Religion is killing the church. If you don't think so then why are we not growing? Why are so many denominational churches closing? We don't have less people in the world, but it's religion that is killing the church.
Too many people are religious but not born again. Too many people go to church, but live and act just like the world. Too many religious people lack commitment or refuse to live under God's authority.
Let's face the facts. We, the church, have failed the great commission of Jesus Christ. We build buildings and draw big crowds, but the crowds are not transformed. Being a church member does not meet the qualification of a biblical disciple. People know about God, sing about God, and even pray to God, believe in God, but do not believe God. If they did, believe God, there would be real obedience, repentance, and transformation instead of just Sunday people.
God's heart must be aching for the American churches. We have it all, and yet we are left wanting. The Bible teaches us, or warns us, not to grieve the Holy Spirit, yet sin is out of control in believer's lives. Success is more important than serving God. Success and money are more important to our children because we as adults set the examples. Careers are more important than Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
American churches need an old time convicting, soul searching, repenting revival; a revival that brings conviction and change; one that produces transformed lives; one that restores God to His rightful place in the home and church and one that puts the fear in the hearts of people about ending up in Hell. We need a revival that calls the sinner to repentance at the foot of the cross, and that every born again Christian walks the walk and talks the talk. Yes, we need revival because religion is killing us.
I don't believe Jesus ever wanted the church to be religious like the Pharisees of His day. That is what the church is not. But Christianity is a way of life; a lifestyle based on God's Word and God's authority. Our citizenship is in heaven and our Lord and Master is Jesus Christ. We are called to be disciples and harvesters. Our wisdom and directions comes from God, not the world.
Our churches become religious because we have built great congregations around people's personalities and not built on Jesus Christ. He suffered and died to rescue us from the darkness of evil, false teachers, and the ways of the world. The world is not our home, heaven is. We are just passing through this world on our journey to eternal life. It is so temporary.
People are not our enemy, the devil and his demons are the enemy. Ephesians 6:12 makes this very clear. He, the devil, deceived us into thinking religion will save us. It will not. In fact, it will make us trust false teachings and lead us away from God, not to Him.
Jesus began preaching by saying "repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand". John, the baptizer, also preached repentance. When was the last time you heard a sermon on repentance?
The book of Revelation calls the churches to repentance. We must repent or perish. It was the religious people of Jesus' day who crucified Him. It is the religious people today who are claiming salvation but denying the authority of Jesus in their churches and lives.
Think on these things.
See ya in church,
Bud
I have two questions. Please consider and ask yourself if these are possibilities.
1. Are our abilities our handicaps?
2. Are our talents our stumbling blocks?
We need men like Elijah:
1. Who heard a voice.
2. Saw a mission.
3. Tasted a power.
4. Measured an enemy.
5. Had a victory.
We need men like Isaiah
1. Compelled by God's glory.
2. Consumed by God's holiness.
3. Commissioned by God's authority.
4. Coming to the temple a worshipper; left a harvester.
The list is long in the Bible of men like these who God used to reach stiff-necked, rebellious people. Our Christian world today lacks men of passion and vision. We need men who preach and teach God's way, doing God's work, in God's time, with God's power. Then we shall have God's results, with God's blessings.
This is the hour of revival. This is the hour of doom. This is the hour of a divined message. We need divine, empowered messengers to preach repentance, regeneration, and sanctification. In America we have more people attending churches every Lord's Day and the lowest morality standard we have even seen. There is something wrong with that picture. Is it not the fruit of cheap grace and low expectations of church members?
The message of the hour must be repent or perish. There are not many ways, (only one way) to be saved or get to heaven,. Good works and having your name on the church roll is not good enough.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved". Acts 4:12. That name is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
People today know God's Word, but don't know the God of the Word personally. When America experienced 9-11, the attack on New York, they were shocked to action. Help came, money came, prayers were offered up and churches were filled for a short while. Why? Because we did not believe it could happen.
We need revival in America to shock us to reality. The end will come. God means what He says, and says what He means. Hell is a real place, prepared for rebellious, disobedient, God-ignoring people. Heaven is a prepared place for obedient, blood bought, God-fearing, God-faithful people who are still faithful when they die or until Jesus comes.
A true revival will burst old wine skins, but produce new wine skins because it will be new wine. True revival must bring conviction and change. True revival will bring the church and her body back under God's authority. True revival will be confession of sin and out pouring of the Holy Spirit. True revival will set the church in order. Without true revival sinners will never come to true repentance. Without true revival what will America become in 10 years? Don't just pray, don't just agree, but take action before all is lost.
See ya in church,
Bud
Why are so many people unhappy? What has taken our joy away? I am not talking about the old grouches who never were happy, but the everyday, good, honest working Americans.
It's not because we do not have houses, food, clothing, families, etc. We are not a third world country. Our poorest are better off than many of the countries around the world. Life in America, compared to other countries, is the best in the world.
So why are people unhappy? Why is there not more joy and thankfulness?
When people become sick, we take medicine. Sometimes people over-medicate and become sicker and not better. It can even kill you. I believe we Americans are not over-medicated but are over-informed. We have so much information available, it is just overwhelming.
The internet, TV, radio, cell phones, iPods, and everything else is just too much. Hours are spent either watching or listening. We know what is happening everywhere, instantly, and why do we need to know? What good does it do? Does it fulfill us or worry us? Does it make us wiser and more productive or do we just continue to receive more information?
