Category Archives: Christian Living

Blogs in this topic are designed focus on living a life that’s honoring to God.

The dangers of social Christianity

Posted on October 26, 2015 by | Comments Off on The dangers of social Christianity

Biblical-Studies-DegreeThere has been a trend in both American and western European societies that has led to a lot of scriptural misunderstanding. This trend, known as social Christianity, is a delusion that leaves the soul hungry for truth, is spiritually void, and does not have the power to save. It is a false gospel that serves no other purpose than to confuse, to distort the love of God, and to remake the faith that God has called Christians to have. Social Christianity, and the social gospels it teaches, is acceptable and appealing to the world because it sets aside the standards set by God and replaces them with a non-threatening interpretation of the gospel of Jesus where the distinction between unrepentant sinner and sinner saved by grace are distorted.

Social Christianity compared to biblical Christianity

The true gospel of Jesus is much different from the social gospel in many areas. The Bible is very clear in its presentation of the gospel: 1) there must be genuine repentance for sins [Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19)], 2) conversion (salvation) happens when we call upon the  Lord [For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10), For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16), and For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13)] and 3) our belief in Jesus is our only means of salvation [Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6) and Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12)]. There are literally hundreds of other verses I could use to show the Lord’s plan of salvation that is freely offered through His grace and love for us, but I believe Paul said it best: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:5-9).

Biblical Christianity places the focus of the relationship between the individual believer and the Lord Jesus Christ. That focus is centered upon the concept of individual repentance, individual recognition of our original state of being a sinner and the recognition of our need for redemption from the wages of sin [For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23)]. It is placing our full and complete faith in the completed works of Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection, the sacrifice of His sinless, spotless life in the place of our sin-stained life as our only hope of Heaven. The Bible clearly teaches that just one of our sins places us in need of judgment; Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life (Romans 5:18), but that through Jesus’ sacrifice, we are offered the free gift of salvation. Salvation is not earned by our own perception of righteousness, fairness, or by good works, but by the standards that have been set by God, of whom Paul wrote, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). 

Social Christianity has a number of teachings within its framework that cloud the simplicity of the true gospel of Jesus. Within the last three years, there have been a number of national-level politicians within the United States who have used the phrases national salvation and national redemption as calls for Americans to support their various agendas. Even Israel, a nation and kingdom established by God never had this kind of total and complete redemption for all its citizens. Even the Old Testament teaches salvation of the individual believer but does offer national blessings when the nation is in obedience to the will and teachings of the Lord. Will God bless our nation, if as a nation, we are obedient to the will and teachings of God? Yes. But this is not the same as national redemption or national salvation. Salvation is, even under the New Testament teachings, a relationship between the person and God.

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Posted in Chrisitian Philosophy, Christian Living, Our relationship with God, Our relationship with ourselves

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The gospel of Jesus and technology

Posted on October 16, 2015 by | Comments Off on The gospel of Jesus and technology
© Pamela Hodson Dreamstime Stock Photos

Image © Pamela Hodson Dreamstime Stock Photos

Technology is all around us and can be a very powerful tool, increasing our productivity or even expanding the reach of the gospel. It can also be a great distraction, often keeping us from being as productive as we possibly could be throughout the day. Earlier this morning as I was on Facebook taking a break from grading exams, I and an acquaintance of mine began discussing whether the Lord would approve of Christians linking the gospel of Jesus and technology. Folks, keep in mind that I have never been to Bible college or any seminary. I simply began studying the Bible the way that I studied for the various exams in graduate school. In other words, I approach the Bible with an understanding based on common sense and that the Bible says what it means.

Jesus and technology – an implied understanding

Within the Bible there is no mention of the use of contemporary technology such as television, radio, Internet, or even text messaging. We all have seen the postings on Facebook that tell us that if we really love Jesus we will post something on our wall or share it (and I can tell you this, posting a picture of a cross or of some artist’s interpretation of what Jesus looks like does not mean the person sharing it is a Christian). Yet, various radio ministries have been in existence for nearly a hundred years. In fact, KHJ-AM Radio which began broadcasting in April 1922 (the three-letter call sign was the initials for Kindness, Happiness and Joy, a part of the Immaculate Heart Radio Network founded in the early 1920s) was the first FCC licensed Christian broadcaster in the nation. From those humble beginnings of early mass communication, the gospel of Jesus has expanded its reach as new mediums for mass communications have become available. With each new development, there are men and women who feel led by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel using the latest developments in mass communications technology. In fact, even in the days of the disciples, the gospel of Jesus and technology have always had a close relationship.

