CommenTerry

Converts Hooked on a Feeling

Many years ago, B.J. Thomas had a hit song entitled, Hooked on a Feeling. Unfortunately, that title can be used to describe many new Christian converts. If you’ve been a Christian for as long as I have, you’ve probably witnessed the following scenario play out over and over.

Someone – whether a young, mild-aged, or older adult – who has lived their whole life outside Christ gets saved and joins your church. They are immediately on fire for the Lord, possibly even becoming a deacon or Sunday school teacher in short order. They are willing to share their salvation experience with anyone and everyone who will listen. They begin to put many of your long-term Christian friends to shame. But before many months have transpired, they disappear, never to be heard from again.

What happened? More than likely, Christianity gave them a feeling unlike anything they had tried before and they became hooked on it. But regrettably, because feelings change, they can’t carry a person but so far, no matter how strong they are. Therefore, when the novelty of their newfound Christian experience wore off, there was nothing to keep their interest piqued. Perhaps they moved on to the next experience that sparked some kind of excitement in their soul.

Keep in mind that many of those who have their first encounter with Christianity after the age of 25 have become “experience shoppers,” a lifestyle that’s difficult (although far from impossible) to break. That’s why it’s so important to reach people for Christ while they are still very young, preferably as children or teenagers.

Scream and Shout with Your Actions

I’m not being critical, but I have never been comfortable in churches where the pastor and parishioners spend a lot of time screaming and shouting. For one thing, that kind of stuff grinds on my nerves.

However, the major reason for my dislike of that style of worship is that I believe it is cheap. Anyone who is physically able to do so can scream, shout, and make all kinds of noise in church. It is certainly no indicator of what is in their hearts, so I doubt that God is impressed.

I know I’m not, especially when I consider the fact that many of the churches which host the most screaming and shouting are the same ones whose members and other regular attendees have highest rates of unwed births. It’s better when people scream and shout with their actions. No doubt that’s what God would rather see. 

Christianity of Convenience

I’m very skeptical of religious experiences in which people become Christians while behind bars or as a result of having been caught in some kind of criminal act. The same goes for those who accept Christ following some traumatic event or major setback in their lives. That kind of Christianity seems a bit too convenient to me. And too often it doesn’t stick.

I want to see what happens when they get out of prison, get off easy, or otherwise return to a normal life. If they are still practicing Christians several years later, I’ll be fully sold on their conversion.

My skepticism results from the definition of what true repentance is and what it is not. Part of the process of becoming a Christian involves repentance, which must be genuine. To repent means to be sorry for what one has done and have a willingness to turn away from it. Being regretful that one has been caught is not repentance. Neither is sorrow for the fact that one is suffering the consequences, nor is it the desire to improve one's circumstances.

When one comes to understand how God feels about sin, his or her abhorrence of it should be all that is needed as motivation for repentance, regardless of any other condition. So why would any other kind of prompting be required?

Now, can someone repent and experience these other emotions at the same time? Of course they can. That’s why it’s sometimes hard to tell if someone has repented – at first. However, time will tell the tale. It will eventually become quite evident whether someone has in fact become a Christian or if he or she was just looking for a kind of Christianity of convenience. 

So Much Heresy on Christian TV

Have you taken a look at some of the programming on so-called “Christian” cable TV channels lately? While these channels supposedly carry Christian programs 24 hours a day, much of what they air is anything but that. In fact, it has more of a potential for negative impact on one’s spiritual life than does some of the godless stuff often found on the other channels.

The problem is all of those preachers who claim that the Christian life is supposed to be one of earthly prosperity. In order to activate the prosperity that’s coming to them, these preachers claim, people must first send in (to these preachers) what is called “seed money.” This will supposedly guarantee that God will send those donors riches either directly or through other people.

Those who have been contributing money for years, but haven’t gotten their riches yet (we’re talking about millions of people here), are urged to continue giving until it happens for them. These preachers will beg, plead, cry, and even occasionally use veiled threats of punishment from God in order to coax viewers into calling toll-free numbers and making donations.

All of this, of course, is complete heresy. Very few notions could be more unbiblical. The Bible says the Christian life is not an easy one. It is a life of cross-bearing, service, and obedience. Furthermore, God does not promise anyone riches or success for supporting His work.

Even if some of these preachers are using the money they collect for all the right causes, their tactics are wrong. They might feel, as TV preachers, that this is the best way to motivate people to support their ministries. But that doesn’t make it right. If a given ministry were in the will of God, He would make sure that it survived. However, a ministry that must comprise its principles and lower itself to ungodly methods in order to stay afloat does not deserve to survive.

Keep in mind that many of these preachers live a life of luxury – with multiple mansions and private jets – while their credulous contributors consist mainly of the lower middle class and poor. One day, God is going to judge these pastors for exploiting so many people and deceiving them into handing over the precious little of this world’s goods that they had. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes on Judgment Day. 

