Sunday, August 21, 2005
How Firm a Foundation?
Sermon for the churched and unchurched Church...
Recently, when I spoke of the church foundation in Lest Ye Be Judged and Biblical interpretation in Sermon for the…Church, I was referring to these basic beliefs that were being wrestled with in my church: Miracles, obedience, sin and the dependability of the Bible as a source of Truth in general. Except for miracles, these were all things my unbelieving friend has openly rejected. As for the miracles, there was a funky book about a healer she had read that didn’t mention prayer to God at these healings. I expressed my concern about that to her, so that’s as far as miracles went. To the point, the only difference between my friends in the church and this friend is the walls separating them. Ouch! Big ouch! I do not judge my friend. There is no need for that. Can you see the need for some shaping up (and maybe even shipping out) in what I am ashamed to call the church?! We’re talking the body of Christ, at least in profession, in confessions said every Sunday!
So, so many (all but one author I have ever read) push people toward the rotting structure with hardly a word on the dangers. Even Pope Benedict XVI reluctantly joined the Youth Party in Nazi Germany. Blessed with wisdom beyond his fourteen years, he thought better of it and escaped Hitler’s satanic clutches. The dictators of relativism disguised in the pulpits and Christian college classrooms are far more dangerous than the Hitlers and Stalins, Castros and Jung Ils. These political leaders didn’t pretend to be godly…they openly worshiped the State. The false teachers of today take people to their eternal deaths, something power mongers could not do. Oh death, where is thy sting? It is in tolerant churches!
So do we join the Youth Party because we are told we must? As for me and my house? We left the Party…I mean the church’s satanic clutches. Obviously, I’m not playing politics here. There is no couth in church bashing. I am not recommending leaving the church necessarily. I will say it is easier now than ever to continue growing, possibly faster, due to the information explosion through modern Christian media. If you're hungry like me, you probably won't have trouble getting your daily fill. Filtering it is an issue not to be taken lightly. The Word and listening for God’s affirmation are the life raft, the plumb line, the map and compass. Do not leave church without them, and for that matter, don’t enter church either, without God’s revelation lighting your path.
My 9-11 turning point was a prayer group in a tolerant church. It was before 9-11 so that any further turning in 2001 went unnoticed. I mean, this was a drastic wake-up call for me! The prayers were so mushy, watered down; I doubt they made it past the ceiling. Oh, God heard ‘em all right---and wept.
Recently, when I spoke of the church foundation in Lest Ye Be Judged and Biblical interpretation in Sermon for the…Church, I was referring to these basic beliefs that were being wrestled with in my church: Miracles, obedience, sin and the dependability of the Bible as a source of Truth in general. Except for miracles, these were all things my unbelieving friend has openly rejected. As for the miracles, there was a funky book about a healer she had read that didn’t mention prayer to God at these healings. I expressed my concern about that to her, so that’s as far as miracles went. To the point, the only difference between my friends in the church and this friend is the walls separating them. Ouch! Big ouch! I do not judge my friend. There is no need for that. Can you see the need for some shaping up (and maybe even shipping out) in what I am ashamed to call the church?! We’re talking the body of Christ, at least in profession, in confessions said every Sunday!
So, so many (all but one author I have ever read) push people toward the rotting structure with hardly a word on the dangers. Even Pope Benedict XVI reluctantly joined the Youth Party in Nazi Germany. Blessed with wisdom beyond his fourteen years, he thought better of it and escaped Hitler’s satanic clutches. The dictators of relativism disguised in the pulpits and Christian college classrooms are far more dangerous than the Hitlers and Stalins, Castros and Jung Ils. These political leaders didn’t pretend to be godly…they openly worshiped the State. The false teachers of today take people to their eternal deaths, something power mongers could not do. Oh death, where is thy sting? It is in tolerant churches!
So do we join the Youth Party because we are told we must? As for me and my house? We left the Party…I mean the church’s satanic clutches. Obviously, I’m not playing politics here. There is no couth in church bashing. I am not recommending leaving the church necessarily. I will say it is easier now than ever to continue growing, possibly faster, due to the information explosion through modern Christian media. If you're hungry like me, you probably won't have trouble getting your daily fill. Filtering it is an issue not to be taken lightly. The Word and listening for God’s affirmation are the life raft, the plumb line, the map and compass. Do not leave church without them, and for that matter, don’t enter church either, without God’s revelation lighting your path.
My 9-11 turning point was a prayer group in a tolerant church. It was before 9-11 so that any further turning in 2001 went unnoticed. I mean, this was a drastic wake-up call for me! The prayers were so mushy, watered down; I doubt they made it past the ceiling. Oh, God heard ‘em all right---and wept.
