Luke 20:9-18
Are we the Church in more trouble than we can envision, and
I’m not talking about from ISIS? The
Church would be wise to examine, take inventory; look deep into the mirror, are
we following Christ or the foolishness of men?
Many a person, who goes by the title of Christian, has said it’s darker
and more evil than at anytime, but that is not true. If you believe the Bible is inerrant as I do
then look at Genesis 6:5-6, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it
grieved him to his heart.” Now
the bad news is God planned to blot out man on the earth, but for one man,
verses 8-10 states; “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a
righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had
three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” One
man found favor, and you and I have the choice to be that man in our time.
I would agree with all who say it is very dark, and we are
in a time Scripture talks about Isaiah 5:20, where good is called evil and evil
is called good. It is clear in Scripture
that God condemns a man having sex with a man, and a woman having sex with another
women. Yet many are turning a blind eye
to what God has said, and folks that is dangerous! It has never been popular to stand with God
against the forces of evil in this world, and it will cost you. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that
it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would
love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out
of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to
you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they
will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:18-20 ESV)
Do you recall God
saying He regretted that He had made Saul king, why did God regret, because Saul
did not listen or obey the commandments of God.
It is my understanding that when we came into Christ we were called to
minister to a lost and dying world, we were not called to save the whales but
to share the love of Christ and redemption with our neighbors, family, and
friends. We each have a place in the
army of Christ, a place no one else can fill.
How sad it would be if God regretted He had put you in charge of the
ministry of your family, neighborhood and friends.
Now it has taken a
while to drill down to Luke 20:9-18, the story of Christ being rejected by His
own people, the story of the grace that God extended to you and me, and as the
Church, for it never was a building or a denomination, no it has always been
those who came to Jesus through His grace and the faith He has extended to us,
that is the Church. Sinning does not remove
one from the Church, but when we sin and you have no guilt, no desire to obey
the commandments of Christ, it is time to revisit your faith. Jesus has made it very clear that being in
Christ and He being in you will bring about change, so are you experiencing
outward change because of Christ in you?
It’s more than a prayer, it’s more than being baptized in water, it’s a
new heart, new desires, a repetitive spirit, a new creation with new desires to
be a follower of Christ. Will you be
perfect, no, will you make mistakes, yes, but the great news is Christ is your
life. A word to the wise is sufficient.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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