It was the teachers and extended family who called me mean for disciplining my children. Because their influences all week long were the world all around them, they refused to obey, it was a nightmare much of the time.
This is the world our culture has provided because of the self esteem influence that indoctrinated those who knew nothing of God's principles. Now many adult children are disrespectful, willful and resistant to correction or instruction.
I went through continual criticism from extended family and the school system for my attempts to follow the Bible in discipline. I even had aunts and uncles of my children tell them to their face in front of me that I was mean and they didn't have to obey me.
The children learned to treat me with contempt, even in subtle and mocking ways because of the culture around them. Is it any wonder we are in the mess we are in these days?
2 Timothy 3
So many people forget that someone had to die to cover the sin of mankind. They forget that Christ did our dying for us, the death we should have endured. Those who think they can keep their salvation by not sinning, do not understand what salvation is. It is Christ Who paid the penalty, while making into a new creation anyone who wants to be cleansed from their sinfulness.
2 Corinthians 5:16-18
"16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:…"
Ephesians 2:9-11 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
11 Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—…"
Since we are not perfect, but He is perfect, He was the only perfect sacrifice that could pay for our sin.
Any attempt we make to be good, is dung in God's sight. It is only Christ, Him alone, who is perfect and able to wash away our sins with His blood.
1 Peter 1:18-20 "…18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.
20 He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.…"
John 1:29 "29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."
John 3:16-19
"16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
7 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
19 And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness more than light, because their deeds were evil.…"
Anyone who thinks they are remaining saved because they are not sinning, walk in darkness still. It is not possible for some who are prideful, to understand that we are not capable of saving ourselves or keeping ourselves, it is all a work of Christ in us, continually changing our desires because we want Him to do so. Christ will not come to dwell in anyone who thinks they are good enough or sinless, He will reject them.
Only those who know they are helpless to be anything they should be, confessing that to Christ and trusting in Him, will become born again.
There is a false gospel of false peace. This false gospel bring immediate feelings of happiness without brokenness over sin. It praises and elates those who wish to be considered special. In our modern day this false gospel is delivered by "motivational speakers" who tell everyone how wonderful they are, the opposite of what God spoke of us.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 "9"The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? 10"I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.…"
The good news Christ brought that brings spiritual eternal peace in the heart that embraces it is this:
Jeremiah 17:8 "…8"For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. "
Christ paid the penalty of sin that we owed through His blood on the cross. That is just how serious sin is and what God required. The good news from God is that He paid that debt of sin instead of requiring our own blood for our sins. He was then and is now sinless, but took the punishment Himself for the sins of others.
Knowing this does should make us feel ashamed first and then after trusting in Him, we gain the joy and peace that lasts eternally no matter what is happening to us on earth or going on around us.
Hebrews 9:19-22
"19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”
21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."
The real gospel of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation because of His shed blood on the cross brings the peace that comes from Christ, an inner heart peace that last for eternity.
There is no peace in humanistic gospel of praise and adulation, only continual emptiness. If we love someone we show them their sin and rejoice when they have been broken over it for salvation. There is no greater joy than to see the heart of a sinner changed into a new creation by Christ.
There is a phony peace a phony gospel and a phony happiness based on circumstances and praise of others that is leading many to hell. May those who use the psychological methods of superficial happiness to try to reach lost souls just stop it. May their hearts be pricked with their own sinful desire to be loved by man.
1 Corinthians 7:22 "…22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each one should remain in that situation he was in when God called him.…"
Luke 14:27-29 "…27 And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. 28 Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? 29 Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,…"
John 12:42-44 "42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.…"
Proverbs 29:24-26 "…24 He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing. 25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
Often the false gospel of praise will bring anyone to the Lord, it does bring many to the church building, they learn all the Christian lingo but lack the Holy Spirit because one cannot become born again by joining a local church and learning how to "godspeak." There are many false converts in the church today because of the watered down and heretical gospel of pleasure that is present in them.
Many people have come to the church, but not to Christ.
Recently I had someone express to me that I was "too negative" in my posts, that I should bring more happy posts to the readers of it. Here was my response to this challenge, it is a common one, but is in error because of it's psychological bent rather than Biblical.
The Response:
"2/3rds of the Bible is warning Curtis, the reason is because the world is full of sin and rebellion, making people feel happy in their sin does not lead them to Christ. God came to give the good news of salvation but first we have to show the unsaved that they have something to be repentant for. If they never see their own sin they will never trust Christ to save them from it.
We must face what is wrong to fix it, there is only one fix and that is Christ. Christ spoke words of rebuke and correction far more than happy words. Praise is not very helpful to the lost who are on their way to hell. There are so many people who help others remain happy no matter what their sinful condition, that the sinner never sees their own need for Christ."
unquote
James 5:19-20 "19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
I have seen the affects of many years of what people call "lifestyle evangelism", just act friendly and happy and those who are lost will like Jesus. This could not be farther from the truth. This concept is not found in the Bible anywhere.
