Accept All or Separate and Expose?

This status from Joel Osteen Ministries was recently shared with me.  “Galatians 5 says, “Don’t think that your group is the only one that’s right.” We’re all missing it somewhere. The main thing is that we agree that Jesus is the Son of God, He rose from the dead, and now He’s our Savior. Let your love for others be bigger than what church they belong to.”

At first glance it seems to be a neat statement that would bring peace to many a situation, yet as I considered it I felt I needed to respond to it.  Here is my response.

Joel,

Yes, we are thankful for those who minister the gospel of Jesus Christ, and for those who have Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Unfortunately it is not as simple as this quote makes it sound.

I do not want to come across as proud, in fact, I humbly realize that those who teach will receive a stricter judgment (James 3:1) yet this is where God has lead me.  As a teacher of scripture I have a great responsibility and do not want to hear what Christ told the Pharisees in that they were making their followers “twice children of hell.”  (Mt. 23:15)  So if I am missing it somewhere I want someone to come along and show me the scripture I am violating and help me to understand it because I do not want to lead anyone astray.

Yet, Jesus (Mt. 7:15) and Paul (Acts 20:29) both warned of wolves who would come in sheep’s clothing.  Paul warned twice in two consecutive verses in Galatians 1:8-9 about those who would preach a different gospel.  You see there are churches that teach that because Jesus died on the cross all are going to heaven.  This is universalism and it is contrary to the truth of John 3:16 and many other passages.  Christ’s blood is sufficient for those who have put their faith in Christ for salvation but not for those who do not. (Rom. 5:1ff)   There are also those churches that teach that you must have works on top of your salvation so they are not trusting in Christ alone but Christ and works too!  This seems to be the entire theme of Galatians.

There are churches that do not believe that Jesus was born of a virgin. If He was not born of a virgin then he too is a sinner and therefore was not the perfect sacrifice for us.  Rom. 5:12ff.

There are churches also that do not believe that Jesus is God (John 1:1).  If he is not God he is a liar and therefore would once again not be able to be our sacrifice.

You see, we are encouraged by the Bereans of Acts 17:11 who searched the scriptures to see if what the preachers were preaching was consistent with what the prophets had written.  We too need to search the scriptures to make sure that the preachers today are preaching truth as well.  Yet, there are many pastors who seldom refer to scripture and many professing believers who do not even take their Bible to church open it or open it when they get home to see if the preacher is really speaking the truth of scripture.  In regards to this I just read through ten different translations/paraphrases of Galatians 5 (NKJV, AV, NEB, NAB ESV, NET, LEB, HCSB, NLT, NRSB) .  The point of the passage is not to accept anyone else’s view of how to get to heaven, rather Paul is rebuking the Galatians for being lead away from the truth and is challenging to come back to the gospel.  The fruit of their lives would reveal whether they were walking in the flesh or in the spirit and we are challenged to walk in the spirit!

So in closing we are grateful for those who teach the whole counsel of God faithfully proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and challenging those who repent to live lives that bring glory to God because of their separation from the world.  But regarding those who twist the truth and preach another gospel we have to separate from them and expose them.

Sincerely,

Larry, a country preacher.

Let Them Decide!

Some parents are so controlling! They make their kids learn so many things as they run their lives for them.   I’ve seen parents make their kids eat fruits and vegetables, instead of just putting them out with the Hershey bars, candy, and soda.  This seems overbearing surely they can decide for themselves, if we just expose them to all the food choices that are available.

Other parents are really hung up on academics they make their children learn colors, letters, sounds, numbers  and them expect them to agree that 2 x 2 =4.  These parents just want their kids to be boxed-in in life.  Surely we can just let them have a crayon, pen, pencil, and paper and they can decide for themselves if they really think a system of communication with symbols, or letters is necessary.  It is not like we as parents know everything.

There are even multiple parents I have seen that make their children take a bath, with soap, and even wash behind their ears.  This is just over the top!  How dictatorial can a parent be?   Any kid, given time, can find water, and some kind of cleaner to use, if they think it is necessary and important to themselves.

By now, most of those reading this column are really upset, or have figured out that I am being pretty sarcastic.  Yet, parents that are involved in their kids temporal lives giving all kinds of guidance from baths, to diet, to their education, never spend any time helping prepare them for eternity.  They say, “I am going to let them decide.”  Many of them do not realize that Jesus made this declaration, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes unto the Father but by me.” (Jn. 14:6, KJV)  They have not kept the command of Ephesians 6:4, to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (NKJV)

Many who are great parents academically, and physically, never put any effort into spiritually training their children.  They are not only disobedient to the Scriptures but send their children off to “decide” on their own without giving them any direction.  A parent who would never want any physical harm come to their child sends that same child off into a Christ-less eternity to suffer damnation forever!

The following six weeks on Sunday Mornings at 10:30 we will be studying the topic, “Dealing with Dysfunction”.  Principles will be covered that will help bring Biblical answers to everyday problems that parents face but seldom use, to “bring their children up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

(This article was published in the pastor's column of the Rushville Times.)

End of Year Evaluation, New Year Motivation

Another Christmas is past and the year draws to a close.   Families all around are cleaning out the remnants of Christmas.  Let me encourage you as you do to evaluate whether Christ had first place this past Christmas, and whether he had first place this past year.

Yes, the New Year is a great time to evaluate our lives.  Where have we been and where are we headed?  This takes some careful examination.  Imagine a ship or plane captain that is only one or two degrees off as they chart their course over the Atlantic.  It seems like it makes no difference yet when they reach shore they will find they are hundreds of miles from where they had planned.

Life is similar.  We must carefully examine where we are going.  What may seem OK from a daily perspective in light of eternity may find us far from where we thought we were headed.

One of the first things to examine is how much am I allowing the Word of God to impact my life.  It should be our compass that helps us determine where we are headed.  Not only do we have the responsibility to be reading and studying the Bible but we have the responsibility to be under the teaching of God’s Word on a regular basis.

Some evaluation questions to help me see how I am doing:

11.   Have I been reading/studying God Word on my own?

22.   Am I faithfully attending Church?

33.   If so, are the messages at church driven by teaching of Scripture based upon the message of the original author to the original recipients?  Or are they based more upon the opinions of the speaker?

44.   Do the people that attend church with me have a passion for the Scriptures?  Do they bring their Bibles to church with them? Are they following along in their Bibles as the pastor preaches? Do they get concerned if the message of day is not based upon the text of Scripture?

55.   Am I willing to respond to the teaching of God’s Word and personal study?  Do I confess and forsake sin?  Am I concerned with being obedient to Jesus Christ?

66.   And most importantly, have I place my faith in Christ by asking forgiveness of my sin believing that Jesus Christ blood is the only thing sufficient to cleanse me and make me acceptable to God?  To trust in anything else whether it is baptism or any other works will not work.  In Revelation 20:13- 15 God’s Word makes it clear that at the final judgment all those judged on their works alone will be cast into the Lake of Fire.  It is those who put their faith in Christ that are saved by God’s grace(Eph. 2:8-9).

I hope that these few words help you set your course straight for the next year and many to come.