A Message for Billy Ray Cyrus: Do not prostitute thy daughter…

… to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness. Leviticus 19:29 (KJV)

Billy Ray Cyrus claims to be a Christian as does his daughter, Miley. *  The following excerpt is taken from http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3834131.ece.  It is a brief descriptive of Miley Cyrus:

 ”A committed Christian, she credits her faith with helping to keep her grounded and, like Britney Spears once did, has vowed to remain a virgin until she marries.”

Does anyone besides myself see the absurdity of such a comment?  Just what passes for a “virgin” and “christian” these days? 

The Miley Cyrus incident is all too indicative of the type of “christianity” that passes for the faith of Christ today - the kind I wrote about in my previous post “Lawless Christians - Lawless Society”. 

Why is there no public demand for justice for these little girls that are being merchandised and prostituted by their parents for the fame and fortune to be gained through their talents?  It’s missing, because lawless christianity leads to a lawless society. 

What kind of message do we send to the world when those who claim to be christians behave in such an ungodly way?  No doubt, the message must be one of libertine licentiousness, for surely the christian faith must consist of nothing more than “letting” a desparately lonely god save us so he won’t be lonely anymore, and then going along with the world in its ungodliness, having our ungodly behavior justified by our god’s “grace” and by our “love” of the poor (like Oprah’s trumpet-sounding alms-giving).

People need to realize that it was not an infatuous longing for fellowship that put Jesus on the cross - it was sin.  Our sin.  My sin.  Your sin.  God gave a command, and we thumbed our noses at Him.  God righteously hates those that disregard His Law.  It is only by His unexplainable mercy He saves us by graciously imparting His Spirit into our hearts, bringing us to Himself, to embrace His person, to embrace His love, to embrace His law.

A christian that has not been born again and converted by the renewing of the Holy Spirit is not a true Christian.  Reader, if you have professed Christ but you know in your heart that you are not converted, I ask you to seek God’s forgiveness until you know that He has brought you into His fold.

 John 10:27 (KJV) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

 

2 Timothy 2:19 (KJV) Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

*Note:  I do not claim to know if Billy Ray Cyrus or Miley Cyrus or anyone else for that matter is in fact a saved person or not - but those that take upon themselves the title of “Christian” must behave themselves in a godly manner or else they must examine themselves, whether they are in the faith. 

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

“What must I do to be saved?”  So many who have been awakened to their need of salvation are asking this question.  Looking at the stats for this blog, I’ve noticed that the most viewed post is the one entitled “How Does God Save People?”, http://sovereigngod.wordpress.com/2007/08/21/how-does-god-save-people/, so I wanted to make this new post to make sure it’s clear for those that may have questions about it.  

In Acts 16, we read of the jailor in Philippi that has come trembling to Paul and Silas, being convinced of God’s impending judgment upon him.  The jailor had witnessed the testimony of the apostles, had heard of Christ, and had experienced the terrible earthquake that had broken the prison doors down and gave freedom to his prisoners.

With this gripping fear of God’s wrath fixed in his heart, he knelt down and cried out to Paul and Silas:  “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

And their answer?

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”.

Dear reader, if you are not sure, and you want to know if you are saved from the wrath to come, I simply ask you this - has God worked repentance in your heart?  Have you been convinced that your sins have separated you from God?  Have you been made willing to turn from all your sins, and confess them to Christ?  Have you faith in your heart to trust Christ alone for the sacrifice and righteousness that God requires as payment for your sins? 

If this is the condition of your heart, then turn at once and forever to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, believing with all your heart on Him as your Lord and Savior.  God saves people that are of a contrite heart.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-28a).  In another place he said “all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I shall in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

But if your heart has not been moved to true repentance and faith, then pray that God would make your offense of His Law and His hatred of your sin real to you.  Pray that He will give you a new heart whereby you may be converted.  Believe that He is able, but do not trust in your own abilities.  God will save you from your sins, but He will not save you in your sins.  You must be willing to repent, so pray that you might be made willing. 

