all-consuming passion, he focused on the object he held up to the burning flame. We stood transfixed, wondering what would emerge from the heat.

Not able to bear the suspense any longer, Joy asked, "What are you making?"

The artist glanced up at Joy with a look of satisfaction.

"I am making a hummingbird." 

We stared at the glass object as it glistened intensely. From the cylindrical shape came forth a small bird with flapping wings, a high tail, and a long beak. The intricate creation looked like the little winged creature that visited our red hummingbird feeder in the summer. It was hard to believe something so delicate had been forged out of two thousand degrees. Hidden in the worthless shard of glass was beauty that the artisan could see and no one else.

Watching him pursue with such intensity a dying art reminded me of the Great Creator, who thousands of years ago, created a world out of nothing. God flung the stars into the darkness to create light. He shook the heavens to release droplets that blanketed the earth, filling the valleys with abundance. He carved the mountains as monuments that stretched into the heavens. Everything God created was perfect. God's crowning glory was the creation of man in His image, When the Great Master finished all His work, He described everything as "good."

Even after man's fall from grace, God created beauty by devising a plan to rescue us. God sees what we can become, not what we are now; in the rough, full of warts and foibles that only He knows. God sees beauty despite the mess we make of our lives. In hard places, He is our Hope. In broken dreams, He is our Redeemer. In sickness, He is the Great Physician. When we are discouraged, He strengthens us. 
He has a plan even when we don't have a clue. I am amazed at how beauty takes hold again and again in so many forms. Even in our fallen state, the imperfections that surround us have hidden echoes of God's image. He never wastes anything to woo us back to His unconditional love.

That's because God knows us better than we know ourselves. He promises hope and love and peace. He gives us opportunity and faith and joy. He sees what we can't because He knows how it's all going to turn out.

God is the Great Author who penned the greatest story ever written thousands of years ago. He painted the picture when nothing yet existed.  Today He works out the rough edges of our lives to prepare us for the great banquet.  In all our imperfections, God sees beauty.  He even blesses us with a sense of wonder so we can catch a glimpse of the world beyond.

Just as the artisan discovers beauty in shards of glass, the Master sees beyond our shattered lives. He breathes life into the heart of our souls. His heavenly hands long to mold us into the person He created us to be.  

Today the hummingbird sits on our bookshelf and speaks of beauty. Someday I hope God will marvel at me, just as the artisan held up the hummingbird and nodded his approval. 

How wonderful it would be to hear the Master say on that blessed day, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

*~*~*~*

Check out Lorilyn Roberts' latest book, Seventh Dimension -The King - Book 2, A Young Adult Fantasy at Amazon and your local bookstores.

Spiritual Selfies (Why Go To Church, Part 3)

Last week we discussed the question—do you really know the One you're worshiping if you go Lone Ranger worshiper and discard the church as a place to meet God?

Clearly pondering this whole weighty matter.

Today, it gets more personal. Another good question we don't ask is—do we really know ourselves, either? How does the church give us ourselves, our better selves, when we're asking it to do its job? Perhaps more importantly, how willing are we to let it?

Why Go To Church? To See Myself

I have a teenage daughter. In case you don't have one of that species, there is a particular trait of teenage girls you need to know. They take pictures. Of themselves. Constantly. We're not even surprised anymore to see a girl standing in the middle of Target making strange faces into her palm (where the smart phone lies) with no reference to those around her. Not too long ago,we would have found this behavior disturbing enough to warrant concern for her mental health. Now—it's just selfies.

And pondering some more

A funny thing happens when you stare at yourself for too long. You lose all outside reference. Your only compass for what you look like is yourself. At its worst, this turns into eating disorders for girls who see only their flaws. On the other side, it turns into an unhealthy reliance on, and leveraging of, one's looks for value.

When you're the only one in the photo, you have no reference point for who you are and what you're like.

