|
|
Navigation: Home > Current
April 14, 2011
Last Updated: 4/23/12
Accessed 1765 times
Burdens on My Heart
By Dane Gardow
This is where I will post some of the burdens and grievances that have been placed upon my heart. I have been greatly burdened and grieved by what I have seen among those who profess to be Christians, and the way in which their behavior and lifestyles have brought reproach upon Jesus Christ and upon His church. Such has robbed unbelievers of the opportunity of seeing the Lord exalted among His people and so be inclined to inquire of Him, and has given them occasion to blaspheme.
Click here to leave a comment or share your burdens.
- Valentines day—a perfect day for this reminder: Ladies, you belong to no man other than either your father or your husband. That's it. Guys, no girl in the world is yours except your wife or your daughters. Those who protest have bought into the lies of this corrupt culture. Keep this in mind.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. ~ Genesis 2:24
Nothing screams uncivilized savagery in the eyes of this godless culture more than what has been said here. The funny thing is, all one has to do is look at this culture and what it has produced. Look at all the broken marriages, divorces, and everything else that this culture is responsible for, at what the "wisdom" and ways of this culture, and what its social sciences and psychologies have produced. You won't have to look long to realize that this culture really has no place or authority whatsoever to either offer counsel and advice or cast judgment upon the wisdom of God and His word regarding headship, how the family is to operate, and the roles of men and women.
The people of this world and of this culture have every prerogative to protest and to live how they will. That's understandable. Pagans will be pagans. But for those who profess to be Christians, who profess to submit under the lordship of Jesus Christ, who profess to believe in and follow the Holy Scriptures and word of God, they have no right to therefore go on living just like the pagans and no different than those who are lost.
11:52 AM 02/14/12 - I have found that godless media is a means of release whereby professing Christians can indulge in and enjoy the sins God hates without, so they think, outwardly compromising their religiosity and subsequent standing before and safety in God. As Pastor Paul Washer has pointed out (in his sermon, "Dating, Courtship, and Marriage"), many think Christianity is about doing all the righteous things you hate, and avoiding all the wicked things you love, in order to be right with God and go to Heaven. But that's dead religion. Christianity is loving the righteous things God esteems and hating the sins God condemns; and so the natural response and affection for those who have been regenerated is to hate those things God condemns; things like these wouldn't even be an issue. And, as Christ has forewarned, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21).
08:33 PM 01/07/12 - Preaching the gospel, not music, is the means God has ordained for the salvation of sinners. Godly, God-glorifying music rich in theology and the gospel aids to this end, but it most certainly is not the end. You do not by any means win sinners to music. Many false converts have been brought into "Christianity" precisely by music. You never should seek to win people to music. You win people to Christ and Christ alone; anything else is idolatry. But regarding the importance of God-glorifying music I mean this: When unbelievers see you so joyously singing of your God, in love with Him, and praising His tender mercies, His righteousness, etc., that speaks wonders, as opposed to you rocking out and "singing praises" to the world they already idolize, they see the power of God through that; so that when you do preach the gospel to them, they are able to see the evidence of it, the outworking of it, the transformation of it. There is simply no evidence or transformation of a Christian who loves "Christian" music that loves and promotes the world. But any Christian or so-called Christian band that is trying to win people to Christ with music and not the gospel message, period, should immediately stop what they're doing. Because they are idolaters, and are only making idolaters.
08:32 PM 01/07/12 - Christians: When's the last time you were overjoyed with a song, or bought an album, strictly because it exalted the glory of Jesus Christ? Or do you find your pleasure in music that sounds and tries to be just like this world? I'm sorry, but Flyleaf, Superchick, As I Lay Dying, Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, etc., just don't make the cut. If you don't think you'll be singing, "Come on, let's kick it, let's all get wicked" (lyrics from one of Thousand Foot Krutch's songs) in Heaven for eternity at the throne before the thrice holy God, then…I'm not a genius or anything…it's probably not something you should be polluting your mind with. I must warn all of you: beware, music is a massive idol in this culture, and it may be possible that it is an idol that you may be serving.