According to God's plan in the Bible we are missing something. Life is to be fulfilling and have purpose. We are on this earth to be stewards of what God has created. Life could and should be simple and happy.
God made us male and female so we could have families and reproduce. We have others in our lives to love and serve. We have others to help us and to socialize.
We are social beings, not machines. But greed and selfish ambition has become our joy-robbers. Work is good for us and has a purpose and reason. But, the love of money and materialism is destroying God's plan for His creation.
Education and information in themselves are wonderful. We can have better jobs and communicate better. But education has not made us better people, in fact, just the opposite. We are deteriorating morally. Pressure and stress is on the increase; crime and alcoholism is at an all time high; youth, in many cases are out of control and yet we are the best educated, informed people in the world.
Maybe we need to stop and take a look at what progress and education has brought us to. I know we can't stop the world and get off, but I do believe I have a choice. I have a choice of how I should and could live and what or whom I am going to allow to tell me what I need or what will make me happy.
Our time on earth is just a test, and it is short. The test is whether materialism or anything else will be my god or will the God of the Bible be my real source of happiness? Will education and information help me be a better person or hinder me from fulfilling my life as a Christian? Change will only come one family at a time and one heart at a time. Yes, we are over informed with this world's evil medicine. The cure is God, so love Him, serve Him, and obey Him.
Chaplain Bud
Where has all the joy in the world gone? People are not happy nor are they encouraging others to be happy. People are worried about everything. The cost of living, the cost of cars and gasoline, the cost to repair cars, the cost of building, the cost of remodeling, the cost of education, the cost of retiring, the cost of dying, etc.
There is a cost people forget about, and that is the cost of ignorance. To ignore knowledge and gain understanding has a high cost. The Bible tells us to seek and find wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to understand and use knowledge and not just understand it.
The worries of this world rob our joy and happiness. People believe so much bad news, that they can't believe it when they hear good news. When the joy is gone, it's downhill from there. Production, relationships, and businesses suffer when there is not joy.
Worry creates a hopelessness that defeats people first in their mind. They give up in their mind before it affects the body. Hopeless people do desperate things, even dangerous things.
That is why Christians must put their hope in eternal things, not temporary things in this world. Our hope is in the living God, not in material things, or the flesh. We are on a journey through this life being tested by circumstances and our experiences. Every experience can prepare us or ruin us, depending on our attitude and mindset. An experience can teach us or fill us with pride. Pride can only lead to a down fall down the road. But, if we learn a lesson from an experience whether good or bad, we will grow from it and be better prepared next time.
God's love is such a compelling love that it eliminates the joy robbers. He loves us when we succeed or fail. He loves us back from bad experiences. His love and His Word help us understand the danger of pride and selfish ambition. His love for His church and His children compels us to love in return and be obedient.
So, why do Christians worry? They worry because they take their eyes off Jesus, and like Peter, they look at the storm. The minute we let down our guard the devil will give us the thoughts of doubt and discouragement. When this happens we take our eyes off of Jesus and His promises.
Paul told young Timothy to "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." I Tim 4:16
Doctrine is what you teach, and the fruit of the spirit is how you should live. Jesus said "He came that our joy may be complete." John 15:11
So, don't let the world steal your joy of life because life here on earth is a onetime deal. Don't waste it.
See ya in church,
Bud
We receive life from God. We receive ability from God. And then He gives us the ability to produce. It all comes from God. Man is God's creation, not God, man's creation.
It's God's desire to bless and in turn man is to glorify God. God will do His part and man must also do his part. When we obey all God's commands us to do, we open the way for God's blessing to flow freely. But we close the door by disobedience and rebellion. This hurts man and must grieve God's heart.
God, in the Old Testament, called the people stiff necked, or we would have said stubborn. They know God's commands and will for them, but they were unfaithful. They would get in trouble and then cry out to God, who would rescue them. This would happen again and again. But, each time they would stray a little farther from God until there was no desire to return. Their hard hearts prevented them from repenting and returning.
If God gives us everything for life, as the Bible says, then why are we so unproductive and unhappy? Are we so stiff necked too? Are we so stubborn and rebellious? The answer must be yes. God wants us to use the abilities and talents He gives us to be productive and produce wealth. Why, so that we can glorify Him. So He can bless us and lead us in lives free from all the temptations in this world. But not even those who professed to know Jesus Christ as Savior, fall way short of true victory.
We, in America, have too much, too quick, and too easy. What should be blessings turn into curser that destroys us. What God gives us should be blessings that bring joy, but cannot because of greed and selfishness. What Christians say is one thing, what they do is something else.
God is still God, and He is on His throne. He is still on His throne. He is still saving people and building people up spiritually to do His work here on earth. His promises are still true. His teachings still have great value and authorization. He is still in charge of his church. And, He is coming back some day.
Saying all that, we who are Christian, still have the ability to produce wealth. We still have the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. We have the witness to a lost and dying world that we can overcome regardless of the circumstances. God has always provided a way for His children, and He still is today.
So, Christian, cheer up! Pray and speak up for your Lord. Don't back up but be bold and courageous. Let God lead you and feed you. Let God use your talents and gifts for the up building of His Kingdom.
Keep on keeping on till Jesus comes. We have been commanded and commissioned to do just that.
See ya in church,
Bud