The Gospel is Relevant to Sinners

There is no sweeter and more relevant message than “Christ died for our sins” (1Cor15:1) to sinners that have been made aware of their condemnation under God’s Law.  Unfortunately, too many preachers today think just the opposite is true - that relevancy is all about pursuing the fashions and fads of this world’s ungodly expressions. 

Whether it’s ungodly music, or ungodly clothing, or ungodly dancing, or ungodly chaos, or ungodly rioting, the men and women that constitute the emerging church leadership have openly sponsored these activities as the proposed means of “reaching” the un-churched.

Here is an example of an emerging church that is so determined to validate their humanly conceived methods that they are literally stuck on stupid:  http://hamptonroads.com/2008/05/concerts-resume-after-fight-church-club.

In contrast to this utter nonsense, God has published two masterpieces of relevancy:  The Law, and The Gospel. 

The Law of God reveals to us that we have offended a Holy God by disregarding His divinely instituted Law, and we stand condemned by it, awaiting the justice reserved for sinners.  By His Law we have been exposed as God-haters, idolaters, blasphemers, Sabbath breakers, haters of parental authority, haters of humanity, adulterers, thieves, liars, and coveters.  This message is relevant to every human being.  

But the Gospel reveals to us that we have a hope - that we may obtain the righteousness of God, which is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We have great joy in knowing that Christ perfectly obeyed and satisfied God’s Law, and through an unspeakable act of mercy, we may be forgiven of our sins through the blood of Christ and be saved through faith in that blood.  O what mercy, o what peace, o what relevance in the heart of the condemned!  Forgiveness!  Alas, my sins are washed away!  O how sweet to trust in Jesus!  O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer’s praise!  The glories of my God and King!  The triumphs of His grace!  Surely there is no message that is more relevant to every human being on earth!

God’s eternal truth is already relevant.  The only thing we have to do to “make” it relevant is to preach and teach it.  When are we going to stop thinking that we can improve on God’s work?

Friend, if you are reading this and have never truly trusted Christ and been converted, I ask you right now to stop trying to convert God to your culture, and if you have heard His Voice, follow the call of your Shepherd into His fold. 

Don’t try to conform God into the image you have of Him, but rather, the Bible commands you to ”be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2)

 

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. 

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.