“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power…” (Psalm 110:3a)

If you know that you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior, then rejoice in ”Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6).  Your confidence in Christ and assurance of salvation will grow stronger over time as you continue to walk in the Lord’s revealed will, enduring the trials of your faith, being strengthened by the Holy Spirit Who dwells in you.  

Soli Deo Gloria

Lawless Christians - Lawless Society

The spirit of the age in which we live can be summed up in one word - LAWLESS.  Post-modern (in other words ”post-Christian”) Christians differ from the larger society only by degree in this attitude.  In fact, I’m becoming convinced that the larger society may be more righteous than today’s Christians.  Why?  Because at least the lost world does not parade their lawlessness under the banner of God’s grace.

“Antinomianism” is the theological term used to describe this sinful attitude.  It is a word that simply means “against law”.  Most of today’s christians claim to have a freedom from God’s law that the Bible simply does not grant them.  They seem to think that The Spirit of God gives us freedom from the law, but just the opposite is true.  The freedom that the Spirit imparts to us is freedom to serve God because we no longer hate His law.  Through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, we now love His law.  The Christian life is a life of discipline and obedience, not licentious freedom. 

But “Emergent” christians will not accept correction.  The minute anyone tries to protest against their portrayal of Christ as a lawless hippy, they are castigated as a judgmental Pharisee.  Most of the emerging hippy-type pastors are so self-centered they can hardly make a post on their blog without mentioning how much people “dig” their “threads” or the latest tattoo or exceptionally radical spiked hairdo. 

Some of them use the most vulgar language imaginable and actually try to justify it by saying that the Bible has cuss words in it.  They will tell you that the original Greek language of the New Testament was the common language, as opposed to the classic Greek of the aristocracy.  What these shallow thinkers fail to see with their profane minds is that “common” language does not mean “gutter” language.

Some of these filthy thinkers believe that being “relevant” requires that they obsess over sex.  I am no prude, and I know that the Bible is very direct and raw on sexual issues.  But the Church never was silent on sexual behavior, much the chagrin of the unregenerate public.  It is indicative of the amazing arrogance of the postmoderns that believe that nobody knew anything about sex until it was discovered by Masters and Johnson in the 1960’s.  Now, these postmodern pastors are encouraging their people to do such things as “have sex every day for 30 days.”  (for married couples). http://www.leadingsmart.com/leadingsmart/2008/02/30-day-sex-chal.html

Nothing could be more damaging to the marriage relationship than to reduce it to such a mechanical prescription.  Marital love IS NOT THE SAME as casual sex.  One is holy; the other is animal.  Sexual pleasure is only one - and I mean ONLY ONE - of the ingredients that make up a successful relationship between man and wife.   In fact, it is not even an ESSENTIAL ingredient for some couples.  The purpose of marriage is not to grant legal permission to pursue bodily pleasures, but it is to create the greatest social institution known to mankind in general - that is, THE FAMILY.  Outside of the Church, the family is the most important divinely-established institute in the world. 

“Oh, but they say some good things!”  Yes, but deception is never an outright lie.  It is always mixed with truth.  And it is up to the elders of the Church, who have had their ”senses exercised to discerned good and evil (Hebrews 5:14), to give correction to the disciples - to scrub out the errors and give glory to the truth.  The typical emergent pastor is puffed up and satisfied in his popularity.  He will not receive correction.  He is lawless.

 

Does God Love Us Just The Way We Are?

This is one of the frequent sayings of contemporary evangelists.  But is it true?  Does God really love us just the way we are?  If so, then why does the Bible say:

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”  (Act 17:30)

Why repent, if God loves us just the way we are?  And this:

 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.  (Psalms 11:5)

And what about this:

Romans 2:8-9 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, ⁹ Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

And again, this:

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8 )

Which God do you serve?  The figment god of the modern gospel that is indifferent towards sin, or the Holy God that loves righteousness and hates rebellion?

If you’re reading this and have not cast your hopes for salvation upon Christ, I invite you to turn in repentance from the sins that have offended the God of Heaven, and turn to the true and Living God, seeking forgiveness and renewal at the merciful feet of Jesus, whose blood was shed for the salvation of his people.