A little leaven leavens everything

I Timothy 1:15--This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

     I don't have to look hard to see sin in my life.  There is no need for bifocals or a magnifying glass, my sin is every before me.  My only hope and redeeming assurance is that Christ came to save sinners such as me.  The song says it well, "My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul."  It is with this understanding of myself that I tackle this topic.  My desire is to exhort and encourage every believer to, "lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares you,"(Heb. 12:1) and to understand that a little leaven(worldliness/sin) will affect your whole life.

     I Corinthians 5:6 tells us that, "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" but do we understand what this means?  Do we tell ourselves that having a little leaven in our lives is ok, and possibly good for us?  Do we justify our leaven by comparing it with the leaven in the lives of other believers?  We must understand that even though sin will always be in our lives, we are instructed to quickly strive to remove it when it becomes evident to us.  We cannot become content with allowing sin to reign in our lives; choosing to remain in it as opposed to running from it.  Let me address two areas that all Christians must continually critique to be sure leaven is not found: music and movies/T.V.

     Music.  How enticing it can be.  Does God's Word give us a guide to help us understand what we should and should not be listening to?  In a world where "Christian music" can mean so many different things, is there assistance to aid us in deciding what our ears should hear?  The answer is yes!  One such answer is found in Colossians 3:2.  It says, "set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."  When listening to music evaluate where it takes your mind.  If it does not cause your thoughts to move upward, then avoid it.  Music was not originally intended for your entertainment, but for an avenue to express your love and gratitude for God.  As a Christian, do not look for music that satisfies your flesh, but music that causes you to remember how wonderful your Savior is.

     Movies/T.V.  Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things."  I remember being taught this passage and being encouraged to make sure every movie and program I watched passed this test.  Did I succeed?  No!  I am not proud of the choices I have made over the years, but through God's grace and patience, my desires have changed and my obedience has improved.  The world may tell us that we can decide what movies are appropriate based on the rating system of man (G, PG, etc), but when we see God's standard, we understand man's system is lacking.  For many years I wasted hours upon hours filling my head with unprofitable things, not redeeming the time; may you also come to your senses and recognize the futility of those choices.

     May the Lord open the eyes of our understanding(mine included) that we may clearly see the areas of our life that are full of leaven, so that we may purge them out, becoming more like Christ.  May He richly bless you as you obey His every command.

Victory can breed pride

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False doctrine that we've been taught and now believe, part 3

Ephesians 5:11--And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

     After talking with a few boys about what classifies as Christian music I quickly understood that I was faced with a teaching(or lack thereof) that has permeated much of society. When you think of something or someone as being Christian, what do you think of? What qualities come to mind? How do you qualify something as being Christian? If you are like most people, your criteria will not find much backing from God's Word. Allow me to shine the light of God's Word into this, sometimes confusing arena, to aid you in making your distinctions.

     The problem, the standard has been ignored. God's Word says, "...Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you..."(II Corinthians 6:17); but churches today allow, if not promote, being united to the world(music, movies, speech, clothing). God's Word states that, "...friendship with the world is enmity(hatred) with God" and that if one desires to be a friend of the world he, "makes himself an enemy of God..." (James 4:4); but today's preachers seem to be preaching that holiness and worldliness can sometimes coincide.

     After talking to one believer (whose goal/program was to win the young people for Christ) about his proposed plan to reach the lost, I knew something was amiss. His objective was good, but his method was unScriptural. He desired to get unsaved youth together, play games, listen to music they liked, eat and talk about this man called Jesus. The problem, 50-55 minutes were to be dedicated to feeding the flesh while 5-10 minutes were allotted to speak to the spirit. We must understand that winning people to Christ does not come by psychological tricks, but by the awesome power of Jesus Christ. We don't run from the gospel, and we certainly should not be ashamed of it. Paul says in Romans 1:16, " For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..." Today, many are afraid that the true gospel of Christ Jesus will offend, or drive people away....if you want to know the truth...it will (have you read the New Testament); but it will also drive some to repentance.