The Only Truly Deadly Sin

Supposedly, there are seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, anger, envy, and pride. But I don’t buy it. I believe that only one of the items on this list – pride – can truly be a deadly sin. Yes, all sins are bad and they stand as barriers between us and God. But if we carefully examined the reason why people go to hell, we would discover that the root cause is pride. This kind of deadly pride manifests itself in several ways.  

Pride causes some people to refuse to recognize that there is a God. They just can’t accept the fact there is a being more powerful than they. Belief in God would mean that they would have to take some of the spotlight off themselves sometimes. That whole concept is anathema to them.

The God they deny is the One who created them, One who loves them, One who provides for them, and One stands ready to save them, if they will only turn to Him. But, to them, they are their own gods. They will some day be shocked to discover that they actually control very little. 

Pride causes others to believe they don’t need God, even though they do acknowledge His existence. These people are elitists who are haughty enough to believe that they are the providers of their own sustenance. They think that they are the masters of their own destiny. Sure, God may have created them and their parents may have raised them, but they took over the reigns of their lives from there and have done quite well, thank you. Their focus is on their own abilities and intellect. 

Why should they thank God for their food, for example, when they bought it with money they worked for? What they don’t seem to realize is that they would not be able to work unless God gave them the strength to do so. They would not have gotten the education to qualify for their careers if God had got given them the requisite intelligence. In fact, they could not take another breath, if God didn’t allow it. It often takes a major setback to get these people to acknowledge any kind of dependence on God. 

However, the most prevalent manifestation of deadly pride can be seen in many of those who both acknowledge God’s existence and recognize the fact that they need Him. The problem is that many of these people honestly believe they can find their own path to God. The other day, I read some comments from a lady who stated that she didn’t need the Bible or organized religion to have God in her life. Wow, that’s like saying you’re a big fan of Shakespeare without ever having read any of his work! 

These folks tend to focus on their own goodness and morality – and that’s where pride enters the picture. They feel that God is surely going to accept them. Why, they are not like those murderers, rapists, robbers, thieves, adulterers, fornicators, gossipers, liars, homosexuals, abortionists, gang members, selfish people, foul-mouthed people, drunkards, and users of illegal drugs. They are much better than those people. They have never been in trouble with the law and they get along with everyone and even donate a considerable amount of their time and money to charitable pursuits. 

But sometimes moral people and do-gooders can be harder to reach for Christ than the most vile among us – and this is the reason. They rationalize that God is going weigh their good deeds against the bad, and that the good will far outweigh the bad, therefore God will let them into heaven. The only problem is that this way of thinking is totally unbiblical. 

The Bible is clear about the fact that salvation is not achieved via a checklist of the good things one does and the bad things one doesn’t do. Yes, God wants all of us to live moral lives, love everyone, and do good deeds. Those things are very important aspects of the Christian life, but they don’t make anyone a Christian. No one can live up to God’s standard of holiness and perfection. Even if someone were to live a life of service to one’s fellow man that surpassed even that of Mother Teresa, it would amount to nothing but filthiness compared to the righteousness of Christ. 

For people to be saved, they must lay down enough of their pride to (1) acknowledge the existence of God; (2) acknowledge their own sinful condition and the fact that they are helpless on their own to do anything about it; (3) believe that God sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, into the world in the form of a man; (4) believe that Jesus died for the sins of the world; (5) believe that Jesus rose from the dead; and (6) accept Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross as full payment for their sins and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

From that point, people can – with Jesus in their heart and the Holy Spirit as their guide – live a life of obedience to God and service to others. But without of each of the prior steps, there is no eternal hope for anyone. Do let pride stand in your way. 

Missionaries Should Not Need an Excuse

Some Christian missionaries who are trying to proselytize an isolated Indian tribe in Brazil are being disparaged for their efforts. According to their critics, they are destroying these people’s culture.

However, these missionaries claim that their work is necessary in order to prevent infanticide, which they fear is commonly practiced by that tribe and others in the region. Supposedly, these tribes people kill babies that are born with birth defects.

However, it shouldn’t matter whether or not these allegations are true. Christians are commanded by Jesus’ Great Commission to reach all souls for him. When Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15, KJV), he left no room for any exceptions. Anyone who says otherwise owes us an explanation as to which parts of “all” and “every” they do not understand.

If an ancient culture is lost in the process of getting the gospel to everyone, so be it. It might just be the inevitable collateral damage. Besides, there’s no way the value of any culture could not even remotely compare to the worth of one human soul.

How Modern Pastors Are Derelict in their Duties

I have become so frustrated, disgusted, and disillusioned with many of the men and women who call themselves Christian pastors today. I’ve had it just about up to my eyeballs with their spineless and gutless methods of leading their flocks. With the exception of those who pastor fundamentalist churches, most of them refuse to preach about sin or hell anymore.

They spend of all of their time in the pulpit focusing on God’s love, grace, and forgiveness. It’s all well and good to preach about those things, as they are a big part of God’s nature. But there is another side to God – a side of high moral standards and judgment and punishment. When a pastor omits that side of God, it is a clear dereliction of duty.

