“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” (Keyser Soze, a fictional character played by Kevin Spacey in the movie THE USUAL SUSPECTS)
But…Satan’s GREATEST accomplishment has been this:
Successfully convincing BELIEVERS and the CHURCH that he is nonexistent in their SERVICES, in their SERMONS, and in their DOCTRINES.
The Bible tells us that many IN THE FAITH will one day “depart from the faith”…and this will be caused by “deceiving spirits”, resulting in beliefs that are rooted in “doctrines of demons.”
1 Timothy 4:1 says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons”.
Here is that same verse in the New American Standard Version:
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons”.
And, here is the verse in the New Revised Standard Version:
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons”.
Here, we learn two things:
1. Some who have been IN THE FAITH will walk away from their beliefs, having been deceived by FALSE TEACHING.
2. The DOCTRINES which these people pursue will APPEAR to be TRUTH, yet these DOCTRINES will be inspired by DEMONS, not by God.
Today, many in the Church desire to protect their EXPERIENCE above their DOCTRINE.
But, as Paul would write to Timothy, the DOCTRINE we follow will lead us somewhere: it will lead us TO God or AWAY from God.
We can see in the passage of Scripture above that those who “depart from the faith” do so under DECEPTION. This provides for us INSIGHT…as we realize that those who follow these “deceiving spirits” do so without knowing that they are in error.
Now THAT is a scary TRUTH!
Paul, at the beginning of his letter to Timothy, would say:
“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.” (1 Timothy 1:3-7 NKJV)
We see here that Paul is urging Timothy...from the outset...to protect his DOCTRINE. DOCTRINE is defined thusly:
1. Teaching, Instruction
2. a. Something that is taught
b. a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief (Dogma)
c. a principle of law established through past decisions
d. a statement of fundamental government policy especially in international relations,
e. a military principle or set of strategies
In 1 Timothy 6:3-12 (NKJV), Paul would then go on to say “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Paul is CLEAR regarding which DOCTRINES “some” have gotten involved with...as "some” have begun teaching that “godliness is a means of gain.” Paul explains to Timothy that “we brought nothing into this world”, and that we should be “content” with “food and clothing”. Then, Paul makes it VERY CLEAR, as he says “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare”, continuing on by saying that “some have strayed from the faith in greediness” by their pursuit of RICHES…even equating it to a spiritual SUICIDE ATTEMPT as they have “pierced themselves through with many arrows.”
Then…Paul makes it PERFECTLY CLEAR what he is instructing Timothy to do, as Paul writes:
“But you, O man of God, flee these things…”
Paul tells Timothy, in no uncertain terms, that Timothy MUST stay away from ANY and ALL doctrine which focuses on getting RICH, as those doctrines are in OPPOSITION to a GODLY PURSUIT, as Paul encouraged Timothy to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”
And then…notice how the next verse coincides with the definition of DOCTRINE which reads “A military principle or set of strategies”, as Paul states: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Paul is actually urging Timothy to CONTEND FOR THE FAITH, noting that to do so will require a FIGHT!
Paul knew that anyone who dares CONTEND FOR THE FAITH…anyone who DEFENDS THE FAITH…anyone who speaks against the POPULAR, EAR-TICKLING, GET RICH BY BEING A CHRISTIAN doctrines of the day would find themselves in a BATTLE for TRUTH!
Here lies the problem:
The Church has somehow erroneously believed that they were SO SPIRITUAL and so “full of the Holy Ghost” that the Devil would not DARE step foot in their church…much less in their PULPIT! And…Satan, in seeing the success of his deception, now sits back and LAUGHS at the DELUSION that many in the Church are now living under.
Many falsely believe that the life of a believer is supposed to be one of EASE and COMFORT. But, we find that Paul would write a SECOND letter to Timothy…and Paul would greatly dispute that erroneous belief by stating in 2 Timothy 1:1-10 (NKJV):
“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
Paul is HONEST with Timothy, saying that he will have to “endure hardship.” Paul’s words then again reference that those who CONTEND FOR THE FAITH are “engaged in warfare.” We also learn here that Paul is now IMPRISONED, being labeled an “evildoer.”
You see, those who stand in OPPOSITION to FALSE DOCTRINE…those who will EARNESTLY defend the TRUTH of the Word of God…those who seek to PROTECT the people from DESTRUCTIVE DOCTRINES and HERESIES…those who DARE point out the ERROR which is being spoken from PULPITS in CHURCHES all across America and around the world…those WARRIORS for the TRUTH will be labeled EVILDOERS, as those who preach the “destructive heresies” (and those who follow them) aim their power (gained by their popular message) at anyone who DARES to speak out against them!
Oh…how the FALSE PROPHETS/FALSE TEACHERS love to sling their arrows at those who DARE to point out the DEMONIC INFLUENCE which is the impetus for their teachings!
If I had a dime for every time a person contacted me with words like “Ron, you should be careful! You know what the Bible says: touch not mine anointed!”…how rich I would be!
Hear me…and let me make this clear: The TRULY “anointed” of God would NEVER speak, preach, and teach such DEMONIC DOCTRINES…doctrines of RICHES, full of DECEPTION and SEDUCTION. So…I will PROUDLY and PLAINLY state: I do NOT fear speaking out against those who pervert the truth of God’s Word…but I DO fear knowing the truth and NOT speaking out!
So…having said that…let me now say this:
Satan has now entered the pulpits of churches across America and around the world…and we had ALL better be in prayer to God as we BEG and PLEAD for DISCERNMENT!
You DOUBT that statement??
Let me remind you of one ESSENTIAL truth which we discover in God’s Word: the FALSE PROPHET will play a HUGE role in the rise of the ANTICHRIST, as Revelation 13 even describes him as having the appearance of “a lamb” but with the voice “like a dragon.” Does this sound eerily similar to Matthew 7:15, which states (NKJV) "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
Remember my quote from the beginning of this writing? I repeat it here: “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
But...the most DANGEROUS trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the CHURCH that he did not inspire the DOCTRINES that many are hearing from their PULPITS!
There are no “harmless” doctrines when those doctrines are inspired by DEMONS, as Paul warned Timothy in his first letter to Timothy (as quoted earlier above)!
I mentioned this in one of my writings long ago, but I mention it again today: I remember watching a video years ago. This video was a documentary in which FORMER and PRESENT DAY Satanists and Witches were interviewed. The video was ASTOUNDING in its REVELATION! These people discussed the ORGANIZATION and UNITY found within their ranks. As they meet together regularly and faithfully, they actually PRAY for their success against the Church. They discussed their observations of the Church…how the Church is “lukewarm” and “blind” to the infiltration of Satan into their midst. After their time of WORSHIP and PRAYER to Satan, these people go to work on their plan…which is to INFILTRATE the Church. Of course, the revelation is not surprising: they successfully infiltrate the Church by APPEARING to be “good, honest Christians.” Their ORGANIZATION is amazing in its PLANNING! Each member of the COVEN is assigned a specific church to UNITE with. They are to “blend in”, as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”…yet, their PURPOSE is destruction. But…they accomplish their goal through DEDICATION and PATIENCE.
Each Satanist/Witch interviewed told of their “position” which they held in the Church. Here is a list of the positions held in the Church mentioned by Satanists/Witches in the video:
Choir Member
Children’s Church helper/teacher
Children’s Sunday School Teacher
Youth helper/teacher
Youth Pastor
Minister of Music
Staff Pastor
Senior Pastor
Surprised?!?
It is time that the Church realizes that Satan may not be OMNISCIENT (all-knowing, as God alone is)…but, over the course of thousands of years, Satan has LEARNED, and thus, he has PERFECTED his attacks on the Church and all things Godly!
There was a time (at least in my opinion, observations, and discernment) when Satan was more easily RECOGNIZED in his tactics. But, today, the DECEPTIVE nature of Satan’s attacks are amazingly UNRECOGNIZED by many in the Body of Christ.
In times past, it seemed the Church only had to DISCERN between OBVIOUS TRUTH and OBVIOUS LIE. Today…the Church is struggling to DISCERN between TRUTH and ALMOST TRUTH!
Today, Satan’s lies are presented in an AMAZING PACKAGE of “truth“…but, that “truth” is noted as Scripture…but Scripture taken OUT OF CONTEXT. You see…TRUTH can become a LIE if that “truth” is not placed within its proper boundaries…which is the FULL CONTEXT of the PASSAGE.
Let me put it this way:
What the Church needs to worry about is NOT the man who proclaims “Satan is Lord!”…but the Church needs to worry about the man who proclaims “Jesus is Lord!” while he is not PERSONALLY submitted to the Lord!
Here is what I KNOW:
A person cannot TRULY be serving Jesus while proclaiming “doctrines of demons.” But…neither will a man proclaiming “doctrines of demons” ever REVEAL to the Church that he is preaching under the inspiration of SATAN!
I wrote the other day about URGENCY. And this is what I KNOW…I AM SURE…that the Spirit of God revealed to me last Friday: if the PULPIT is preaching a TOMORROW gospel…then the PULPIT is not TODAY holy!
I have said this all before…and I say it again: God is NOT leading men to preach doctrines of RICHES and WEALTH which are based on BEING RICH and “planting financial seed” so that my TOMORROW will be lived in WEALTH and COMFORT! That false teaching is a TOMORROW gospel….and TOMORROW is never promised…nor may it even ever come! It will not matter if you plan to be saved TOMORROW if you die TODAY!
Any pulpit which continues to regularly focus on TOMORROW is a pulpit infiltrated by “doctrines of demons” and a pulpit led…and leading…by DECEPTION.
The battle for TRUTH is ESSENTIAL…and to fail to recognize Satan in the pulpit will result in a spiritual MASS SUICIDE by many churches. Therefore, I urge you…I IMPLORE you…I BEG you…to obey this passage from God’s Word:
1 John 4:1 NKJV “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
In Christ,
Ron
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
URGENCY!
The Church has lost its URGENCY.
I am sure you are saying “What does that mean?” So…let me explain.
We now live in the last days. We know that for a fact…as Peter said in Acts 2:16-18 NKJV “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.”
Peter SPECIFICALLY referred to the prophecy in Joel…and he SPECIFICALLY states that “this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel”…going on to say that “in the last days” God would “pour out of My Spirit on all flesh…” So…we can KNOW FOR SURE that Peter was proclaiming that the LAST DAYS had begun.
So…knowing that fact…where is our URGENCY?