If a band does not exalt Christ, I don't want anything to do with it! The question to ask regarding a band is this: Do they exalt Jesus Christ and proclaim His name and gospel? Any band that purposes to please both Christians and the world is not a good band by any means. This is called riding the fence. A good band is one that glorifies Christ, edifies the saints, and aids in the conversion of sinners (like Paul's singing in the jail); a band that promotes the same exact world that unbelievers are in love with is a sell out, and I stand by that. Alot of the music you're listening to promotes this corrupt world. And I can tell you that if you like such lyrics, your mind is being defiled, and you're doing exactly what Romans 12:2 says not to do. Even if your music uses Bible lingo, if it tries to look, sound, and act like the world, it's of the world. It's not rocket science.
You need to weigh all the music and media you place before your eyes with the Scriptures, and hold to all that aligns with it, and remove all that contradicts. If you love music that does not glorify God, edify the saints, or aid in the conversion of sinners, you need to evaluate yourself and your desires. The sad mistake many of you make is assuming that being worldly is directly opposed to Scripture verses, religious talk, or Christian terms. This is a fatal mistake. Worldliness is not absence of religion, it is the seeking to mix religion with the world.
Many of these so-called Christian bands are sell outs, trying to be just like the world. They're trying to keep their idols, and justify their idols by tagging "Christian" to it. They aid in the conformity to the world and keep sinners lost and in love with their sins. They try to make Christianity "look cool" and no different from the world. They are saltless salt, worthless, and good for nothing, and if you listen to them long enough, you will become just like that. If these bands wish to tarry in Sodom, then leave them! But you get out, do not hestitate, or you, too, will be carried away. Remember Lot's wife. If you will maintain no difference with the world, you are simply of the world. It's that simple; again, it's not rocket science.
If you're in love with God, you'll want to sing of Him and His attributes. What you are in love with will come out of your mouth and will enter into your ears. It's that simple. If you're loving all the garbage and filth this world offers, even if some carnal "Christian" comes along starting a band and calling it a Christian band, then you're simply reflecting your heart and its desires. Now I'm no standard, but I remember when I was a baby convert, newly converted within months, I was intrigued about this Jesus Christ, and wanted to hear His people sing about Him. I began listening to an online Christian radio. I heard such songs like Dennis Jernigan's "You are my All in All" and was floored. I didn't have time to listen to all the wicked stuff I used to as an unbeliever, I was too infatuated with hearing about the Lord.
It is simply preposterous to think that a true Christian will use his or her gifts of music to create music, or desire to listen to music, that glorifies this world, and not Christ and His gospel. You may buy into this lie, but I won't. Any so-called Christian band that makes much of this world, and worldliness, and trying to blend their Christianity with the world, is a sell-out. And any so-called Christian band that takes the secular music route, and begins to sing and praise things that are secular, instead of God and His gospel, is simply showing their true colors. Jesus made this very clear. Every tree will be known by its fruit; what comes out of the mouth reveals what's truly in the heart; and where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Again, you may not exercise the discernment we're commanded to have in these things, but I will.
Though there is nothing evil or sinful about music in and of itself, it becomes sinful when the counsel and worldview behind the lyrics, the lyrics themselves, and the things glorified in the music in general do not align with the word, will, and law of God. And when music does not align with these things, it should be avoided by true Christians, regardless if the bands claim to be Christian. And this is not an issue of conviction or conscience, but is mandated by Scripture itself. Scripture pronounces blessing upon those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and likewise curses those who do. When you take pleasure in the ungodly conversation of the wicked who are in your midst, you are doing what the blessed man of Psalm 1 does not do. And this also permeates into the realm of entertainment. If you take pleasure listening to carnal "Christians" sing about their idols and, perhaps, God (every now and then), then you are also walking in the counsel of the wicked in this, and taking pleasure in it as well.
08:25 PM 01/07/12 - "The cross is going to judge everything in your life: your eating, your drinking, your sleeping, your spending, your talking. Everything is cross examined!" ~ Leonard Ravenhill. Too bad all of these things, and more, go largely unchecked by the cross in the lives of many who profess Christ. We want Christ's blessings but will have nothing to do with His law…shame. The other day I was thinking about how many churchgoers know that yes, in order to be saved, one must "repent and believe." They know the lingo. But they don't understand just what repentance is truly about and its implications and effects in a person's life; same with faith. I have grown increasingly weary seeing the compartmentalization of these things, and of spiritual matters, period. And it is such a grievous burden to see and know that there are many unregenerate pastors leading even more unregenerate church people.
