Be Still

"Be still and know that I am God..." These words from Psalm 46:10 come to me as I consider the things going on in my life at present. While I cannot say that the overall tenor of things is that much different than in times in the past, it seems that wherever I look there are problems. Whether it be my own circumstances or those of someone within my circle of concern, there seems to be something on the verge of getting out of control, Everyday, a new problem just as others have been apparently resolved.

What I have written is nothing new. We all have problems which we need to apply ourselves to and solve. However, how about those that are beyond our control? These are those that lead to frustration. I see people I care about who are struggling with things beyond their strength and so desire to fix things but I cannot. I read how God calls us to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), but it seems I struggle to bear my own.

Then as I think on these things, I am reminded that I have also been called to pray without ceasing                 (1 Thessalonians 5:17). As I pray, I find that some things are resolved quickly and I am thankful that God answers prayer. However, there are so many things that are not resolved quickly or even in a moderate length of time. It is with these situations where no answer seems to be in sight where the frustration creeps back and threatens to overwhelm me.

But God's Word is so good. He has just what I need when I need it. The words from Psalms 46 resonate within me as I consider the sources of my frustration. "Be still." That is what it is all about in the Christian life, isn't it? We think we have to fix things. We think they are out of control. The truth is they are out of our control but not God's control. "Be still and know..." I can have every confidence that God  has heard my cries and that He has not forsaken me when I cease from relying on my own efforts and truly look to Him.

Psalm 27 says it this way, "Wait on the Lord." Either way it means the same thin. God has promised not to leave or forsake His child. So when I have committed the matter to prayer and I have done all that is reasonable to do and the answer is still not in sight, that means the answer is still coming. God calls me to trust that He will do as He has says He will. In other words, when I want to fix things, I need to remember, He is God and I am not. And so even this moment I pray, "Lord, help me to be still and know that You are God."

Preaching The Cross

In a time when  crosses are disappearing from churches all over America and a time that the Cross is seen as too divisive to be preached in seeker friendly pulpits, it is important that Bible believing churches make a stand preaching about the Cross of Jesus Christ for it is the Cross that is so prominent in the teaching of the New Testament. It is at the Cross where we find the message of salvation. On this point most Bible believing Christians will agree. However, it is one thing to talk about the necessity of preaching the Cross and to speak of its message but quite another to fully explain what the Cross and its message is.

It is a true saying that salvation (freedom from the penalty of sin) and sanctification (freedom from the bondage of sin) are both found at the Cross.  Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18 called the Cross “the power of God to those who are saved.” However, the actual cross was just a piece of wood and a piece of wood and as such can save nobody. It was what was done on that cross that made all the difference for eternity for all who will accept the Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently when we speak of the Cross, we must be clear as to what we mean by this. All through the book of 1 Corinthians Paul explains the message of the Cross. In chapter 15 he leaves no doubt that the message of the Cross is none other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ—His death, burial and resurrection which we must believe and receive.

To mention the Cross in connection with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is of utmost importance. To be sure it is the Truth that Jesus died for our sin paying our deserved penalty and breaking the power of this now cancelled sin. If that is what we mean when we mention the “message of the Cross,” well and good. But if we don’t explain what this message, how would anyone know its meaning? Similarly, to say that the Cross needs to be the central object of our faith leaves one guessing until we explain that it is the now resurrected Christ Who hung on that Cross Who is to be the object of our faith (Hebrews 12: 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.) The point is that the Cross was the means but what Jesus did there needs to be the real focus. From John 1:12 and from Acts 16:31 it is clear that it is when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives that we receive salvation. This is so crucial that we should never neglect saying it when it comes to any message on the Cross.

Nor should we forget to mention the whole of the Gospel, i.e., the message of the Cross as Paul defines it in 1 Corinthians 15--Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. We must never separate the death of Jesus Christ from His resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:17 explains that unless Jesus rose from the dead we are still dead in our sins. How then can we leave any doubt that the two are vitally connected when Paul was careful not to do so himself?

 We may believe all of 1 Corinthians 15, but if we mention the Cross without explaining the meaning of it we are not clearly pointing the way and to salvation and a real relationship with the living Christ.

