Holiness

When I was younger, way back before "worship music", we used to sing a song called "Holiness Unto The Lord".  Here are the lyrics, "

1. "Called unto holiness," Church of our God,

Purchase of Jesus, redeemed by His blood;

Called from the world and its idols to flee,

Called from the bondage of sin to be free.

(Refrain) "Holiness unto the Lord" is our watch-word and song;

"Holiness unto the Lord" as we're marching along.

Sing it, shout it, loud and long:

"Holiness unto the Lord" now and forever.

2. "Called unto holiness," children of light,

Walking with Jesus in garments of white;

Raiment unsullied, nor tarnished with sin;

God's Holy Spirit abiding within.

3. "Called unto holiness," praise His dear name!

This blessed secret to faith now made plain:

Not our own righteousness, but Christ within,

Living and reigning, and saving from sin.

4. "Called unto holiness," bride of the Lamb,

Waiting the Bride-groom's returning again!

Lift up your heads, for the day draweth near

When in His beauty the King shall appear!

 

When I was younger this was one of my favorite songs.  I guess I grew up in Holiness churches.  When people got saved, they really repented.  It was more that just saying a prayer.  I believe that holiness is very important.  I Peter 1:16 states, "for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."   Holiness is being like God.  This should be every Christian's goal.  Galatians 4:19 says, "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you."  It was such a big deal to Paul the Apostle, that he prayed and travailed in the Holy Spirit until he saw Christ in his fellow Christians.  This is something that needs to return to  the Body of Christ.  If it takes every day of our lives, we need to pray until something happens.

Christian Witchcraft

I am increasingly disturbed by what I call "Christian Witchcraft".  I believe this stems from the "cookie cutter Christian Syndrome".  I talked about that in another blog post.  Briefly, by this I mean, the idea that we all have to be the same.  There is no room for individual beliefs, even if it is not a doctrinal issue.  Christians do need to agree on anything that someone could lose their soul if their belief is not the same as the other Christians.  However, most of the things Christians disagree about, are not that serious.
When a Christian does not agree with his/her fellow Christians, often, the disagreeing Christian is often manipulated, shunned, shamed or worse.  This idea that there is no new ideas, no new ways of doing things in a different way is not allowable.
If the Wright Brothers did not do something different, they would never have built an airplane.  I believe that the problem for Christians is often is that the other Christians wish they had thought of it first.  Christians are prime targets to get into a rut.   Even those who have changed recently can get into a rut of not wanting to make the next change.
What is disturbing to me is how other Christians are often used to tell their fellow Christians how they should run their life.  Most of the time these Christians can't keep their own lives straight but are ready to tell others what they would do, if they were them.  Let's use what day to go to church as an example.  Some worship on Saturdays, some on Sundays, some Sunday and Wednesdays and some every day of the week.  What does the Apostle Paul say about this?  Romans 14:5 says "One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind."  This is a principle that applies to everything that is not a doctrinal issue that could cost someone their soul.
So you go to church 3 times a week every week.  I go to church 2 times a week.  Is this a problem?  Not if each person is convinced this is what God requires of us.
However, tell the average Christian this and you will get some "shoulds" thrown at you.  The enemy of our souls uses well-meaning Christians to abuse other Christians.  The "should" syndrome has been used in churches for many years.   And I might add in many Christian homes.  I lived with the should syndrome for many years.
It is my opinion that it really is a matter of the heart.   In the scripture above, Paul states that one should be fully convinced in their mind.   If a persons belief is not contrary to scripture, then it really is a matter of what God requires of you.   God very well could require one person to go to church weekly and another to go one time a month.  
The reason I call this Christian witchcraft is because of what witchcraft is.  Boiled all the way down to the basics, witchcraft is control or manipulation of another person.  When Christians manipulate other people it is witchcraft as well, regardless of the first person's intentions.  As Jesus said in Matthew 7:5, "
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  In other words, don't try to get another person to do what you think is right for them, until you are complete/perfect.
One final note:  Hitler used manipulation to gain power over the people.  I have been reading a very interesting book called When a Nation Forgets God by Erwin W. Lutzer.  I believe that we can learn from the past.   One of the things Hitler accomplished is to make the church powerless.  This is happening today in the USA.  One of the ways to make this happen is to turn people against each other.  A house divided cannot stand.  The USA is becoming more and more divided, both inside and outside the church.

