A Gentle Slope

A gentle slope
“The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
                                                                                     C. S. Lewis.
I strongly believe many people in out society are on the road to hell. And I believe in part the church or at least those calling themselves part of the Church are responsible for it. That’s one of the reasons I write these blogs.
I believe the Church in part is responsible for it simply because some have wandered away from the primary message of the gospel.
At one end of the spectrum we have Churches and congregations that are far from God. Some going as far as saying there are many ways to heaven. When Jesus said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                                              John 14:6.
Then there are churches that are so rapped up in their ceremonies and ritual, that have purpose when kept in prospective, but when not, turn people away from Christ. A person coming into such congregations see Christ and God as being a God of do’s and do not’s.
Then there are those both in the media and out who would say Christ wants you to be healthy, and wealthy. Yet the reality in any church anywhere in the world is that they run the spectrum from affluent to poor. From healthy to sick from any number of illnesses. This too turns people away because people coming from the outside do not see the reality of what’s being preached.
Add to that those again both in the media and out that attack or protest those outside their faith because they disagree with them. Which is against what the apostle Paul said when he wrote,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 
                                                                                           1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
The first century church was successful because it could not afford, nor did it ever turn away from the principle message of Christ Matthew recording,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
                                                                             Matthew 28:18-20
The message of the gospel, the message, the only message all Christians need to presenting to the world is summed up by Jesus when he said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. 
                                                                                                                   John 3:16-18
There are many diverse ministries within the body of Christ but the foundation of all those ministries must be showing the love of Christ to all people everywhere.
In order to do this effectively we need to be presenting the true unadulterated word of God in a polite fashion to all people.
We need to heed the words of the apostle Paul who said,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
                                                                                                           Romans 12:18
The Apostle Peter said,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
Dear friends,
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.’ 
                                                                                           1 Peter 2:9-12.
A fierce light shines on we Christians. We cannot do anything lightly. We must stick to the scriptures and present the Gospel of Christ to all who will listen to us.
We must do this because our actions may determine the eternal resting place of those around us.
Please think about it.