It is this relationship with the living, resurrected Christ that brings about sanctification as well. To merely say that understanding the message of the Cross does this is once again incomplete and misleading. Romans 6 does tell us that as believers we have been crucified with Christ, but goes on to tell us as He has risen to new life so we are to rise to new life also. Paul repeats this thought in Galatians 2:20 when he says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” To Paul the Cross meant his old man died there but he now lived by his new man through his relationship with the living Savior. Sanctification is a process described in Romans 7. It is a time of growing and maturing as we develop an ever closer relationship with Jesus. To say that understanding the message of the Cross leads to sanctification, without explaining the need for a closer relationship with the Christ that was on that Cross, can leaves one open to the impression that understanding the message of the Cross is a mystical experience that brings instantaneous sanctification. In truth, There are no shortcuts.

The Bible believing Church of today needs to be clear that message of the Cross is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must never tire of explaining what this Gospel is. We must point to a Christ Who died for our sins and now lives bringing us new life and that only by growing in relationship with Him will we have the power to overcome sin in our lives. We must follow Paul in preaching the Cross, being sure to explain what that message is. 

It Seems I've Fallen And Can't Get Up

The old joke goes like this: I was down in the dumps when a friend told me, “Cheer up things could be worse.”  So I cheered up and sure enough, things got worse.

That old joke seems to be the pattern of my life lately. I've always been blessed with relatively good health, but of late I've had one thing after another to the degree that I haven’t had more than two or three “good” days in a row for the past month and a half. It seems that as I am beginning to regain my strength, something else, sets me back. My occupation for the next week or so will be going to doctors to seek answers as to what is or is not going on. While I have hope for a clean bill of health, there are still the fears that come from the uncertainty of it all. Add to this the stress that comes through ministry and just normal household life, I find myself as in a hole I cannot get out of.

Now some of you may be thinking that I really have nothing to complain about compared to what you are going through and you may be right. But my problems are mine and the discouragement I feel is mine as well. Comparing my situation to one that is worse does not make things seem better. Well wishers give advice that I just need to “suck it up, and keep going.” In addition as a Christian who is a pastor, I’m not supposed to feel as I do, but I do.

So far it probably seems I have been ranting or at least complaining, but God has been teaching me a lesson he has been teaching me for years—one lesson with several refresher courses, and that is that it is not until I am at the end of my rope that I finally turn things over to Him.

 I received two verses today that reminded me of God’s faithfulness. The first is Isaiah 26:6: “Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because He trusts in Thee.” The second is Isaiah 40:31: They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” These words are sweet to this one who is wearied both physically and mentally. But how do I trust when all seems to be going wrong and there are no guarantees that things will get better? I then remember that even faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). I find myself praying the prayer of the father of the demon possessed son: “I believe, help Thou my unbelief."

I read today in a sermon by a respected Bible teacher how that the Christian life is a matter of believing God’s promises and walking in them. This particular preacher makes a list of these promises to be in store when going through difficult times. I plan to do the same, but not just for future events but for the present hole I am in, a hole I cannot get out of on my own. O Lord help me keep my mind stayed on Thee.

No Frills Gospel

Whatever happened to “no frills” marketing? Remember when you could go to the store finding the store brand without the attractive packaging and know that you were saving on each thing such as this that you purchased? Today the plain white wrappers have seemed to have disappeared having been replaced with store brands that are less in price than the nationally advertised brands, but with one difference. They have packaging that is similar in appearance to the national brands. In fact, if you will look closely you will usually find a statement on the front that says “compare to” then naming a well-advertised competitor. Somehow it is not enough to be “no frills” any more. Apparently you have to look like and to be like the high price stuff if you are going to sell.

This is the approach that has sadly made it into the many Bible believing churches in our modern age. In order to attract greater numbers we have sought to change appearance so that we appear more culturally relevant to our modern society. Under the mantra that we can be culturally relevant without changing our message, the change is made with the result that the message does change and nobody seems to notice. Somehow Jesus’ warnings that you cannot be friends with the world and friends with God at the same time go unnoticed. The fact is, the Gospel does run counter to our modern, mostly hedonistic, society which centers on the worship of self. The Gospel is all about reconciliation with a loving God through dying to ourselves and living life anew in Christ (Galatians 2:20). You cannot combine the two. Churches that are trying to be culturally relevant run the risk of being Gospel deficient.

There is no question that the people with whom we have daily contact, have a desperate need for the Gospel, but do not perceive this need. To be truly relevant in the sense that it is able to meet the need the Gospel must remain pure. So why have so many churches that profess to preach the Gospel gone in new directions? The answer is in the fact that strong Bible study and doctrinal teaching has taken a back seat in a church that is more media driven than centered on the Word of God. This being so, no one has noticed the subtle changes caused by the new methodologies and no one notices that the message of the church has been watered down. Doctrinal studies that once led to consistent Christian living have been replaced by topical preaching on how to cope in life.

