Monday, December 3, 2018
Straight Talk or Schmoozing !
If straight talk will not convince an angry heart of the truth, schmoozing will not either.
Luke 16
"19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And [r]besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16
"19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And [r]besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Many Cliche's are not from God
Sometimes it is agonizing to hear the platitudes that are passed off as wisdom among the younger generations.
Play and happiness has been elevated to the level of "need", as though if one does not get enough play in their life they will not be happy. Those around these young people teach them to play before they have to settle down to the drudgery of a family and a real life. This is sad indeed!
When we view the family life and its responsibilities as something to be avoided as long as possible, we do not see the normal and natural living of life with all its challenges as anything to be desired. This is the lie the devil has told so many people. The longer one lives a life of play the harder it is to settle into a genuine life as God commanded.
Play is addictive, the longer we live in this realm of pleasure the less likely we will see the value of living a dedicated godly life in a family.
I enjoyed play as much as the next person when I was young. My play was a walk and picnic in the park. I enjoyed the work that I did in the yard, the painting of the outside of the house and other things that produced something lasting.
I never saw value in things that produced temporary feelings of glee or thrills as so many think they need today.
Fulfillment for me was seen as something that accomplished a goal or produced a lasting effect at the end of it.
When play is the focus then the happiness only lasts as long as the thrill lasts. Its feelings are fleeting soon after the adventure ends. The thrill only returns in vague and modified remembrance as the adventure is extolled in bragging rights over and over again to others later.
1 Corinthians 13:11
"11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
One never has to boast to others about the accomplishment of painting a house, the joy of a job well done is seen every time we walk in the yard and are blessed by the view of the accomplishment.
This is also true of the sense of value and accomplishment of an honest discussion about the things of the Lord with others as we grow together in the sharing of truth. There is no avoidance of the depth of discussion to discover truth, there is a joy in it as we share with others the wisdom of the Word of God.
Many young people today are waiting longer and longer to get married while some are not bothering to marry at all. They see marriage as a drudgery to be avoided as long as possible rather than the blessing God meant for it to be.
In the Jewish tradition a woman often married early, even as early as thirteen years of age. Young ladies valued marriage, children and the responsibility that comes with that.
When fun, pleasure and happiness is the main focus, serious discussions about important matters are seen also as drudgery and something to be avoided.
When our focus is to glorify God our experiences will not be that of adventure but of the sense of purpose in all that we do. Pleasure is momentary at best, as soon as the pleasure ends so does the very temporal brief thrill of that pleasure.
It is difficult living in this culture dedicated to happiness, fun and boasting over the adventures that bring nothing of value to one's life.
There are those that will say we had a great time skiing down the mountain, what fun that was. Then they will use that experience to speak to someone about the Lord. This culture believes that one must manipulate others by engaging them in adventures to get them to listen to things of the Lord. It sounds good but lacks Biblical evidence to back it up.
No where in the Word do we see the apostles or Christ offering up pleasure as an enticement to get the unsaved world to listen. Sadly many people become "Christians" in the social sense because they enjoy the "fun" the church is offering them.
The one who uses fun to entice the unbeliever feels a sense of having served God by this manipulation. The problem is that when someone becomes a Christian because of the enticements it often is not am authentic and genuine conversion.
The churches today are full of unrepentant happy club joiners who have never repented, trusted Christ or felt any need to seek the Lord to become a new creation.
Many people in the churches today came in the back door, disqualifying them as born again believers as well as hardening their heart further as they are fed a watered down pleasure oriented gospel.
Messaging people with flowery language, flattering them and schmoozing them produces phony and superficial club joiners that are not interested in truth.
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
2 Timothy 3:1-5 clearly states that these pleasure seeking, happy life oriented people will often be ruthless and mean in their quest for personal glory. Notice in verse five that God says they will have "a form of religion, but deny the power thereof." These people will find "religion" to be useful to their life. Why would they use religion? They see religion as a way of feeling safety among the people, all the while denying Christ and His principles. And yes, sadly this is speaking about those in the churches today.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, [a]haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Yes, it is difficult living in these last days when those who love Christ are hearing so many things that defy the word of God. We are in groups, family and even church where many unbiblical things are taught as good while no one will hear us when we correct the wrong thinking.
They will call us proud, mean, self righteous and other things when we speak truth, but really they are describing themselves. Why are they comfortable speaking anything they wish but will not listen to the Word of God? The answer is simple, they are madly in love with themselves, they believe what they want to and refuse to listen to truth. Everything the rebellious spirit hears must elevate them or they are angry.