Follow me here:
If we TRULY believe that we are living in the LAST DAYS…and, if we TRULY believe Matthew 24:36-42 (KJV), which states “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”…then tell me…where is our URGENCY?
Again…what do I mean by URGENCY?
Here is what we KNOW…and any study of God’s Word shows this to be TRUE: we are NOT promised TOMORROW…and we do NOT know exactly WHEN Jesus will come for His Church (what most call the RAPTURE). Yet, when we study God’s Word, we find that there are no longer ANY prophecies of Scripture which MUST be fulfilled BEFORE Jesus Christ returns to receive to Himself His Church!
Jesus would tell His followers that they should not worry about TOMORROW…and that they should focus on TODAY…the “here and now”, as we call it. In doing so, Jesus would tell them that gathering up RICHES for TOMORROW was a fruitless endeavor…because, again, TOMORROW is not promised. Jesus would then say that if we gather to ourselves TREASURES here on earth…TREASURES to try to secure our FUTURE here on earth…that we are simply LAYING UP TREASURES. Jesus says it this way:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV)
Jesus was CONSTANTLY telling believers that we are NOT to place our bets on TOMORROW!
TOMORROW is a day which may never come! TOMORROW is “another day”…and it is a day that we can not be SURE OF! TOMORROW is the focus of someone whose plans are EARTHLY…because there is no time (thus, no day or night, etc.) in heaven! When our plans are based on TOMORROW…then we feel no URGENCY in what we do! Why? Because “There is always tomorrow!”
Now…with all of that in mind…here is what Jesus spoke to me this past Friday: “The Church has lost its URGENCY.”
As I thought about that statement, I began to picture the passage of Scripture quoted above…where two are in the field: then, suddenly, one is taken and the other is left behind. Pictures began to flood my mind! I saw my wife at her desk at work…my parents at home…my brother delivering packages. I saw people on city streets…people in restaurants…people in factories…people of every race, people of every economic status, people young and old. I saw churches filled with people.
And…whether saved or unsaved…they all had one thing in common: they had NO IDEA when Jesus was going to return for those who have given their lives to Him…returning for those who have accepted Him as Savior and Lord.
I wept.
Not in an audible voice…but in my heart and mind…I could hear the Spirit of God saying (as I saw these masses of people): “Where is the URGENCY?”
Suddenly…I understood. Suddenly…it was clear.
If we TRULY BELIEVE that Jesus could return at any time…then how is that BELIEF playing out in our actions…and, especially in our SERMONS?
It was then that I “heard” (again…not audibly) these words: “Are your sermons about TOMORROW…or are they about TODAY?”
Think about it: if TODAY is “the day of salvation”…if we TRULY need to accept Jesus Christ TODAY…then we must make it clear to the world (and…sadly…to the Church) that this is an URGENT call to “Come!”…realizing that for someone…or maybe for us ALL…that we are NOT promised TOMORROW!
Ministers…this is TRULY what I hear the Spirit of God saying: “It is time that the pulpit speaks a TODAY Gospel…not a TOMORROW gospel!”
Salvation is a TODAY Gospel! Abstaining from sin is a TODAY Gospel! Walking in OBEDIENCE to God is a TODAY Gospel! Seeking God is a TODAY Gospel! Worship is a TODAY Gospel! Praying is a TODAY Gospel!
But…how to live HAPPY in life is a TOMORROW gospel. How to get RICHES from God is a TOMORROW gospel. Any thought of GRADUAL SALVATION…or any thought that I can GRADUALLY witness…is a TOMORROW gospel. Anything which focuses on contentment in the WORLD…riches, wealth, fame, popularity, comfort, etc…is a TOMORROW gospel.
Here is EXACTLY what I felt the Spirit of God wanted me to ask to ALL who will read this: “If God would somehow tell ALL CHRISTIANS that He was going to tell His Son…Jesus Christ…”Go get my children!”…and, in doing so, God revealed that He would do this within the next 30 days…how would our LIVES and our MESSAGE change?”
If we KNEW that Jesus Christ was returning within the next 30 days (notice…I did not say “IN 30 days”…just “within” the next 30 days: in other words, we do not know if it will be 1 day or 20 days or 30 days!)…then would there be any REASON to preach or teach ANYTHING about “God wants you rich!” or “God wants to bless you financially!” or “You need to plant a seed and you need to expect a harvest in the next season!”?
Can you grasp it?? If we have URGENCY…if we could (and, indeed, we SHOULD) believe that Jesus Christ is returning WITHIN 30 days…and that day could be TOMORROW or NEXT WEEK or 20 days from now…then some sermons would simply be seen for what they are: FOOLISHNESS!
You see…God has NOT spoken to us that He will tell Jesus to return within 30 days. But…guess what? God has not spoken to us that His Son Jesus will NOT return within 30 days…or even TOMORROW, for that matter!
We DO NOT KNOW when Jesus Christ will return! It could even be TODAY! It could be TOMORROW! It could be before your next CHURCH SERVICE!
So…what do you plan to do about it??
The Disciples lived with an ESSENTIAL belief…a belief that Jesus was going to return VERY SOON! Read the New Testament…and it is EVIDENT that Peter and Paul and John and others ALL believed that Jesus would return VERY SOON!
This URGENCY drove them! This URGENCY molded them! This URGENCY changed them! This URGENCY was ESSENTIAL…because this URGENCY caused them to live READY…and it caused them to preach TODAY…and it caused them to proclaim to THEMSELVES and to the WORLD: “Do not wait! Do not put off til tomorrow what NEEDS to be done TODAY!”
URGENCY will change your perspective. URGENCY will change your walk with God. URGENCY will change your plans. URGENCY will change your sermon. URGENCY will change your witness. URGENCY will change your FOCUS. URGENCY will change your belief. URGENCY will change your prayer. URGENCY will change your worship. URGENCY will change your church. URGENCY will change your attitude. URGENCY will change your Sunday Service.
I dare you to live in URGENCY. I dare you to preach URGENCY. I dare you to pray URGENCY. I dare you to worship in URGENCY.
This may go against ALL modern ideas of ministry…but a TOMORROW “word” is not good for a TODAY Church! Some will denounce this statement…but they will do so with NO DISCERNMENT: I do not need to know how to face TOMORROW…I need to know how to live TODAY! If I live for God TODAY…if I trust God TODAY…if I can serve God in my poverty (as some are) or in my wealth (as some are)…then TOMORROW will take care of itself…if TOMORROW ever even comes.
It is time that the pulpits are filled with TODAY messages! What does that mean? Jesus can come back TODAY…and things in lives must be taken care of TODAY. If I do all the things that PROSPERITY PREACHERS tell me to do…if I “sow a seed” for “tomorrow’s blessings”…yet I never deal with my sin TODAY…what will TOMORROW profit me?
We MUST return to the belief that Jesus Christ could return TODAY…at ANY MOMENT. We must LIVE in that EXPECTANCY…and in that URGENCY.
Do you have unsaved loved ones? Do you need to take care of sin in your life? Do you need to tell someone about Jesus? Do you need to get your spiritual house in order?
If you said YES to any of those questions…then it is time to live in URGENCY. Do not wait until TOMORROW.
TODAY is the day…for TOMORROW may never come.
Pastor…I beg you…never preach a TOMORROW gospel: preach the TRUE GOSPEL…one of URGENCY.
In Christ,
Ron
I am sure you are saying “What does that mean?” So…let me explain.
We now live in the last days. We know that for a fact…as Peter said in Acts 2:16-18 NKJV “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.”
Peter SPECIFICALLY referred to the prophecy in Joel…and he SPECIFICALLY states that “this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel”…going on to say that “in the last days” God would “pour out of My Spirit on all flesh…” So…we can KNOW FOR SURE that Peter was proclaiming that the LAST DAYS had begun.
So…knowing that fact…where is our URGENCY?
Follow me here:
If we TRULY believe that we are living in the LAST DAYS…and, if we TRULY believe Matthew 24:36-42 (KJV), which states “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”…then tell me…where is our URGENCY?
Again…what do I mean by URGENCY?
Here is what we KNOW…and any study of God’s Word shows this to be TRUE: we are NOT promised TOMORROW…and we do NOT know exactly WHEN Jesus will come for His Church (what most call the RAPTURE). Yet, when we study God’s Word, we find that there are no longer ANY prophecies of Scripture which MUST be fulfilled BEFORE Jesus Christ returns to receive to Himself His Church!
Jesus would tell His followers that they should not worry about TOMORROW…and that they should focus on TODAY…the “here and now”, as we call it. In doing so, Jesus would tell them that gathering up RICHES for TOMORROW was a fruitless endeavor…because, again, TOMORROW is not promised. Jesus would then say that if we gather to ourselves TREASURES here on earth…TREASURES to try to secure our FUTURE here on earth…that we are simply LAYING UP TREASURES. Jesus says it this way:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV)
Jesus was CONSTANTLY telling believers that we are NOT to place our bets on TOMORROW!
TOMORROW is a day which may never come! TOMORROW is “another day”…and it is a day that we can not be SURE OF! TOMORROW is the focus of someone whose plans are EARTHLY…because there is no time (thus, no day or night, etc.) in heaven! When our plans are based on TOMORROW…then we feel no URGENCY in what we do! Why? Because “There is always tomorrow!”
Now…with all of that in mind…here is what Jesus spoke to me this past Friday: “The Church has lost its URGENCY.”
As I thought about that statement, I began to picture the passage of Scripture quoted above…where two are in the field: then, suddenly, one is taken and the other is left behind. Pictures began to flood my mind! I saw my wife at her desk at work…my parents at home…my brother delivering packages. I saw people on city streets…people in restaurants…people in factories…people of every race, people of every economic status, people young and old. I saw churches filled with people.
And…whether saved or unsaved…they all had one thing in common: they had NO IDEA when Jesus was going to return for those who have given their lives to Him…returning for those who have accepted Him as Savior and Lord.
I wept.
Not in an audible voice…but in my heart and mind…I could hear the Spirit of God saying (as I saw these masses of people): “Where is the URGENCY?”
Suddenly…I understood. Suddenly…it was clear.
If we TRULY BELIEVE that Jesus could return at any time…then how is that BELIEF playing out in our actions…and, especially in our SERMONS?
It was then that I “heard” (again…not audibly) these words: “Are your sermons about TOMORROW…or are they about TODAY?”
Think about it: if TODAY is “the day of salvation”…if we TRULY need to accept Jesus Christ TODAY…then we must make it clear to the world (and…sadly…to the Church) that this is an URGENT call to “Come!”…realizing that for someone…or maybe for us ALL…that we are NOT promised TOMORROW!