The church needs to be a training ground for believers, equipping us to be salt in this world, no matter how unpopular it may be. It is believers living lives that are consistent that will make the most impact on those around them. Programs don’t reach people, people do. It's the Word of God that attracts those that are willing to be changed. Without this Word we may get numbers, but where will there be the real lasting change in lives? 

We need “no frills” churches, i.e., churches that are not afraid to be different from the world and are ready to stand firm on the Gospel and teaching the Word of God. We have a message that is unique: Jesus saves. That must never be compromised with whatever method we are using to convey it. While we may indeed use technology, music, arts and so forth to convey this Gospel, we must be careful that we are not majoring in mimicking  the world when we are ought to be showing the Christ the world desperately needs.

Misconceptions Can Hurt

Anyone who is a dog owner can relate to the fact that dogs do not see the world the same as we humans do. Recently I was reminded of this one day after returning from my morning walk with our dog, Pippin. Every day after our return, Pippin has a driving need to find Nancy who is usually in her home office. This accomplished she settles into her dog bed to "supervise" as Nancy works.The minute she goes through the door Pippin races to the office. If Nancy is not there she scurries around the entire house until she locates her charge and settles in to her duties of keeping an eye on things for the rest of the day. Upon those rare occasions where Nancy has gone somewhere while Pippin and I were walking, Pippin will settle for me as a substitute and curl up somewhere near me instead. I suppose in her mind we humans cannot be trusted out of her sight (a thought further supported by her over the top greeting of us whenever we return from being out of the house).

Well that is the routine, but this one morning Pippin was in for a surprising development. As we came in through the door after our walk, Pippin lit out on her search for Nancy. Upon not finding Nancy in the office, she raced to the sun room. Now our sun room is an addition at the back of the house, the entrance of which is through the original back entrance of the house—a glass sliding door. Pippin soon suffered from a basic misconception. Just because she could see through the door did not mean there was clear entrance through that door. In her haste, Pippin failed to clearly perceive reality with the result that all thirteen pounds of her slammed into a closed glass door before anyone could stop her. She bounced back dazed for a moment, and then barked at her unseen obstructer that was keeping her from her intended destination. Nancy, hearing the commotion came out from wherever she was, bringing comfort and for the moment all was right in Pippin’s world as she had no lasting hurt and was able to settle into her daily routine.

This was a learning experience for Pippin. Now, she approaches that particular doorway much more cautiously than before. But more than this it has gotten me to consider how we often make faulty judgments concerning the Word of God based on misconceptions, often those we have held over a long period of time. This came to me as I was trying to make sense of a passage in Luke as I prepared for this Sunday’s morning message at our church. Since it is expository preaching and I am committed to preach the entire Word I did not have the luxury of discarding this passage. Consequently, I was perplexed as I considered Luke 14:25-35 where Jesus stated conditions for being his disciple. It appeared that Jesus was putting conditions for salvation that are in conflict with what is said elsewhere in Scripture. I was about to crash as Pippin did into and unseen obstacle, but stepped back to reconsider and soon saw it was some basic misconceptions that distorted my perceptions of what Jesus was teaching.

Misconception #1: In the first part of this section of Luke Jesus said that unless we love Him and hate all others we cannot be His disciples. The misconception here comes from a failure to recognize a Hebrew figure of speech used to depict the preference of one individual over another. In Genesis Jacob is said to love Rachel but hate Leah when the clear meaning was that Jacob’s love for Rachel eclipsed his love for Leah. Jesus was not telling us not to love others, because if He did that would be in conflict with the rest of Scripture. However, our love for Him is to eclipse our love for all others with the paradoxical effect that such love for Christ enables us to perfect our love for others.

Misconception #2: If one is not Jesus’ disciple he is not saved. When Jesus said if we do not love Him above all others we cannot be His disciple, the literal sense is that if we do not love so Him, we do not have the power to be his disciple (or better yet--learner). In other words, without this love we cannot learn His love for us and we will not grow in Him. Salvation comes by believing and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives (Romans 10:13; John 1:12). Growth comes when we submit to His Lordship as we learn to love Him fully. Perfect love does not bring salvation, but as we grow in love we draw closer to Him. The words of Jesus then should not be words that discourage the believer who realizes his love is not yet perfect, but rather an encouragement to keep pressing on to the “high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)”.

