Saving Grace

 

People today are so turned off by legalism that they pervert the truth that we are forgiven of all sins - past, current and future - and allow sin to grow in their life. They feel no remorse for breaking God's heart.

They sit around drinking beer, wine, cocktails and even hard liquor discussing the Word of God. They smoke their cigars and pipes in church fellowships, and they allow their language to digress to that of a drunken sailor.

They feel this is spiritual, because they are breaking the bonds of legalism. They claim that the current church emasculates men and say that the "letter of the law", in the current evangelical church, prevents them from having a living relationship with our mighty God.

I agree that living only according to the "logos" - written Word of God - can mask the sinful desires within a person's heart. I also agree that a 'rhema' - the living Word - relationship is the most important aspect of our salvation.

Legalism does kill the spirit, and relationship is more important than religion. However, I also believe that when we actually see the living Jesus, we shrink from living with a license to sin (1 John 2:15).

We forsake alcoholism, pornography, gay pride, abortion, adultery and all the other sins, which humanity explains away in our current Laodicean society.

The teachings of today's so-called pastors mirror the gospel taught by the Nicolaitans, whom God hated (Revelations 2:6). These modern men are purporting old age deception cloaked in New Age Lies.

Add this to the gnostic element creeping back into the church through Satanic influence and deception, and the post-modern church has a stench that makes God want to vomit (2 Corinthians 11:4; Revelation 3:16).

Whatever happened to the holiness that Jesus exemplified for us in His life, calling us to emulate Him in our every thought, word and deed? His Spirit transforms us with the mind of Christ and fills us with His fruit to replace our carnality (Romans 12:2; Galatians 5:15-25).

Prayer:

Father God, You make it very clear in the Old and New Testament that You are a Holy God. You call Your Saints to walk in holiness and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:15-25). You are the righteous judge, and sin grieves Your Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). We do not abound in sin, so that Your grace may abound in us (Romans 6:1).

Sin, in any form, is destructive and You protect us from its destruction by Your commandments and directives. If we compromise Your Word, we compromise our own success and blessings. We realize that our sin is already paid for by Christ's crucifixion, but this fact drives us to a dedication to Your Word, rather than to participate in crucifying Jesus afresh by our lackadaisical dabbling in sin without honest remorse (Hebrews 6:4- 6).

Thought for the Day:

Modern "reformed" preachers reject solid Biblical principles and replace them with lifeless, liberal mysticism; they ignore the draw of God's Spirit to walk in holiness just as our Father God is holy. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

- Hebrews 4:12, 13:8; 1 Peter 1:16. 

 

Spiritual Anorexia

Read: James 1: 22-27

 

“Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21

As a Pastor’s wife I often get discouraged when I see my husband pouring over the Bible for hours each week to prepare three sermons; and yet, very few people ever come to listen to them, and fewer still ever respond to the Word that he preaches.

He spends as many as 10 hours preparing each sermon. He starts by praying about which series or Biblical book to preach from. Then, he prays over each individual message as he prepares it. He studies the text, researches his subject, reads other sermons concerning the same text or topic, finds illustrations and humor to make it colorful and then he polishes it for days. When he stands in the pulpit, he already internalized his message and he preaches the words with all of his heart. Yet, it seems to go in one ear and right out the other of most of the people in the congregation.

Many preachers are in this same lonely position in the Body of Christ. They faithfully preach the message God gives them. They joyfully delight in the Word of the Lord. They walk faithfully before their God (Jeremiah 15:15-16). They love the Lord and dedicate their every waking moment only to Him. They strive to serve as God’s spokesmen and to speak only the Words He gives them (Jeremiah 15:19). They weave this passion into every sermon they preach, hoping to inspire others to share in their enthusiasm. Yet, the love of many is waxing cold (Matthew 24:12). No wonder the rate of salvations in evangelical churches diminishes ever year.

God’s prophets throughout the ages experienced this same indifference and apathy. Jeremiah was one man who lived with a passion for proclaiming the Word of the Lord. Yet, the people of Israel continually failed to repent and to follow God. After many years of this cold-hearted rejection, the Israelites heard this proclamation from God: "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!" (Jeremiah 15:1).

As I was praying about this dilemma, I realized that many people in our churches today have spiritual anorexia. We take in the sacred meal provided for us in every church service, and then we purge everything we consumed as we walk out of the building. We fall back into our old habits and sinful ways, consuming carnal junk food during the week and starving our spirit until the next Sunday morning church service. I researched this idea and there are several authors who give detailed information about this topic.

Sometimes, we skip Sunday worship and stay home to sleep in, half-heartedly watching TV preachers to assuage our conscience. We hide our light under a basket full of dirty laundry and do not give repentance a second thought. We spend so much time in trivial pursuits that we rarely pick up our Bible to read at home. This behavior damages our divine health and even threatens our future spiritual life. Some of us do not even have a personal, life-changing relationship with the Savior of our soul. 

I want to challenge everyone who reads these words to make a commitment today to live as a doer of the Word and not a hearer only (James 1:22). God only blesses those who both hear His Words and walk in them (Luke 11: 28).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I pray for an increased spiritual hunger in the hearts of church people all over the world, but especially in America where hearts have grown cold. Give us a focused hunger, which is satisfied only by our obedience to Your Word. Use us to infect today’s society with a passion for more of You.

Thought for the Day:

Commit to live as a spiritually, well-nourished Child of God and share what you learn as you passionately consume His Word.