Ministers…this is TRULY what I hear the Spirit of God saying: “It is time that the pulpit speaks a TODAY Gospel…not a TOMORROW gospel!”
Salvation is a TODAY Gospel! Abstaining from sin is a TODAY Gospel! Walking in OBEDIENCE to God is a TODAY Gospel! Seeking God is a TODAY Gospel! Worship is a TODAY Gospel! Praying is a TODAY Gospel!
But…how to live HAPPY in life is a TOMORROW gospel. How to get RICHES from God is a TOMORROW gospel. Any thought of GRADUAL SALVATION…or any thought that I can GRADUALLY witness…is a TOMORROW gospel. Anything which focuses on contentment in the WORLD…riches, wealth, fame, popularity, comfort, etc…is a TOMORROW gospel.
Here is EXACTLY what I felt the Spirit of God wanted me to ask to ALL who will read this: “If God would somehow tell ALL CHRISTIANS that He was going to tell His Son…Jesus Christ…”Go get my children!”…and, in doing so, God revealed that He would do this within the next 30 days…how would our LIVES and our MESSAGE change?”
If we KNEW that Jesus Christ was returning within the next 30 days (notice…I did not say “IN 30 days”…just “within” the next 30 days: in other words, we do not know if it will be 1 day or 20 days or 30 days!)…then would there be any REASON to preach or teach ANYTHING about “God wants you rich!” or “God wants to bless you financially!” or “You need to plant a seed and you need to expect a harvest in the next season!”?
Can you grasp it?? If we have URGENCY…if we could (and, indeed, we SHOULD) believe that Jesus Christ is returning WITHIN 30 days…and that day could be TOMORROW or NEXT WEEK or 20 days from now…then some sermons would simply be seen for what they are: FOOLISHNESS!
You see…God has NOT spoken to us that He will tell Jesus to return within 30 days. But…guess what? God has not spoken to us that His Son Jesus will NOT return within 30 days…or even TOMORROW, for that matter!
We DO NOT KNOW when Jesus Christ will return! It could even be TODAY! It could be TOMORROW! It could be before your next CHURCH SERVICE!
So…what do you plan to do about it??
The Disciples lived with an ESSENTIAL belief…a belief that Jesus was going to return VERY SOON! Read the New Testament…and it is EVIDENT that Peter and Paul and John and others ALL believed that Jesus would return VERY SOON!
This URGENCY drove them! This URGENCY molded them! This URGENCY changed them! This URGENCY was ESSENTIAL…because this URGENCY caused them to live READY…and it caused them to preach TODAY…and it caused them to proclaim to THEMSELVES and to the WORLD: “Do not wait! Do not put off til tomorrow what NEEDS to be done TODAY!”
URGENCY will change your perspective. URGENCY will change your walk with God. URGENCY will change your plans. URGENCY will change your sermon. URGENCY will change your witness. URGENCY will change your FOCUS. URGENCY will change your belief. URGENCY will change your prayer. URGENCY will change your worship. URGENCY will change your church. URGENCY will change your attitude. URGENCY will change your Sunday Service.
I dare you to live in URGENCY. I dare you to preach URGENCY. I dare you to pray URGENCY. I dare you to worship in URGENCY.
This may go against ALL modern ideas of ministry…but a TOMORROW “word” is not good for a TODAY Church! Some will denounce this statement…but they will do so with NO DISCERNMENT: I do not need to know how to face TOMORROW…I need to know how to live TODAY! If I live for God TODAY…if I trust God TODAY…if I can serve God in my poverty (as some are) or in my wealth (as some are)…then TOMORROW will take care of itself…if TOMORROW ever even comes.
It is time that the pulpits are filled with TODAY messages! What does that mean? Jesus can come back TODAY…and things in lives must be taken care of TODAY. If I do all the things that PROSPERITY PREACHERS tell me to do…if I “sow a seed” for “tomorrow’s blessings”…yet I never deal with my sin TODAY…what will TOMORROW profit me?
We MUST return to the belief that Jesus Christ could return TODAY…at ANY MOMENT. We must LIVE in that EXPECTANCY…and in that URGENCY.
Do you have unsaved loved ones? Do you need to take care of sin in your life? Do you need to tell someone about Jesus? Do you need to get your spiritual house in order?
If you said YES to any of those questions…then it is time to live in URGENCY. Do not wait until TOMORROW.
TODAY is the day…for TOMORROW may never come.
Pastor…I beg you…never preach a TOMORROW gospel: preach the TRUE GOSPEL…one of URGENCY.
In Christ,
Ron
Friday, January 11, 2013
The Attractive Gospel: Seduction in the Church
1 Corinthians 2:4 (KJV) “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:”
Colossians 2:4 (KJV) “ And this I say , lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.”
The Bible tells us that there are false churches and false Christians…and there are false teachers who will proclaim LIES under the guise of TRUTH. Scripture shows us that it is the Spirit of God which draws people to TRUTH. So…what is it that is drawing people to FALSE DOCTRINE??
Reverend Doug Small once spoke on the issue of distinguishing between what is God and what is NOT God, saying that there are “two winds” blowing spiritually. The question is…who’s wind have we set our sails to “pick up”…which wind will our sails be set to receive? So, we see that we have TWO POWERS trying to draw us: one, the Spirit of God, draws us TO GOD…the other, the spirit of antichrist (false prophets), draws men to DECEPTION through ATTRACTION. The Bible uses very revealing terms when it speaks of false teaching and false prophets: it uses the terms “seduce” and “entice” and “covetousness” and “great swelling words of vanity” and “allure”. Read a few passages with me:
Mark 13:32 (KJV) “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise , and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce , if it were possible, even the elect.”
2 Peter 2:1-3 (KJV) “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
These are words which show the deception of SATANIC attraction…as opposed to the “drawing” and “wooing” of the Spirit of God as He draws men to Christ.
The Spirit of God draws men TO God by drawing spirit (of man) to Spirit (of God). The Holy Spirit ALWAYS draws men to TRUTH. Due to this fact, we can KNOW that when false doctrines and false teachings are being preached by a false teacher/prophet, the Holy Spirit will draw a person ELSEWHERE. The enticing and seducing tactics of Satan draw people to lies, as those lies denounce any truth, such as any mention of SIN or REPENTANCE or OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST, etc. For every REAL MOVE of God…Satan provides a COUNTERFEIT. The REAL is always based on the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT to draw men to God: the COUNTERFEIT will rely on ATTRACTION to get the job done. And, none of us can underestimate the power and deception involved in that SEDUCTION and ENTICEMENT.
Thus, the Bible likens Satan’s false “wooing” with terms that deal with an act and/or process of SEDUCTION. The lies of Satan are STRONG. Many are fooled. The draw of ENTERTAINMENT is proving to be a POWERFUL tool as it fights the draw of the HOLY SPIRIT. Both sides in this battle for souls are at work: the Holy Spirit and Satan. One draws spiritually…the other draws through the flesh. And the flesh is a powerful thing to overcome (the Bible likens it to a battle within!). This SEDUCTION and ENTICEMENT of Satan is to use “some truth” and “some lie” to disguise and MIMIC the work of the Holy Spirit. It is a SPIRITUAL COUNTERFEIT…of which we must take note and recognize. In perpetrating this COUNTERFEIT on humanity, Satan uses one of the most basic tactics: he simply uses ATTRACTION. We all find beauty APPEALING. That beauty may be judged by what we see, what we hear, even what we can experience. Notice this truth: SEDUCTION doesn’t work if the SEDUCER doesn’t appear ATTRACTIVE to us. SEDUCTION is solely based on the “desires of the flesh.” What draws us…seduces us…must be APPEALING to us. And it is in THIS REALM that Satan is working within the Church to COUNTERFEIT truth. It may be best expressed this way: Satan appeals to our SENSES and DESIRES…but God appeals to our SPIRIT and DEVOTION.
Today, we see the success of Satan’s ploy in much of the Church, with churches employing every possible tactic and method of ENTERTAINMENT to ENTICE people to attend their church. The appeal is to the SENSES…to the FLESH. Look through the materials being given and sent out by most churches today: the focus of the material is the PROGRAMS OF THE CHURCH and the EXCITEMENT that the church can offer the attendee. It is MARKETING at its religious finest! Many will want to say here “Well, what is wrong with MARKETING?” Let me make this clear: the Church has NOTHING for sale. The Church has no PRODUCT to offer that is in COMPETITION with ANYTHING that the world has to offer. What the Church has is JESUS! We are to proclaim “JESUS!”…but we are NOT told to proclaim “CHURCH!” Face it…MARKETING is a CHURCH focused act. And whether you SEE the problem with focusing on the Church as opposed to focusing on Jesus…trust me, there are HUGE problems. Face it…if you MARKET the CHURCH…then you are promoting a very FALLIBLE, FLAWED entity. That is why we were NEVER called to do that…we were never called to promote the CHURCH! You see…when we promote JESUS, then we promote something that is INFALLIBLE…with NO FLAWS.
Without even MEANING to…with no MALICE or HARM intended…the Church has actually successfully begun to TURN PEOPLE AWAY FROM JESUS…all because it tried to promote ITSELF instead of JESUS! In my humble opinion, the result has been catastrophic. The Church ITSELF caused the extreme and constant EXAMINATION of ITSELF…while many in society have been looking for ANY FLAW to show itself, thus “proving” to them that the Church is no better than the society at large. Follow me in this thought:
Society is full of ACTIVITIES. People can do AMOST ANYTHING at ANY TIME OF DAY that they want to. The possibilities are LIMITLESS! Every possible desire and interest can now be FULFILLED almost IMMEDIATELY! Society has EVERY POSSIBLE CHOICE available…at the click of a button. In MUSIC…I am ASTOUNDED at the number of channels available now, by which a person can watch music videos in every possible genre of music. And each of these have their very own channel! My point in all of this?
Regarding entertainment...in any and every form…society has OVERLOAD!
Let me give you a modern parable to help explain: My car is low on fuel. There is a convenience store/gas station a few blocks from my home. The fuel at this station is the EXACT SAME PRICE as the fuel at another gas station which is 15 miles away. Now, barring any other desire to go anywhere else…other than going JUST for fuel…would I more than likely stop at the gas station which is only a few blocks from my home…or would I more than likely travel 15 miles for fuel? All things being equal…probably 100% of us would simply go to the gas station around the corner! If what you want is available ONE PLACE and it is CONVENIENT…then few people would even CONSIDER traveling the 15 miles to get the EXACT SAME product!