Misconception #3: In order to be Jesus’ disciple we have to take up our cross of suffering. This is perhaps the most difficult of all these misconceptions to dispel. Perhaps this is because it is so ingrained in traditional religious teaching that as Christ suffered for our salvation so do we. But that is not what is being said here at all. There is nothing we can add to what Jesus did at Calvary to bring us one step closer to redemption. The cross is a symbol of death. Jesus is referring to the fact that as He would die on the cross so each of us is to die on his cross—which according to Romans 6, is Jesus’ cross at Calvary. Paul said it this way in Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” What Jesus as pointing out was that we are to die to self if we are to learn how to live for Him.

Misconception #4: We have to count the cost if we are to follow Jesus. In this passage in Luke fourteen two parables are given—one of a man building a house and one of a king preparing for battle. In both cases is the warning to take inventory before taking a course of action. In the context of becoming a disciple of Christ it appears that Jesus is teaching us to count the cost first before committing ourselves to Him. While there is a sense of truth in this there is a clue in the second illustration Jesus gave that gives us a deeper meaning. The king here takes inventory and realizes he cannot win so he makes arrangements for peace. Jesus is pointing out that to be a true disciple of Him is something we need to consider and when we do we realize we do not have it in ourselves to  make it on our own. We need Him. We can call on Him in the spirit of the man who cried, “I believe. Help Thou my unbelief.” Jesus is telling us what we cannot do, He can.

Stripping away the misconceptions that come from a long history of religious training, I found a message of hope rather than one of discouragement. Jesus saves. Nothing can keep me from that. Jesus enables me to  grow. He will provide all my need. I can call on Him to do what I cannot of myself. I choose not to crash into glass doors.

My Phone's Not Working--Again!

A while back my wife and I decided we could save money by going to an internet based phone. In truth it has saved us quite a bit considering it is about one half the cost of a regular land based phone. Generally, the phone works very well, with no detectable differences from what we had before through the phone company. There is however one thing it does that is very annoying. From time to time the phone stops working sometimes in the middle of a call. While  this doesn't happen too often the drop in service is disruptive because it, as you might expect, comes at an inconvenient time--we either are expecting a call or are in need of making one (Isn't this stating the obvious—if we didn't need to use the phone we would never notice it wasn't working would we?) After several calls to technical support, using my cell phone hoping that the cell call doesn't drop due to the fact we have poor cellular signals in our area, I learned that the problem is that the internet phone device from time to time simply loses the signal and needs to reboot.

Today was one of those days. We were expecting an important call. The phone rang. We answered but there was nothing—no sound—no busy signal—no anything. I called technical support using my the cell phone huddling close to the cell signal booster. The friendly technician told me what I already knew; the problem was not in the internet system but in my receiver I just had to reboot. When I told him I had already done that and the phone still wasn't working, he gave me the old leveler, “How long have you waited? With the phone box you have it can take up to forty-five minutes for the system to reacquire the necessary signal.” Ignoring the fact that forty-five minutes does not seem to me to be a reasonable amount of time to be without a dependable  phone, I waited the prescribed amount of time and sure enough the signal was reacquired and once again we were connected to the outside world with a working “land” phone--which is so much better than the tin cans on strings you find featured on soup commercials (the fact that any one would buy soup from a company too cheap to use real phones is beyond me, but that is an issue for another day).

While this was going on with the phone, I got to thinking (which is something I should do more often I guess) of some spiritual applications to all this. And when I got to thinking I thought of the old formula of how we sometimes lose our connection to our Heavenly Father. We try to reconnect and there seems to be nothing there—no sound—no busy signal—no anything. The problem of course, like our phone is not in the system but something on our end of things. As was the case with our phone, Something has interrupted the signal; we have to reacquire the signal; we have to reboot.

The I began to draw analogies, thinking  (all this thinking can give one a headache you know) of what causes us to lose our spiritual signal. What causes us to lose touch with God? While there is no shortage of answers, simply put, time and again, we get distracted due to circumstances in our lives and come to the point where we take our eyes off the One Who can handle all those circumstances, leaving us to try to work things out on our own. The resulting feelings of discouragement and desertion lead all too often to questions of whether God really does care. Our attempts to reconnect—to reboot—can seem so futile when we try to re-establish a relationship often long in a state of disrepair.

