A DISEASE EXISTS IN CHRISTIANITY AND ITS NAME IS: "PLEASE ME" AND "COMPLACINCY" Chapter (1)

     I can still remember the days when folks went to church to hear the Word of God, pray and worship. They understood that it required them to conform to the teachings in the Bible and change the way they lived, in hopes of the Resurrection. That was then, this is now. Now churches and God must conform to them!

     Mega Churches are the thing. Some serving coffee before and during services, or even meals. 5,000 - 10,000 or more that are members. The minister(s) tell you the Word of God to where is is all positive, removing the negatives of sin from their sermons. They want you feeling good so the money will flow, and your life is not interrupted or you feel condemned by the lifestyle you lead. You see, all they want you to hear is that God is Love. They want you to feel the warm embrace of His love, but heaven forbid you read of how God reacted to sinners and evil. Yet watch one of those ministers walk by you on the street, leaving you unacknowledged because they haven't a clue who 99% of their parishioners are. Are you having that warm fuzzy feeling right now? If you are, you might as well quit reading this. I couldn't make a dent in your mindset with a sledgehammer!

     Wait, Terry! I am saved by Grace and everything I do is covered by Christ's blood and forgiven by His Grace. Oh, okay...I've got it now! You mean "Once in Grace, always in Grace!" How's that work? You might want to read the Scriptures: Matthew 7: ²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Hmm. Seems like it won't work for them! 

     I've heard the tickle my ears, minister tell beguiled parishioners that all you have to do is shake the ministers hand, say a sinner's prayer, and be baptized in water. How about what Jesus said? I can't find anywhere where Jesus stood still shaking people's hands and told them to say a sinner's prayer and sprinkle a little water on their head and you would be okay and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you really believe he walked the face of this evil earth for 33 1/2 years just to be so mundane? Did he bear the torture of the whip, the Cross, and the empty feeling of being separated from his Father when he looked towards the heavens and said, "At three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46). Did he raise the dead, heal the sick, flung the tables and used whips on the money changers in the temple, just so you could just live without condemnation, believing what you do will gain you a place in His Kingdom? Uh huh.

     I am going to finish Chapter (1) of this series with the following statement from the Bible, Joshua 24: ¹⁵ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Who are you actually serving? Take an honest view of your life, what you allow in your home, who you allow in your home, and what does your family spend their time doing? Does your evening with your family include prayer and reading of the Bible, or does it include video games, texting, all T.V. or what? If Jesus came by, would you be like some people and try to clean up the house real quick so they don't see how messy your house is? Would it be you rushing to bring your family together quickly to give Christ the impression you are all about Him, instead of allowing Him to see how messy your lives are? Hmm. Chapter (2) soon.