Within the book of Acts, it is recorded that Jesus told His disciples: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). As they heard Jesus charge them with spreading the gospel message to the uttermost parts of the world, there had to have been a feeling of being given an overwhelming challenge. In our era and with the use of modern technology, today’s Christian can actively participate in the spread of the gospel to those uttermost parts of the world. Even this website is viewed in eighty-six countries – more countries than I could ever visit in one lifetime! Whether it is through a website such as this one, a YouTube channel, or through a simple text message, technology can and should be used to expand the reach of the gospel.

Jesus expected the disciples to use whatever means they had at their disposal to spread His gospel. Paul wrote, And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:15) as a testimony to the most obvious means of sharing the message of Jesus – the feet of the believer. The other way the disciples possessed is stated by John, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13). One involves being there in a literal presence, sharing the gospel by presenting to a specific audience. The other is to send the message of the gospel to be presented by some other indirect means of presentation – such as the writing of this letter by John. With either case, we see the gospel of Jesus and technology working together to reach the lost. It reminds me of the verse, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

Technology does not excuse us from personal evangelism

While it is possible to reach others for Jesus through Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, our use of technology does not excuse us from our responsibilities of personal evangelism. After Jesus’ resurrection, He met with the remaining eleven disciples and he charged them, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). The disciples were given the personal responsibility to go out and to share the gospel with all they would come across. Our personal evangelism efforts must be sincere. Each of us have a story of what the Lord has done for us; without any great training, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? (John 4:29). The book of John tells us this woman at the well, after meeting Jesus and realizing she was in the presence of the Messiah, went out and immediately brought others to Him.  She had experienced the saving grace of Jesus and wanted all around her to experience the same peace, joy, and forgiveness she enjoyed. 

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Bringing out the best in others

Posted on September 28, 2015 by | Comments Off on Bringing out the best in others

best in othersBringing out the best in others seems to be something that every Christian must be focused. In our society today we often witness the opposite happening in our homes, churches, schools, and the workplace. It seems that wherever we go, we witness people tearing others down. Even in our churches, we see the results of envy, jealousy, and strife as Christians take part in this strange and worldly ritual. Paul, often considered as the one apostle that had the most influence over the formation of the New Testament church, wrote, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works (Hebrews 10:23-24).

According to the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, provoke means to arouse to a feeling or action, to call forth, to stir up purposefully, or to offer stimulation for something. As I began to think about this passage of scripture, it became clear to me that Paul is reminding Christians to encourage others to not only be faithful to the style of living that Christ has called them to do, but to pass on the encouragement to others. If we look at this principle when applied to other areas of our life, such as dieting and exercise, programs like MyFitnessPal, the Veteran’s Administration’s program, “Let’s Move,” and Weight Watchers all share some common concepts – people are more likely to lose weight when they are part of a group of people who share the same goal. Each program uses positive peer encouragement to encourage each member to lose weight. It is this very idea that Paul is trying to encourage Christians to do for one another.

Paul continued in his encouragement, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). I’ve heard many preachers discuss this verse as referring to regular church attendance – especially on Sunday, but I have become convinced that it is so much more than that. If we are truly to bring out the best in others it cannot be left to just an hour or two on Sunday. It is within the context of Paul’s second letter to Corinth where he writes, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).  Again, I have heard pastors and evangelists use this verse as a basis for Christians not marrying other Christians, but I think there is much more to this verse than that. As Christians, we are to seek one another out especially as we begin to see the trials, temptations, and personal tribulations approaching. We are also to seek each other out as we watch society deteriorating around us and evil, ungodly practices becoming more mainstream. For this reason, Paul warns us not to be unequally yoked with non-believers. I think of the story of Lott and how at first, he pitched his tent towards Sodom but by the time of the city’s judgment and destruction by God, Lott was living within the walls of Sodom and living comfortably within a sin-sick society.

What Lott was missing was a person of similar faith to strengthen his resolve to live in the way that would be pleasing to the Lord. Solomon, considered as the wisest of all the kings of the ancient world, wrote Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend (Proverbs 27:17). I know that many will point towards his wife and say that she should have been his balance and should have been able to encourage him to stay strong in his faith. In reality, that rarely works, which is why programs like Promise Keepers, Weight Watchers, and others encourage us to get people other than our spouses and family members to whom we become accountable. We are not being honest with ourselves when we try to take short-cuts in this area. We need the ability to be frankly honest with whomever is our spiritual accountability partner and they must feel complete freedom to edify and teach us as well. It is through this that Christians are to bring out the best in others.

I’ve got a few men in my life who I will often ask them for guidance, opinions, and prayer simply because they are men of a similar faith to mine. Just as Solomon wrote, our friendships should be those which sharpens our faith, improves our walk with the Lord, and encourages us in our relationship with the Lord and with our family. 

 

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Posted in Our relationship with others, Our relationships with other Christians, Rewards

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