There is a way that seema right
I was reminded of a scripture recently "There is a way that seemth right, but the end thereof leads to destruction". I am in the process of taking Evangelism Explosion and part of the class is learning to give your testimony, without using all of the "Christian terms" that we all ore so familiar with. People in the part of the country can use all of those terms better than the Christian person can. They know what to say, to keep you for asking certain questions. The most quoted saying is "God knows my heart". Well yes He does, and if you are just saying that to get someone who is trying to show you the way to Jesus Christ, He knows that as well. The next one is "I have a relationship with God". That is great if you have a relationship with God. It is wonderful!! But is it an excuse that you use to keep people for asking you to go to church with them. My relationship with God is real and personal. He talks , I listen and try to do what He says. He listens to me when I pray and does what is best for me. As any parent would do.
The way that seems right. I was listening to Joyce Meyer this morning and she was talking about living in very deceptive times. Sin is not called sin anymore. The buzz words are, a problem, an addiction, mistake, and a few others. Sin is legitimized by the government , when they have passed the laws that they have in the last few years. Nobody takes re4sponsibility for their lives anymore. It is always someone else's fault. Sometimes that is the case, but you can't blame everyone on the bad decisions that you make in your life. Some decisions were made with the information that we had at the time. Satan is very good at giving half truths. Satan gives you just enough information to get you roped in to a situation and then he sets his trap, to hook you, once you are hooked and trapped, he sits back and laughs at you and accuses you. Don't be deceived Satan plays for keeps. We live in deceptive times, because the church seems to be more interested in maintaining the status quo instead of winning and discipline souls for the kingdom. This is not all churches. Some hold on to outdates programs that don't work, but they have it that way for so long they don't know what else to do.
I remember asking a question on the air, taking a survey of what makes a good church. Here are some things that were mention:
Good Singing
Good Preaching
A church that does hymns
Very few people mentioned outreach or youth ministry. It was crazy. People want church "their way" Not necessarily Gods way. I call them Burger King Christians. Burger Kings slogan at one time was "have it Your way". They set up church the way they think it should be and then ask God's blessings on it.
The way that seems right. One of the things that it seems right to do is involved new converts in the business of doing work at the church. That seems OK in some ways, but others it can lead to problems. New converts have a great deal of zeal towards the things of God, but when problems arise, they want to quit. The solution is when you involve them to work in the church, have a mentor along with them so that they can ask questions, so they can f grow properly and be seasoned. Some churches compromise because the person has talent. Look at it this way. So did Satan, who was able to lead one third of the angles in heaven to rebel against God. I have to admire Pastor Tony Evans, for sitting Kirk Franklin down, saying that he didn't care how many awards he had won in gospel music, he wasn't going to do music at his church until he dealt with his addiction to pornography. That took guts. That caused Kirk to seek help and deliverance. How many times have there been people in the church with enormous talent and they were living in blatant sin, but no one wanted to call them on it. As my sister says, why should someone have to sit you down, you know that you aren't right, sit your own self down until you get right". We can't just gloss over sin anymore, because the world sees and knows. That is the number one thing I hear when asking someone about going to church. They talk about seeing someone doing something wrong and then not dealing with it and then they see them in a prominent place in church. There is the gospel of inclusion, we all are saved and going to heaven, some just don't know it yet. That is not what the Bible says. Some churches even allowed the very deceived Carlton Pearson to preach in their churches. People say things like "How could a loving God send people to hell"? First of all God does love us, but we send ourselves to hell when we don't obey Him. God has to punish disobedience, just as your parents punished you for disobeying, God does the same thing, because he loves you. He is not willing that ANY should perish, but ALL come to repentance.
Here is my testimony. I grew up in church. When I was very young I remember telling my grandmother I wanted to be a missionary. I began to learn scriptures and I loved the Bible. At eleven I was baptized and tried to live for God. I know now that I was trying to live for God in my own strength and power. I was faithful in Sunday School and church. I sang in the choir and did all of the things I was supposed to do. Along 17 or 19 I became disinterested in church. There was nothing there for people my age. I started to want to fit in to the crowd that went to clubs and had fun. As they called it. At the time it sounded like fun. I went to broadcasting school and I was in class with a bunch of men who were former military ect. They used to try to embarrass me by making crude remarks, so I learned to talk trash cuss like a sailor ect. Just wanting to fit in mind you. I never did any of these things around my parents. I wanted my front teeth. Then I started working and going to school. I went to some of the college dances ect. Still trying to fit in. There was a new guy at work. He was good looking, I was looking for something. He invited me to a Bible study. The devil knows just how to set things up to get your attention. So I went to the Bible study. I found a group of people who were interested in me. They gave me rides to where I wanted to go , they included me. Something wasn't right. These new friends began to come between me and my family and I began to struggle inside. The new friends kept telling me I could move in with them. I refused I kept sensing something wasn't right. They quote scriptures and sang songs, but they left parts of scriptures out. Saying that this really means this , so on the surface everything sounded good, but it wasn't. They even spoke in lounges. I remember joining them in prayer and I could feel that prayer bouncing off of the ceiling. Anyway, someone invited me to church to a revival and at the end, they extended the invitation and asked the question, "if you died tonight, where would you go". Well in my mind, I knew it wouldn't be heaven. Something pushed me up front that night. There was a battle for my soul that night. I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn't of listened to the voice of God. I accepted the Lord that night. I found, peace and acceptance that I was looking for. Not saying that those days afterward weren't hard, because they were. The "friends" that wanted me with them turned up the pressure on me. I would sit up all night and read the Bible and study the scriptures in their context. The road back was really hard. I failed that semester in college and I didn't go back for a few years. I had to get my mind right. God who is merciful gave me another chance and I have never looked back.