When you're not in a community, you have no reference point for discovering who you are in a larger picture. When you're taking spiritual selfies, you've taken everything out of the picture that could help you measure where you've grown, where you need to, or where you could help someone else.

We're a culture obsessed with taking spiritual selfies.  [tweet this]

And I don't mean we need to be in “community” as in “Sure, I'm I community. I've got lots of friends. (Mostly online.) We talk about deep stuff, dude.They all agree with my opinions, and we all hate the same things. It's great.”

That's cheap community. It's not New Testament community. Not the messy place we see rich and poor, male and female, black and white, coming together and making one beautiful thing out of diversity. The crazy zoo of behavior that needs correcting, correctors who need softening, and grace that needs to cover it all. That's the community of the Bible.

Is this my "we don't like it" face?

We don't like it. It's messy. It challenges us. It changes us. Selfies are infinitely simpler.

But selfies never tell us who we are. Nothing does like wading through the messy stuff with another person--another real person with messy stuff of her own with whom we have to learn our own brand of grace and challenge. Nothing tells us who we are like looking into someone else's perception and seeing what he likes--or doesn't like. Nothing sharpens us like putting down the camera directed at self and taking up the mirror someone else is holding.

It's not comfortable. I've heard those challenging words from time to time. But it's changed me. I discovered things about myself I would have never known if I had believed I had no need of the church to call me out and make me better.

There is a reason grown women do not take selfies.

Why go to church? To see in a mirror what I can't see by myself.  [tweet this].To see a better version of me I can become. To be with people who are trying to become better versions of themselves and help them along the way as they help me. You can try to make a pilgrimage on your own, but why would you? In all of literature, it's done in community. There's a reason for that.

Yes, some churches take advantage of their power to guilt and shame you into changing rather than walk with you into it. But at its best, God intends for it to be the best possible place to journey together because the people there know better than anyone the value of mercy and the power of God's invitation to change.

Continue to take selfies, or accept the challenge to see yourself in the big picture? Change happens in the context of community.

My "I am so done with selfies" face.

Does God "Prepare" us for Good works? Part one

 Does He promise not to give us more than we can handle?

Click here for Part 2
This was originally posted on March 4, 2013 on my personal blog http://bit.ly/good_works-pt1. Next week I’ll fill you in on some more things that God has taught me regarding this and brokenness.

I'm struggling with an idea so I'm going to bounce it off of you and see what you think the Bible has to say. First you should know that My husband and I adopted a baby girl from Korea seven and a half years ago. We knew that it was what God was leading us to do, but when people would ask me why we were adopting, I didn't feel like I had an adequate answer. After all, I really didn't know why God lead us into adoption. It wasn't until after our daughter was home that I had a better idea of why we adopted.

When our Pastor used Eph. 2:10 in a sermon, I thought, “That’s it! That’s why we adopted.” This is what it says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” God prepared adoption in advance for us to do. At that moment I knew that before time God knew who our children would be, both our biological ones and our adopted one.

Just this week as I was reading this passage again God opened my eyes to something different. While the work was prepared for me, it doesn’t say that I was prepared for the work, it says “so that we would walk in them” I did a quick study with an online concordance and could find no verse that specifically said that we are prepared for the good works that God has "prepared beforehand" for us. In fact I found a number of verses that showed that our works are the outcome and proof of our faith. Just look at James 2:14-24 and go from there with cross references.

However, in second Tim.3:17 it states "so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." The verses just before this are telling us what the word of God is for, thus the equipment that we have for every good work is the word of God. It doesn't imply that we will be equipped or prepared in and of ourselves. How many times have we not obeyed God because we just weren't prepared or ready yet?

As we have spent the last years raising our adopted daughter, I can tell you with all certainty that I was not "prepared" to raise an adopted child. It's not because we didn't have good resources. I believe that I was blinded to truth about adoption and how it effects the child. The last years have been a trail. But what does a trial do? It conforms us into the image of the Son of God. I never before thought of "good works" as being the trials that God would use to refine me. I mean "good works" are good right?

