Matt.10:32-33 - Whosever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.
What is it to deny Jesus before men? It not only means a total denial as did Peter, but there is now a raging but ever so subtle denial that much of the church has bought into, no matter how well intentioned. Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me". But somehow the evangelical world has thought better of that command and they have replaced lifting up Jesus with "enticing words of men's wisdom"(men's wisdom - an oxi-moron). But with all the sales strategies, the drawing cards, the deceitful promises, the feel good messages, and the verbal messaging designed to make the narrow road wide, the church world has made Jesus an appendage and a sidelight. He is neither. Can a person be saved because they've been promised Jesus would help their finances, or heal their marriage, or heal their body, or any other spurious promise? It is an incredibly dangerous gospel that entices sinners with what Jesus can do for their earthly life and obscures His only offer of eternal life. You see the true gospel calls us to FORSAKE OUR EARTHLY LIVES AND FOLLOW JESUS!!
Jesus didn't promise to make Peter a better fisherman, or make Matthew a better tax collector, and indeed He called them to leave their earthly attachments. God didn't help Paul with his oratory, or his health, or certainly not his finances. All those things were "dung" because these men had seen Jesus. That's the problem today, even preachers haven't seen Jesus with the eyes of their heart and they preach another Jesus, an American, capitalist Jesus. The average evangelical church used to preach a steady diet of the cross, but today try and find an entire message on the cross. They are so ashamed of the Suffering Savior they gave Him an "extreme makeover" so people would like Him. They are ashamed to be spit upon with Him; they are ashamed to be mocked with Him; they are ashamed to be rejected with Him; they are ashamed to be born in a cattle stall with Him; they are ashamed to be scourged with Him; they are ashamed to be called "Beelzebub" with Him; they're ashamed of everything about Him so they lie about Him! Our Wonderful and Glorious Savior infinitely humbled Himself for our sake but carnal men parade their fallen intellects for deceived listeners to applaud and follow, and yet they claim to represent Jesus.
In the midst of a putrefying, blasphemous, perverted, greedy, adulterous, and wretched culture these men are honored by this same culture, but Jesus whom they claim to represent wasn't honored but murdered. If these men had been the preachers in the book of Acts there never would have been any "Foxe's Book of Martyrs". King Agrippa would have been a Sunday School teacher; Cornelius wouldn't have needed conversion; Herod would have been welcomed to say a few words in the church every election year; Alexander would have been commissioned to help decorate the church, and Rick Warren would have spoken at the annual convention of the Judaizers to help them grow. They have massacred our Blessed Lord and in so doing they have stripped Him of who He is and removed true worship for millions who have never known the living and true Christ. Preachers line their pockets, homosexual churches by the thousands, rock stars speak at Christian conventions, salvation without Jesus, and clowns lead worship. Churchgoers by the millions who read as much Bible during the week as Hugh Hefner attend the service and feel good. That's right, many have cursed, drank, watched cable, didn't pick up the Bible, and filled their lives throughout the week with selfish pleasures and yet they leave the service happy? The apostle John, who had so often reclined on Jesus' chest, fell down as though dead in the presence of the exalted, Risen Christ! Where is that Jesus today?
So what is our calling? We must not only "contend earnestly for the faith" but we must also press on, press in, and press toward Jesus Himself. I have personally found it easier to see the error in these false teachers than to pray for an hour. Come on, be honest. While we expose this "falling away" let us lay ourselves prostrate on God's Holy Altar and let the Sword of the Spirit rend our hearts and fill it to overflowing in obedience and worship to the Lord who opened our eyes as He changed our lives. We must never lose sight of the fact that there is a multitude of lost people who know nothing of these ecclesiastical battles, and they desperately need to know our wonderful Lord and Savior before it is too late. And finally our eternal enemy is not flesh and blood by any name, it is Lucifer himself. And though the entire world forsake the Lord Jesus we must be vigilant and faithful to love Him, follow Him, and preach His Word to the uttermost parts of the world!
What is it to deny Jesus before men? It not only means a total denial as did Peter, but there is now a raging but ever so subtle denial that much of the church has bought into, no matter how well intentioned. Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me". But somehow the evangelical world has thought better of that command and they have replaced lifting up Jesus with "enticing words of men's wisdom"(men's wisdom - an oxi-moron). But with all the sales strategies, the drawing cards, the deceitful promises, the feel good messages, and the verbal messaging designed to make the narrow road wide, the church world has made Jesus an appendage and a sidelight. He is neither. Can a person be saved because they've been promised Jesus would help their finances, or heal their marriage, or heal their body, or any other spurious promise? It is an incredibly dangerous gospel that entices sinners with what Jesus can do for their earthly life and obscures His only offer of eternal life. You see the true gospel calls us to FORSAKE OUR EARTHLY LIVES AND FOLLOW JESUS!!
