Words or Lifestyle?

Words mean very little, we can say anything we want but if the lifestyle does not match what we say then we are lying.

Our culture seems to think that an idea in the head and words expressed are enough to prove something is true.

Evidence is not very important to most people anymore. This is why conspiracy theories are so exciting, the desire to believe adventurous things takes over while rational and reasonable thinking is set aside. Those who have been sucked into the vortex of conspiracies through internet media are often unable to come out of it. There is a sort of dopamine that occurs every time the researcher hears more conspiracies.

Feelings dominate our culture now far more than reason. We see this in church gatherings often.

People will defend their desired belief without Biblical evidence even becoming hostile when Biblical evidence is used to support the truth.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"

God said this would happen in these last days. Attitudes would be selfish, superior acting and full of anger continually.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 tells us the attitudes and mentalities of the end-times church.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 “3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, 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 people as these.

There is such a thing as love bombing in which the people of the church treat us with love and kindness in the beginning of the relationship to win us to them. We experience this kindness as long as we become like them. As soon as we disagree using the Bible as the standard we become their enemy and the “mean cycle” begins.

Matthew 23:15 "… 15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are."

James 3:14-15

"But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic."

Sadly once we have been pegged as the “trouble maker” by speaking the truth from the Bible, there is no chance to return to the kindness and respect that once was shown.

If we remain in these apostate groups we will be continually intimidated to become like those who love their worldly thinking. They will begin by ignoring us, then eventually they will move to shun us with angst every time we speak the truth, and the final step is to rage at us so that we will leave.

When the group think gets to the point of being in solidarity in their anger and rage there is only one thing to do and that is to depart. Loving them more, putting up with the anger only causes us to become silent about the truth of the bible, this has no value at all. The more we are silent the more we become like those who spurn God’s teachings, at the very least we will not have any companions or influence. The worst that could happen is that we change our ways to be like them endorsing their rebellion.

14 Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness?

15 Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?

16 Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,

“I WILL DWELL AMONG THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;

AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

17 Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.

“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;

And I will welcome you.

18 And I will be a father to you,

And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”

Says the Lord Almighty.

The idolatry in an apostate church is not physical idols but idolatry of self. Self is on the throne and supported by every other attendee. The only solution is to leave and pray for God to show them the truth.

It is important that we are in one accord with those we fellowship. No group will think exactly perfectly alike but when there is love everyone is allowed to have their say and on non-essential things we can love those who disagree with us.

When the love is removed over disagreement it was false love based on being just like them. True love listens, discusses using the Bible and treats others with respect.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth."

Fleshly Worship or Authentic Worship

Fleshly worship is all about self, “thank you God for everything you give me.” Or “please give me this and give me that.” The modern praise songs are often focused on self and all we can get from God. It is reflective of the modern attitude that demands things from God without gratefulness that He gives us what we do not deserve when we trust in Him.

Even worse than fleshly worship based on what God can give us is obligatory worship hoping to appease God so He will give us what we want but won’t bother us too much the rest of the week. Obligatory love is the worst kind of love because it too is about fulfilling an obligation without any real love for the target of the false love. Fleshly love operates from a stance of entitlement, as though we deserve to have blessings from God as long as we “say those words” and “do that stuff”. If we do not see the blessings we become angry at God.

The authentic love and worship of God is praising Him for Who He is, for His attributes and marvelous love. We praise Him for what He has already done for us without expectation about getting more. We focus on Christ and Who He is and that He deserves, that is our praise and worship.

Before I was born again I attended the Catholic Church, choosing the shortest mass to be able to get it over with quickly. Then there was the Saturday evening mass, going the night before afforded us the freedom to have an entire Sunday to do other things. The focus was on getting the mass out of the way, obligatory, not love, not worship but appeasement of God. No one likes to be loved this way.

False worship is ritualistic, lacking in fervor and wishing it would end so we can get on with what we really wanted to do.

Since I have been born again I see many Protestant churches who operate similarly, there is a routine of events during the service, done pretty much the same way every week. The men in the pew barely sing, and they do not participate in the service, they come to sit and leave when it is over. No discussion of the things said by the pastor, no mention of the name of Christ in conversation, and often much chatter about the politics of the day or the ball team that is winning or losing.

Really the name “Jesus Christ” is added to the end of the service to make it seem like it was about Him, but it was not very much about Him.

Lord, you are my God;

I will exalt you and praise your name,

for in perfect faithfulness

you have done wonderful things,

things planned long ago.

Isaiah 25:1

“Lord, you are my God;

I will exalt you and praise your name,

for in perfect faithfulness

you have done wonderful things,

things planned long ago.”

Habakkuk 3:17-18

“Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

1 Chronicles 16:34

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.”

Psalm 63:1

“You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water.”

When we worship God we want to elevate Him above everything and everyone else. We want to know His heart to obey Him, and seek Him for our lives so that we might glorify Him in all that we do. There ought to be nothing of self in our worship.

John 3:30-35

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

31 “He who comes from above is above all; the one who is only from the earth is of the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 What He has seen and heard, of this He testifies; and no one accepts His testimony.

33 The one who has accepted His testimony has certified that God is true.

34 For He whom God sent speaks the words of God; for He does not give the Spirit sparingly.

35 The Father loves the Son and has entrusted all things to His hand.

When our actions and attitudes are focused on Christ He will be glorified and not ourselves.