It can take time to reconnect with God. While it is best not to lose connection in the first place, we need to look at what has drawn our attention away from Him. In a world where so many things pull away from the knowledge of God, we need to note these and consistently take time to truly seek Him, spending time in his Word and in prayer, opening ourselves up to His instruction and leading. Only then will we be able to know His presence when things around us do not make sense. But in order to do this we need to reexamine our priorities. Circumstances can and will continually get such a hold of us when these are not right. As long as our priorities revolve around ourselves and not Him we will never be satisfied and are open to broken communication and the destructive domination of circumstances. The answer lies in who is in control of our lives. Only when we willingly submit to His Lordship will we have our priorities right. Accordingly, when we feel circumstances in control and separated from God, we need to reboot by examining ourselves, confess where we have gone wrong and turn it all over to Jesus. The rest will follow.

Discerning--part two

The last blog posted on this site, was concerned with the problem presented by Biblical churches getting off track, pursuing new and often strange things. The call was made for renewed discernment with strict scrutiny in relationship to God’s Word when considering any teaching coming our way. The lack of discernment leads to disaster and confusion. We are quick to condemn when we see the fallout resulting from Harold Camping’s false predictions, but fail to realize there are many more heresies being welcomed into our churches through the popular “Christian” press. Online Christian bookstores make it easy to get the latest thing in print. But what is the latest is not necessarily good. Books devoid of the Gospel and promoting a false God and false Jesus are sold right along with those that hold to the Truth. The harm done by Camping’s false predictions pales in comparison to the harm done by more subtle heresies brought into our local churches through popular “Christian” media. There was a time when we could trust a book by considering its publisher. However this is no longer the case. The larger publishers have expanded their offerings to appeal to more people. With this expansion there has come less discernment and sometimes outright false teaching. There is the need for us to return to personal Bible study and the discernment that comes through holding things under the powerful light of Scripture. We need to be slow to throw off the time honored teachings of the past; especially those strongly founded upon the Word, and be very cautious when considering something “new”.

Certainly, we in Bible teaching churches are not above error and are in need of challenge as to how we go about things. Certainly there is much to learn from a variety of sources, some of which we may not have considered in the past. However, there are certain guidelines to consider when evaluating anything placed before us. Does it present the Gospel or give a distorted view of God and His Son? Does it add to Scripture putting experience over the Word of God? Does it adhere to a literal interpretation of Scripture?  Does it use something other than the Word of God to explain the Word of God? Does it lead to some strange illogical   end that leads away from the clear teachings of the Word of God? In answering these questions we can avoid distractions and even heresy that keep us from doing what we have been called to do which is to preach the Gospel in the time we have before the Lord returns to take His Church to be with Him.

The Gospel needs to be foremost in anything that we do as Christians and that includes Christian writing. In fact, if there is no Gospel in it, can it be truly considered Christian or more accurately described as something good in thought written by a Christian? Consider the popular books that promote prosperous “Christian” living. Do they even mention the fact that to live the Christian life you must have a relationship that comes only through recognizing what was done by Christ on the Cross and receiving this gift by receiving Him into our lives? In searching what is argumentatively the most popular of these books, this writer saw no call to placing faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Another such book, one that promises to help us find purpose in life did have a brief mention of the need of Jesus in one’s life—on something like page 173 in a 200 page book. So much “Christian” writing gives lip service to the Gospel, without majoring on it and never seems to clearly define what it is.

Some “Christian” writing, in the attempt to blow away old stereotypes about God and His Son, picture God in new and often strange ways. God is received in progressive Christianity as loving and non-judgmental, and someone Who would never send anyone to Hell. And so when a recent popular book pictures God as a matronly elderly woman and the Holy Spirit as a very New Age Person promoting the welfare of all Mankind, it is lauded by well know Christian personalities as being innovative and thought provoking, but no mention is made that this book is not only devoid of the Gospel, but supports the idea of universal salvation. Other works distort the Gospel by teaching that Jesus procured our salvation by suffering in Hell rather than by shedding His blood on the Cross, yet, little is said. In fact, those who speak out against such heresy are attacked in “Christian” media as being divisive and intolerant. However, the Gospel does divide and the Bible teaches that God is intolerant of those who teach a false Gospel.

Even more subtle, however are the works that teach good ideas but add to the Word of God. Much has been made concerning the comfort received from the testimonies of those who have supposedly visited heaven. A very popular book describes the return of a deceased loved one bringing much comfort to his parents. Another describes heaven as seen by a three-year-old boy. While these works receive praise as offering comfort to those in bereavement, the fact that the Bible already addresses this issue is overlooked. The fact that Jesus says all we need to know about heaven (In my Father’s house are many mansions…John 14) and that Paul tells us “… eye hath not seen nor ear heard…” (1 Corinthians 2:9) what God has prepared for us seems to be ignored. Comfort that is based on experience rather than the Word of God, can only be superficial and fleeting at best. Truth is not to be added to. The Word of God is sufficient or it is nothing at all.

