Christian Living

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In the concerns of life there are many grey areas. The Church is to be the light of the world and the Christian is the temple of His precious Holy Spirit. Together the Church and the believer are to be the lighthouse for the secular world to run to in times of trouble. However, many times the Church has lost its power to heal and bring light into the world because of its denial of the Holiness of God’s life changing Word and the compromise of sin in the camp. So, to be that beacon of light and life changing force there needs to be major change in God’s people first. Second, the believers are to reach out to the lost in the only way the Bible commands, by speaking the truth in love. Subsequently, the Lord will restore the lost and bring freedom to those who are in bondage to sin.

Recently, reported on KBRT Christian Radio, sadly only 9-12% of the Church in a nondenominational congregation holds to a biblical world view, and those in a denomination it is lower(The Paul Mc Guire Show, aired 12/03/03). These results have been reported from a scientific study and reveal the marshmallow belief of many Christians. The pulpit is to blame. The preachers preach a candy-coated message denying the life changing power and truth of the Bible. The Word of God speaks very clearly on the issues of today, especially in the area of homosexuality, also on the area of abortion and family life. The Church has adopted the world’s stance on these subjects and has lost her inability to discern truth. She has looked upon God’s truth and brought it down to the level of the unbeliever to be comfortable in her sin. Unfortunately, many, looking for truth, have turned from the Lord because of His people’s hypocrisy. When one sees the Lord seated upon the throne and not in a manmade box, there is life changing conviction of sin and a new creation being formed into the sinless Christ (Isaiah 6:1-3, Romans 8).

Most in the body of Christ loves and knows Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” However, the second part of the verse, often left out is, “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (KJV). The Church has to be willing to repent and move from her sin to be that light to the world. Jesus, Himself, knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21). We too are called to be like Christ (John 14-16). Is this a hard message? Yes, but there is no other way. Jesus warns, those who are lukewarm to be spit out of His mouth (Rev.3:16).

Moreover, the lost of the world are to see Christ and not the carnal Christian to experience the desire to change. The secular world, and all of its disturbing practices of sin, is to be targeted by the arrows of God’s love. Love is the life changing work of the cross which will bring about the desire to become born from above (John 3:16). The bride of Messiah is called to be a beacon of life-changing light in the midst of a very dark world. The world’s greatest sin and only sin, is rebellion against God and His rule over their life (John 3:18). The world is guilty of a life completely separated from the One who is willing to redeem them. The world is blinded to this eternal fact and it is the Church who is to be the bearer of His Good News and trumpeted this truth by the love of God. Love exposes sin and has a plan to bring those who are willing to be repentant into the grace and loving arms of our Savior. Love does not look at the shell of man or woman; love looks what God intends the sinner to be, a new creation (John 3:21). Love calls out to say, “Come, eat and drink of this new life and be forgiven for eternity.” Jesus, and His death on the cross, is our example of the greatest love (John 15:13). He laid down His life to save us and in turn we are to lay down our life for those who are unlovely.

The world will never change until the Church changes. The world will never be won over by the Lord until His people stand against injustice in the house of God and then the community at large. The family is under attack, and we know that God’s truth about the holy covenant of marriage is the only force which will expose the humanist ideals in our present day society which has infiltrated the house of faith. When families of nations come under attack, then nations are destroyed. The family is the core of community and is worth fighting for. Being an advocate for the family is the call for every Christian. In the area of divorce in the Church, she needs to bring comfort to those who have experienced it, and bring conviction to those who are thinking about going through it. Then, those who have been healed by the Lord in their marriages can be the active force to bring truth regarding the family and God’s design.

Once, after my son’s soccer game, I by chance met a young mother who had slammed her finger her car door. She was unable to drive her car home and she had her two small children with her. I offered to take her home to fix her finger and since my mom was with me, and an RN, she agreed to come into my home for treatment. We began a friendship and I found out that she was a non-practicing Catholic and we began to speak about God’s love. After a few weeks of friendship, she broke down in tears and revealed to me that she was having an affair with her husbands “best friend” and they met on a regular basis. Since she was not a believer; her greatest sin was that she did not know Jesus and being born from above with God’s life changing power; her adultery was secondary. Our discussing was just this, “You are not able to change your lifestyle without the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Are you ready to have His power take your shame and make you a new creation?” We examined her life without God and His promises for her. After a few minutes she was ready to receive the Lord into her heart and still today is going strong in the Lord and her family has been spared and her marriage renewed. I heard from her not too long ago and she told me her husband has been saved a well! What great joy to my heart as well as our Father who smiles down from heaven at His life-changing power, being her number one support every step of the way in her new life. The Gospel message was not compromised. My friend embraced the truth of her sinful life and wanted to change. This is the call of the Church; to be there when the world needs us to speak truth and to give the Gospel without compromise. Then, entrust God with the results.

The Lord never intended for us to live a life of compromise and sin once we come to Him. We are to go and sin no more and to be a light for Him to use brightly in a world full of darkness. Judgment starts first in the household of God. He will change us and then those we are in contact through the power of His Holy Spirit when we rely in His truth without compromise. It is His prayer for us to stay united in Him and not conformed to the world. May He continue to give us the conviction and power to be that beacon that will be willing to speak His truth in love.

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