08:24 PM 01/07/12 - The wicked, apostate Jews of old sacrificed their children to Molech and Baal, by burning them in the fire…and so many professing Christians today sacrifice their children to the corrupt passions and desires of this wicked world, and they are burned and burning, as a result, with lust and lasciviousness…through the media that promotes godlessness and through evil company.
08:24 PM 01/07/12 - Blessed are those who are…poor in spirit…who mourn…who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We will never be in a position where we do "as we ought" or are acceptable; there is always need of greater measures of the Holy Spirit, greater progress in holiness, greater discipline unto godliness, etc. By all means, we are accepted in the Beloved according to the righteousness and work of Christ, but the outpouring of the grace of God that saved and justified us apart from anything we have done or will ever do, causes us to ever long for Christ and to be conformed to Him.
08:23 PM 01/07/12 - I am greatly angered and grieved at church people who don't make much of Jesus Christ in their every day, Monday-Saturday (and even Sunday) lives, in normal conversations, motives, aspirations, longings, and desires. It dishonors Christ who deserves and has commanded such worship; it brings reproach on the church; and it robs dear sinners who need Christ from seeing Him so exalted that they might be drawn to Him. Remember this: if the bronze serpent is not raised up, those who have been bitten and doomed to die will not see Him and live.
08:23 PM 01/07/12 - I wish more Christians would sound like this: "Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, for You filled me with indignation" (Jer. 15:16-17). "Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law" (Ps. 119:53). There's no concept of such things among many professing Christians. They don't even have the discernment to know what wickedness is, and so have no problem heaping up friends for themselves, who profess Christ, but who are as wicked as wicked can be; because many of them in fact do sit in the circle of merrymakers and mockers. I've been charged with legalism so many times before, for embracing, and challenging others to embrace, God's law (as opposed to man-made traditions, which is what legalism really is). And for the simple love of it, not a means to gain anything. Blessed are those who…hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is a tremendous burden and grief on my heart, and I have grown weary of it.
08:21 PM 01/07/12 - Why count all things loss when you can just tag "Christian" to it and hold on to all your worldly pleasures enjoyed by the rest of the unregenerate? This is what many who profess Christ say with their lifestyles and the things they take pleasure in. Leave Sodom, and come out from among them and be separate! Or leave the unregenerate justified in their perverse indulgences by taking pleasure in the very same things they enjoy, and so bring reproach upon the name of God which you bear, and upon His church. Or, honor the Lord your God by walking diligently and carefully in His statutes, exposing the unfruitful works of darkness instead of fellowshipping with them, that you may glorify the name of Christ and exalt His church, and leave those who reject Him condemned without excuse.
08:20 PM 01/07/12 - Some have divorced Christ in order to be married to this world. Others, most blessed, have divorced this world to be married to Christ. But many, how dreadful it is, seek to remain married to the one while embracing the other. Such adulteresses!
08:19 PM 01/07/12 - One of the greatest problems with evangelicalism today is so many assuming that they or others are saved, based not on Scripture or the evidence and assurance of salvation given by it, but on the context of the majority of professing Christians and the way and manner in which they live. This is most especially true with pastors as well. And so the warning in 2 Corinthians 10:12 becomes a reality as we compare ourselves by ourselves instead of according to the word of God. This needs to stop! In the words of Pastor Paul Washer, "You don't tell men they are saved; you tell men how to be saved. God tells them they're saved." If you look around and see the vast majority of people who call themselves Christians—matter of fact, if you see unbelievers as well—doing the same things, taking pleasure in the same things, listening to and watching the same things, etc., that you do, what is the outcome? If you're among the majority, how can you possibly have assurance, especially when Jesus said the majority of people who claim Him are actually lost (Matt. 7:13-14, 21-23)?
08:18 PM 01/07/12 - "God is near to their lips, but far from their mind" (Jer. 12:2). Nevermind that you go to church, sing hymns, or claim Jesus as Lord. Who or what is the continual object of your thoughts? What do you think about most; is it God and His law, or things which God hates and His law condemns? Many, in whose lips God is near—but whose minds God is far—will be rejected by Christ on the day of judgment (Matt. 7:21-23).