I have seen "Christians" embarrassed at the mention of Christ's principles as though someone used a dirty word. They are comfortable with dirty words but they cannot stand the Word of God. This ought to tell us something about the state of the modern end times churches.
Play and happiness has been elevated to the level of "need", as though if one does not get enough play in their life they will not be happy. Those around these young people teach them to play before they have to settle down to the drudgery of a family and a real life. This is sad indeed!
When we view the family life and its responsibilities as something to be avoided as long as possible, we do not see the normal and natural living of life with all its challenges as anything to be desired. This is the lie the devil has told so many people. The longer one lives a life of play the harder it is to settle into a genuine life as God commanded.
Play is addictive, the longer we live in this realm of pleasure the less likely we will see the value of living a dedicated godly life in a family.
I enjoyed play as much as the next person when I was young. My play was a walk and picnic in the park. I enjoyed the work that I did in the yard, the painting of the outside of the house and other things that produced something lasting.
I never saw value in things that produced temporary feelings of glee or thrills as so many think they need today.
Fulfillment for me was seen as something that accomplished a goal or produced a lasting effect at the end of it.
When play is the focus then the happiness only lasts as long as the thrill lasts. Its feelings are fleeting soon after the adventure ends. The thrill only returns in vague and modified remembrance as the adventure is extolled in bragging rights over and over again to others later.
1 Corinthians 13:11
"11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
One never has to boast to others about the accomplishment of painting a house, the joy of a job well done is seen every time we walk in the yard and are blessed by the view of the accomplishment.
This is also true of the sense of value and accomplishment of an honest discussion about the things of the Lord with others as we grow together in the sharing of truth. There is no avoidance of the depth of discussion to discover truth, there is a joy in it as we share with others the wisdom of the Word of God.
Many young people today are waiting longer and longer to get married while some are not bothering to marry at all. They see marriage as a drudgery to be avoided as long as possible rather than the blessing God meant for it to be.
In the Jewish tradition a woman often married early, even as early as thirteen years of age. Young ladies valued marriage, children and the responsibility that comes with that.
When fun, pleasure and happiness is the main focus, serious discussions about important matters are seen also as drudgery and something to be avoided.
When our focus is to glorify God our experiences will not be that of adventure but of the sense of purpose in all that we do. Pleasure is momentary at best, as soon as the pleasure ends so does the very temporal brief thrill of that pleasure.
It is difficult living in this culture dedicated to happiness, fun and boasting over the adventures that bring nothing of value to one's life.
There are those that will say we had a great time skiing down the mountain, what fun that was. Then they will use that experience to speak to someone about the Lord. This culture believes that one must manipulate others by engaging them in adventures to get them to listen to things of the Lord. It sounds good but lacks Biblical evidence to back it up.
No where in the Word do we see the apostles or Christ offering up pleasure as an enticement to get the unsaved world to listen. Sadly many people become "Christians" in the social sense because they enjoy the "fun" the church is offering them.
The one who uses fun to entice the unbeliever feels a sense of having served God by this manipulation. The problem is that when someone becomes a Christian because of the enticements it often is not am authentic and genuine conversion.
The churches today are full of unrepentant happy club joiners who have never repented, trusted Christ or felt any need to seek the Lord to become a new creation.
Many people in the churches today came in the back door, disqualifying them as born again believers as well as hardening their heart further as they are fed a watered down pleasure oriented gospel.
Messaging people with flowery language, flattering them and schmoozing them produces phony and superficial club joiners that are not interested in truth.
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
2 Timothy 3:1-5 clearly states that these pleasure seeking, happy life oriented people will often be ruthless and mean in their quest for personal glory. Notice in verse five that God says they will have "a form of religion, but deny the power thereof." These people will find "religion" to be useful to their life. Why would they use religion? They see religion as a way of feeling safety among the people, all the while denying Christ and His principles. And yes, sadly this is speaking about those in the churches today.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, [a]haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Yes, it is difficult living in these last days when those who love Christ are hearing so many things that defy the word of God. We are in groups, family and even church where many unbiblical things are taught as good while no one will hear us when we correct the wrong thinking.
They will call us proud, mean, self righteous and other things when we speak truth, but really they are describing themselves. Why are they comfortable speaking anything they wish but will not listen to the Word of God? The answer is simple, they are madly in love with themselves, they believe what they want to and refuse to listen to truth. Everything the rebellious spirit hears must elevate them or they are angry.
I have seen "Christians" embarrassed at the mention of Christ's principles as though someone used a dirty word. They are comfortable with dirty words but they cannot stand the Word of God. This ought to tell us something about the state of the modern end times churches.
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