I read an article on the internet where the writer spoke of a generation of so-called “nones” – those of no religion – yet many are really “somes.” These are generally young people who have no desire to join church congregations because they are seen as manipulative, money-grubbing enterprises. These would prefer to sit by the seashore strumming a guitar and just being alone with God while referring to themselves as being very “Spiritual.” Granted, this is a good way to avoid conflict. Nevertheless, the Bible teaches that we are to gather to worship and encourage one another.
I would refute the comments that pastors like to lord it over the congregants and take their money to enrich themselves, yet they are as scarce as hen’s teeth. They need money to support their families, just like the rest of us. But when a pastor owns more than one house, a yacht, or an airplane or two, it ought to alert us to their motives for preaching.
There are those who gather to gain favor and try to lord it over those of lower social status. All too often, church-going Christians are quick to condemn others who hold opposing theological views. But since we are as different and varied as snowflakes, we will inevitably hold different views about nearly everything – although some things are plainly obvious to all of us alike. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and I can’t tell you how liberating it is to know such things.
The Holy Scriptures speak for themselves and are, in fact, written in stone. The Ten Commandments are a good example of this truth, while the teaching of Christ Jesus is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul and mind and thy neighbor as thyself.” In doing so, you can hardly go wrong.
The modern church is rife with pedophilia and other forms of sin. Is it any wonder the church is faltering? Yes, we are saved by grace, but what about the rewards we will receive in heaven once we are there? If we do. While some may be like that, there are an equal number of church leaders who really care about their flock – even though many are called but few are chosen. If one can generalize about such matters, it really shouldn’t be so. My problem with fellow believers is that some still harbor jealousy, resentment, and actual hate toward their fellow congregants.
So, one has to lean on spiritual discernment to know if things are on the up and up in your congregation, and that comes only when the Holy Spirit resides within us.
Jordan B. Peterson, the clinical psychologist that many are turning to these days, is one of my favorite people. But although he espouses a belief in God and Bible Truths, he stops short of naming the name of Christ. (I suppose it’s because Christianity conjures up bad connotations as it relates to heretics and the many false teachers that abound today). He uses the term Logos, and when asked, he just says, “I try to live as if God exists.”
I’d like to have a talk with that man to assure him that no one is capable of living up to the standards God has ordained. That’s the reason Christ came to die for us. For all are sinners saved by grace.
Sad to say, but people, being human, act like the unsaved. “By their fruits, you shall know them.” First, take the mote that is in your eye so that you can see the mote in your brother’s eye, then lovingly help him or her gently to take it out, remembering that you, too, were like that once.
Only through the study of and adherence to the Holy Scriptures can one eventually reach maturity in the things of God – even to the experiencing of the ethereal – although doing so is very rare.
I had a friend years ago who could recite beautiful prayers, but his other actions showed that he just wanted to impress others with his supposed holiness. “By their fruits, you shall know them.”
Promises are made by our politicians. Who doesn’t remember “Read my lips?” uttered by President George Herbert Bush? Yes, talk is cheap. Today, we have people in office who lie consistently, and it’s hard to tell if they even know what truth is. How do we know a politician is telling a lie? He just opened his mouth.
Book Report
The Josiah Manifesto by Johnathan Cahn is the latest book by this man of God. Whatever you may think of him, he comes up with interesting topics that are never/or hardly ever brought up in the Christian church. But maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t know. All I know from having been in the church for over forty years is that believers don’t need eschatology or prophetic banter to throw them off the rails of sound Biblical doctrine. Some of us will be “forever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
As weird as he may be, Johnathan Cahn, in his all-black attire, is deeper than most theologians, and his understanding of the Hebrew tongue is remarkable in shedding light on the Jewish festivals and such.
Incidentally, I embarked on a book titled The History of the Jews (a 600-page book” by Paul Johnson) just as war broke out in Israel, and I am learning about the long history of God’s Chosen People. I’ll tell you later what I have learned.
In summation of my article: words have the power to heal, console, and encourage but also to destroy and kill as well, so we should use them wisely.
YBIC
Jim Towers
You can write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit me at www.propheticsignsandwonders.com. or www.dropzonedelta.com.