This is what I believe is happening to the Church. The Church has MARKETED itself, telling people “What we have to offer.” In doing so, MANY people realize that the offer is no different from the world!
Don’t you get it?! Can’t you see it?! Everything is based on APPEALING to…or ATTRACTING…the people! In doing so, society has begun to COMPARE what they can get ELSEWHERE with what they can get AT CHURCH! Do not blame society for doing this! They do it because the Church created the COMPARISON!
I have been in music all of my life. Yet…I realize this…the “WORLD” has some AWESOME music. Journey is my favorite group. I REALLY enjoy their music: vocals, instrumentals, everything. So let me say this in a way that is NOT offensive but it remains true: In almost every case, the Church can not offer BETTER music than the WORLD can. In some cases, the music in the Church is JUST AS GOOD…but, it is NOT better! That is important to realize. EQUAL will not win when it comes to the desire to ATTRACT! Face it…just like the FUEL example above…if I can get EQUAL close to home (or AT home)…then why bother to DRIVE to get it!?!
One quick note: by seeking to ATTRACT people…one Church pits itself against OTHER CHURCHES! So, to maintain, we must ALWAYS stay “above’ the other Churches! If not…what the OTHER Church offers may become more ATTRACTIVE!
Let me make this clear: I believe the Church should do EVERYTHING with excellence. It frustrates me when they DO NOT do things with excellence. But please grasp this: EXCELLENCE is not GOOD ENOUGH! Why?? Because society does not need EXCELLENCE which is ON PAR with what they already have! What society NEEDS is JESUS!
I truly believe this with all of my heart:
It is NOT what the Church CAN DO which needs to be the focus: it is what the Church CANNOT DO which needs to be the focus…and what the Church CANNOT DO is what Jesus CAN do!!!!!!
The ONLY thing that the Church has that is NEEDED by society is JESUS! And when we offer them JESUS…then we offer them something that they CANNOT FIND and they CANNOT GET anywhere else! JESUS is the only “offering” which is EXCLUSIVE to the Church! Everything else…EVERYTHING…can be found and experienced by society ELSEWHERE!
Let JESUS be what attracts people to the Church…and keep this in mind: To BE attractive is different from SEEKING TO BE attractive!
Satan's work will have the APPEARANCE of good...but it will be EVIL. SEDUCTION and ENTICEMENT are built upon the premise of SEEKING to attract...using HUMAN desire as a means to an end. MARKETING causes us to SEEK ATTRACTIVENESS. Don’t doubt that statement: you only MARKET if you believe you HAVE…or CAN HAVE…a MARKETABLITLY…or an ATTRACTIVENESS to the consumer. And…the Church is NOT a CONSUMER oriented entity in the first place: we, the Church, are a CREATOR oriented entity!
So…you are left wondering “Then how do we grow? How does the Church increase in size? How do we get the message out?” Well…let Jesus take care of the GROWTH part. The second answer is a bit more difficult: that involves becoming the Church that we were intended to be: without false doctrine, focusing on JESUS and not our own desires, creating Disciples…and those Disciples leaving the Church on Sunday with an intense purpose and desire to win the lost and tell others about Jesus…and, yes, their Church.
CHANGED LIVES are an amazing and unintended MARKETING PLAN!
If your Church puts all of its efforts into JESUS and MAKING DISCIPLES…then UNINTENTIONAL MARKETING takes place! The Spirit of the Lord can work MIRACLES through the changed lives of believers!
My last thoughts? Satan seeks to COUNTERFEIT everything…and there are COUNTERFEIT CHURCHES everywhere. What will make YOUR Church any different from THOSE Churches? Both the COUNTERFEIT Church and the REAL Church will offer some great programs, talented musicians, fun opportunities…and the list goes on. But there is ONE thing that the COUNTERFEIT Church cannot offer society that the REAL Church can: and that is JESUS!
What Satan draws people to is simply the PRODUCTION! What the Holy Spirit draws people to is the PRODUCER…the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE…to JESUS!
Remember: a COUNTERFEIT has no true purchasing power! The REAL…Jesus…has ALL the purchasing power! And He has already paid that price to purchase the salvation of EVERYONE in your town or city! They just need to be shown JESUS!
Food for thought.
God bless!
Ron
Colossians 2:4 (KJV) “ And this I say , lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.”
The Bible tells us that there are false churches and false Christians…and there are false teachers who will proclaim LIES under the guise of TRUTH. Scripture shows us that it is the Spirit of God which draws people to TRUTH. So…what is it that is drawing people to FALSE DOCTRINE??
Reverend Doug Small once spoke on the issue of distinguishing between what is God and what is NOT God, saying that there are “two winds” blowing spiritually. The question is…who’s wind have we set our sails to “pick up”…which wind will our sails be set to receive? So, we see that we have TWO POWERS trying to draw us: one, the Spirit of God, draws us TO GOD…the other, the spirit of antichrist (false prophets), draws men to DECEPTION through ATTRACTION. The Bible uses very revealing terms when it speaks of false teaching and false prophets: it uses the terms “seduce” and “entice” and “covetousness” and “great swelling words of vanity” and “allure”. Read a few passages with me:
Mark 13:32 (KJV) “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise , and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce , if it were possible, even the elect.”
2 Peter 2:1-3 (KJV) “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
These are words which show the deception of SATANIC attraction…as opposed to the “drawing” and “wooing” of the Spirit of God as He draws men to Christ.
The Spirit of God draws men TO God by drawing spirit (of man) to Spirit (of God). The Holy Spirit ALWAYS draws men to TRUTH. Due to this fact, we can KNOW that when false doctrines and false teachings are being preached by a false teacher/prophet, the Holy Spirit will draw a person ELSEWHERE. The enticing and seducing tactics of Satan draw people to lies, as those lies denounce any truth, such as any mention of SIN or REPENTANCE or OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST, etc. For every REAL MOVE of God…Satan provides a COUNTERFEIT. The REAL is always based on the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT to draw men to God: the COUNTERFEIT will rely on ATTRACTION to get the job done. And, none of us can underestimate the power and deception involved in that SEDUCTION and ENTICEMENT.
Thus, the Bible likens Satan’s false “wooing” with terms that deal with an act and/or process of SEDUCTION. The lies of Satan are STRONG. Many are fooled. The draw of ENTERTAINMENT is proving to be a POWERFUL tool as it fights the draw of the HOLY SPIRIT. Both sides in this battle for souls are at work: the Holy Spirit and Satan. One draws spiritually…the other draws through the flesh. And the flesh is a powerful thing to overcome (the Bible likens it to a battle within!). This SEDUCTION and ENTICEMENT of Satan is to use “some truth” and “some lie” to disguise and MIMIC the work of the Holy Spirit. It is a SPIRITUAL COUNTERFEIT…of which we must take note and recognize. In perpetrating this COUNTERFEIT on humanity, Satan uses one of the most basic tactics: he simply uses ATTRACTION. We all find beauty APPEALING. That beauty may be judged by what we see, what we hear, even what we can experience. Notice this truth: SEDUCTION doesn’t work if the SEDUCER doesn’t appear ATTRACTIVE to us. SEDUCTION is solely based on the “desires of the flesh.” What draws us…seduces us…must be APPEALING to us. And it is in THIS REALM that Satan is working within the Church to COUNTERFEIT truth. It may be best expressed this way: Satan appeals to our SENSES and DESIRES…but God appeals to our SPIRIT and DEVOTION.
Today, we see the success of Satan’s ploy in much of the Church, with churches employing every possible tactic and method of ENTERTAINMENT to ENTICE people to attend their church. The appeal is to the SENSES…to the FLESH. Look through the materials being given and sent out by most churches today: the focus of the material is the PROGRAMS OF THE CHURCH and the EXCITEMENT that the church can offer the attendee. It is MARKETING at its religious finest! Many will want to say here “Well, what is wrong with MARKETING?” Let me make this clear: the Church has NOTHING for sale. The Church has no PRODUCT to offer that is in COMPETITION with ANYTHING that the world has to offer. What the Church has is JESUS! We are to proclaim “JESUS!”…but we are NOT told to proclaim “CHURCH!” Face it…MARKETING is a CHURCH focused act. And whether you SEE the problem with focusing on the Church as opposed to focusing on Jesus…trust me, there are HUGE problems. Face it…if you MARKET the CHURCH…then you are promoting a very FALLIBLE, FLAWED entity. That is why we were NEVER called to do that…we were never called to promote the CHURCH! You see…when we promote JESUS, then we promote something that is INFALLIBLE…with NO FLAWS.
Without even MEANING to…with no MALICE or HARM intended…the Church has actually successfully begun to TURN PEOPLE AWAY FROM JESUS…all because it tried to promote ITSELF instead of JESUS! In my humble opinion, the result has been catastrophic. The Church ITSELF caused the extreme and constant EXAMINATION of ITSELF…while many in society have been looking for ANY FLAW to show itself, thus “proving” to them that the Church is no better than the society at large. Follow me in this thought:
Society is full of ACTIVITIES. People can do AMOST ANYTHING at ANY TIME OF DAY that they want to. The possibilities are LIMITLESS! Every possible desire and interest can now be FULFILLED almost IMMEDIATELY! Society has EVERY POSSIBLE CHOICE available…at the click of a button. In MUSIC…I am ASTOUNDED at the number of channels available now, by which a person can watch music videos in every possible genre of music. And each of these have their very own channel! My point in all of this?
Regarding entertainment...in any and every form…society has OVERLOAD!
Let me give you a modern parable to help explain: My car is low on fuel. There is a convenience store/gas station a few blocks from my home. The fuel at this station is the EXACT SAME PRICE as the fuel at another gas station which is 15 miles away. Now, barring any other desire to go anywhere else…other than going JUST for fuel…would I more than likely stop at the gas station which is only a few blocks from my home…or would I more than likely travel 15 miles for fuel? All things being equal…probably 100% of us would simply go to the gas station around the corner! If what you want is available ONE PLACE and it is CONVENIENT…then few people would even CONSIDER traveling the 15 miles to get the EXACT SAME product!
This is what I believe is happening to the Church. The Church has MARKETED itself, telling people “What we have to offer.” In doing so, MANY people realize that the offer is no different from the world!
Don’t you get it?! Can’t you see it?! Everything is based on APPEALING to…or ATTRACTING…the people! In doing so, society has begun to COMPARE what they can get ELSEWHERE with what they can get AT CHURCH! Do not blame society for doing this! They do it because the Church created the COMPARISON!
