Futile in Their Thinking?

Psalm 19:1-2 "The heavens tell of the glory of God;

And their expanse declares the work of His hands.

2 Day to day pours forth speech,

And night to night reveals knowledge."

Romans 1:19-21 "…19 For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.…"

We are living in times when mankind is acting just as they did in the times of Noah and Lot. Everything the leaders do is irrational and "ragingly insane." Their actions and decrees make no sense in terms of improving the culture but they think it does because total freedom to do whatever "they" want is the goal.

When we come along to say that the freedoms that are being protected are harming others we are labeled radicals and demeaned as fanatics.

When a culture gets to the point of "raging insanity" it will not improve or heal. The generation that promotes all these wicked WAYS of Thinking the next generation takes the foolishness to the next level. There is also brainwashing that happens in which it is impossible for the culture as a whole to think for themselves as individuals. In order to be loved and accepted they must adopt the thinking of the crowd. It is a form of "group think" as some have named it.

"What parents do in moderation children do in excess." As one teacher put it many years ago.

Living together outside of wedlock was considered unthinkable just 70 years ago. No one within our family structures did this unless they were disreputable, running in circles in which mainstream society rejected.

Now we have shack-up couples common even attending church gatherings without chastisement, even being fully accepted. Divorce and remarriage is considered natural and normal in the gatherings of Christians today. Even many pastors in the pulpit are remarried after divorce, fully endorsing any others in the pews who are doing the same thing.

I don't mention the world because we expect the world to do these things but when they come into the churches we know that weeds have invaded the churches or these couples would be disciplined for their immorality.

1 Corinthians 5:1-2 "1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?…"

The Corinthian Christians were proud of how tolerant of sin they were just as the Christians today are proud and tolerant of sin. They say it is love to accept any and all things. Yes, perhaps it is love, but not God's love toward the sinner and never love for God Himself. God's love is to correct people who are sinning so they can move forward in holiness. Or, if they are pretenders they would repent to become born again. Anyone who is being disciplined for sin and leaves is rejecting the discipline and must leave to protect the rest of the body.

Sin always grows when left without consequences. Those who are weak in their faith will follow the easy route to feel accepted. For the sake of the weak believers we must call sin what it is, that is an offense against God as we obey God in putting out the one who refuses to confess their sin and forsake it.

Proverbs 28:12-14 "…12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. 13 He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. 14 Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble."

Every one of us influences others to some degree. We are responsible for that influence, whether we influence for good or for evil.

The pride and tolerance of the modern church is nothing more than acceptance of sin so the people can "feel" happy and maintain their friendships. Sadly too many disobedient Christians pressure those who want to obey God. They challenge their love by saying we are not loving when we ask for obedience to God's Word.

God has made clear in His word what sin is and what is not. He has given clear instructions on what to do about sin that enters the church.

We can expect the discipline of the Lord for believers who have disobeyed the Word of God and blessings removed from our country for those who have heard the word but reject it. Most who have heard the Word in our country have rejected it boldly and with impunity. Believers are disobedient and pretenders reside in the church buildings without challenge to see if they are truly born again.

My encouragement to authentic born-again believers is to keep speaking the truth as led by the Holy Spirit never allowing others to intimidate us into silence or into accepting what everyone else is doing.

It is possible to be rejected by others for our stand for Christ and remain joyful and bold. When Christ is our standard and not the world we have all the strength we need to carry on without friends if we must to remain faithful to God's Word.

The Bible is not a book of suggestions to be used for our own purposes. The Bible is the very Word of God to be followed to the letter. Not out of legalism but out of love for Christ. He is perfect, why would we ever question His Word or neglect His counsel unless He is not our first love.

If Christ is our first love then it matters not whether anyone else loves us, we follow Him.

John 15:18-25 "18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also.

21 But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 The one who hates Me hates My Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 But this has happened so that the word that is written in their Law will be fulfilled: ‘They hated Me for no reason.’"

Remember too, the world is now in the church, perhaps far more pretenders than authentically born-again believers sit in the pews today. This ought to free us from the pressure of accepting sin or being accepted by the "group thinkers." When we know acceptance by those who do not obey God is not on us, its on them for not trusting in Christ and His Word.

May born-again believers become stronger as they face an out-of-control world while marching toward the end of this church age.