We do know that He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5-6) in fact He is our helper. We also know that God will not give us more than we can handle. Right? This is something that I believed and in fact found great comfort in when this past Aug. God brought to our attention an 8 month old baby boy in Korea that needed a family. We have been done expanding our family for 7 years now, but God began to change our hearts and burden them for this little boy. In between episodes of hyperventilating, I would remind myself, "If God is asking us to do this at least I know He won't give me more than I can handle. There is even a popular song with this same idea that I found most encouraging. God did make it very clear that He was calling us to adopt this little boy, and after the shock of finding out that we have a son in Korea, we are very excited.

Now to fast forward to this past week. Our pastor asked a number of families if they would be willing to answer some interview questions about adoption in front of the congregation. In preparing my answers I tried to find the reference for "God will not give us more than we can handle."
First, I searched an online concordance and not finding anything I went to the next best thing, Google. I found this article, which confirmed what I had already found. If you would like to read it here is the link

God won't give you more than you can handle

God doesn’t say he won’t give us more than we can handle. What He does say is, “…and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able…” 1 cor. 10:13

I'm not saying this all to be a "Debbie Downer" I kind of find it encouraging because it confirms what I already know, I'm not prepared. in my own strength it has definitely been more than I can handle. However, in 2 cor. 12:9 Paul tells us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” I think that we are not prepared for the good works that God has for us to do, or we would not lean on Him and find our strength in Him. If we can handle it on our own we don't need Him.
I'm studying Revelation in my women's Bible study and couldn't help but see the parallels to the church at Laodicea in Rev. 3:14-20. They were so wealthy that they didn't see their spiritual blindness and need for God.

Alright enough rambling from me. I'd love to hear what you think about this. I'm still trying to study it out and value any Biblical perspectives that you have on the subject.

Come back next week and I’ll expound with another year and a half worth of life and Bible study under my belt.

Click here for Part 2

Are You Invited To The Wedding? Better Bring Plenty Of Oil!

     

Of course I’m referring to the parable of the ten virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13. The historical setting is a pre-wedding ceremony sometime in the First Century. Even though this story is allegorical, it’s clear that the bridegroom is Jesus. The ten virgins represent those who have been invited to the wedding feast. Five were “wise” and had their lamps fully trimmed with oil, five were “foolish” and did not. (v.2)

Why is this important?

In keeping with the allegory, this means that even though they all had something in common (they were all virgins) they were not all equally prepared.

There is a great deal of symbolism in this parable if you understand how a Jewish wedding unfolded in this historical time period. The wedding typically followed a period of betrothal, usually a year, sometimes two. On the eve of the wedding, the bridegroom, along with a few close friends, left his home to go to the bride’s home where there would be a variety of ceremonies, including consummation of the marriage. This was followed by a procession through the streets, typically after nightfall, back to the groom’s house for more festivities, which might last several days, even up to a week. First Century folks really knew how to have a good time at a wedding! Everyone in the procession carried their own torch, usually a lamp with a small oil tank and a wick. Those in the wedding party needed to make certain their lamp tanks were topped off so as not run out of oil and thus extinguish the light, because anyone in the procession without a lit lamp was assumed to be a party crasher, or possibly even a thief or troublemaker.

One of the other main reasons the ten virgins needed plenty of oil for their lamps was that according to tradition the bridegroom did not announce the time of his arrival. It was spontaneous, often heralded by the blowing of a shofar. The obvious analogy in this story is that Christ will return at an unknown hour and those who are His must be ready. There will be no time to “go back for more oil.”

Let’s take a look at what oil represents in this parable.

Oil is often a metaphor for Holy Spirit in Scripture. While that surely is one aspect of importance in this tale, the even more important question is "Will we be ready when Christ returns?"

 

 

You might ask, “What exactly does being ready mean?

