DEGRADED CHRISTIANITY

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Matthew 7:21-23

Much of what is called Christianity today is cheap and worldly, a degraded form that offends nobody, demands no sacrifice, and costs very little. For that reason, it has little value or influence because it has so little of the power of the Gospel that was preached by the apostles of Christ. We must be aware of and on guard against what is called Christianity in modern times. It accepts some forms of sin, refuses to conform to the divine pattern, demands limited obedience, and does not want to offend and correct the one who sins.

Often, I hear Christians complain about the one who is doing the correcting. They say he is not loving and accepting enough. When the fact is he does love them, but not their sin. Let's never forget that our Lord Jesus died to redeem us from eternal punishment. This is how He has shown His love for us. Let's be very careful not to invent another God, an idol of our own. One that is just merciful, but not just!

Lest we forget, it is our God who dictates how we ought to conduct our lives, even though it might offend. Lest we forget, materialism and earthly treasures are not what ought to motivate us, even though it might offend us to hear it. Lest we forget, it is the love of Christ that ought to drive us, even though it might offend us. Lest we forget, we must teach our children the Word of God, even though it might offend them. We, as godly parents, desire to see them walking in His pathways and not the pathways of Satan. Lest we forget, one must be faithfully committed to his family, loving his spouse and the children that God has trusted him to love and protect, even though it might offend them. Lest we forget, we must condemn sin and love righteousness, even though it might offend.

Thus, we must carefully determine what it is that we take in and what we shut out of our lives. We must carefully examine what we participate in and what we will not. We can say yes or no to all the lust and the pleasures of this life. We must choose to be holy and hate sin! Lest we forget, one must walk the path of righteousness, the path less traveled, the unpopular path, even though it might offend.


CONCLUSION:

With all this in mind, let us not be concerned about "offending" this world. Remember that the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!” (2 Peter 3:10-12). 

Let us never forget that being a faithful follower of Christ is going to bring us ridicule, scorn, opposition, and persecution. Unfortunately, this is the reward that faithful Christians get from the world.

Therefore, let us search our hearts and meditate on Jesus' words and let us not be shamed by Him on that final day of judgment.

"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven...And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23). 

Our primary goal must be that of being worthy to be called "good and faithful servant" by our Master.

"His Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matthew 25:21).

May our Lord help us to be good and faithful servants who would be worthy to enter into His joy.


Luci