Back in the Day in the Culture

Does anyone remember the days when we hid our sin from others in the community because we knew that it would not be accepted by most of the culture?

I do, I remember a day when we were ashamed of our sin against God. The moral lines were very clear and bold for all to see. Even non-believers had a much higher standard than the believers of today.

In the 60's and 70's most of us indulged in many things that we didn't want those around us to know about. After becoming born again we immediately wanted to stop that which the Lord hates because He now lived inside of us.

Sadly the day has come when there has been a reversal. Now the culture supports the sin and reviles anyone who will call it sin.

I see this as a time when the sin is growing out of control, there are no societal restraints on it. Few people among us who are regular church goers have a hatred for sin anymore.

When we have become the crazy fringe who rejects the notion that "anything and everything goes" in the culture we know the culture is gone.

In recent months I have felt the sting of those who rejected my counsel about sleeping with people they are not married to as well as those who deeply entwine themselves in relationships that do not honor God.

We expect non-believers to do these things, the problem is those who are rejecting God's principles are those within the church. That is not bad enough, but they have the support of other people who say they are Christians.

Why would a person or a culture confess their sinfulness when the entire society around them is comfortable with just about every sin.

The days of conviction of sin are over for the most part. Now we live in a day when what used to be conviction and shame over sin has turned into anger at anyone who would chastise for that sin.

We are living in the days of Noah, when everyone did what was right in his own eyes and no one would tolerate correction.

We were all sinful before we became born again, no one becomes a Christian authentically without confession of sinfulness.

Romans 3:23
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

1 Corinthians 6:10-11 "10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. "

When the entire Christian culture has adopted the stance that we should not tell the truth about sin to our brothers and sisters, we have lost the culture. When the entire secular culture has made it hate speech to correct or instruct in the ways of God, we have lost the culture.

Our hope now is not to save the culture, our hope is to pray and reach those who have not yet heard the gospel. We cannot help them learn about God without mentioning their sinfulness.

We cannot maintain friendships and quality relationships when we cannot admit our own sin. Sin separates us from God and it separates human friendships too.

If you feel the sting of rejection for chastising believers for sin, then we know the culture is lost. We expect rejection from unbelievers, but we expect believers to listen to truth and want it.

Could it be that most people who are in the church gatherings today have never been born again, the very reason we are not seeing lives changed dramatically. When someone becomes born again by the Holy Spirit, they are changed so dramatically that the way they think is completely opposite of how they thought before.

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:…"

One last warning from God:

Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “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. 22 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?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

Perhaps Matthew 7 is one of the most frightening verses in the Bible. Those who thought they were headed for heaven only to be turned away at the gates and on their way to hell. Ponder it deeply to see if you are one of these people.

Alone With Christ is Sweet

If you have been one who has been continually rejected by others because you thought differently, then you know what it feels like to be alone.

If you have been rejected by most people for trusting Christ, as you refuse to give into the latest fad that demotes Christ to just another wise person, then you know what it is to be alone with Christ.

When you are alone it hurts to have few or no friends. When you are alone with Christ the joy is full and blessed.

When we depend on Christ we have no need of others to validate us. We have Christ Who knows everything about us, what we need and what our future holds.

We love people, even those who have rejected us, but are not addicted to their love, validation or presence.

When we meet another Christ filled Christian that is gravy in our walk with Christ, our joy is doubled.

What an amazing God we serve! Hallelujah!!!!

Who Gave the Most?

The Lord Jesus Christ cared more than anyone could possibly care. AND yet look what mankind did to Him. He continues to stretch out His hand, however there is a limit to this stretch, it ends a the rapture. After that He will stretch out some more in the tribulation but the reach will include terrible attention getters in the form of illness, natural disasters and immense loss. One can trust hIm now, go up in the rapture to be with Him or one can refuse until believers and the Holy Spirit is taken out and go through hardship that has never been seen before.

Lynda Searcy said this:
"I’ve learned that no matter how much I care , some people don’t just care back !"

The Pollyanna Mentality Does More Harm than Good

I have a hard time with "Pollyanna's", the reason is that they cannot fix what is wrong or warn anyone because they never see the problems. They interpret everything in terms of their desired belief instead of what is real.

This type person cannot be helpful to someone who has been treated badly because they will be told maybe the perp really didn't mean it or we saw it wrong. They do not comfort in ways that help. Perhaps the "Pollyanna" mentality serves them so they don't have to face hard things.

If we are confident in the Lord we can see everything in reality and it does not devastate us.

Truth is freeing and pretense is bondage.

They are not as Confused as you may Think

This whole matter of "gender confusion" is nearly as irrational as one can get. I can understand someone who is deeply sinful wishing they could be the gender that they are not. What I can't understand is any doubt as to what they really are.

One only has to observe that they either "have one of those" or they don't "have one of those", to determine which gender they are.

Science proves it not only by observation but by function. The matter of gender confusion goes beyond insanity as it moves into the realm of the demonic.

In these last days we see how senseless it is that one would be confused about their own gender. Lacking good sense is a part of these end times.

The matter of choosing to believe the opposite of what God said is in fact demonic. Just as the devil spoke lies into the ears of Eve in the garden from the beginning, he is doing it now when mankind is deeply invested in personal esteem.

It is strangely against nature to want to be the gender that was not given to us at birth.

What was considered strange and ludicrous just 50 years ago is becoming accepted a little more each day.

It isn't bad enough that these gender confused individuals and those who promote it are confused themselves, but they are dedicated to forcing others to accept it.

Why, we might ask ourselves? Why do those who desire to be a gender other than what God made them, feel a need to force everyone else to accept and even endorse their behavior?

I think the answer is simple, those who have this disordered thinking really don't believe it themselves or they would be able to accept that others are not on board with them.

When we believe in what we are doing we have no need to force others to accept it, we simply live it out ourselves, even if we are alone.

The transgender person knows their behavior is deviant or they wouldn't need so desperately the acceptance or validation from others.

One of the traits of the narcissist is their ability to rage at simplest of things when someone does not validate them through disagreement. The narcissist must have the validation of others to exist. This is why they use many and varying manipulation and intimidation to force others to see them as superior.

Christ-like confident people have no need to intimidate others, they have no need to be validated by others, their security is in God and not man. It is the insecure person who must force others to accept whatever they are doing, they have no strength without the continual praise and confirmation of others.

It is wonderful when we know what we believe and can stand alone. It is also wonderful when we can fellowship with like minded people in solidarity.
God intended for believers to be strong alone and even stronger together. We are a family of worshipers of God, He is our strength and guide. Those who realize this are the best of friends because of their oneness in Christ.

When we see the world pressing in all around us, attempting to destroy us through their desire to control our thinking, we know that we have within us One Who is stronger than man and stronger than the devil, that is Jesus Christ.

No one can force us to believe or support that which is not blessed by God.

Psalm 29:1
"Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength."

Psalm 93:1
"The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved."

2 Timothy 4:1-5

"1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:

2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

The Holy Spirit Never Left Believers

For those who think the Holy Spirit hops in and out of people over their sin I will explain it this way: there is not one account in the Bible of the Holy Spirit leaving a believer after Christ sent Him to all believers when He went into heaven.