κηρυσσων την βασιλειαν του θεου και διδασκων τα περι του κυριου ιησου χριστου μετα πασης παρρησιας ακωλυτως. The underlying meaning of this blog is this: the essential unity of Christians worldwide regardless of race, nationality, or religious denomination. There are real disagreements among us but there is a small remnant in every authentically Christian gathering. The Holy Spirit is leading His remnant into deeper understandings of the "meat" of the Gospel and not just the "milk."
Lewis E. Jones (1865-1934) was a YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) worker who wrote the hymn, There is Power in the Blood (1899). He is recorded as having said, "I want to be so full of Christ that when a mosquito bites me he flies away singing there is power in the blood."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeTE0W7K4sU
A pious and righteous rich young ruler (possibly a Pharisee) ran up to Jesus and asked him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. He claimed to have kept all the usual rules but still felt that something was missing. Jesus said that he should sell everything he had and give the money to the poor. The young man sadly walked away.
Christians understand that you cannot "do" anything to earn salvation. It is a gift of God's grace. So what was this incident about? Jesus gently showed the young ruler what was wrong.
Some Christians would say we should not own private property since Jesus said to sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. They may be misreading what Jesus was saying. You are not saved by giving up something.
In Exodus 20:17, notice that the property belongs to the neighbor, not the community or the government. Nowhere does Jesus condemn ownership of private property. What he was saying on several occasions is "own your property, do not let your property own you." Use your property to help the homeless and the poor, to glorify the Lord, and to advance his kingdom.
The young ruler's real problem was that he loved his wealth and his position more than he loved God. Loving your position and wealth is really about yourself. All sin reduces down to the one real sin: SELF. We should love ourselves, because we are infinitely valuable. God spent the most infinitely valuable thing in the universe, the blood of his son, to save us, but loving self more than loving God is the essence of sin.
When you don't like what he says to you, it is a sign that you need to hear it.
Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-30; Ephesians 2:8-9.
Almost every time I am on one of my country's interstate highways I see someone texting on their cell phone while driving at 70 miles per hour (112.654 kilometers per hour). At that speed, the vehicle will travel the length of a football field in a few seconds WHILE THE DRIVER IS LOOKING AWAY FROM THE ROAD!
This makes as much sense as turning on a chainsaw while entering a room where a baby is sleeping and throwing the chainsaw into the air. It may end well. I may not.
Many Christians carelessly involve themselves in activities which are just as dangerous as a chainsaw. You may not agree with this list or may be able to add to it. Every item on this list has the potential to cause serious damage to your Christian life.
1. Practicing Cafeteria Christianity is when you take a little bit from here and little bit from there and reject things which make you uncomfortable, just like in an old-style cafeteria line. Everyone knows that there are some things about Christianity which are difficult. Paul had some strong things to say about accepting any changes to the Gospel.
2. Religious discrimination and actual persecution are real and severe for Christians in
many countries. Do not be foolish or naïve enough to believe that this does not
occur in the “culturally advanced” Western nations.
3. Complacency in your “goodness.” This is what Jesus meant about being like lukewarm water: “I will spew you out of my mouth.”
4. Idolatry, like celebrity worship, stepping over other people for success, pursuing worldly pleasures to the point of obsession, being obsessed by where you live, or the fine clothing and jewelry you can wear to church, or by the important people you know, and extending even to things rarely recognized as sinful, such as food snobbishness.
5. Getting involved in petty church squabbles. Really is self, pride and often reduces to factions led by two individuals.
6. Being too busy: becoming neglectful of church activities because of sports or busy business schedules.
7. Accepting secularist ideas such as “all roads lead to God” (this
minimizes Christianity and makes it just one religion among many), and believing
non-marital sexuality is acceptable if “love” is involved.
9. Dabbling in astrology, Tarot, Ouija boards, automatic writing, divination, the occult, and other practices: these are not harmless children's games.
10. Attempting an exorcism. Real demon possession is probably quite rare but Jesus acknowledged that it is real.
11. Ghost hunting. The Bible never teaches the existence of ghosts though some people in the Bible obviously did believe in them. The appearances of dead Old Testament saints may have been the saints actually being physically present. Ghost phenomena (hauntings, poltergeists, etc.) may be evidence of the other supernatural beings mentioned in the Bible. Do you really want to find out?
12. Practicing Hatha Yoga. The Sanskrit word "hatha" (हठ) in English translates as "force" or "will" and is a system of physical exercises. From a physical standpoint, this is probably excellent for your health, relaxation, stress reduction, and bodily flexibility. When you practice yoga, from a spiritual standpoint, you are dabbling with Hinduism, a totally different religion from Christianity.
The word "Yoga" (योग) is derived from yug, a Sanskrit word meaning "yoking" or "union." There are numerous types of yoga, all of which are focused on yoking or quieting the mind and achieving an inner stillness which contributes to a oneness with the universe, which is sometimes described as "cosmic consciousness."
13. Aligning oneself with extreme political views, whether conservative or progressive. Politics is not the answer; the Gospel is the answer. "Render unto Caesar" assumes that we should have civic and political involvement but our ultimate allegiance must be to Jesus. Secular political parties are ultimately not motivated by Christian principles but by a desire for political power. A real danger is equating national patriotism with Christianity. Real change can only come by reformed hearts, not by legislation.
14. Allowing hatred or resentment to exist in your heart toward anyone. Hatred is corrosive and is a cancer. This is not about what the other person may have done but is about who you are.
15. Reducing your Christianity to niceness, acceptance, social work, and a fight for social justice. These are important legitimate functions of the Church but they are absolutely not the essence of Christianity. The absolute, irreducible, core of the Christian message is returning each individual to a proper relationship with Jesus, one at a time, as if they were the only one. Each person on the Earth is of absolute worth because they are bought with the blood of Jesus.
15. These first 14 are merely a few of the dangers Christians face.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Galatians 3:13
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20.The price was the life of Jesus, who is fully human and fully God. How much is God worth?
title="Top Baptist Sites">
Posts