The first part of the answer is that we must have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That is, we must all be metaphorical spiritual “virgins.” Romans 10:9-10 tells us that if we “believe in our heart and confess with our mouth” we have accepted the free sacrificial gift of His salvation. Next, we must be looking with eagerness and anticipation for the return of Christ. In the parable, the bridegroom tarries so long all of the virgins slumbered and slept. (v.5) Not a good thing to be doing!  

What happened during their time of slumber? 

Well, five of the virgins had enough oil so that their lamps were still lit when the cry went out, “Behold the bridegroom comes, go out to meet him.” The foolish five begged the wise five for some of their oil, to avail. Thus, they had to leave and buy more oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom showed up, invited the five waiting virgins inside—and then shut the door. When the five foolish virgins returned and banged on the door, saying, “Lord, Lord, let us in,” the bridegroom responds, “I know you not.” (v.6-13)

Wow! I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be one of the five foolish “virgins” when Christ returns.

Jesus has tarried for two thousand years and much of the Church is asleep today, just like the ten virgins. You may find that statement hard to believe, but I hope you find it as disconcerting as I do.

Why do I say this? 

Perhaps it’s because the divorce rate of Believers is the same as, or higher than, non-Believers in many places. Perhaps it’s because older, mainline denominations are losing members of their flock faster than new Believers are coming in. Perhaps it’s because once a person reaches eighteen there’s a seventy-five percent chance that they will never accept Christ. Perhaps it’s because it is estimated that only six percent of people who come forward and profess Christ as their Savior in evangelistic crusades like Billy Graham’s are still in the Faith one year later. Perhaps it’s because one survey found that ninety percent of self-professed Christian singles in the eighteen to fifty-nine age group identify themselves as sexual atheists. They believe in Jesus and God but they don’t believe He has anything to say to them of any consequence about their sexual orientation. Sixty-three percent of those same singles have no problem with having sex outside of marriage. Perhaps it has to do with several mainline denominations not only openly accommodating practicing homosexuals in their congregations, but ordaining them as ministers as well.

 

 

Summing up these, and other disturbing, trends which indicate a deeper spiritual malaise infecting mainstream Christianity like an out-of- control endemic and systemic virus we can say this: The Church--that is all those who are called out of the world to worship God through Christ and be transformed by the process of sanctification into the likeness and image of Jesus--is now compromising many of Christianity’s core tenets in order to please the world and become “seeker friendly.” The fundamental message of transformation by the Blood of Jesus and His resurrection into “a new creation” because He is the “firstborn” of that creation (that is “old things pass away and all things become new”) has gone from Theocentric (centered on God) to anthropocentric (centered on man). 

The message many of our churches proselytize is now exactly opposite from the message of the Bible. The Apostle Paul in his Second Letter to Timothy penned a prophetic warning to our generation, specifically speaking about the fact that “in the last days, perilous times shall come” when “[people] of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the Faith,” will be “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth.” They will have “a form of godliness, but [deny] the power thereof. “ He goes on to admonish us, saying, “from such turn away.” (2Tim.3:1-9)

The Church, and the world, is in the midst of perilous times. Few would contest that statement. Whether or not Jesus will return in this generation, however, is subject to ongoing debate. What is not debatable is that the process of the “great falling away” from the Faith Paul warns about in 2Thess.2:3 has already begun. It may be in its infancy, but it’s growing at breakneck speed. Heretical doctrines such as “There is no Hell, Jesus sinned and had to repent, God will reconcile all things to Himself, including Satan, We do not need to accept Christ to enter His Kingdom and go to Heaven, Same-sex marriage is acceptable to God, Abortion is acceptable to God, and many others are rampant in the Church.

Perhaps one of the biggest indictments of the “modern” Church is that we have lost the “fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of Wisdom.” (Prov.1:7) In many ways the Church is in a similar situation as is described in the Book of Judges when “every [person] did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judg. 17:6)

Jesus sums it much better than I ever could:

“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness”

In closing, I’d like you to ask yourself, “Am I invited to the wedding, and is my lamp filled with oil?”