False Cultural Christianity

So many things are wrong in this culture of modern Christianity that some of us are considered fanatics for calling it out so often.

But then again, it is what happened to Noah and Jeremiah and Isaiah, Elijah and Elisha, they did it and were disdained and disrespected too.

If we are going to be men and women of God in these last days we will receive hate mail, and we will be gossiped about, lied to and disrespected continually by those around us, even those who say they are Christians.

As we navigate through this end times world of total depravity we will find ourselves alone a lot hated by most people. They will think there is something wrong with us because so many people have contempt for us.

There is a saying; "you are known by how many friends you have." This is exactly the opposite of what God says in His Word.

Proverbs 18:24 "A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Another way of saying this is "Those with too many friends have none." I don't remember who says it but the principle is that anyone who has lots of friends is probably standing for nothing. It is only through compromise and self-exaltation that a person becomes popular.

Hallmark Movies and their False Messages

I was harkening back to the days of the Hallmark holiday movies that we so looked forward to back in the day before we were Christians.

I recalled the teaching message in these movies that people were cranky and mean because they didn't love themselves. Then I realized God said exactly the opposite of what was in these movies.

We become more loving and kind when we love others better than ourselves.

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38 This is the great and foremost commandment.

39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Modern psychology scholars have changed this commandment to focus on trying to love yourself when God's commandment teaches that we already love ourselves more than we should, that if we love others as much as we love ourselves we would always be kind and respectful to them. But because we love ourselves more than anyone else in our culture many are often rude and unkind to one another and think it is alright.

The more we love ourselves the less we love others. We are born loving ourselves too much.

As Dave Hunt once said in one of his books: "if a boy looks in the mirror and says he hates himself we would say he has low self-esteem. The opposite is actually true, the boy believes he deserves better than what God gave him so he becomes angry, he has high self-esteem.

God's children are not called to love themselves, they are called to have confidence in Christ but not in self.

If we are going to be Christ like we must be willing to lay down our lives for one another.

1 John 3:16 " 16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

Our culture has been trained and indoctrinated for four generations to think of themselves as special and superior, resulting in entitlement thinking, anger when this is not extended to them. This mentality of selfishness is out of control now. Even good deeds are done to elevate self, expecting to be praised ad-nauseum for all that we do is the desire in most people, we know this because they look for praise and boast about themselves.

Authentically and selflessly serving others raises our level of love and kindness to others, it brings joy and creates bonding and closeness. So many people are lonely today because they seek self and lack trustworthy companionship that makes others feel safe and loved.

Love and respect have diminished because of the lack of selfless love.

These "feel good" Hallmark movies play soft happy music that manipulates the emotions to think that all the false docrtine in them is good because the senses are guided by the emotional high.

Notice we will cry and have emotions even when we know the doctrine in the movie is the opposite of what God says. Our emotions are so easily manipulated by soft words and music that we set aside what is right to enjoy the feelings even though the message is antithetical to Christ.

This is also the reason so many Christians cannot see the holidays for what they are, largely pagan, even desiring to make them about Christ because of their feelings. Correct doctrine doesn't matter to most Christians, only the feelings all the manipulation brings.

Just recently I watched a Hallmark movie that I had seen before only this time I was looking at it with Spiritual eyes. The show was about an angel being sent to earth to help a woman grow her self-esteem. She was angry she wasn't getting what she wanted so the angel began working to show her how to love herself to get what she wanted.

Never at any time did this young woman consult with God or admit she was self-absorbed. The entire show was based on making everyone happy and getting what they wanted. Anger about selfish desires was never exposed as the sin that it is, nor was there anyone who attempted to counsel the young woman to stop focusing on herself and begin focusing on God.

We have a culture now that thinks this is a wonderful message. This culture will not accept correction, it is seen as a personal attack.

When was the last time you corrected someone to help with an understanding and heard them respond with gratefulness to hear it?

Mostly our corrections are treated with contempt and the punishment for daring to share comes and remains forever. Those who have become angry at our correction will hold onto with all of their strength believing they are right.

We are living in those last days Christ warned us about. We do not have to be walking in sadness over it, however, the challenge is to remain faithful to God as we navigate through this world alone without support and love.

We can avoid becoming like the world around us by seeking Christ through prayer and Bible reading. If at all possible we can be with other believers who want truth above all else, even willing to be alone to remain faithful to Christ.

Hallelujah!

No Need for Family Support When We have Christ

Often we lament the fact that we do not have family support for our walk with Christ. Christ is enough be joyful and confident in Him.

I am stronger supported by Christ than if I had been supported by family. Support from ungodly people is often superficial and insincere, it is not real help but almost a burden.