I have been in music all of my life. Yet…I realize this…the “WORLD” has some AWESOME music. Journey is my favorite group. I REALLY enjoy their music: vocals, instrumentals, everything. So let me say this in a way that is NOT offensive but it remains true: In almost every case, the Church can not offer BETTER music than the WORLD can. In some cases, the music in the Church is JUST AS GOOD…but, it is NOT better! That is important to realize. EQUAL will not win when it comes to the desire to ATTRACT! Face it…just like the FUEL example above…if I can get EQUAL close to home (or AT home)…then why bother to DRIVE to get it!?!
One quick note: by seeking to ATTRACT people…one Church pits itself against OTHER CHURCHES! So, to maintain, we must ALWAYS stay “above’ the other Churches! If not…what the OTHER Church offers may become more ATTRACTIVE!
Let me make this clear: I believe the Church should do EVERYTHING with excellence. It frustrates me when they DO NOT do things with excellence. But please grasp this: EXCELLENCE is not GOOD ENOUGH! Why?? Because society does not need EXCELLENCE which is ON PAR with what they already have! What society NEEDS is JESUS!
I truly believe this with all of my heart:
It is NOT what the Church CAN DO which needs to be the focus: it is what the Church CANNOT DO which needs to be the focus…and what the Church CANNOT DO is what Jesus CAN do!!!!!!
The ONLY thing that the Church has that is NEEDED by society is JESUS! And when we offer them JESUS…then we offer them something that they CANNOT FIND and they CANNOT GET anywhere else! JESUS is the only “offering” which is EXCLUSIVE to the Church! Everything else…EVERYTHING…can be found and experienced by society ELSEWHERE!
Let JESUS be what attracts people to the Church…and keep this in mind: To BE attractive is different from SEEKING TO BE attractive!
Satan's work will have the APPEARANCE of good...but it will be EVIL. SEDUCTION and ENTICEMENT are built upon the premise of SEEKING to attract...using HUMAN desire as a means to an end. MARKETING causes us to SEEK ATTRACTIVENESS. Don’t doubt that statement: you only MARKET if you believe you HAVE…or CAN HAVE…a MARKETABLITLY…or an ATTRACTIVENESS to the consumer. And…the Church is NOT a CONSUMER oriented entity in the first place: we, the Church, are a CREATOR oriented entity!
So…you are left wondering “Then how do we grow? How does the Church increase in size? How do we get the message out?” Well…let Jesus take care of the GROWTH part. The second answer is a bit more difficult: that involves becoming the Church that we were intended to be: without false doctrine, focusing on JESUS and not our own desires, creating Disciples…and those Disciples leaving the Church on Sunday with an intense purpose and desire to win the lost and tell others about Jesus…and, yes, their Church.
CHANGED LIVES are an amazing and unintended MARKETING PLAN!
If your Church puts all of its efforts into JESUS and MAKING DISCIPLES…then UNINTENTIONAL MARKETING takes place! The Spirit of the Lord can work MIRACLES through the changed lives of believers!
My last thoughts? Satan seeks to COUNTERFEIT everything…and there are COUNTERFEIT CHURCHES everywhere. What will make YOUR Church any different from THOSE Churches? Both the COUNTERFEIT Church and the REAL Church will offer some great programs, talented musicians, fun opportunities…and the list goes on. But there is ONE thing that the COUNTERFEIT Church cannot offer society that the REAL Church can: and that is JESUS!
What Satan draws people to is simply the PRODUCTION! What the Holy Spirit draws people to is the PRODUCER…the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE…to JESUS!
Remember: a COUNTERFEIT has no true purchasing power! The REAL…Jesus…has ALL the purchasing power! And He has already paid that price to purchase the salvation of EVERYONE in your town or city! They just need to be shown JESUS!
Food for thought.
God bless!
Ron
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Does God's Will Ever Equate To Evil?
NOTHING can separate us from the LOVE OF GOD (Romans 8:38-39)...but WE can separate OUSELVES from the WILL OF GOD.
Hosea 8 NKJV
1 "Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law. 2 Israel will cry to Me, 'My God, we know You!' 3 Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him. 4 "They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. From their silver and gold They made idols for themselves-- That they might be cut off. 5 Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them-- How long until they attain to innocence? 6 For from Israel is even this: A workman made it, and it is not God; But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces. 7 "They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up. 8 Israel is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles Like a vessel in which is no pleasure. 9 For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers. 10 Yes, though they have hired among the nations, Now I will gather them; And they shall sorrow a little, Because of the burden of the king of princes. 11 "Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin, They have become for him altars for sinning. 12 I have written for him the great things of My law, But they were considered a strange thing. 13 For the sacrifices of My offerings they sacrifice flesh and eat it, But the Lord does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt. 14 "For Israel has forgotten his Maker, And has built temples; Judah also has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces."
The list of verses and passages throughout Scripture which denote DISOBEDIENCE and its CONSEQUENCES are SO EXTENSIVE that attempting to even BEGIN to list them seems fruitless. Yet…we find that the LOVE of God for us is EVERLASTING. But many in the Church fail to recognize that the EXTENT of God’s LOVE does not measure our RELATIONSHIP with God.
God has and DOES love every human that He has ever created! Hitler…Saddam Hussein…Mussolini…Jack the Ripper…the Boston Strangler…Jeffrey Dahmer…child molesters…rapists…murderers…sexual deviants…adulterers…liars…racists…ME…and YOU!
God “so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). And, as Romans 8 tells us, NOTHING can separate us from that love! No matter what we do…no matter how sinful we are…God LOVES us. Jesus didn’t die for good people: Jesus died for SINFUL people. And the Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
But…and this is CRUCIAL to understand…God’s LOVE for us does not translate into SALVATION for us. God loves us whether we get SAVED or whether we remain a SINNER! The LOVE of God never ceases…it never changes! You see…Jesus died so that ALL may have life…and that ALL includes EVERYONE! Jesus died for us whether we love Him back or not!
The Bible tells us that it is God’s WILL that EVERY PERSON come to know and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Bible says:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)
This text PLAINLY STATES the WILL OF GOD: that God is “not willing that any should perish.” Yet, here is a fact of history (life past), a fact of life (life present), and a fact of generations (life future): not EVERYONE has…or is…or will…accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. Thus, we KNOW that God does not ALWAYS get what He wants. Notice in the passage quoted at the beginning from Hosea…when, in verse 4, we find God saying “They set up kings, but not by me.” You see…what God DESIRED was NOT FOLLOWED by the Israel. The Bible is an OVERWHELMING display of God’s WILL being ignored by humanity…WITH the very EXISTENCE of DISOBEDIENCE being the mark of a CREATION which chooses to DISOBEY the WILL OF GOD.
How do we reconcile that God CAN DO ANYTHING and that GOD IS SOVEREIGN with the existence of DISOBEDIENCE?
We could/can NEVER truly understand what I call the WHY’S of God. We do know this: God is God…and He can do ANYTHING that He wants…and NOTHING can happen unless God ALLOWS it.
But…we must ALSO recognize THIS truth: that God often does not WANT what He ALLOWS!
Follow me here: The Word of God in its entirety shows us a God Who is ONLY:
GOOD
HOLY
RIGHTEOUS
MORAL
TRUE
LIGHT
The list could go on and on.
There is no EVIL or UNHOLINESS or IMMORALITY or UNRIGHTEOUSNESS or LIE or DARKNESS in God! These are works of EVIL…and NOTHING which comes from God is EVER evil! Therefore…the WILL of God is ALWAYS for GOOD! God can NEVER desire EVIL for ANYONE.
Again…“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)
Does that passage say that God wants “some” to perish and “some” to repent?!? Or does that passage say that God does not WILL anyone to PERISH?!?
You see…God loves us SO MUCH that He wants us SAVED. Regardless of our evil ways…no matter how evil we may get…God, through His Holy Spirit, STRIVES with us in an effort to GIVE us the FREE GIFT of eternal life. That love took Jesus to a CROSS…the ULTIMATE ACT of LOVE towards a depraved humanity! And Jesus did NOT WAIT until we were GOOD before He died for us: He died while we were UNLOVABLE and STILL SINNERS (Romans 5:8 NKJV “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”)
Understanding that God WANTS all of humanity to receive the free gift of SALVATION is THE essential truth of Scripture. But…again…what God WANTS is NOT always what He gets. Yes…God CAN do ANYTHING…and NOTHING can happen unless He chooses to ALLOW it. The old saying “God is in control.” is true…but only IF we APPLY it correctly.
The very fact that God IS in control is what means we MUST ACCEPT that God can CHOOSE whatever He wants! And…God can therefore CHOOSE to NOT CONTROL certain things!
There is an old question that said “Can God create a rock that He could not lift?” The answer, based on the LIMITLESS POWER of God is “No.” God can do NOTHING that in and of itself LIMITS His power. You see…if the ROCK could be so big that the ROCK limited God’s power…then it is the ROCK that would then be in control! Many say that it is THAT fact that means that EVERYTHING that happens is GOD’S WILL. But…that is NOT true!
You see…NO CREATION can LIMIT the power of God. But…God cannot TRULY limit His Own power either. Herein lies the misunderstanding of God…His power…and how He allows mankind to CHOOSE obedience or disobedience.
When God allows mankind to CHOOSE to obey…or to choose NOT to obey…God is NOT LIMITING His power. The POWER OF SALVATION has ALREADY BEEN MANIFEST in the DEATH of Jesus Christ! Jesus became “the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world.” The work of salvation is ALREADY DONE! There is NOTHING ELSE that God has to do!
Yet…Jesus made salvation a FREE GIFT. Notice that salvation is denoted in Scripture as PAID FOR…and that it is OFFERED to EVERYONE. But…we ALL know that NO ONE has to accept ANYTHING which is OFFERED. God WANTS us to accept His FREE GIFT…but He CHOOSES to allow us to make that CHOICE.
It is not EASY to mesh the TRUTHS that God can do ANYTHING…and God ALLOWS things…with the TRUTH that God gives us CHOICES. If we seek to cling to a God who CONTROLS every aspect of mankind on this earth….then we struggle with God giving mankind a CHOICE.
The fact is this: God CAN control EVERYTHING and ANYTHING…yet He CHOOSES not to. That in NO WAY makes God any LESS God. You see…it is GOD who CHOOSES to ALLOW mankind CHOICES! If it was MANKIND dictating to God what we can CHOOSE…then THAT would be UNBIBLICAL.