08:17 PM 01/07/12 - The meditation of the Lord's word will be "day and night" (Ps. 1:2); as opposed to being restricted to Bible study or Bible reading. For example, while at work, having the Lord and His word run through your mind as you do your activities, renewing your mind that He commands us to be diligent to serve those over us as though it was to the Lord, for His sake, will impact the way you view work and carry it out. Driving on the road, meditating upon the word of God will impact the way you respond to other drivers, as you contemplate James 1:19 teaching, "Everyone must be…slow to anger." A husband continually renewing his mind with the word of God, regarding his love for his wife, and meditating upon his example, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love and affection with which He nourishes His bride, will impact the way in which a husband treats his wife; and other such examples. And then it will permeate and invade our realm of media and entertainment as well. As we are constantly renewed in the word and will of God, with the law of the Lord being brought to mind as it is in our heart, written there by God Himself upon conversion, we will be grieved to see things that violate it, even on stage. When God's name is blasphemed, we will be incited to indignation. And if we are dull in these areas, it is because we have not been renewing our minds in the word of God as commanded by Paul; and it is wise to take heed to Paul's exhortation in Romans. 12:2. O how I desire this to be a reality in the lives of all who profess Christ! This is such a burden on my heart.
08:16 PM 01/07/12 - Far be it from us who name the name of Christ to profess Him and attend His worship on Sunday and yet for the rest of the week fill our minds, our time, and our lives with the things God hates especially with regard to the media we delight in. Thus says the Lord: "Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and…walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in [My] house…and say, 'We are delivered!'—that you may do all these abominations?" (Jer. 7:9-10). You are guilty of such sins not just if you commit them yourself but if you so much as approve of them (Rom. 1:32).
08:15 PM 01/07/12 - Every Christian ought to have the goal of living in such a way so as to cause unbelievers to wonder in amazement and ask within themselves just what is so great about this Jesus that He is so highly sought after, that He has consumed the thoughts, words, desires, and life of those who joyfully name His name. I read in early church history how the pagans were bewildered at how the Christians worshiped this man called Jesus. Could this generation not be known for being exhilarated with Christ as well? But with a generation totally consumed with this world and culture, such a thing is too much to ask! I am grieved that this "Jesus and Him crucified" is a foreign concept among the church culture, in which Jesus and His word are not the forefront of their thoughts, nor the center and substance of their daily and normal conversations, nor the source of their delight and joy. Instead, things of this world, like the newest fads, movies, songs by worldly musicians, etc., are the forefront and center of their thoughts and conversations and the source of their delight and joy. You leave unbelievers justified in their sins when they see you promoting and delighting in the very same things they enjoy, and you rob them of the opportunity to see Christ alone gloried in, delighted in, exhilarated in, and highly exalted among His people!
08:15 PM 01/07/12 - It's amazing that while the vastness of the infinitude of the heavens cannot contain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, He's not enough to totally consume the thoughts, conversations, and lives of many who profess to know Him.
08:14 PM 01/07/12 - Many are "Christian" in their church songs, prayers, professions of faith, Facebook status updates, etc., but wholly godless in their music, movies, TV shows, video games, and the like. God is in their Sundays and, perhaps, Wednesdays, but He and His law are found nowhere in the things they readily place before their eyes.
08:14 PM 01/07/12 - Many professing Christians know of or about Jesus but they don't know Him. Don't tell me you know Him when you haven't walked with Him, talked to Him in prayer, or learned from Him in His word. He is the One whom angels praise and for whom men give up all to gain. And if He's merely reserved for your "Bible time," after which you go on to "normal" things and conversations, it's a good chance you might not know Him at all. He is not an appendage and He is not a conversation restricted to sermons, Bible studies, etc. The Scriptures declare Him to be our very life (Col. 3:4). He is the essence of our being (Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:21). For many professing Christians, to live is not Christ but worldly pursuits and sentiments which contradict His law and commandments.
