Mark Escalera at Defending. Contending. ran (with permission) my post, “OMG” — and Other Ways Christians Take God’s Name in Vain (this continues to be, by far, my most shared post). In the comments at DefCon someone said she has tried to break the habit of saying, “Oh my goodness!”
The kind of thing that happens when God’s people don’t listen, don’t obey, don’t trust Him:
Isaiah 6:11
Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
Isaiah 36:1
Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
The kind of thing that happens when a faithful God keeps His promises despite the sin and unbelief of those who should follow Him:
Isaiah 40:9
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Isaiah 44:26
That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
Today, my text was Isaiah 40:3-11. Verse 11 says:
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
…are our family, friends, neighbours, and co-workers ready to face eternity?
Have we ever said anything that would let them know we have the answer to eternal destiny?
Do our lives give them evidence that our faith is real, or make them think Christians (and Christianity) are frauds? Are we true, pure, and kind? When we speak truth that is uncomfortable for them, do we have compassion on their discomfort and speak it with gentleness, or do we speak in harshness?
What if it DOESN’T become a world-wide epidemic, if rather than real danger for most of us it is a lot of scare-mongering? Shouldn’t we be asking these questions anyway?
It’s been a while, but I’d like to return to my “Passion Tuesday” series on the Tuesday before Christ’s crucifixion. If you missed them, I’d recommend hitting that link for a quick read of at least the two articles on the Parable of the Husbandmen and the two on the greatest commandments. They give important context for this article.
Jesus’ answer on the greatest commandment pointed to the source of their problem — indeed, everyone’s problem. We don’t love God, and we don’t love our neighbours. To solve that, we need a new heart, a change worked by God. He showed the religious leaders the need for the Cross, but now having answered questions, Jesus asked one, the last question of the day.
Previously, I wrote on the fact that all real church problems are doctrinal. Doctrine drives behaviour, and your behaviour shows what you really believe. Doctrinal error, whether taught explicitly in word or implicitly in action (applied doctrine) is at the root of all problems in a church.
I also wrote followed up on a comment by Dr Al Mohler about “the third way” with the fact that there is no “third way” on doctrine, that you can’t just go along with serious doctrinal error. When you do, your actions are saying that it isn’t serious, that it doesn’t matter.
In this article, I’d like to look at a real life case study of what can happen when doctrinal purity is abandoned. It can take someone who is “evangelical” to the point where they hardly bat an eye at applied doctrinal error resulting in gross sin.
Mind Renewers 