So…we see this: When GOD chooses to NOT CONTROL...then God made that choice…and THAT still keeps God as SOVEREIGN.
Maybe we will NEVER understand the ways of God completely. We OFTEN ask “Why did God allow that?”
We often fail to understand ONE ESSENTIAL TRUTH: If God did not ALLOW a sin in one area…then God could not ALLOW a sin in ANOTHER area.
Here is an example: A man is about to rape and murder a child. The Spirit of God does not WANT that child raped or murdered. (If you do not understand THAT truth of God…then you TOTALLY misunderstand God!) God NEVER wants ANYONE to sin…EVER! In this situation…the love of God is shown in His love for the CHILD…yet, it is also shown in His love for the RAPIST/MURDERER. God wants to save BOTH lives in this situation! God is URGING the man to NOT rape and murder…as He is PLEADING with the man to SPARE the life of the child. Truth: rape and murder are DISOBEDIENCE to the WILL of God!
Sin is ALWAYS disobedience to God’s WILL! We ONLY get SIN when we DISOBEY what God is wanting…and what God is wanting is GOD’S WILL in that situation!
We can…and MUST…NEVER attribute to GOD the works of SATAN! And…ANY disobedience is SIN and of the DEVIL! It was NOT God who urged Hitler to MURDER and SLAUGHTER the Jews in the Holocaust! It WAS God trying to change the heart of Hitler…in hopes that Hitler would find ETERNAL LIFE and that Hitler would NOT murder and slaughter ANYONE!
Some use the truth that God CAN CONTROL everything as a basis for saying that God DOES CONTROL everything. NOT TRUE! God did NOT control Hitler as He murdered MILLIONS…SATAN did!
But that leads many to ask “Then why would God permit such evil?” Let’s face it: that question is born out of a belief that HITLER’S sins are WORSE than OUR sins! You see…we NEVER seem to ask that question about sins that we see as LESS EVIL (do not get me wrong…in the realm of what is EVIL, I do believe that LYING is NOT as EVIL as the MURDER OF MILLIONS: but, BOTH are STILL SINS!) But…we do not go around asking (after we have lied)…”Why would God permit such lying?”
God PERMITTED…ALLOWED…Hitler to murder millions because God ALSO allows men and women everywhere to LIE and to CHEAT and to LUST and to STEAL and to HAVE PERVERSE SEX and to BEAR FALSE WITNESS…get the point?
God is NO LESS GOD because He allows CHOICE…and DISOBEDIENCE. It is ONLY GOD that can ALLOW CHOICE.
God’s ways are not OUR ways….not always. Sometimes we OBEY God…and sometimes we DISOBEY God. Sometimes we FOLLOW God’s WILL…and sometimes we DO NOT FOLLOW God’s WILL.
Joshua 22:5 NKJV
But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
2 Samuel 22:22 NKJV
For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God.
Just as with these two passages, we are able to understand that the OPPOSITE of these two passages is an “understood” truth. In Joshua, we see the command “to walk in all His ways”…but the people eventually disobeyed and DID NOT “walk in all His ways.” And…in Samuel, any act which departs from the “ways of the Lord” is noted as something done “wickedly.”
Now…back to the beginning:
NOTHING can separate us from the LOVE OF GOD (Romans 8:38-39)...but WE can separate OUSELVES from the WILL OF GOD.
And…if we SEPARATE ourselves from the WILL of God…we enter into DISOBEDIENCE. And that DISOBEDIENCE can lead us to an ETERNAL SEPARATION from God.
God LOVES us all. God loves ME. And God loves YOU.
You can NEVER be separated from the LOVE of God…found in Christ Jesus. Find that LOVE of God…and then remain in the WILL of God.
Make GODLY, OBEDIENT choices.
Hosea 8 NKJV
1 "Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law. 2 Israel will cry to Me, 'My God, we know You!' 3 Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him. 4 "They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. From their silver and gold They made idols for themselves-- That they might be cut off. 5 Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them-- How long until they attain to innocence? 6 For from Israel is even this: A workman made it, and it is not God; But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces. 7 "They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up. 8 Israel is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles Like a vessel in which is no pleasure. 9 For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers. 10 Yes, though they have hired among the nations, Now I will gather them; And they shall sorrow a little, Because of the burden of the king of princes. 11 "Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin, They have become for him altars for sinning. 12 I have written for him the great things of My law, But they were considered a strange thing. 13 For the sacrifices of My offerings they sacrifice flesh and eat it, But the Lord does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt. 14 "For Israel has forgotten his Maker, And has built temples; Judah also has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces."
The list of verses and passages throughout Scripture which denote DISOBEDIENCE and its CONSEQUENCES are SO EXTENSIVE that attempting to even BEGIN to list them seems fruitless. Yet…we find that the LOVE of God for us is EVERLASTING. But many in the Church fail to recognize that the EXTENT of God’s LOVE does not measure our RELATIONSHIP with God.
God has and DOES love every human that He has ever created! Hitler…Saddam Hussein…Mussolini…Jack the Ripper…the Boston Strangler…Jeffrey Dahmer…child molesters…rapists…murderers…sexual deviants…adulterers…liars…racists…ME…and YOU!
God “so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). And, as Romans 8 tells us, NOTHING can separate us from that love! No matter what we do…no matter how sinful we are…God LOVES us. Jesus didn’t die for good people: Jesus died for SINFUL people. And the Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
But…and this is CRUCIAL to understand…God’s LOVE for us does not translate into SALVATION for us. God loves us whether we get SAVED or whether we remain a SINNER! The LOVE of God never ceases…it never changes! You see…Jesus died so that ALL may have life…and that ALL includes EVERYONE! Jesus died for us whether we love Him back or not!
The Bible tells us that it is God’s WILL that EVERY PERSON come to know and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Bible says:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)
This text PLAINLY STATES the WILL OF GOD: that God is “not willing that any should perish.” Yet, here is a fact of history (life past), a fact of life (life present), and a fact of generations (life future): not EVERYONE has…or is…or will…accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. Thus, we KNOW that God does not ALWAYS get what He wants. Notice in the passage quoted at the beginning from Hosea…when, in verse 4, we find God saying “They set up kings, but not by me.” You see…what God DESIRED was NOT FOLLOWED by the Israel. The Bible is an OVERWHELMING display of God’s WILL being ignored by humanity…WITH the very EXISTENCE of DISOBEDIENCE being the mark of a CREATION which chooses to DISOBEY the WILL OF GOD.
How do we reconcile that God CAN DO ANYTHING and that GOD IS SOVEREIGN with the existence of DISOBEDIENCE?
We could/can NEVER truly understand what I call the WHY’S of God. We do know this: God is God…and He can do ANYTHING that He wants…and NOTHING can happen unless God ALLOWS it.
But…we must ALSO recognize THIS truth: that God often does not WANT what He ALLOWS!
Follow me here: The Word of God in its entirety shows us a God Who is ONLY:
GOOD
HOLY
RIGHTEOUS
MORAL
TRUE
LIGHT
The list could go on and on.
There is no EVIL or UNHOLINESS or IMMORALITY or UNRIGHTEOUSNESS or LIE or DARKNESS in God! These are works of EVIL…and NOTHING which comes from God is EVER evil! Therefore…the WILL of God is ALWAYS for GOOD! God can NEVER desire EVIL for ANYONE.
Again…“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)
Does that passage say that God wants “some” to perish and “some” to repent?!? Or does that passage say that God does not WILL anyone to PERISH?!?
You see…God loves us SO MUCH that He wants us SAVED. Regardless of our evil ways…no matter how evil we may get…God, through His Holy Spirit, STRIVES with us in an effort to GIVE us the FREE GIFT of eternal life. That love took Jesus to a CROSS…the ULTIMATE ACT of LOVE towards a depraved humanity! And Jesus did NOT WAIT until we were GOOD before He died for us: He died while we were UNLOVABLE and STILL SINNERS (Romans 5:8 NKJV “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”)
Understanding that God WANTS all of humanity to receive the free gift of SALVATION is THE essential truth of Scripture. But…again…what God WANTS is NOT always what He gets. Yes…God CAN do ANYTHING…and NOTHING can happen unless He chooses to ALLOW it. The old saying “God is in control.” is true…but only IF we APPLY it correctly.
The very fact that God IS in control is what means we MUST ACCEPT that God can CHOOSE whatever He wants! And…God can therefore CHOOSE to NOT CONTROL certain things!
There is an old question that said “Can God create a rock that He could not lift?” The answer, based on the LIMITLESS POWER of God is “No.” God can do NOTHING that in and of itself LIMITS His power. You see…if the ROCK could be so big that the ROCK limited God’s power…then it is the ROCK that would then be in control! Many say that it is THAT fact that means that EVERYTHING that happens is GOD’S WILL. But…that is NOT true!
You see…NO CREATION can LIMIT the power of God. But…God cannot TRULY limit His Own power either. Herein lies the misunderstanding of God…His power…and how He allows mankind to CHOOSE obedience or disobedience.
When God allows mankind to CHOOSE to obey…or to choose NOT to obey…God is NOT LIMITING His power. The POWER OF SALVATION has ALREADY BEEN MANIFEST in the DEATH of Jesus Christ! Jesus became “the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world.” The work of salvation is ALREADY DONE! There is NOTHING ELSE that God has to do!
Yet…Jesus made salvation a FREE GIFT. Notice that salvation is denoted in Scripture as PAID FOR…and that it is OFFERED to EVERYONE. But…we ALL know that NO ONE has to accept ANYTHING which is OFFERED. God WANTS us to accept His FREE GIFT…but He CHOOSES to allow us to make that CHOICE.
It is not EASY to mesh the TRUTHS that God can do ANYTHING…and God ALLOWS things…with the TRUTH that God gives us CHOICES. If we seek to cling to a God who CONTROLS every aspect of mankind on this earth….then we struggle with God giving mankind a CHOICE.
The fact is this: God CAN control EVERYTHING and ANYTHING…yet He CHOOSES not to. That in NO WAY makes God any LESS God. You see…it is GOD who CHOOSES to ALLOW mankind CHOICES! If it was MANKIND dictating to God what we can CHOOSE…then THAT would be UNBIBLICAL.
So…we see this: When GOD chooses to NOT CONTROL...then God made that choice…and THAT still keeps God as SOVEREIGN.
Maybe we will NEVER understand the ways of God completely. We OFTEN ask “Why did God allow that?”