How to Reach Them

Today I was listening to a podcast about how Christians are being martyred in other countries.  The same week that the attack on Paris took place, there was another terrorist attack.   Very few newscasts gave it more than a passing byword.  12 people were killed in Paris, in Nigeria the bodies were too many to count.  Why did the one in Paris get all the publicity and Nigeria got none?  Both are tragic events.
It is sad that the world doesn't care about the slaughter in Nigeria.  What is downright despicable is that the church in the USA is not rising to the task of helping the refugees.  The churches aren't talking about this.  The church is asleep.  Not a little catnap, but a deep slumber.
My mind cries out to God, "If the church will not help, what can we do?"  I felt like God said, then you take it to the people.  For those of us who have empathy for the plight of our fellow humans, it is time to take action.
I know that we can pray and that is always the best course of action.
I believe there are other things we can do as well.
I will be praying about this and will do an update to this post soon.

It Breaks My Heart

Today, I don't have a topic.  I just want to share things on my heart.
I am so grieved that the people in the USA are sleeping.  It's even more of a tragedy that those who call themselves Christians are in a deep slumber.  People wake up!   It may be too late to save our nation, but it is not too late to save souls.  It's not too late to prepare,
The main area we need to prepare is spiritually.  If you are not right with God, it is time to put your reasons aside and make a decision to repent and put God in charge of your life.  If you are a Christian, then it is time to get closer to God.  Ask God what He would have you to do.  Pray for those around you who need to hear the Gospel of Christ.  Do what God tells you to do. 
It may be uncomfortable to keep on top of whats going on in the world.  I don't mean the propaganda that Nbc, Abc, Cbs, Cnn and Fox deliver.  I am talking about places like the Drudge Report, watchman's cry, shatterthedarkness etc.
I highly reccommend you listen to an interview that Rick Wiles did with Dr Laurence White.  You can find it on Itunes under podcasts.  The date is 2/23/15.  If this fails to move you, then pray that God will soften your heart.

Whose Church Is It?

As most of my readers know, I grew up in the church.  Most of my life I have gone to church.  There have been a few years here and there that I didn't go to church.   I don't consider myself an expert on the "church" but I have had a lot of experience with church.  When I was growing up, it seemed like people understood that the "church"  was not the building.  Things were never perfect, but some things have changed over the years.
It seems that the church has lost it's reverence for God.  Church should revolve around God, not around a man.   The church does not belong to a man or a group or even a denomination.  The 'church' is God's.
What does God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit say about the "church"?
Matthew 16:13-20:
^"13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
¹⁴ And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
²⁰ Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ."

I have included more than the verse I am highlighting because the context is always important.
Jesus and His disciples are talking and He asks His disciples who people say He is.  Apparently, the people of the day had various ideas of who Jesus was.  Then Jesus asks the question that each of us must also answer:  "Who do you say that I am?"   Peter says that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Savior), the Son of the Living God.  Jesus replies and says that God Himself showed this to Peter.   Now we get to the point I am trying to make.  Upon this rock (upon the revelation that Jesus is the Christ), Jesus will build HIS church and the gates of hell will NOT prevail against it (the church).
The church belongs to God, it does not belong to man.   Jesus said that He will build the church.  If the church would stop doing its own thing and let God build the church, perhaps the gates of hell would not be prevailing against the church as they are doing now.

Let's go to another scripture to further this principle.    Acts 2:37-41 tells us how God built His church:

^"37 Now when they heard, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
³⁸ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
³⁹ For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
⁴⁰ And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
⁴¹ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

We see that 3,000 souls were added to the church in one day.  How did this happen?  Peter was preaching about Jesus and the people were asking what to do because their hearts were stirred by the message.  Peter told them to REPENT!
Repentance is crucial to the building of the "church" of God.  Men have built big churches without repentance, but when God builds a church, repentance is key.
A little further down in the chapter we find this:  

^"6 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
⁴⁷ Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.."

