Speak the Truth with Boldness!

I think it's quite clear from the Bible that no degree or special training is required for one to preach Jesus. In fact, I would say that in today's Christian circles, being an ordained minister for a certain denomination limits what one can say from the pulpit. For example, how many pastors today would dare say from the pulpit something like this, "Jesus is the only way to salvation.
If you don't believe me, go to hell," or something like this, "If you don't believe in Jesus, I just happen to have some asbestos suits I'd like to sell you."? That's really the bottom line, isn't it? If you don't believe in Jesus you will go to hell. Yet, how many preachers today would say it that boldly and bluntly? I have heard one man make the above statements to an audience of hundreds. But he wasn't an ordained preacher: He was simply a businessman who follows Jesus. As such, he wasn't constrained by any denomination regarding what he could say.

Let me put out some scenarios to consider. What would happen, say, if a Baptist preacher said to his congregation one Sunday, "Folks, I've been doing some research, and I've come to the conclusion that we can't really be sure if we're saved from day to day. I was saved when I woke up, and I think I am now, but I might do something this afternoon and lose it and have to get it back?" Or what would happen if a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor said to his flock one Sabbath, "Brothers and sisters, I no longer consider Sister Ellen to be a prophet. In fact, I think she's wrong on several points. And I think that as followers of Jesus every day is our sabbath day, not just Saturday?" Or what if an Evangelical said to his congregation some Sunday morning, "Friends, I've been doing some reading, and it turns out we are still bound by the Old Testament food laws. And we've got to start worshipping on Saturdays, because that's the true Sabbath?"
We know what would happen. These men would be fired, and possibly kicked out of their respective denominations. I have met pastors who were so blinded by the "official doctrines" that they were not even willing to listen to anything from "outside". And I remember one pastor who seemed to be putting more faith in his denomination than in Jesus when he said to a friend of mine, "Well, [name removed], when you speak to people you can speak with authority, because you are a Seventh...Day...Adventist!" He didn't say, "Because you are a child of God," or "Because you follow Jesus."

I was once asked by a man, "What are you [referring to denomination]?" To which I replied, "I'm a follower of the Way [a reference to the book of Acts]." To which he replied, "I know that, but where do you align yourself? Are you a Pentecostal, baptist, etc..." It's like he was asking what flavor I was. I am not a flavor, I am not a denomination, I am not an ...ist. I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus, born again, saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus and through His blood and death and resurrection, part of the elect. What did Paul have to say on this subject? I Cor. 1:12-15 (HCSB)

What I am saying is this: each of you says, "I'm with Paul," or "I'm with Apollos," or "I'm with Cephas," or "I'm with Christ." Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul's name? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,so that no one can say you had been baptized in my name.

And again in I Cor. 3:4-7 (HCSB)

For whenever someone says, "I'm with Paul," and another, "I'm with Apollos," are you not [typical] men? So, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

To put it another way: Is Christ divided? Did Luther die for you? Were you baptized in Ellen White's name? Was Calvin's blood shed for your sin and mine?

Brothers and sisters, let us be careful when we talk about belonging to a certain church or denomination or group. On the one hand, it feels good to us to belong to the group and we enjoy finding other people who believe as we do. We also may enjoy some of the traditions and customs we grew up with. This is all good, for man was not made to be alone. But let us be careful that the truth of God does not get second place when choosing where to congregate on Sunday (or any day). Let us be sure that wherever we meet with others who claim the name of Jesus, the Word of God is preached in truth with boldness. Let us not sacrifice the Truth for the feeling of belonging to a certain group. Time for one last example. There is in San Jose, CA, a certain congregation that claims the name Lutheran (I mean no disrespect to Lutherans in general, but that is what they call themselves). This particular congregation is, I believe, not on the conservative end of the Lutheran spectrum. There are people there who attend because of the name Lutheran, and not because of the teaching. There are people there who attend because they've always attended Lutheran churches, and that's the way it is. Let us not be this type of person, brothers and sisters. Let us not forsake the Word of God for the tradition of men. Traditions can be good, but only if they do not supersede or interfere with the Bible. If you find yourself in a congregation that preaches apostasy or our society's liberalism, get out and find a body of true believers who preach the Truth from God's Word.

Wherever you attend worship services, may Jesus Christ be praised! And may God's Word be spoken with boldness!

-Mark-
-Christian Researcher-
-February 1, 2007-

Biblical Thought for The Day

Sing a new song to the LORD;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, praise His name;
proclaim His salvation from day to day.

Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonderful works among all peoples.

For the LORD is great and is highly praised;
He is feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name;
bring an offering and enter His courts.

Worship the LORD in the splendor of [His] holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth.

Say among the nations: "The LORD reigns.
The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.
He judges the peoples fairly."

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and all that fills it resound.

Let the fields and everything in them exult.
Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy

before the LORD, for He is coming—
for He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with His faithfulness.

Psalm 96

Lessons From I Timothy

I Timothy 4:7-9 says, "But have nothing to do with irreverent and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness, for,

the training of the body has
a limited benefit,
but godliness is beneficial in every way,
since it holds promise for the present life
and also for the life to come."

Vs. 6:3-6 say, "If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited, understanding nothing, but having a sick interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slanders, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among men whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain. But godliness with contentment is a great gain."

Again, in 6:20-21 we read, "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent, empty speech and contradictions from the 'knowledge' that falsely bears that name. By professing it, some people have deviated from the faith. "

I believe that there are two warnings here that apply to us today:

1) Don't get involved in empty arguments and debates that lead nowhere and distract from the message of the Gospel. If someone wants to argue, just state your beliefs, your case, and let the other person accept or reject what you say. Only the Holy Spirit can convict someone of his need for salvation.

2) Don't get distracted by myths, quests for "hidden knowledge", non-Scriptural doctrines, and such. God's Word is the standard against which all other knowledge must be judged.

Timothy was called to preach the Gospel, not debate the gnostics and "intellectuals" of his day. I believe this is still the primary calling of God's Church, His body. Too often I see Christians get bogged down by debate and arguments with non-believers over myths, human philosophies, controversies. Only the Holy Spirit can convict someone of his need for salvation, and all the arguing in the world over controversies and empty myths will not. This does not mean we should not refute lies and we should not speak the Truth. Rather, it means that we should not get side-tracked or bogged down by trying to prove ourselves right.

There are so many things outside of the Bible that sound enticing and interesting - Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Kaballah, UFO's, "Christian Mysticism", to name a few. We need to be grounded in God's Word; we should not get distracted by studying these things. What is one result of not heeding this warning? I Timothy 6:21, "...some people have deviated from the faith." Does this mean that we should never examine things outside of the Bible to see what they say? There is such thing as honest curiosity; and I think there is a difference between examining something to see what it says, and accepting it as truth because it sounds good or seems interesting. The latter can open one up to false doctrines and beliefs, and can lead to deviating from the faith, or rejecting it completely. I am reminded of the phrase in Ephesians 4:14, "...tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit." Regardless of what you may choose to study and examine, stay firmly grounded in the Scriptures. The Bible is the foundation against which all other beliefs and doctrines must be tested. Anything that disagrees with God's Word must be rejected.

"Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn't God made the world's wisdom foolish?...but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's power and God's wisdom, because God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." - I Corinthians 1:20, 23-26

-Mark -
-Christian Researcher-
-Updated January 21, 2007-