What are these pastors afraid of anyway? Do they fear people not liking them anymore? If so, that’s a completely unbiblical fear. A pastor (or any other Christian, for that matter) should only be concerned about what God thinks of him or her and not worry about what anyone else thinks. God’s opinion is the only one that counts, in the final analysis.

Are they afraid that people will stop tithing or giving to their churches? Money is no problem for God. Pastors who follow God’s direction do not have to worry about it either. God already owns everything anyway. He could easily give them all the financial support they and their churches need. He could even create a gold mine out of thin air if He wanted to. Are they afraid of being fired by their church? God could give them another one.

People – even Christians – need to be frequently reminded of what sin is. Our secular society certainly isn’t going to do that job. In fact, it won’t even acknowledge that the concept of sin exists. People need to know that abortion, homosexuality, adultery, fornication, hedonism, gluttony, drunkenness, recreational drug use, envy, gossip, greed, self-centeredness, foul language, vengefulness, hatred, arrogance, etc. are still sins, even though the world seems to think they are now okay.

There are now churches that allow people who are open and unrepentant participants in the gay lifestyle, as well as heterosexual couples who are unapologetically living together outside of marriage, to become members. This is an abomination! It is anathema to the teachings of the Word of God. It is all a result of pastors failing to condemn sin and, consequently, their churches cozying up to the ways and whims of the world.

Not surprisingly, when the condemnation of sin isn’t preached from the pulpit, neither is God’s judgment. There’s a lot of talk about the heaven that awaits believers, but not much is said anymore about the hell that awaits unbelievers. Some preachers even go as far as leaving out half of certain teachings of Jesus when delivering their sermons. For example, I’ve heard them preach about the parable of the sheep and goats and only mention what God says to the sheep.

In order to make an informed decision about Christ, people need to know about both of the possible fates that await them when this life is over. They need to know that God loves them but still hates sin and cannot let it go unpunished. They need to know that, if they are unwilling to accept Christ’s sacrifice – His death on the cross – as payment for their sins, they must pay the heavy toll themselves.

How to Become a Big Shot

Want to be big shot? No, not the kind of big shot that the world commonly recognizes, like a celebrity, millionaire, influential politician, or other VIP. I’m talking about an important person in the biblical sense – one whom God says is the greatest among you. Would you like to be that kind of big shot? Okay, but it’s actually counterintuitive. Here’s what Jesus had to say about the matter:

“But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”  Matthew 23:11-12 (NKJV)

That’s right – Jesus said one doesn’t become the greatest by stepping on people or trying to be their boss or outmaneuvering them in any way. He said you become the most exalted by making yourself the lowest. By humbly serving others, you become the greatest. The scribes and Pharisees, along with Jesus’ disciples, were making the same mistake that many people make today. They thought greatness could be achieved via impeccable morals, impressive credentials, political posturing, and worldly riches. Until, of course, Jesus dropped this bombshell on them. No doubt it came as a great shock to them.

But it really makes sense when you think about it. What kind of person would you rather be around, one who is always willing to be of service to you or one who is more interested in looking out for his or her own selfish interests? I don’t think there would be any question. And what kind of person is the most indispensable, one who looks for opportunities to serve or one who seeks to be served? What kind of person do you generally hold in greater esteem, one who makes you feel important or one who comes off as having an exaggerated sense of self-importance?

It’s too bad that people don’t take Jesus’ simple words more seriously. The world would obviously be a much better place if they did.

Thank God for Sending His Son!

In the Old Testament days, God seemed distant, mysterious, and even unpredictable at times. Even His prophets wondered what He was really like. Back then, it was impossible to really know God.

Fortunately, all of that mystery was finally put to bed when Jesus came to earth to reveal God's true nature in human form. Today, we joyfully celebrate that advent, as we do each year on this date. Now, it's possible for anyone to know God through a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

How Much is That Kind of Religion Really Worth?

A recent study confirms what I have suspected for a long time. It has concluded that children who are rewarded (with money, treats, etc.) for stuff like making good grades, reading, helping others, and completing household chores generally won't do these things when they are not rewarded. Rewarding kids this way apparently conditions them like Pavlov's dogs. On the other hand, kids who are encouraged to do these things because they are the right things to do develop good habits and do them on a regular basis, without having to be reminded.

This brings me to a problem I have with churches and denominations that overemphasize the concept of rewards and punishment. While I believe in the biblical teachings about heaven and hell, I think it is a mistake to overemphasize them. People should be encouraged to become Christians and live the Christian life because it's the right thing to do, not out of hope for a reward and/or fear of punishment.

I've even heard so-called "good" Christians say that if they suspected that heaven and hell did not exist, they would have no motivation to do right and would probably live like heathens. I wonder how much that kind of personal religion is worth to God? Unfortunately, it's encouraged by many of the institutions that claim to be doing God's work.