We often fail to understand ONE ESSENTIAL TRUTH: If God did not ALLOW a sin in one area…then God could not ALLOW a sin in ANOTHER area.
Here is an example: A man is about to rape and murder a child. The Spirit of God does not WANT that child raped or murdered. (If you do not understand THAT truth of God…then you TOTALLY misunderstand God!) God NEVER wants ANYONE to sin…EVER! In this situation…the love of God is shown in His love for the CHILD…yet, it is also shown in His love for the RAPIST/MURDERER. God wants to save BOTH lives in this situation! God is URGING the man to NOT rape and murder…as He is PLEADING with the man to SPARE the life of the child. Truth: rape and murder are DISOBEDIENCE to the WILL of God!
Sin is ALWAYS disobedience to God’s WILL! We ONLY get SIN when we DISOBEY what God is wanting…and what God is wanting is GOD’S WILL in that situation!
We can…and MUST…NEVER attribute to GOD the works of SATAN! And…ANY disobedience is SIN and of the DEVIL! It was NOT God who urged Hitler to MURDER and SLAUGHTER the Jews in the Holocaust! It WAS God trying to change the heart of Hitler…in hopes that Hitler would find ETERNAL LIFE and that Hitler would NOT murder and slaughter ANYONE!
Some use the truth that God CAN CONTROL everything as a basis for saying that God DOES CONTROL everything. NOT TRUE! God did NOT control Hitler as He murdered MILLIONS…SATAN did!
But that leads many to ask “Then why would God permit such evil?” Let’s face it: that question is born out of a belief that HITLER’S sins are WORSE than OUR sins! You see…we NEVER seem to ask that question about sins that we see as LESS EVIL (do not get me wrong…in the realm of what is EVIL, I do believe that LYING is NOT as EVIL as the MURDER OF MILLIONS: but, BOTH are STILL SINS!) But…we do not go around asking (after we have lied)…”Why would God permit such lying?”
God PERMITTED…ALLOWED…Hitler to murder millions because God ALSO allows men and women everywhere to LIE and to CHEAT and to LUST and to STEAL and to HAVE PERVERSE SEX and to BEAR FALSE WITNESS…get the point?
God is NO LESS GOD because He allows CHOICE…and DISOBEDIENCE. It is ONLY GOD that can ALLOW CHOICE.
God’s ways are not OUR ways….not always. Sometimes we OBEY God…and sometimes we DISOBEY God. Sometimes we FOLLOW God’s WILL…and sometimes we DO NOT FOLLOW God’s WILL.
Joshua 22:5 NKJV
But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
2 Samuel 22:22 NKJV
For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God.
Just as with these two passages, we are able to understand that the OPPOSITE of these two passages is an “understood” truth. In Joshua, we see the command “to walk in all His ways”…but the people eventually disobeyed and DID NOT “walk in all His ways.” And…in Samuel, any act which departs from the “ways of the Lord” is noted as something done “wickedly.”
Now…back to the beginning:
NOTHING can separate us from the LOVE OF GOD (Romans 8:38-39)...but WE can separate OUSELVES from the WILL OF GOD.
And…if we SEPARATE ourselves from the WILL of God…we enter into DISOBEDIENCE. And that DISOBEDIENCE can lead us to an ETERNAL SEPARATION from God.
God LOVES us all. God loves ME. And God loves YOU.
You can NEVER be separated from the LOVE of God…found in Christ Jesus. Find that LOVE of God…and then remain in the WILL of God.
Make GODLY, OBEDIENT choices.
Origins of Evil: Was Evil Created By God?
Many struggle with the fact that EVIL exists. The thought is “Did God create evil? If God created Satan…and Satan is evil…then God MUST HAVE created evil!” The supposition is that if something EXISTS…then God must have created it.
Is this true? The Bible tells us this:
1 John 1:5 NKJV
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
So, in the Biblical/Spiritual analogy, LIGHT is GOOD…and DARKNESS is EVIL.
We see in Scripture the point at which God created the Universe. Stars…planets…the earth. Then, we come to this passage:
Genesis 1:3 NKJV
“Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.”
Many assume that this was the “creation” of light. Yet, again, we KNOW that God IS light…and, thus, we KNOW that light has ETERNALLY existed because God is ETERNAL…”from everlasting to everlasting.” (Psalm 90:2) Thus, we can KNOW that God was not CREATING light in Genesis 1:3. Instead, God was BRINGING...or REVEALING...light.
So, if God is LIGHT…then what is DARKNESS? Herein lies the misunderstanding of God which leads to MULITIPLE questions…and which often leads to BAD THEOLOGY.
One ESSENTIAL principle and truth of God which MUST be PROTECTED is this: God can do no evil…and NOTHING which comes from God can be evil. Therefore, we can ASSUREDLY answer the question “Did God create evil?” with a resounding “NO!”
But how do we rectify the prevailing thoughts and seemingly “contradictory” truths of God’s Word regarding EVIL and DARKNESS which DO exist? It is really not such a troublesome conundrum as many view it to be.
So…TRY to follow me here (lol):
1. LIGHT is GOD…because GOD is LIGHT. (This is seen earlier in 1 John 1:5.) If God is eternal (which He Is), then LIGHT itself was NOT created…it simply IS. Thus, that is why I noted that God did not CREATE light in Genesis 1:3...God was simply bringing the REVELATION of light into the created Universe.
2. DARKESS is not created: DARKNESS is simply the ABSENCE OF LIGHT. Merriam-Webster defines the word “dark” as “devoid or partially devoid of light : not receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light.” Thus, we see that when something is DARK, that “something” is not “receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light.” Further, we see that DARKNESS is NOT the PRESENCE of something…DARKNESS is the ABSENCE of LIGHT. As Einstein mused: “Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?” DARKNESS cannot even EXIST in LIGHT. You see…DARKNESS does not “exist” in DARKNESS…it only “exists” in the realm of LIGHT, and that LIGHT must be ABSENT to give “existence” to DARKNESS. (Whew! Lol)
You see, in Scripture we learn about the fall of Satan from Heaven. (Luke 10:18...Revelation 12:7-9) The details are few, but we discover that Satan was cast down to earth. I readily admit that we cannot KNOW everything regarding this process. We simply do NOT have enough information within God’s Word to KNOW FOR SURE.
But we CAN KNOW this: that, after God created the heavens and the earth, we find the earth “without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:2 NKJV) So, we see that LIGHT is not present, as the verse says “darkness was on the face of the deep.” With DARKNESS being an ABSENCE OF LIGHT, then we KNOW that LIGHT is ABSENT.
Yet, notice this: Genesis 1:2 continues on to say “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Then, in verse 3, God brings LIGHT into the world!
If the Spirit of God was PRESENT over the waters…then WHY was there DARKNESS??
Let's check Scripture for the answer.
Satan had been cast down out of heaven…and Satan had been cast down to earth. Satan is described in Ephesians 2:2 as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…” Therefore, the REALM of Satan is within the REALM of the EARTH…a SPIRITUAL realm which seeks to BLOCK the Spirit of God in the lives of those who live upon the earth.
Therefore, Satan BLOCKS the LIGHT of God! Throughout the Word of God, we see the workings of Satan as he tries to THWART and BLOCK the LIGHT OF GOD. In this way, Satan produces an ECLIPSE!
As with an earthly ECLIPSE of the SUN, Satan comes BETWEEN the LIGHT OF GOD and the EARTH. In its full form, Satan attempts to BLOCK the LIGHT of the SON…Jesus Christ! Within the lives of individuals, Satan is often SUCCESSFUL in that spiritual ECLIPSE, as men and women continue to walk in darkness…and many DIE in darkness.
So…let’s bring all of this back to the question: “Did God create evil?” Again…the answer is “NO!” We can never FULLY understand the workings of evil and its presence. God must ALLOW evil…that is sure…for it to even BE. But EVIL was not CREATED: EVIL is simply what is seen when DARKNESS comes. In other words, EVIL is the ABSENCE of GOD…the very ABSENCE of LIGHT.
DARKNESS cannot be made DARKER by ADDING more DARKNESS: DARKNESS is made DARKER by REMOVING LIGHT. Therefore, we realize that darkness NEVER has power over the light! You can never “bring darkness” into LIGHT: you can only bring LIGHT into DARKNESS! There is NEVER a possibility that DARKNESS can be used to OVERCOME the LIGHT. LIGHT is ALWAYS the CONTROLLING FACTOR in the situation!
Is anyone getting this?!? There are some POWERFUL truths born out of this revelation!
In reality, we see that DARKNESS can NOT WIN against the LIGHT OF GOD! Yes…there is EVIL in the WORLD. Yet, EVIL has NO POWER over the LIGHT! We too often give Satan MORE power than the Bible ascribes to him. Evil…DARKNESS…does NOT win due to its POWER…it only “wins” at times because the LIGHT has been REJECTED. The LIGHT can EASILY expel darkness…but that LIGHT must be BROUGHT into the situation...REVEALED!
You see…DARKNESS has no CREATIVE power. God “created”…He ALONE is CREATOR. God is LIGHT…therefore it is ONLY light that is CREATIVE. Again…DARKNESS is simply an ABSENCE OF LIGHT…so DARKNESS only exists when LIGHT is REJECTED or REMOVED.
Notice this about an ECLIPSE: it is DANGEROUS and DESTRUCTIVE to look on a SOLAR ECLIPSE! The DARKNESS which seeks to HIDE the light of the SUN is not TOTALLY successful! So, if you try to view the ECLIPSE with your naked eye, the POWER of the LIGHT of the SUN which still shines AROUND the DARKNESS becomes BLINDING in its POWER!
Can you see it?!?
The POWER of the LIGHT of the SON…Jesus Christ…may at times be ECLIPSED by SATAN and DARKNESS…but the LIGHT of the SON can NEVER be completely BLOCKED or ERADICATED in the world! And…it is DURING an ECLIPSE…a time of DARKESS…that the POWER of the SON can be seen in its TRUE POWER!
Mankind is allowed CHOICES by God. God does not BRING…or “create”…EVIL in our lives. We make the CHOICE to have EVIL…or DARKNESS…in our lives. And that DARKNESS does not come because of its own POWER…but it comes as a result of our REJECTION of LIGHT. When we choose DARKNESS…even then, that DARKNESS can only come if the LIGHT is removed. It is STILL the LIGHT which CONTROLS the DARKNESS…not vice versa. You see…DARKNESS has NO POWER over LIGHT.