08:14 PM 01/07/12 - If you do not entertain the thought of the possibility of you falling away—not that you lose salvation but that the salvation you thought you had was never a reality—then you are treading dangerously, blindly, and foolishly on a path that straddles destruction, and doing something not even the apostle Paul did. Lk 8:13; 1Cor 9:27; 2Cor 13:5; Heb 3:6, 14; 10:38-39; 1Tim 1:19; 4:1; Rom. 11:22; 2Pet 1:10, etc. It is the perseverance of the saints…not "once saved always saved." A better phrase would be "IF saved always saved." If you fall into worldliness, carnality, or heresy, you are demonstrating lack of perseverance; and if you continue on in like manner, give great indication you are lost, and were never saved to begin with. And someone might say, "You're teaching you must work for salvation"; but I say, "Your salvation is evidenced by your working" (James 2:20; Phil. 2:12-13). And I'm not saying we must live cynic, pessimistic, doubting lives, always doubting our salvation; but we must not live delusional and complacent lives either, totally void of any discernment regarding biblical truth and practice as evidenced in our lives. We have great hope and assurance in Christ alone as our Rock, if we repent and believe the gospel; but this is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing, enduring, and progressive reality. And I must emphasize that the issue here is NOT about missing out on rewards, but of being in danger of eternal hellfire. The reward or prize that is set before us in the race, the crown we receive at the end, is immortality and eternal life; and therefore, to miss out on this, is to enter into damnation.
08:11 PM 01/07/12 - We are commanded to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us…but oh how many of us will ever be asked in the first place! Seeing that many of us hardly make much of Jesus Christ in our lives, they will never be compelled to ask because they never see us consumed with Him or overjoyed by His word as demonstrated in our daily thoughts, conversations, motives, acts, and everything else. For example, if you had a tape recorder that recorded everything you said and talked about this day, how much of it would be about Christ, His word, or spiritual matters? We look just like they do, we love the things they love, and do the things they do. We talk like they talk and are so attached to the things they are attached to. That we tag "Christian" to ourselves, go to church, and, just maybe, read the Bible here and there, does not constitute being a Christian and most definitely not light and salt. As Christians we are to be crucified to the world and the world crucified to us. That means that just as the people abominated the vile criminals left to hang on those crosses, so we are to esteem the world, and so ought the world esteem us. But instead of taking up our cross and being crucified, we drop the cross and sit along with the soldiers and play along in their gambling games.
08:10 PM 01/07/12 - Contemporary "Christian" musicians who try so hard to look, sound, dress, and "rock" just like the world are suitable for nothing and their music doesn't benefit anyone. Refusing to proclaim the name of Christ and articulate crucial doctrines in their songs, they neither edify the saints nor aid in the conversion of sinners. They amount to worthless salt that has no saltiness; they are lukewarm and detestable, sitting on the fence and trying to please both Christians and the unregenerate. It makes me sick. You look at how the apostle Paul's singing in the prison led to the conviction and conversion of the jailer. But take any one of these worldly musicians and a lost person will never be drawn to Christ by their music, because their music is promoting the lost person's world and way of life.
08:08 PM 01/07/12 - Here are seven things I have seen that are utterly neglected among many Christians that should never be neglected: 1) love for Christ (to the degree that consumes one's life, thoughts, and conversations); 2) love and reverence for His word (in panting and trembling after it, to read and meditate on it continually with fervent joy); 3) love and pursuit of holiness (conformity to the will, word, and law of God in all areas including thoughts, words, and deeds); 4) hatred of the world and of the conformity to it; 5) discernment regarding one's fruit and accountability regarding sin among believers; 6) ignorance of the actual gospel of Jesus Christ and of its demands, according to that as preached by the apostles and not according to that usually found on contemporary Christian "gospel" tracts; 7) steadfast devotion to prayer.
08:07 PM 01/07/12 - This is one of the things that utterly grieves my heart. Jesus Christ is bigger than the next best fad, the newest movie, hobbies, sports, or anything else. If you talk more about this world and the things in it more than you do about Christ and His word, there's probably a few idols in your life. Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. If the common denominator between Christians is God the Father through Jesus Christ, and not our hobbies, recreations, food we like, movies we see, sports, music we listen to, etc., then why are all our conversations and lives consumed with these things and not with Christ, His Word, His law, His worship, His gospel?! We casually glance over the fact that we've been forgiven of billions of sins that would have landed us under the eternal weight of God's fierce hatred and wrath in Hell and treat that as "Christian", "church", or "religious" stuff that's compartmentalized and reserved for church, Sunday school, or youth group discussion, or (if this even occurs) private devotions.
