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Has your Church Compromised?
by BGW Galatians 1:6-10 (NKJV) 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
These verses definitely speak to the issues of the church in America. There are some churches that have just completely given in and accept sin under the moniker of ‘we accept everyone’. However, there is a deception going on that is even more dangerous in my opinion. Churches are just preaching certain sections of the Bible and staying away from anything it deems ‘controversial’. In essence; sinning by omission. For example, I have heard messages declaring Jesus is our Savior and to follow Him. True, that is a correct statement. But look again, no mention of sin or repentance. People don’t even know what they are being saved from. The gospel message isn’t, just follow Jesus and you will be okay. It’s much more than that. We were sinners, with no way of saving ourselves. Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life (because He is God in the flesh), came and died on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sin. Now, through His blood, we can be saved. We can choose to accept His free gift by believing in Him, acknowledging what He did for us on the cross, and make Him Lord of our life. Churches are leaving out sin and repentance because it knows that it will offend most people. Remember, the main goal now is to fill seats. It satisfies its religious obligation by giving a watered-down version of the gospel because it’s more accepting.
We now live in an era where most people don’t even understand where sin comes from and why the world is so dysfunctional. It’s because the church is staying away from the teachings of Genesis. It’s the whole foundation of the gospel. There you find out how sin entered the world through Adam and Eve choosing to disobey God by eating of the fruit after being deceived by the serpent. It’s where God describes to us how everything was created by Him in six literal days. You find God’s definition that marriage is to be between a man and a woman. But, because the church wants to please man, it either stays away from Genesis, or puts some weird twist on how the big bang, evolution and creation coexist. Even the atheist understands it must be one or the other.
Look how the church promotes itself currently. Stuff like sports leagues, small group outings, children’s programs are now based on entertainment. That angle doesn’t stop there. Men’s and women’s outings, summer camps, modern music and relevant preaching (just what is relevant preaching anyway. Isn’t all scripture relevant. I guess not when you don’t want to offend anyone) are the top priorities now. It’s not that these things are bad, it just sounds more like a rec center than a church. The church changed its main focus to fill seats. The church should be promoting Jesus Christ. It should be telling people how the Bible is 100% accurate because it’s from God and can prove itself (a topic for another day). You should be reading and studying it. By doing so, you will learn about God and what He wants in your life. Church shouldn’t be about how many people it can fit in a sanctuary (oh sorry, an auditorium. We mustn’t use ‘church’ language anymore either). It should be about worshiping God. Training people how to defend their faith. Praying to God for one another. Learning how to live your life by picking up your cross and walking with God. How to work on your behaviors so that your testimony will shine through. We shouldn’t be asking how far we can go without sinning. Our attitude should be to stay far away from sin as possible so that we can let our light shine for Jesus.
Another issue is this movement to be like Jesus, without mentioning His name, to reach souls. Teachings like, just be kind to people, do a good deed, or even a church outreach event are the main themes behind it. The church is becoming afraid if you mention His name, that it will turn people away and it will be classified as fanatical. The other day, I gave someone $5 as she was short on a purchase. I felt really good about it as I thought it would make a difference in her life. The store clerks looked at me in astonishment as well. I knew my wife was impressed. However, God spoke to me later. Just what did I do that honored Him. Nothing, and here is why. God did not get the glory. I did. No one praised God, but everyone praised me. Had I given the $5 and mentioned something about being a Christ follower, then God gets the glory and His name is praised. Trying to reach everyone by not mentioning the name of Jesus, will lead to reaching no one. Matthew 5:16 says Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. If your good deed doesn’t lead to you mentioning the name of Jesus somehow, then spiritually, you accomplish nothing.
In an attempt to stay relevant in a world that wants to destroy it, the church chose to compromise instead of standing firm. For example, it folded on creation and allowed the big band and evolution to creep in. If God didn’t create everything in six literal days, including Adam and Eve as Genesis teaches, then we compromise the Bible as the ultimate authority and its accuracy. If Genesis is false, then Adam and Eve didn’t exist. If Adam and Eve didn’t exist, then sin didn’t enter the world. If there is no sin, then there is no need for a Savior. That means there is no reason for Jesus to have even come. As you can see, it won’t be long before Jesus will be completely removed. Satan has already cast major doubt on the Garden of Eden account. If he can eliminate the creation events, then he can show there was no reason for Jesus to even exist as there would be no sin to redeem. Once Jesus is gone, then Christianity is dead.
It's very clear that most American churches have compromised its beliefs in order to keep the seats filled. It moved towards a much simpler gospel and avoids anything that may keep individuals away. Sunday School and prayer meetings are being replaced by dramas and community events as those are fun, entertaining, and more attended. Problem is, because the church surrendered its teachings and standards, it has lost its identity. It’s no longer the fortress for Jesus that it once was. However, all is not lost, we have read the book of Revelation and know Jesus is coming soon. I just want to show that most American churches are compromising and that you should evaluate where you're worshiping. If you feel your church is faltering, then its time to find a solid bible believing church to attend. They do exist but can be hard to find. The following are some good baseline questions to try to evaluate the health of a church:
The answers to these questions should be yes and line up with scripture. However, most church leaders do know how to appropriately answer questions. So, you will have to attend and observe the church for a while to make sure their actions line up with the words. Lip service to God is also a major problem in the church. Hope this helps, and God bless. I was born in a small town in North Central Ohio. I have a beautiful wife and two wonderful kids. We all love our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and committed to sharing His redeeming message to all the land. https://www.bhivestories.com/ https://www.twitter.com/bwtw9 copyright 2018 B'HIVE STORIES Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |