Thursday, December 22, 2005
A while back I got an email that my curiosity couldn’t pass up. Being a bachelor there often is no telling what that gets sent your way. All you have to do is login and give your email address to one site to many and BAM you got mail. This was no different. It was an advertisement from Yahoo!Personals.
Normally I just delete and move on, but this time I was feeling curious. So I opened it and looked at the pictures of about 20+ women. Well they must all work for the ASPCA because they all were looking for someone who “Must Love Dogs”. I saw one I thought was cute and clicked on the pic to see the profile. As I scrolled down I saw something that made me scratched my bald head. This is what was there
Religion: Christianity
Attends
Services: Rarely
Rarely….RARELY? I started to look at several others, forgetting the rest of the profiles to look at those two particular lines. I was shocked to see how many were willing to say that they call themselves Christian and yet rarely attend church.
Question: Can someone who rarely attends church be a Christian? Do they feel that they are doing God a favor like a friend or family member that you haven’t seen in forever suddenly surprising you? Would their pastor feel he has somehow succeeded in equipping them to serve as Christ’s representative with just a rare occurrence? Talk about pressure for a pastor. Better make that sermon a good one on Easter, it’s gotta last and get ‘em through the year!
Who is to blame for this? We who are in ministry. We let people think that “once saved always saved” means that as long as you walk an isle, fill out a card, and come to church every once in a while, your ok. That is not what the Bible calls it. The doctrine of perseverance has been so watered down that we’ve lost it.
Perseverance means this, if Jesus has bought us and saved us He will continue to work in us until the day of our salvation—be it death or rapture. Philippians 1: 6, Paul says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” It is a continuous work, not just a one time event, emotional experience, or search.
Now this should bother some people. It scares the daylights out of me. Do I base my life on the fact that I made a decision (thru His grace that awakened me to do so), and therefore, I am now free to do whatever.
Paul, again, said in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (NASB)
Again, Ephesians 4: 20-24, “20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (NKJV)
We are even told not to associate with them.
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Eph 5:1-7 (NKJV)
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations-- 21 "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," 22 which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Col 2:20-23 (NKJV)
May we then preach that for one to be saved, they must follow. We are saved to be free—biblically. And to be biblically free is to be free to be obedient to the One who saved us.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Aaron “Tree” Landis
Psalm 1:3
Normally I just delete and move on, but this time I was feeling curious. So I opened it and looked at the pictures of about 20+ women. Well they must all work for the ASPCA because they all were looking for someone who “Must Love Dogs”. I saw one I thought was cute and clicked on the pic to see the profile. As I scrolled down I saw something that made me scratched my bald head. This is what was there
Religion: Christianity
Attends
Services: Rarely
Rarely….RARELY? I started to look at several others, forgetting the rest of the profiles to look at those two particular lines. I was shocked to see how many were willing to say that they call themselves Christian and yet rarely attend church.
Question: Can someone who rarely attends church be a Christian? Do they feel that they are doing God a favor like a friend or family member that you haven’t seen in forever suddenly surprising you? Would their pastor feel he has somehow succeeded in equipping them to serve as Christ’s representative with just a rare occurrence? Talk about pressure for a pastor. Better make that sermon a good one on Easter, it’s gotta last and get ‘em through the year!
Who is to blame for this? We who are in ministry. We let people think that “once saved always saved” means that as long as you walk an isle, fill out a card, and come to church every once in a while, your ok. That is not what the Bible calls it. The doctrine of perseverance has been so watered down that we’ve lost it.
Perseverance means this, if Jesus has bought us and saved us He will continue to work in us until the day of our salvation—be it death or rapture. Philippians 1: 6, Paul says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” It is a continuous work, not just a one time event, emotional experience, or search.
Now this should bother some people. It scares the daylights out of me. Do I base my life on the fact that I made a decision (thru His grace that awakened me to do so), and therefore, I am now free to do whatever.
Paul, again, said in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (NASB)
Again, Ephesians 4: 20-24, “20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (NKJV)
We are even told not to associate with them.
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Eph 5:1-7 (NKJV)
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations-- 21 "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," 22 which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Col 2:20-23 (NKJV)
May we then preach that for one to be saved, they must follow. We are saved to be free—biblically. And to be biblically free is to be free to be obedient to the One who saved us.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Aaron “Tree” Landis
Psalm 1:3
posted by Aaron L. at 1:41 PM | 
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