08:07 PM 01/07/12 - What gets me is those who call themselves Christians, who have the very word of the Almighty God, who is beauty personified, who came to die for His people, and who casts sinners into Hell, and yet are not filled with such zeal, obsession, reverence, fear, love, and joy in reading, studying, speaking about, obeying, and living it. Every true Christian ought to be described by Psalm 1:1-2.
08:07 PM 01/07/12 - Two things I hate: legalism and worldliness. There is no place for either in the church. Get them out! Both of them are equally repulsive. And it is not even like I'd rather have this over that. Both of them incorporate slavery: slavery to man-made traditions, and slavery to the corruption and desires of this perverse generation. There's a type of "Christian" that opposes "legalism" in the name of "freedom." But what they're truly opposing is obedience to Christ, and the so-called freedom they endorse is slavery to sin. And then there's the type that opposes "worldliness" in the name of "holiness." But what they're truly opposing is freedom in Christ, and the so-called holiness they endorse is bondage to man-made traditions. If something is forbidden by God's word and you do it, that's not freedom in Christ; that's slavery to sin. And when you try to justify it under the banner of Christ, that's called worldliness—trying to ride the fence, call yourself a Christian and be comfortable with the world. And then on the flip side. If something is not forbidden by God's word and you compel others to refrain, that's called legalism. Worldliness brings unity to the world; legalism brings division to the sheep.
08:05 PM 01/07/12 - Many professing Christians soothe their consciences regarding their unruly lifestyle unbecoming of Christian character with Paul's mention of the Corinthians being carnal in 1 Corinthians 3:3. However, they forget that Paul also warned that such carnally-minded men are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction (Phil. 3:17-19). Notice how Paul commands us to "note those who so walk" in the latter passage. The nominal Christian today would have you believe that no one can do such a thing, but that doing so would be "hypocritical", "legalistic", or "judgmental." We should note those who demonstrate a godly example of Christian character in order that we may see the difference between that and the character of those whose minds are set on carnal/earthly things. This is the true doctrine of the "Carnal Christian." There are two types of "Christians." The one who imitates Christ, following Paul's example, and the one whose mind is on earthly things. One is saved, the other is lost, who merely professes to be saved.
08:03 PM 01/07/12 - Many non-Christian idolaters put many of us Christians to shame with their diligence, discipline, and obsession for things like weight-lifting, money, entertainment, sex, cars, video games, TV shows, etc. Unbelievers wake up at 4 AM so they are able to lift weights an hour or two before work, or are so diligent to keep up with the latest fads. Where's our obsession for Christ or His word, His gospel, His kingdom? When's the last time we got up at 4 AM in order to be able to pray or be in the Word for an hour or two before going to work? Unbelievers labor so hard in order to be thoroughly well-versed with all the stats of their favorite football stars or teams…so where's our diligence to be thoroughly well-versed in the word of God and His works? Sadly, the world has demonstrated more love for their idols than many of us have for our Lord Jesus Christ.
08:02 PM 01/07/12 - Christian: when's the last time you got together with your Christian friends particularly to 1) study the Bible; 2) discuss theology; 3) go evangelizing; 4) pray?
Or have we ever done this? Why is it that this is unheard of by a majority of Christians? I'm not talking about church events either. I'm talking about leisure time after school, after work, outside church. Kickback time. Is it because our "Christianity" is compartmentalized and separated from the "normal" and "casual" and, instead, reserved merely for one day out of seven (and not even the whole day, at that)?
