"For by grace you have been saved athrough faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV
We have a problem in the church today. I would call it a growing problem, but it has stopped growing and is quite mature. It takes place Sunday after Sunday.
This is a problem I like to call convenient Christians. Convenient Christians are those who will go to church when it is convenient to them, i.e. "Two people in my family have died, I better get back to church after missing the past ten years in case I'm next."
To paraphrase Darth Vader, I find this type of faith disturbing. I find it hard to describe this as faith, because it isn't. This is what gamblers call hedging the bet. "If I'm wrong then it doesn't matter; if I'm right then this should work."
The problem with convenient Christians is they like to quote the Bible but they only know select passages and those are usually taken out of context. If they would truly study the word of God, they would find the above verses and be convicted by it.
We are saved by grace through faith, not by works. We are not going to get into heaven by just attending church or by tithing. That will not do it. Good deeds are never enough.
It is by the blood of Jesus that brings us righteousness. It is through his death that we are redeemed from the sins that bind us. It is through his resurrection that we have eternal life.
If you have Jesus you have everything. If you have salvation that is only found in the cross, then your life is changed. The old man stuck in his sins is murdered and there is a new man that is alive in Christ.
No more convenient Christianity. No more posting pictures of half-naked people and talking about drinking on Facebook, followed with Bible verses. You are a brand new person.
You will no longer desire the things of this world, but you will desire the things that belong to Christ's kingdom. Believers and non-believers know true Christians by their fruits. Both groups know convenient Christians in the same manner.
To those that are Convenient Christians let me quote you John the Baptist, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance" Matthew 3:8-9a
27 March 2013
21 March 2013
Right in my eyes or right with my God?
Judges 21:25 "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
We live in a culture where doing what you believe to be correct is acceptable even if it is morally and ethically wrong. The saying is, "what is right for you is not necessarily right for me." This no more evident than in girls who have a list of seven guys that could be the father of their child.
The very fact that sleeping with a different guy every night and not using protection is OK verifies this verse. I can go on and on about the things we allow to happen because now it is acceptable. The worst part about it is these norms and morals did not just appear overnight. This has been building since the free-spirited, free love 1960s. We are two generations removed from that decade and we are paying the price for it now. The generation that is coming up now will be worse than the one before it.
The question remains, what now? As dismal as the period of the judges was, we have a story of hope and redemption within that setting. This is the story of Ruth, a beautiful love story about Boaz redeeming his love, Ruth. As dismal and bleak as our world is today we have hope and redemption found in the greatest love story that is continuing to be written, the love between Creator and creation.
Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds by Christ. This is only possible because of his love displayed on a cross some 1,980 years ago. When we stop running after our desires and run to Christ our hearts are forever changed. Our minds start transforming to the will of God in our lives. We want to live for Christ and not this world. So do not do what is right in your eyes, do what is right for God and his glory.
We live in a culture where doing what you believe to be correct is acceptable even if it is morally and ethically wrong. The saying is, "what is right for you is not necessarily right for me." This no more evident than in girls who have a list of seven guys that could be the father of their child.
The very fact that sleeping with a different guy every night and not using protection is OK verifies this verse. I can go on and on about the things we allow to happen because now it is acceptable. The worst part about it is these norms and morals did not just appear overnight. This has been building since the free-spirited, free love 1960s. We are two generations removed from that decade and we are paying the price for it now. The generation that is coming up now will be worse than the one before it.
The question remains, what now? As dismal as the period of the judges was, we have a story of hope and redemption within that setting. This is the story of Ruth, a beautiful love story about Boaz redeeming his love, Ruth. As dismal and bleak as our world is today we have hope and redemption found in the greatest love story that is continuing to be written, the love between Creator and creation.
Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds by Christ. This is only possible because of his love displayed on a cross some 1,980 years ago. When we stop running after our desires and run to Christ our hearts are forever changed. Our minds start transforming to the will of God in our lives. We want to live for Christ and not this world. So do not do what is right in your eyes, do what is right for God and his glory.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)