     Where are our shepherds that are called to guide the flock of God?(I Peter 5:2) Where are the watchmen that have been called to warn others of danger? (Ezekiel 33:1-9) And where are the teachers that are called to explain God's Word and expose the works of darkness? Instead of truth, we're hearing tales; instead of Scripture, we're getting stories. Please do not forget what Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." People are being deceived left and right; they are being taken captive by the devil, while we preachers stand by bloviating about some joke we read on the internet. May we repent of our wickedness and return to the command found in II Timothy 4:2. "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching"

     Allow me to spend one paragraph teaching you how to know if something(music, movies, speech and dress) is Christian or not. Step one: are a majority of the people doing it? If they are, it’s not for you. Remember, Christ said that there are two paths, one that is narrow and one that is broad. Many take the broad path which leads to destruction, but few find the narrow path that leads to life. (Matthew 7:13-14) Christ does not call His followers to walk like the world, but to come out and be separate. Step two: does it pass the Philippians 4:8 test? Is your music, movies, speech and dress noble(upright), just, pure, lovely(in Christ’s eyes), of good report, virtuous and praise-worthy? Step three: is it Christ-honoring? If it does not honor Christ, it cannot attain the label Christian. Use these three steps to re-evaluate your standard of choosing what Christian is and what it is not. Just because the world calls it contemporary Christian music does not mean Christ views it that way as well.

     Let me close by acknowledging my state of imperfection. I do not sit on a perfection pedestal casting down judgment upon others, but I do understand the dangerous repercussions that can come from not understanding what Christ-like living truly is. Do not be deceived, we cannot truly walk with Christ while continuing to walk in the flesh. Come out and be separate. By doing so, you will have overcome the deception that many have been misled by.

Two new messages

Have you ever wondered what to do with a "believer" that desires to remain in their sin?  Listen here for the Scripture that will give you the answer.

Would you like any tips on training up your child(ren)?  Look here to listen to a sermon that addresses that topic.

False doctrine that you've been taught and now believe, part 2

John 8:32--And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

     It baffles me how many people claim to be a Christian, attend church, and assume they are going to heaven, not knowing(or at least not acknowledging) that they have accepted false doctrine.     These individuals often are very intellectual, very learned, very astute; but when it comes to this area of doctrine, they have rather chosen to exchange the truth for a lie.  It is because of this that we see many congregations walking in darkness, living lives that God would detest.  What false doctrine am I referring to...the validity of God's Word.

     Some say it's full of fairy tales, some say it's insufficient(even accepting another book as equal to God's Word).  Some believe that it was written by ignorant men, some say it is full of errors; others discredit it, believing it was written for long ago and not for today.  Now, I would not have a problem with these views, if they were being voiced by those outside the church, but when they are being uttered by those within it, concern arises.  I will attempt to lay down a foundation exposing these erroneous thoughts; expressing my belief that if God's Word is not viewed as all-sufficient, all-inspired, without error, you may want to recheck your faith and examine whether or not you are truly in the faith.  II Corinthians 13:5

     God's Word is all-sufficient.  II Peter 1:3 says, "as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue."  Every believer must understand that contained within the 66 books of the Bible we have everything we need for life and godliness, nothing more is needed.  We don't needed added revelations, a new history of a distant land, or any other material to aid us in living a life that is holy and pleasing to Him.  The problem is, most "believers" wont go to the Word for guidance; instead they will lean on their own understanding, allowing that to guide them.  The above verse states that the only way to live and be godly is through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  My hope is that all believers will depart from all other sources of knowledge(self-help books, book of mormon, etc.) in their search for godliness and wholly lean on the all--sufficient Word of God.
    
     God's Word is all-inspired and without errors.  II Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  II Peter 1:21 says, "for prophecy never came by the will of man, by holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."  Every Scripture written, from Genesis to Revelation, was inspired/breathed by God.  The authors were moved by the Holy Spirit to write as He directed them.  This being said, it is impossible for such a document to contain errors, since its originator is perfect.  So, what is one to do with stories like Jonah and Noah's flood, can they be truly believed?  One may discredit the account of Jonah and forget that Jesus directly referenced him twice (Matthew 12:39-41 and 16:4).  Others may disregard Noah's flood as fairy tale and forget what Jesus said in John 5:47, "but if you do not believe his (Moses') writings(he penned Genesis), how will you believe My words?"  The point is, if you choose to displace such stories as false, you have discredited God and called His Son a liar.  Every jot and tittle is inspired and without error and able to make every man complete.  Believe it and be saved.

     To close I will give you some closing thoughts to demonstrate to awesomeness and uniqueness of God's Word.  Did you know that the Bible is not one book, but actually 66 different books?  Did you know that those 66 books cover different genres: history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, letters and more?  Did you know that those 66 books, of different genres, were written by 40 different authors(shepherds, fishermen, doctors, kings and prophets), over a period of 1500 years, written in 3 different languages(Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic), on 3 different continents(Africa, Asia, and Europe)?  What's even more amazing...those 66 books all share a common story line, common theme and common message.  No matter how far and wide you search you will not find another 66 books that meet those characteristics.  God's Word is sufficient, it is inspired, it is without error and in it you will find the truth that can set you free.