08:00 PM 01/07/12 - One of the greatest demises of the church today is the lack of biblical discernment and refusal of Christians to evaluate the fruits of professing Christians to discern a genuine or superficial believer. Many of you professing Christians should just rip Matthew 7 right out of your Bibles because that's exactly the effect of your words when you say, "We can't judge." No, we can judge, and we are commanded to judge (John 7:24; 1Cor. 5:12; Eph. 5:11). Those of you who refuse to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked are simply disobedient to the word of God (Matt. 7:17-20; Mal. 3:18). One of the reasons why many people refuse to exercise discernment, or forcefully oppose it when it comes around, is because they themselves are living in sin, and thus do not want to be exposed. "Don't judge," they say. "Just love one another"—and yet their idea of "love" is an emotional sentimentalism closer to being lust and self-indulgence than it is actual love. Don't be deceived by this warped thinking. Exercise discernment, like we are commanded to. You will be hated for it, but is that really any different than what the Lord Himself received? Jesus said, "The world…hates Me because I testify about it that its works are evil" (John 7:7). In the same way that the world hated Christ because He exposed its works as evil, so you, too, will be hated for exposing the unfruitful works of darkness that so many people would rather you take part in, in the name of their perverse understanding of "love." "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them" (Eph. 5:11).
07:24 PM 01/07/12 - Low-standard Christianity is not Christianity. No, it will not "just take 5 minutes to pray this prayer." It will cost you your entire life. Either you forsake all that you have, submitting it to Christ, or you cannot be His disciple.
07:23 PM 01/07/12 - Reading the Bible or quoting Scripture on Facebook does not make you a Christian. It is a changed heart that makes one a Christian. Where is your heart? Do you love the things God loves, or do you take pleasure in the things God hates? Upon what do you set your affections and spend your time? "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21). God makes His people "a new creature" in Christ (2Cor. 5:17). If you're still dwelling upon the wicked things this world froths at the mouth over, something is terribly wrong. It is important to understand that this isn't a small matter. this isn't something to shrug the shoulders at, not something to brush aside with the thought, "No one's perfect." The issue isn't about being perfect but being subjected to the sovereign power of God through conversion. God demonstrates more power in the conversion of one sinner than He does in the creation of an entire universe, and therefore God's work has side effects. It leaves a wake. You won't be made sinless or perfect but you will be left ravished and permanently changed.
07:14 PM 01/07/12 - When God regenerates a person, He shatters them to pieces and turns their whole world upside down. Anything less is a false convert! Too many people glance over texts like Romans 10:9. This isn't talking about a mere oral—let alone mental—acknowledgement. It's talking about a full-blown denial of self and sacrifice of everything. The context involves the Roman Empire that required you to confess "Caesar is Lord." To confess Jesus as Lord instead cost you your life. Many were crucified, speared to death, beheaded, fed to lions, burned alive, etc. A person won't willingly submit to that unless God has utterly ravished and changed them completely.
07:12 PM 01/07/12 - One is not a Christian merely by default according to country or parents, or because he might even say he believes in Jesus. A Christian is someone who has forsaken everything to follow Christ, who studies and believes His teachings, and obeys His commands. This is not perfection, but a deliberate, enduring, progressive lifestyle. And if this doesn't characterize your life, then you're not a Christian (Matt. 16:25; 19:27, 29; Luke 14:27, 33; John 8:31; 14:15).
07:12 PM 01/07/12 - How much love is a husband demonstrating toward his wife if he refuses to spend any time with her and instead spends it on other things elsewhere, leaving her at home by herself? Or what about a father who chooses to have more time for himself, refusing to spend it with his children? Likewise, how much time do we spend with Christ in private prayer, and how much love is demonstrated by this?
07:11 PM 01/07/12 - "Backsliding, generally, first begins with neglect of private prayer," ~ J.C. Ryle. If you are void of private prayer, then you are defiant of God's will (Rom. 12:12) and I would say you have most likely, unknowingly, already been treading down a slope of backsliding that began long ago.
07:09 PM 01/07/12 - I am sick of all the wishy-washy, feel-good, God-loves-everybody contemporary "Christian" music void of doctrine, Scripture, the name of Christ…produced by worldly, sensual, and spiritually and doctrinally shallow "Christian" musicians. When I say contemporary, I don't mean every single "contemporary" or current musicians. I just mean the common and typical bands that claim Christ and yet refuse to proclaim His name. Oh yes, they may make a reference to God with pronouns, "Him, He, etc." but they won't dare say "Jesus Christ."
