Lost Value?
Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46.
I look around the “Christian world” here in North America and sadly see people claiming to be Christians be they in the pulpit, or in the pew that don’t regard the kingdom of heaven as treasure, or fine pearls.
If they did regard the kingdom of God and God’s word as something precious they would not mix their faith with anything else.
For me a good example of this is when Christians mix politics and their faith. Jesus and his disciples never mixed politics with their faith. They focussed on presenting the gospel of Salvation nothing else.
Mixing anything with your faith dilutes it. Particularly politics. As some one once said, “mixing politics with faith is like mixing water and gasoline. The gasoline is unusable, the water undrinkable and the whole mixture explosive.
This however is happening particularly it seem among evangelicals. This should not be so.
That being said it is not just the mixing of faith and politics. It is also mixing their faith with secular values. For example men and women calling themselves Christian leaders telling those who believe in them that if they give so much money usually to their ministry, God will bless them ten, fifty even a hundred fold. Such people treat God as a “spiritual sugar daddy” willing to give them what they want.
My bible tells me,
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.
I firmly believe that we are in a time here in North America with all our freedoms are cheapening the gospel message by linking it to politics and secular values.
Many leaders in the North American church and many in the pews are doing what the apostle Paul said would happen in his letter to Timothy.
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4.
I believe we are in a time when the Christians of every stripe need to look at what they believe.
We as believers in Christ Jesus need to Pray, turn to the word of God, and ask God to show us where we are going wrong.
We need to heed the words of God in Chronicles that says,
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.
People within particularly the Evangelical church, are fond of saying we need revival.
Revival however starts from within. It is messy and controversial as every leader of every revival from the days of Martin Luther to present day knows. But it is necessary if the church is to function as God wants it to function. That being the winning souls for Christ.
Please think about it.
Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46.
I look around the “Christian world” here in North America and sadly see people claiming to be Christians be they in the pulpit, or in the pew that don’t regard the kingdom of heaven as treasure, or fine pearls.
If they did regard the kingdom of God and God’s word as something precious they would not mix their faith with anything else.
For me a good example of this is when Christians mix politics and their faith. Jesus and his disciples never mixed politics with their faith. They focussed on presenting the gospel of Salvation nothing else.
Mixing anything with your faith dilutes it. Particularly politics. As some one once said, “mixing politics with faith is like mixing water and gasoline. The gasoline is unusable, the water undrinkable and the whole mixture explosive.
This however is happening particularly it seem among evangelicals. This should not be so.
That being said it is not just the mixing of faith and politics. It is also mixing their faith with secular values. For example men and women calling themselves Christian leaders telling those who believe in them that if they give so much money usually to their ministry, God will bless them ten, fifty even a hundred fold. Such people treat God as a “spiritual sugar daddy” willing to give them what they want.
My bible tells me,
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.
I firmly believe that we are in a time here in North America with all our freedoms are cheapening the gospel message by linking it to politics and secular values.
Many leaders in the North American church and many in the pews are doing what the apostle Paul said would happen in his letter to Timothy.
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4.
I believe we are in a time when the Christians of every stripe need to look at what they believe.
We as believers in Christ Jesus need to Pray, turn to the word of God, and ask God to show us where we are going wrong.
We need to heed the words of God in Chronicles that says,
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.
People within particularly the Evangelical church, are fond of saying we need revival.
Revival however starts from within. It is messy and controversial as every leader of every revival from the days of Martin Luther to present day knows. But it is necessary if the church is to function as God wants it to function. That being the winning souls for Christ.
Please think about it.
