Saturday, April 6, 2019

Not of this World but in it.

More so in a country like the United States, but also found elsewhere in cultures is astounding the level of acceptance of things that are contrary to God's word.

I looked at something in a post earlier today but the more I think on that post, it seems that God's not done talking about it.

We in America have been seeing or hearing about this "Coexistence" movement.  Of putting all religions on the same playing field.  It's very much not the case.  Only One stands out above all the rest. All the rest are literally doctrines of demons.  Jesus says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, NO one comes to the Father but through Him.  I don't know about you, but I do take Him at His Word.  There will be NOBODY through ANY man-made religion getting into Heaven.

Of any religion in this world's short history, only Christianity has it where the God of this Universe came down to live a life as a sinless man. Be tortured, hung on a cross, and die only to rise again 3 days later EXACTLY as was prophesied hundreds of years earlier.

In a similar way to what I was shown this morning that I shared, when it comes to our children, they are going to great lengths to equate the Resurrection story with other fables of this world.  Likening Jesus's work on the cross to that of a Superhero?  That's exactly what it is. Dumbing down of what Jesus Christ did to that of a fictional character's supposed powers. 

A child is very impressionable. To tell them that Jesus is a real-life type of superhero, and that it's OK to put Him in the same category as fictional superheros is the same as this Coexistence movement.

If we are to be in this world yet not of this world, as Christian's we ought to be better than this!

In 1 John 2:15-17 it says:

 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

In Romans 12:2 it says:

 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Will this make Christian's look odd or be rejected by those in this world?  Well, yes! 

In Ephesians 5:11 "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

A deed of darkness is to do what Satan wants, not what God wants.  To make God equal with any other man-made thought up religion or practice is to be obedient to Satan's wishes.  He starts out in tempting Adam and Eve with "Did God really say..."   So goes this world with compromising the Christian faith to make it equal with things of this world...in order to draw people to Christ?  It doesn't work that way.  Jesus NEVER once watered down the message of the Gospel, not from any of the people to the Scribes, Sadducees and Pharisees.  We don't need to adapt the message of the reason why Christ came, died and arose again to the world's viewpoint.  Jesus said it already was made simple enough that a Child would understand it.  Which is the real crux isn't it? 

Satan is trying to go through the same door to the heart of a child as Christ does.  As parents, why are you letting things into your child's heart that are not Godly?   I mean this is serious business.

When Jesus Christ returns, and it will be soon, what are you going to say of your life?  How did you protect your children?  How obedient to Christ were you?  I know I have much to answer for myself, but even I am taken aback by all this.

Why would anyone put Superman, Batman, Cinderella, Santa Claus or any other such thing on the same stage as the Resurrection story of Christ?  Why would they?  Because it's exactly what the world wants.  Not what God wants.   In the letters to the Churches in Revelation, it mentions a church that lost it's first love, which was Christ.  It mentions a lukewarm church that Christ would spit out.

As a Micah Tyler song goes

I wanna be different
I wanna be changed
'Til all of me is gone
And all that remains
Is a fire so bright
The whole world can see
That there's something different
So come and be different
In me

When we mix so much of the world into the Church, then there is no Church.  Galatians 5:9 "A little leavens the whole lump of dough".  Once that happens all you can do is throw it all away and start over.  You can't undo it.

For the Church to be the Church, it needs to stand apart, be different, not the same as the world. So much of the world is now in the church that the statistics say that they are the same.  Same on marriage and divorce, same on every level. 

Will it cost you?  Yes.  It will cost you people you called friends. It will cost you relationships.  It will cost you a lot, but Scripture also says to count it all as loss for the sake of the Cross.  Store up treasure in Heaven.  Is it worth it?  It's painful at first but I assure you it's worth it.  Have I lost much in this life?  At first I thought I did, but then the closer I have been trying to get with Christ my Lord, the less I think about what is missing.

Lastly, what did Jesus Himself say about children?

Matthew 19:14 "But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Matthew 18:6 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."







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