I know many godless, wicked people who hate Christ and His church, and yet love these songs, and relate to them thinking of their boyfriends or girlfriends in the song when it's supposed to be talking about God. I'll call one such band out: Flyleaf. In some songs they have references to God or Jesus using pronouns but they never name them by name. I saw that the acoustic version of "Fully Alive" includes the name "Jesus," but in the version that was put in the market and sold in stores, doesn't have it. Why is that? Flyleaf has gone on tours with other wicked, blasphemous bands, and was featured in the satanic Ozzfest. This is nothing more of a sell-out band who wants to ride on the fence and be popular both with the Christian and secular crowds. I know many of the secular crowds take songs like Flyleaf's and attribute them to someone or something they idolize, when Flyleaf originally "intended" to be singing about "Jesus." So if Flyleaf and other bands were to name Christ instead of using "He/Him", people would not be able to do this; and the non-Christians would be infuriated. These bands would lose their secular fans.
The question to ask is in what way are they trying to minister? Are they trying to share the gospel, or meet the needs of the fans? Either way, their "ministry" is unbiblical. The only means of reaching the world with the gospel that God has ordained is the preaching of His word (Romans 10). So, if that's their motive, it's entirely unbiblical and a form of will-worship/will-service that caused such men as Nadab and Abihu to be destroyed by God Himself (Lev 10:1-3). If they're trying to meet the needs of longing, empty, secular fans, this too is entirely unbiblical. Christians are not to expend their gifts to the world; we are to edify the church. They should be ministering to the church. We evangelize the world but edify the church. Even Israel would not sing the songs of Zion to their enemies (Psalm 137:3-4).
07:04 PM 01/07/12 - A Christian's learning, retaining, and understanding of the word of God ought to be supernatural (1 John 2:27). Speaking solely of the evidence of salvation and not the means, if you haven't been growing in the knowledge of God and of His truth, then you're either: 1) neglecting God's word as your necessary food (Job 23:12; Matthew 4:4); 2) wasting your time with some vain, worldly things; 3) preoccupied with idols; 4) conforming to this world instead of constantly renewing your mind (Rom. 12:2); 5) not a true Christian (2Tim. 3:7-8).
07:04 PM 01/07/12 - I have found that when you dismantle "entertainment" from the top of your priorities (as it is placed there by default in our culture that revolves around it) and set devotion/love/obedience to God and the things He approves at the very top, your whole world will change.
07:03 PM 01/07/12 - Christians: your claims of hatred & intolerance for sin will be demonstrated true or false by the things you readily place before your eyes and ears and that which you delight in. This includes TV, movies, music, books, video games, hobbies, and everything else.
07:03 PM 01/07/12 - Just because you were baptized, or prayed a prayer, or confessed your sins to a priest, or even simply said you believe Jesus died for your sins does not mean you're a true Christian or you're going to Heaven. The evidence you've been saved is that you're living a lifestyle that's characterized by holiness and obedience to God (Matt. 7:21-23).
07:02 PM 01/07/12 - Christians: your friends will determine who you are. You like hanging out with godless, immodest, sensual, immoral people? You yourself are godless, immodest, sensual, and immoral. He who walks with the wise will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Bad company corrupts good morals. (Prov. 13:20; 1Cor. 15:33)
07:01 PM 01/07/12 - Christians, if you could take a tape recorder and record all the words you speak in a day, how much of that tape would be about or related to Jesus Christ? I submit to you that that tape would reveal who or what your God is.
07:01 PM 01/07/12 - Unbelievers fall in love and display more passion, love, and devotion for one another than you do, Christian, for your supposed Savior! They talk for hours on the phone, while we spend how many minutes reading His word? They think about one another all day, while we meditate on Him…do we at all? They long to see one another in delight, while we treat communion with Him in prayer as a duty?
07:00 PM 01/07/12 - The thing you talk most about, what you think most about, and you rejoice most about, is your god.
06:59 PM 01/07/12 - Christians, it's time to obey God and submit to your governments. Stop downloading illegally. Respect and reverence your president. Obey speed laws. "Whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God…and will receive condemnation" (Rom. 13:2).
06:59 PM 01/07/12 - The freedom Christ gives is the freedom to do what is right in God's eyes, not a license to sin. Those who persist in sins reveal they are enslaved to sin—and, if enslaved, have not experienced the freedom Christ gives.
06:42 PM 01/07/12
|
