There are a couple of words that I think identify what we're seeing and I want to share them with you, because if you see them, run! If you have them, pray, seek eldership within your body of believers...because they have no place in a Christians life. In fact, I've come to believe they are a sign that you *may not genuinely be a believer.
*caveat is, only you and God know the truth. For me, even though I demonstrated these things, I was saved. Sadly some who have knowledge of who God is and even practice his traditions will never escape this, because they are NOT saved.
This is why Peter tells us to SEARCH ourselves to see if the truth be in us. I say that these words I write, I do so, trembling. This not a happy message, nor one that I offer with joy. This is the stuff that makes me shudder, for it reminds me and makes obvious that the only salvation, is God's heroic, divine, active, and miraculous work in a my life, that has saved me.
Compromise
Frankly, this is the easiest one for me to point out now. I can remember, just like watching a movie play out before my eyes. "COMPROMISE! - I've COMPROMISED! I've said I CAN'T be holy, who can be obedient? I've abused God's grace!"
I was speaking to my brother. I was realizing that all this time I thought I was holy, or a little holier than thou, what I was actually doing is not putting my hand to the plow. I was certainly looking back if ever my hand was on the plow. I made every excuse why my obedience wasn't necessary, how it was impossible and even in the slight moments where I again felt the call, I was try to test it against somebody...who would reassure me of the lack of necessity. I've started to coin the phrase "I used to think of serving God as a 'part-time' job, that I took a LOT of vacation from". That's true. And in contrast, now I see it as my primary vocation. Everything else flows out of knowing God. Nothing is accomplished without God and therefore, knowing him, serving him, talking with him, serving him, must be first.
There are other compromises though; What started the compromise discussion for me was a church that I attended once. Called Westside Family. The long and short of it is this; my wife and I went there out of deference to my best friend and we happened to arrive on Easter Sunday. With a church of this magnitude, I'm expecting all the bells and whistles. I'm expecting to hear the salvation message. I'm expecting to be crying by the end. Sadly, not for me, but for the members of that body, what I say was 3 stacked high latte carrying, paritioners, finding their seat too late because they were busy paying for their entertainment and beverage. Yep, I said paying for it. At this church you can buy latte's, t-shirts, bibles, and any Christian sort of thing you have need of. Ofcourse when you bring up the passage in John about Christ kicking over the money changers and the guys selling dove sacrifices, what do their members say?
"We donate that money; It's just like a tithe. What difference does it make if I put it in the plate or in the till of the same church?"
I gently answered. Though I wanted to kick over some money tables myself. Friend if you can't see the difference; you've compromised. You probably don't know what the word says. Christ also kicked out the guy selling doves. Now, why would a GUY, be selling doves at a temple? Well, in those days, if you couldn't afford to bring your own fatted calf, as the law required, you could buy a sacrifice at the temple. You could buy a dove. Now some would say...well, I can see all sorts of good in that....many people are provided for, isn't that a good thing?!
It was good in fact, Christ didn't forsake the opportunity to make fools of them and throw him out of his Fathers house. So, you can see Christ wasn't willing to compromise. He didn't care about their feelings, he cared about the respect for the holiness of GOD. This is something we've completely lost sight of.
I used to attend a church and I won't name it, because it literally could be anywhere. This attitude is SO prevalent that where doesn't matter. It's everywhere. In a conversation about what a church should do, in order to get people to hear the message, here's what was said by the pastor:
"We've got to package the message so that they will hear it"
There's nothing wrong with tailoring a message. Nothing wrong with lights, camera's, bands, big productions, choirs, kantata's, men's retreats, womens retreat's, vbs, food kitches, motorcycle rallys or any other behavior that the leaders of a church desire to engage in for evangelism...BUT; if you think that you need to PACKAGE the holy word of God, then there is a problem.
You should be more concerned that you're actually teaching WHAT IT SAYS! Most "believers" are so woefully immature, as I am, was and continue to be, that they don't even realize that if you belong to the real church, the holy invisible church, that means you're CATHOLIC! Not Roman Catholic, but catholic, which means 'universal'.
- Most have not read the entire Bible, nor attempted to do so.
- Most misquote verses they've heard, misapply words meant for Israel, to modern-day America.
- Most believe in the 'prosperity' gospel. Joel Osteen anyone?
- Most are so intrigued with biblical prophecy and the desire to know the future, they forget the real ministry of God. Or worse, exchange one for the other.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not better. I've suffered through this myself. I'm merely describing me...I also happen to know that this applies to SO many out there.
God has called us to obedience, it's a high calling. It's not easy. It's NOT easy. In fact, it is THE HARDEST thing you will ever be part of. It's also the most rewarding, as things generally go.
If you feel that call for obedience and the need to cleanse your life of all things impure. DO NOT quench the spirit. DO IT. God bears up those who love him, those who follow him, those who are his children...
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