WHO added to the church?  Peter? John?  the disciples?  NO, the LORD added to the church and He added to the church DAILY!
If the church today would go back to the Bible and Biblical principles, perhaps the Lord would do the same in these end times we live in.

Social Issues and the Church

I listen to a lot of podcasts.   Some of the podcasts that I listen to are in no particular order:  Sheila Zilinsky, TruNews (Rick Wiles), Hagmann & Hagmann, and the Power Hour.  I especially like when Ted Broer is hosting the Power Hour.   I am mentioning this because one of the podcasts I listened to yesterday had a portion about another Barna Study.   This was the study that I had been looking for when I wrote yesterday's blog.  Some of my favorite guests on the above podcasts are Steve Quayle, Timothy Alberino, Ted Broer, Nathan Leal, Jonathan Cahn, Pastor Lankford, Augusto Perez, LA Marzulli, and Russ Dizdar.  Of course, I don't agree completely with any of them, but these are people who make me think.  That helps me research and delve into deeper studies of what the Bible says.
The study that I heard about was about why Pastors don't touch the social issues of our day.  You can read the study at:  Barna Study Regarding Controversy
I have often wondered why pastors in America don't talk about the issues of the day.   I know some do and to those I say Kudos!  I had somewhat come to the conclusion that they just weren't aware of what was going on.  I know that sounds very simplistic.   I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.
According to this study 90% of them state that "the Bible speaks to every one of the issues."  Less than 10% will speak to the issues.  "When researchers ask those pastors what else they are willing to do to get their people active in the political process, Barna said 'it's almost nothing.' "
Why?  Why would this be?  "
"Why the disconnect? According to Barna, the answer is simple. He suggests asking pastors how someone would know if their church is "successful" – which he did.
'There are five factors that the vast majority of pastors turn to [when asked that question]," he explained. "Attendance, giving, number of programs, number of staff, and square footage.' "
What?  Huh?  Are you kidding me?   I do not believe that you can find backing for any of this in the Bible.  Somehow, I think that God's idea of a successful church is far different.   Here are some things that the Bible says about what the church is to do:  the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, laying down our lives for another,  known by our love for one another,  knowing the Word of God (Bible), having mature Christians, going into the world and making disciples of all nations, the gospel preached to every tribe and tongue (every people group), having the fruit of the Spirit, having gifts of the Spirit, knowing what Christ did for us, not being afraid to die for the gospel.   Of course this list could go on and on, but you get the idea.

What People Are Looking for in a Church

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know how much I dislike statistics.   I am finding though that I like the Barna Group.   They do studies and research things.  Generally speaking, they are considered honest and trustworthy.
Earlier today I heard about a 2 year study that Barna did.  However, while looking for that study I found another one that I found extremely interesting.  We, Christians, have been told by our Pastors that the reason we do things the way we do is to draw in the unchurched.   This often means worshipping in the semi-dark, with lead worshippers on a stage, whiich is usually lit with spotlights.  It may mean low lighting during the "sermon".   It may mean have an auditorium look as opposed to a sanctuary.  Most of the churches I have been to, it means LOUD music.   Even during the times that are allotted for the churchgoers to visit with one another, the music blares.   Conversation may be nearly impossible.   The above is why I find this study so very interesting.
Barna study on church
I urge you to go to the website and look at it.  I think you will find in interesting.
One part I am going to post here as I find these results very revealing,
Participators in the survey were ask to choose the word that describes their "ideal" church.  Here are the results:
• Community, 78% was selected over privacy, 22%
• Sanctuary, 77% (auditorium, 23%)
• Classic, 67% (trendy, 33%)
• Quiet, 65% (loud, 35%)
• Casual, 64% (dignified, 36%)
• Modern, 60% (traditional, 40%)
So it seems that what is "really" wanted in "church" is the more traditional look.   The churches that spend much money renovating the churches may have wasted their money.  It seems people want to go to "church" not a nondescript place.   I think that people may not like the "pretense".  It seems that people do want a modern feel without being trendy.    I understand why people like "casual" is more inclusive overall.
I found this study thought-provoking.