Another trend in popular Christian writing is to attempt to teach while interpreting Scripture through some kind of lens or idea foreign to the Word of God. The most notable example of this is Camping’s use of a system of numerology to arrive at “deeper” meaning of biblical passages facilitating his false date setting concerning the end of the world. Others apply non-biblical doctrinal assumptions to explain Biblical prophecy. In like fashion, when the assumption that the Church has replaced Israel in prophecy is applied to America with the result that America is seen as a Christian nation having a covenant relationship with God, the faulty conclusion is made that America is under the judgment prophesied in the Old Testament and the events of 911 are seen to fit under prophecy. The fact that America needs to be warned to change its ways is not to be denied, however to distort the clear teaching of Scripture will only lead to greater distortions, distractions and heresy. The evidence of this is the Christian preppers who are frantically trying to prepare for a social and economic collapse that God's Word gives clear indication will happen during a seven year tribulation that takes place after God takes His Church out of this world. We must resist interpretation of Scripture that uses allegory instead of a literal interpretation of God’s Word.

The churches that still hold to the Word of God need to be discerning. Christian leaders within these churches must be ready to examine what comes our way, testing things with the Word of God. We must avoid those teachings that lead to strange illogical ends contrary to Scripture. In truth there is nothing new. Either the Truth of God will prevail or error will draw us away from our task of promoting the Gospel and making a lasting impact on a society that truly needs the Word of God.

Discerning

There has much that has been said in the Christian community concerning the direction our nation is taking today. Materialism, sensuality, and immorality have overtaken what was once moral and good with the result that living for self is the norm. Violence is on the rise and personal freedoms are being eliminated. The cry for revival goes out as we seek to steer our nation in such a direction that will stave off certain judgment should we continue on our present course. We call for revival but see little change and have even less hope that this change will come. We blame the unsaved world for its attack on the Gospel and actually for being what it is the unsaved world. Some of us shrink back, bracing for the judgment to come seeing it as inevitable. However, we don’t have to resign ourselves to the status quo. There is no reason we cannot expect to see revival in our times. The solution lies in us, the true believers in Jesus Christ—His Church. When we can set aside petty differences we can have a real impact on the unsaved people around us.

The problem is that the Church is getting distracted from what is important and that is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ—that we are sinners in need of a Savior—that Jesus bore our sins at Calvary—and that only through receiving the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives can we be delivered from the consequences and dominion of Sin. Too much is passing for the Gospel today that offers prosperity and a better life now, but doesn’t deal with the issue of sin. Tried and true doctrines are set aside as churches seek answers as to how to bring people in. Churches that were once known for their strong stand on the Gospel are finding their influence waning while mega churches have sprung up in their places offering weekly celebrations and the latest new exciting thing, but doing nothing to deliver from the bondage of sin.  The trend goes on. Bible believing churches appear to be shrinking while Gospeless churches are on the rise.

 We cannot expect that Gospeless churches will change but we can expect that Bible believing churches must hang on to what is true and right renewing ourselves to the clear call of the Gospel, purging ourselves from those things that distract and divide. We must consider what got us into this state of affairs in the first place. We must consider what took our eyes off our primary objective. This writer grew up in churches that preached the imminent return of Jesus to take His Church to be with Him. This doctrine was the driving force that impelled us to preach the Gospel like there was no tomorrow. Today this doctrine has been largely set aside with many strange interpretations of Scripture put in its place. This is the problem. Church leaders have been too quick to accept the latest things put out in print instead of examining them to see how these new ideas stack up to the Word of God. In other words churches are failing because they have set strong systematic Bible study aside and accepting sloppy and even lazy Bible study in its place. Consequently, we have church leaders lauding works that promote the non-biblical interpretations of the events of 911, and the teachings of a three year old that is said to have visited heaven, and a false God and Jesus.

God’s true church has not gone away and can yet make a difference. But we have to stop being distracted. The Gospel must come first.  We need to carefully determine what is in the Book. Our task is to win as many as we can to Christ now and live in such a way as to be a restraint on the evil in our world. We have to be discerning as to what we allow into our lives. We need to stop prepping for an economic and social collapse that is not going to happen until we are with our Savior. We need to get back on course.