The Devil is Politically Correct

Just think about for a moment…….

He pitches “many truths” (which of course is a lie) instead of “Absolute Truth” (who is Christ)

He pitches “many paths to God” (another lie) instead of “The Way” (which is Christ)

He pitches “reincarnation” (a string of endless “do-overs) instead of “it is appointed unto man once to die and the judgement.” (one life, no do-overs)

He pitches “tolerance” for every belief and lifestyle, except for belief in the Creator and His Word which instructs us how to live (which Satan deems as intolerant)

He pitches “you are control of your own destiny” without regards to God, instead of “God is in control and in His sovereignty chose to give us free will, but being omniscient knows the future” (all of it)

He pitches “self-sufficiency & self-dependence”, instead of “casting your cares upon God, and my God shall supply all your needs…..”

He pitches “your choice without consequences”, instead of [13] “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. [14] But 

small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

So you see, to align yourself with “Political Correctness” is to align yourself with the father of all lies, Satan.

Who in their right mind would do that? Only those who have succumbed to the “Strong Delusion” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12) Choose you this day who you will serve….as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

Am I Self Centered?

We all know what the obvious signs of self-centeredness look like. The general attitude is, “if it doesn’t benefit me directly, I don’t want bother with it”, or how about this one: “how dare that person inconvenience me, I’ve got the favor of God” (that one REALLY rubs me the wrong way!)

Nobody likes it when somebody else cuts them off to get the closer parking space, or races to get the “last one on the shelf”, or sits in “their” pew/seat, but I will maintain that these are possibly only manifested signs of a deeper sense of self-centeredness.

Many times in life, we are dealt a situation, incident, or condition that seems anything but fair; anything but what a “child of God” should have to go through. The scripture instructs in many places, and many scenarios to petition God through our prayers, the prayers of many, and intersession on someone else behalf. What most of us fail to realize is the term intercede does not mean we go before God with our demands, with a “He’s gotta do this or that”, all the time mis-quoting scripture completely out of context. Let’s get one thing straight, God is not subject to our whims, or even our understanding (or lack thereof), of His will.  God is sovereign and is not governed by anyone or anything external. The creation has no right to demand anything from the Creator.

So when we face the unfair, un-just, and just plain awful things in life, we should not view these situations as God being mean to us, or not caring; “He wills in us to do His good pleasure”, and the emphasis is HIS good pleasure. God’s greatest desire is not our comfort in this world, but to draw all men unto Himself, to have that restored fellowship with fallen mankind.

Miracles, the miraculous is a testimony unto the resurrection power of Christ Jesus, and in that fact there is no doubt. But the greater witness is the comfort given to us by the Holy Spirit, God's sustaining power being worked through us in the midst of life’s most difficult and gut-wrenching situations. There is more is more testimony through standing for Christ in adversity, than there is in a miracle soon forgotten by the unbeliever,

You see, to think that this life is all about our pleasure, our comfort, our desires, is self-centeredness; it’s a big fat lie from the pit of Hell! Our redeemed life in Christ, is all about Him, and His good pleasure, His will to draw all mankind unto Himself. Our reward is not in this life, but after-words in eternal life that He promises.

So next time you find yourself in a “situation”, ask God to “work in you to do His good pleasure”, that He may be glorified in whatever goes before you, in whatever He leads you through. For whatever He leads you to, He will lead you through.

9  Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 12 ¶  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 1 Peter 4:9-16 (KJV)

What is Success?

The English Dictionary has many expanded definitions for the word “Success”, but here is the primary definition: “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.”

The question arises, what is the picture of a successful ministry or church? The question probably should be, “What is the aim or purpose of the ministry or church?”

In the book of Ephesians, Chapter 4, verses 10 through 16 we are given a snapshot of what the mission, aim and/or purpose of what the church should be:

10  He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11  And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — 16  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.  (NKJV)

Sadly, a good many institutions referring to themselves as churches, neither, look anything like this, or remotely fulfill the purpose stated here.

The emphasis of the church internally, is to teach, instruct, disciple if you will, those who have come to Faith in Christ.

While it is permissible to use appropriate recreational venues, and yes even some levels of entertainment, to draw people, those venues should never, ever be the aim, purpose, or focus of the church. The teaching of the Word of God, worship, prayer, good old fashioned discipleship is the focus!

Building a “spiritual” environment or institution founded on recreation and/or entertainment, is shallow, trendy, and will have no lasting value.

I will maintain that if a person has no interest in studying God’s Word, learning to walk in obedience to God’s Word, and learn to worship with their whole life, it is very possible they have never had the genuine experience of Salvation.

A true experience with Christ, will cause to “hunger and thirst after righteousness”; it will cause us to want to be “in the world and not of the world”; It will cause us to feel like “sojourners in another land”.

When we measure the “church” by these standards, our success is found lacking.

I am not generally a fan of very large or Mega churches; my reasoning is that generally, to grow to these proportions, generally requires compromises from what scripture defines as the mission of the church.

So is there not room for recreation and entertainment in the church? There may be some in the setting of the ultimate function of evangelism, but nowhere in scripture, are we ever instructed to provide a “stage of entertainment” for the saints, within the function of the church.

So am I attempting to be a “kill-joy”? No, I like a good time as much as anybody, but it has no place being my focus, when (1) People’s lives are falling apart because they have not been taught to live according to the scriptures (2) Followed by in-fighting within the body of believers (3) followed yet again by a grave lack of evangelism which is supposed to happen naturally, if believers have been disciple according to the Word of God.

I want to celebrate the victory of salvation of one who we all have been praying for; I want to celebrate the victory in the life of the church who is growing in grace, and ministering that same grace to others. Now that’s a good time!

Success is the Salvation of the lost, and the Church growing in Grace to accomplish that mission!

Something to ponder….