Jesus didn't promise to make Peter a better fisherman, or make Matthew a better tax collector, and indeed He called them to leave their earthly attachments. God didn't help Paul with his oratory, or his health, or certainly not his finances. All those things were "dung" because these men had seen Jesus. That's the problem today, even preachers haven't seen Jesus with the eyes of their heart and they preach another Jesus, an American, capitalist Jesus. The average evangelical church used to preach a steady diet of the cross, but today try and find an entire message on the cross. They are so ashamed of the Suffering Savior they gave Him an "extreme makeover" so people would like Him. They are ashamed to be spit upon with Him; they are ashamed to be mocked with Him; they are ashamed to be rejected with Him; they are ashamed to be born in a cattle stall with Him; they are ashamed to be scourged with Him; they are ashamed to be called "Beelzebub" with Him; they're ashamed of everything about Him so they lie about Him! Our Wonderful and Glorious Savior infinitely humbled Himself for our sake but carnal men parade their fallen intellects for deceived listeners to applaud and follow, and yet they claim to represent Jesus.
In the midst of a putrefying, blasphemous, perverted, greedy, adulterous, and wretched culture these men are honored by this same culture, but Jesus whom they claim to represent wasn't honored but murdered. If these men had been the preachers in the book of Acts there never would have been any "Foxe's Book of Martyrs". King Agrippa would have been a Sunday School teacher; Cornelius wouldn't have needed conversion; Herod would have been welcomed to say a few words in the church every election year; Alexander would have been commissioned to help decorate the church, and Rick Warren would have spoken at the annual convention of the Judaizers to help them grow. They have massacred our Blessed Lord and in so doing they have stripped Him of who He is and removed true worship for millions who have never known the living and true Christ. Preachers line their pockets, homosexual churches by the thousands, rock stars speak at Christian conventions, salvation without Jesus, and clowns lead worship. Churchgoers by the millions who read as much Bible during the week as Hugh Hefner attend the service and feel good. That's right, many have cursed, drank, watched cable, didn't pick up the Bible, and filled their lives throughout the week with selfish pleasures and yet they leave the service happy? The apostle John, who had so often reclined on Jesus' chest, fell down as though dead in the presence of the exalted, Risen Christ! Where is that Jesus today?
So what is our calling? We must not only "contend earnestly for the faith" but we must also press on, press in, and press toward Jesus Himself. I have personally found it easier to see the error in these false teachers than to pray for an hour. Come on, be honest. While we expose this "falling away" let us lay ourselves prostrate on God's Holy Altar and let the Sword of the Spirit rend our hearts and fill it to overflowing in obedience and worship to the Lord who opened our eyes as He changed our lives. We must never lose sight of the fact that there is a multitude of lost people who know nothing of these ecclesiastical battles, and they desperately need to know our wonderful Lord and Savior before it is too late. And finally our eternal enemy is not flesh and blood by any name, it is Lucifer himself. And though the entire world forsake the Lord Jesus we must be vigilant and faithful to love Him, follow Him, and preach His Word to the uttermost parts of the world!
Jesus, we are not ashamed of you. We are sometimes ashamed of people, sometimes the church, and sometimes we are ashamed of ourselves.
BUT WE ARE NEVER ASHAMED OF YOU - YOU ARE EXALTED FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posts
17 comments:
Well said Rick! You know, this should be obvious, but the fact the pastor at that Luteran Church in Florida had a Clown Led Worship Service last Sunday means that they just don't get it. Why? Do they know the real Jesus? If they did, then why are they making a mockery of their calling? Why do they invent a Jesus of their own imaginations. Again, well said and I completly agree with your final lines of:
Jesus, we are not ashamed of you. We are sometimes ashamed of people, sometimes the church, and sometimes we are ashamed of ourselves.
BUT WE ARE NEVER ASHAMED OF YOU - YOU ARE EXALTED FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amen!!!!
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
Praising the one true God who cannot be stripped of His glory...
When Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices... "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"... When the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" Jesus replied "I tell you...if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Luke 19
May He raise up from the ashes, sinners turned saints, to proclaim His glory...those who are so captivated by His brilliance, they cannot contain His praise.
Regarding today's brand of martrys, you must see this:
http://www.sacredsandwich.com/advertisement14.htm
I agree wholeheartedly. I too was raised a Baptist but didn't really follow it until my heart attack almost 3 yrs ago in September. (Yes I took Vioxx.) I have studied the Bible being led by the Holy Spirit. I've also had numerous dreams but some of them are just scary to think about. I believe that if someone wants to turn their lives over to Christ, you are to follow EXACTLY what is in the Bible and not make a mockery of it like those who don't read the first chapter of Romans where it talks about homosexuality. I read and study at least 5 hours a day by relating verses throughout the Bible. In my dream, just before my heart attack, Jesus Christ sat with me and taught me how to properly pray by opening the book to Matthew 6. I just don't remember what his face looked like. It's an eye opening experience to get a visit from Christ himself. I will always stand for my faith in Jesus and will never be ashamed of it. I pray for the lost souls of this world.
Rick,
I am humbled. thank you
Ugh. Your remark about the Clown Led worship is entirely unfounded, uninformed, and ignorant. Maybe you should try attending the service. Sorry, that was a horrible idea. As a Baptist, it would probably cause you to implode, seeing as it's a new and innovative idea, and Baptists don't take kindly to those(I was a baptist for 18 years). The people who run that service know Jesus extremely well, and I'm inclined to question as to whether or not you do. I think it was Jesus who said, "Judge not."
Pharisee.
I have an unlocked jailbroken iPhone that I am going to sell. How can I clear all of my personal information from the phone before I sell the phone without having to relock/unlock the phone again?
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