So there is a way that seems right, but the end leads to destruction. You are not doing anyone any favors when you don't deal with the sin in their life. You don't have to be confrontational either. Treat people the way you want to be treated, but don't compromise on sin issues. Lets pray for out churches and the lost. that they will find the truth before it is too late.
The way that seems right. I was listening to Joyce Meyer this morning and she was talking about living in very deceptive times. Sin is not called sin anymore. The buzz words are, a problem, an addiction, mistake, and a few others. Sin is legitimized by the government , when they have passed the laws that they have in the last few years. Nobody takes re4sponsibility for their lives anymore. It is always someone else's fault. Sometimes that is the case, but you can't blame everyone on the bad decisions that you make in your life. Some decisions were made with the information that we had at the time. Satan is very good at giving half truths. Satan gives you just enough information to get you roped in to a situation and then he sets his trap, to hook you, once you are hooked and trapped, he sits back and laughs at you and accuses you. Don't be deceived Satan plays for keeps. We live in deceptive times, because the church seems to be more interested in maintaining the status quo instead of winning and discipline souls for the kingdom. This is not all churches. Some hold on to outdates programs that don't work, but they have it that way for so long they don't know what else to do.
I remember asking a question on the air, taking a survey of what makes a good church. Here are some things that were mention:
Good Singing
Good Preaching
A church that does hymns
Very few people mentioned outreach or youth ministry. It was crazy. People want church "their way" Not necessarily Gods way. I call them Burger King Christians. Burger Kings slogan at one time was "have it Your way". They set up church the way they think it should be and then ask God's blessings on it.
The way that seems right. One of the things that it seems right to do is involved new converts in the business of doing work at the church. That seems OK in some ways, but others it can lead to problems. New converts have a great deal of zeal towards the things of God, but when problems arise, they want to quit. The solution is when you involve them to work in the church, have a mentor along with them so that they can ask questions, so they can f grow properly and be seasoned. Some churches compromise because the person has talent. Look at it this way. So did Satan, who was able to lead one third of the angles in heaven to rebel against God. I have to admire Pastor Tony Evans, for sitting Kirk Franklin down, saying that he didn't care how many awards he had won in gospel music, he wasn't going to do music at his church until he dealt with his addiction to pornography. That took guts. That caused Kirk to seek help and deliverance. How many times have there been people in the church with enormous talent and they were living in blatant sin, but no one wanted to call them on it. As my sister says, why should someone have to sit you down, you know that you aren't right, sit your own self down until you get right". We can't just gloss over sin anymore, because the world sees and knows. That is the number one thing I hear when asking someone about going to church. They talk about seeing someone doing something wrong and then not dealing with it and then they see them in a prominent place in church. There is the gospel of inclusion, we all are saved and going to heaven, some just don't know it yet. That is not what the Bible says. Some churches even allowed the very deceived Carlton Pearson to preach in their churches. People say things like "How could a loving God send people to hell"? First of all God does love us, but we send ourselves to hell when we don't obey Him. God has to punish disobedience, just as your parents punished you for disobeying, God does the same thing, because he loves you. He is not willing that ANY should perish, but ALL come to repentance.
Here is my testimony. I grew up in church. When I was very young I remember telling my grandmother I wanted to be a missionary. I began to learn scriptures and I loved the Bible. At eleven I was baptized and tried to live for God. I know now that I was trying to live for God in my own strength and power. I was faithful in Sunday School and church. I sang in the choir and did all of the things I was supposed to do. Along 17 or 19 I became disinterested in church. There was nothing there for people my age. I started to want to fit in to the crowd that went to clubs and had fun. As they called it. At the time it sounded like fun. I went to broadcasting school and I was in class with a bunch of men who were former military ect. They used to try to embarrass me by making crude remarks, so I learned to talk trash cuss like a sailor ect. Just wanting to fit in mind you. I never did any of these things around my parents. I wanted my front teeth. Then I started working and going to school. I went to some of the college dances ect. Still trying to fit in. There was a new guy at work. He was good looking, I was looking for something. He invited me to a Bible study. The devil knows just how to set things up to get your attention. So I went to the Bible study. I found a group of people who were interested in me. They gave me rides to where I wanted to go , they included me. Something wasn't right. These new friends began to come between me and my family and I began to struggle inside. The new friends kept telling me I could move in with them. I refused I kept sensing something wasn't right. They quote scriptures and sang songs, but they left parts of scriptures out. Saying that this really means this , so on the surface everything sounded good, but it wasn't. They even spoke in lounges. I remember joining them in prayer and I could feel that prayer bouncing off of the ceiling. Anyway, someone invited me to church to a revival and at the end, they extended the invitation and asked the question, "if you died tonight, where would you go". Well in my mind, I knew it wouldn't be heaven. Something pushed me up front that night. There was a battle for my soul that night. I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn't of listened to the voice of God. I accepted the Lord that night. I found, peace and acceptance that I was looking for. Not saying that those days afterward weren't hard, because they were. The "friends" that wanted me with them turned up the pressure on me. I would sit up all night and read the Bible and study the scriptures in their context. The road back was really hard. I failed that semester in college and I didn't go back for a few years. I had to get my mind right. God who is merciful gave me another chance and I have never looked back.
So there is a way that seems right, but the end leads to destruction. You are not doing anyone any favors when you don't deal with the sin in their life. You don't have to be confrontational either. Treat people the way you want to be treated, but don't compromise on sin issues. Lets pray for out churches and the lost. that they will find the truth before it is too late.
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