In these cases, it is better to be alone with Christ.

Colossians 1:13-20

The Incomparable Christ

13 For He rescued us from the [b]domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

18 He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."

Isaiah 60:2

"For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you."

Ephesians 6:12

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

The struggle we endure in this life is not just in the world, it is also in the church gatherings because they have been filled with the worldly-minded unregenerate people who love to pretend they are Christian but have no love for Christ.

Narcissism is rampant everywhere now causing many to pretend to be good while they remain in rebellion against God. They are more interested in appearing good on the outside without having a changed heart. OR, they try to change their own heart in their own power without Christ, full of pride at their own accomplishment.

Their love and service fall short because it is not Christ working in them, it is their monstrous pride in self-glory that dominates and controls them.

The hostility against the Word of God while defending their own idea of goodness, using scripture to justify their arrogance they misuse God's Word and rage against those who expose their lies.

We are living in the days of apostasy, when self is on the throne and not Christ.

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.…"

These apostates defend the sin of others who defy God and abuse those who speak the words of God.

Isaiah 30:10

They say to the seers, "Stop seeing visions!" and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions."

Jude 10-11

"10 But these people disparage all the things that they do not understand; and all the things that they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.

11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have given themselves up to the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

12 These are the ones who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, like shepherds caring only for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;

13 wild waves of the sea, churning up their own shameful deeds like dirty foam; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever."

Because we as a culture are so accustomed to the way things are we are easily fooled by happy smiles and phony kind deeds. As long as the outside appears good we do not look into the hearts.

Galatians 5:22-23

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

This fruit of the Holy Spirit is only seen by the Spiritual mind of those who have been born again, it is a heart matter that only those who love Christ will be able to discern.

1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.…"

Finally, we will not be understood by most people, not even those in church gatherings because those who think in terms of God's Word will come against nearly everyone since our minds think automatically in Biblical terms.

Most "Christians" take parts of the Bible they believe elevate them in some way out of context and believe they have been faithful to the Bible when there is very little of God's Word they actually honor and obey.

Do not be dismayed when you are reviled by those who say they love you but do not, and do not be dismayed when they betray you in favor of being accepted by those they wish to impress, God sees it all and judgment is coming.

2 Timothy 2:12-14 "…12 if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; 13 if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 14 Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin.…"

Those who are self-important and resistant to truth will never listen and will punish anyone who attempts to reason with them, let them go.

May God have the final say in all things for His children, may He teach us truths that sustain us and grow us in holiness. May we ignore our emotions that lead us to become like those who revile us. The temptation to react rather than respond rationally is always present as the devil messes with our minds, don't let him.

James 4:6-8 "6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.…'"

Acting Christlike or Becoming Christlike, these are Two Different Things

When a person is working hard to be the person they know they should be will fail miserably because they are pridefully trying to make themselves into the right kind of person.

When we pray for Christ to change our hearts into what it should be then they will be changed by Him and all his actions and attitudes will be authentic.

We see a lot of fake love based on personal desires and actions that glorify self and not God.

Those who work hard in their own flesh to be a good person will also be the person who will be intensely angry at those who see through their pretense.

Rather than repenting to be changed by Christ, many are learning the ways of God to do their changing in their own flesh but it is not real and does not last because it is fleshly without power and without authenticity.

God does not bless the phony pretense of those who think they can change themselves.

I have heard people say the best way to change ourselves is to force ourselves to do something over and over again until it becomes a habit. This does not work because it is not God changing their hearts it is only them changing their actions without a heart change.

One of the reasons we see so many old people who used to be friendly becoming rude in their old age is because they have lived their life working to impress others rather than seeking Christ for a heart change.

This is the problem with many churchgoers, they are attending gatherings to impress others that they are good people but no heart change has occurred because they are doing "religion" rather than having a relationship with Christ.

Proud of how good they think they are they elevate themselves above others, boast about themselves regularly and become easily offended when someone points out their sham.

They will work against the truth if it exposes their sinful heart. They will rage against anyone who uses the Bible to bring God's word to bear on any matter. The anger and the rage are attempts to discredit the truth teller intimidating them into thinking they did something wrong by exposing the hatred of the one who wants to be a god unto themselves.

Avoid such people they will attempt to ruin your walk with Christ and blame you falsely in order to trigger you into fleshly responses.

If they can get you to respond our of frustration they count themselves as having proved you were wrong and they don't have to listen to the truth.

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."

Notice in this passage in 2 Timothy we see that these people will have a form of religion but deny God in their lifestyle, their attitudes and their actions.

Let us be people who search the word of God to obey and to learn the heart of God, not just read to have knowledge to impress others but to actually become like Christ.