We face TRIALS and TRIBULATIONS as we live here on earth. Those times are noted by Satan’s attempts at ECLIPSING the LIGHT OF GOD in our lives. Yet…we also know that there is LIGHT at the end of every tunnel. Trials come to an end. An ECLIPSE is only MOMENTARY…and it is not TOTAL even in its existence.
As we struggle with the fact that EVIL is in this world…and we recognize that EVIL is INCREASING in these last days…we must understand that God is NOT the one behind the evil. Mankind…individuals…are in DARKNESS because they have REJECTED the light. Many will NEVER accept the LIGHT…and they will forever live in darkness…even throughout eternity.
But…be clear in this truth…God did not create evil. EVIL is an untouchable, intangible DARKNESS which comes when mankind REJECTS the LIGHT of God in their lives. To live in DARKNESS…someone has to WANT to live in DARKNESS. EVIL is the ABSENCE OF LIGHT in the world.
So…a sobering thought: When we question the WHY of the existence of EVIL in the world, remember this truth:
Matthew 5:14 NKJV “You are the light of the world.”
If DARKNESS exists in the world around US…then maybe we have FAILED to BE the “light of the world.”
Why does evil exist in the world? Maybe because the Church has only shined its light in its magnificent structures that we call CHURCHES. And…maybe the LIGHT that “appears” so bright THERE in the CHURCH is ACTUALLY no more than a FLICKER from an EMBER of a FIRE that ONCE WAS!
So…a FAKE LIGHT or a WEAK LIGHT cannot DISPEL DARKNESS! Only TRUTH…LIGHT…can DISPEL DARKNESS! You see…FALSE DOCTRINE cannot DISPEL DARKNESS! But…we can look more closely at THAT truth at another time.
So…walk in the LIGHT…and DISPEL the DARKNESS. Evil CAN, and one day WILL, be defeated!
Be one who helps DEFEAT the DARKNESS of EVIL around you!
God bless,
Ron
Is this true? The Bible tells us this:
1 John 1:5 NKJV
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
So, in the Biblical/Spiritual analogy, LIGHT is GOOD…and DARKNESS is EVIL.
We see in Scripture the point at which God created the Universe. Stars…planets…the earth. Then, we come to this passage:
Genesis 1:3 NKJV
“Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.”
Many assume that this was the “creation” of light. Yet, again, we KNOW that God IS light…and, thus, we KNOW that light has ETERNALLY existed because God is ETERNAL…”from everlasting to everlasting.” (Psalm 90:2) Thus, we can KNOW that God was not CREATING light in Genesis 1:3. Instead, God was BRINGING...or REVEALING...light.
So, if God is LIGHT…then what is DARKNESS? Herein lies the misunderstanding of God which leads to MULITIPLE questions…and which often leads to BAD THEOLOGY.
One ESSENTIAL principle and truth of God which MUST be PROTECTED is this: God can do no evil…and NOTHING which comes from God can be evil. Therefore, we can ASSUREDLY answer the question “Did God create evil?” with a resounding “NO!”
But how do we rectify the prevailing thoughts and seemingly “contradictory” truths of God’s Word regarding EVIL and DARKNESS which DO exist? It is really not such a troublesome conundrum as many view it to be.
So…TRY to follow me here (lol):
1. LIGHT is GOD…because GOD is LIGHT. (This is seen earlier in 1 John 1:5.) If God is eternal (which He Is), then LIGHT itself was NOT created…it simply IS. Thus, that is why I noted that God did not CREATE light in Genesis 1:3...God was simply bringing the REVELATION of light into the created Universe.
2. DARKESS is not created: DARKNESS is simply the ABSENCE OF LIGHT. Merriam-Webster defines the word “dark” as “devoid or partially devoid of light : not receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light.” Thus, we see that when something is DARK, that “something” is not “receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light.” Further, we see that DARKNESS is NOT the PRESENCE of something…DARKNESS is the ABSENCE of LIGHT. As Einstein mused: “Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?” DARKNESS cannot even EXIST in LIGHT. You see…DARKNESS does not “exist” in DARKNESS…it only “exists” in the realm of LIGHT, and that LIGHT must be ABSENT to give “existence” to DARKNESS. (Whew! Lol)
You see, in Scripture we learn about the fall of Satan from Heaven. (Luke 10:18...Revelation 12:7-9) The details are few, but we discover that Satan was cast down to earth. I readily admit that we cannot KNOW everything regarding this process. We simply do NOT have enough information within God’s Word to KNOW FOR SURE.
But we CAN KNOW this: that, after God created the heavens and the earth, we find the earth “without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:2 NKJV) So, we see that LIGHT is not present, as the verse says “darkness was on the face of the deep.” With DARKNESS being an ABSENCE OF LIGHT, then we KNOW that LIGHT is ABSENT.
Yet, notice this: Genesis 1:2 continues on to say “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Then, in verse 3, God brings LIGHT into the world!
If the Spirit of God was PRESENT over the waters…then WHY was there DARKNESS??
Let's check Scripture for the answer.
Satan had been cast down out of heaven…and Satan had been cast down to earth. Satan is described in Ephesians 2:2 as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…” Therefore, the REALM of Satan is within the REALM of the EARTH…a SPIRITUAL realm which seeks to BLOCK the Spirit of God in the lives of those who live upon the earth.
Therefore, Satan BLOCKS the LIGHT of God! Throughout the Word of God, we see the workings of Satan as he tries to THWART and BLOCK the LIGHT OF GOD. In this way, Satan produces an ECLIPSE!
As with an earthly ECLIPSE of the SUN, Satan comes BETWEEN the LIGHT OF GOD and the EARTH. In its full form, Satan attempts to BLOCK the LIGHT of the SON…Jesus Christ! Within the lives of individuals, Satan is often SUCCESSFUL in that spiritual ECLIPSE, as men and women continue to walk in darkness…and many DIE in darkness.
So…let’s bring all of this back to the question: “Did God create evil?” Again…the answer is “NO!” We can never FULLY understand the workings of evil and its presence. God must ALLOW evil…that is sure…for it to even BE. But EVIL was not CREATED: EVIL is simply what is seen when DARKNESS comes. In other words, EVIL is the ABSENCE of GOD…the very ABSENCE of LIGHT.
DARKNESS cannot be made DARKER by ADDING more DARKNESS: DARKNESS is made DARKER by REMOVING LIGHT. Therefore, we realize that darkness NEVER has power over the light! You can never “bring darkness” into LIGHT: you can only bring LIGHT into DARKNESS! There is NEVER a possibility that DARKNESS can be used to OVERCOME the LIGHT. LIGHT is ALWAYS the CONTROLLING FACTOR in the situation!
Is anyone getting this?!? There are some POWERFUL truths born out of this revelation!
In reality, we see that DARKNESS can NOT WIN against the LIGHT OF GOD! Yes…there is EVIL in the WORLD. Yet, EVIL has NO POWER over the LIGHT! We too often give Satan MORE power than the Bible ascribes to him. Evil…DARKNESS…does NOT win due to its POWER…it only “wins” at times because the LIGHT has been REJECTED. The LIGHT can EASILY expel darkness…but that LIGHT must be BROUGHT into the situation...REVEALED!
You see…DARKNESS has no CREATIVE power. God “created”…He ALONE is CREATOR. God is LIGHT…therefore it is ONLY light that is CREATIVE. Again…DARKNESS is simply an ABSENCE OF LIGHT…so DARKNESS only exists when LIGHT is REJECTED or REMOVED.
Notice this about an ECLIPSE: it is DANGEROUS and DESTRUCTIVE to look on a SOLAR ECLIPSE! The DARKNESS which seeks to HIDE the light of the SUN is not TOTALLY successful! So, if you try to view the ECLIPSE with your naked eye, the POWER of the LIGHT of the SUN which still shines AROUND the DARKNESS becomes BLINDING in its POWER!
Can you see it?!?
The POWER of the LIGHT of the SON…Jesus Christ…may at times be ECLIPSED by SATAN and DARKNESS…but the LIGHT of the SON can NEVER be completely BLOCKED or ERADICATED in the world! And…it is DURING an ECLIPSE…a time of DARKESS…that the POWER of the SON can be seen in its TRUE POWER!
Mankind is allowed CHOICES by God. God does not BRING…or “create”…EVIL in our lives. We make the CHOICE to have EVIL…or DARKNESS…in our lives. And that DARKNESS does not come because of its own POWER…but it comes as a result of our REJECTION of LIGHT. When we choose DARKNESS…even then, that DARKNESS can only come if the LIGHT is removed. It is STILL the LIGHT which CONTROLS the DARKNESS…not vice versa. You see…DARKNESS has NO POWER over LIGHT.
We face TRIALS and TRIBULATIONS as we live here on earth. Those times are noted by Satan’s attempts at ECLIPSING the LIGHT OF GOD in our lives. Yet…we also know that there is LIGHT at the end of every tunnel. Trials come to an end. An ECLIPSE is only MOMENTARY…and it is not TOTAL even in its existence.
As we struggle with the fact that EVIL is in this world…and we recognize that EVIL is INCREASING in these last days…we must understand that God is NOT the one behind the evil. Mankind…individuals…are in DARKNESS because they have REJECTED the light. Many will NEVER accept the LIGHT…and they will forever live in darkness…even throughout eternity.
But…be clear in this truth…God did not create evil. EVIL is an untouchable, intangible DARKNESS which comes when mankind REJECTS the LIGHT of God in their lives. To live in DARKNESS…someone has to WANT to live in DARKNESS. EVIL is the ABSENCE OF LIGHT in the world.
So…a sobering thought: When we question the WHY of the existence of EVIL in the world, remember this truth:
Matthew 5:14 NKJV “You are the light of the world.”
If DARKNESS exists in the world around US…then maybe we have FAILED to BE the “light of the world.”
Why does evil exist in the world? Maybe because the Church has only shined its light in its magnificent structures that we call CHURCHES. And…maybe the LIGHT that “appears” so bright THERE in the CHURCH is ACTUALLY no more than a FLICKER from an EMBER of a FIRE that ONCE WAS!
So…a FAKE LIGHT or a WEAK LIGHT cannot DISPEL DARKNESS! Only TRUTH…LIGHT…can DISPEL DARKNESS! You see…FALSE DOCTRINE cannot DISPEL DARKNESS! But…we can look more closely at THAT truth at another time.
So…walk in the LIGHT…and DISPEL the DARKNESS. Evil CAN, and one day WILL, be defeated!
Be one who helps DEFEAT the DARKNESS of EVIL around you!
God bless,
Ron
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