Ezekiel 3:17-19 "…17"Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18"When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19"Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.…"
It is quite possible that those who want to use soft and friendly means to win people to Christ are those who hate correction and instruction themselves. They believe that everyone will react to it as they do, in anger and contempt.
We must not look at how correction makes us feel, but rather at what God wants us to do in dealing with sinful and rebellious people. Our desire ought to be for the heart of the wicked to be quickened, realizing their sinfulness so that they will become sorrowful and repentant.
2 Corinthians 7:8-9 "8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it, I now see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time. 9 And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance."
No one comes to Christ because they were made happy. We came to Christ because we were convicted of sin and saw our need for salvation.
Those who come to Christ because someone made them feel happy in their sin, are coming in the wrong way and are not born again. It is only sorrow over sin that leads to salvation.
2 Corinthians 7:10
"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."
My goal and hope is that those who have not yet trusted Christ will become as broken over their sin as I did when I came to Christ. Without this, there can be no salvation.
Anyone can get others to like them, by giving the others everything they desire, making them feel worthy and blessed, but this does not lead them to Christ as many apostate churches think. We have not been producing many godly evangelists because of this error in judgment, we have produced only motivational speakers who love themselves and are sending many to hell.
Matthew 7:13-15 "13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.…"
Those who work to get others to like them are not concerned about the eternal state of their hearers, they are only concerned about being liked and appreciated by the world.
Luke 6:25-27 "…25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way. 27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,…"
When God told us to love our enemies in the Luke 6 passage, He wasn't telling us to hang out with them, praise them and make happy with them, He was telling us to love them so much that we are willing to risk a friendship with them and show our love for Christ is far above any human relationship. Loving others is not about making them feel good, it's about bringing the gospel of repentance for the sake of helping them see their need for the Savior.
Bottom line: let's stop pretending to care about others and begin really caring through the spread of the gospel God's way, the Biblical way.
There is nothing more distracting and frustrating when adult children are acting wickedly and other extended family members are pampering them with friendly chatter.
It has been my experience that often those who wish to be seen as the special people in the lives of rebellious children often thwart the work the Lord is doing in the lives of these children by pretending that nothing is wrong, while embracing the rebellious heart.
These same people do not chastise those who are rebelling, nor do they mention to any degree the Lord Jesus Christ, they merely play nicey nice, causing the rebel to feel accepted secure and happy in their darkness. Relieving the sense of loneliness in these wayward hearts only serves to solidify their sinfulness.
Jeremiah 5:23-24 "…22' Do you not fear Me?' declares the LORD. 'Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it. 23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed. 24 'They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest."…"
Perhaps the hearts of those who embrace the wicked, are themselves rebellious, since being seen as friendly people is more important to them than the eternal soul of the fallen one.
Isaiah 26:10 "10 Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD."
If the extended family who claim to be "Christian" would dare to mention Christ, they know they would be rejected, so they refrain in order to be praised of men and loved by the wicked.
Those who love themselves more and love the love of others more than they love Christ or even the soul of the lost and dying soul, are not serving Christ but their own bellies.
John 12:42-44 "42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.…"
To embrace the wicked without sharing full on the gospel of Jesus Christ, are playing games to enjoy their life, they have no concern about the soul with which they play, but only their own pleasure. It is a game to them to see how many people they can get to love them.
God made it clear that if we love Him and obey Him, then the world would hate us. If anyone finds themselves being admired and appreciated by the world, they have reason to be deeply concerned about their walk with Christ.
The system of psychology based on evolution is what fuels the fires of these false beliefs. We do not win people to Christ by our big smiles and fun personalities. The Lord uses His Word and our consistency in obeying Him as an example for the dead souls to observe. No one will come to Christ because someone was kind to them. They may however come to Christ because they find themselves at the end of their own rope, showing them the need for the Savior.
So many believers are relieving the pain, removing consequences while comforting people in their sin, hindering the work God wants to do in the lives of those who are in rebellion.
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Once again I am seeing on facebook, the agony of parents who are contending with rebellious and arrogant adult children. It is a sign of our times. Sadly though, many people place pressure on the agonizing parent to remain in contact with these devils, as though just hanging around to be a punching bag will cause these ungrateful ones to become born again. In some cases this may be true, but it's not the method, but God who works. In most cases God clearly says we are to remove ourselves, He can do the job without us.
Isaiah 26:10 "10 Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD."
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."
God does not require us to maintain relationships with those who hate us and hate our God, just the opposite. It is lack of faith to think that we must remain to be abused, in case the person changes. That thinking is nothing more than humanistic theology. God tells us to be at peace and to do that we must remove ourselves from those who refuse to hear God.
Because of our liberal environment on earth we are being told now that it is murder to kill animals. This thinking comes out of evolution, that we are nothing more than animals and if we kill another of our own kind it is murder whether it be man or beast.
This is silly, God clearly says that a wise man takes good care of his animals. However He also tells us that the beasts are for us to eat.
Proverbs 12:10 "A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel."
It is foolish and wasteful to kill animals simply for sport or trophies, but it is not murder.
Genesis 9:3
"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything."
