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The Gospel cost Jesus his life, so that we could have life in him. We all know that as head knowledge, but allowing toe Gospel to get into our heart and life is not acceptable by many. There are many many gospels that are poor imitations of the real thing. They are very convincingly and powerfully put forward as the real thing, but they are not. For some reason people in their droves accept a fake as the real thing! This is because, for some reason, people want to be fooled. Or are they just gullible? All too often people believe with their hearts before they engage their brain! They get emotional, trust a preacher (or car salesman etc.!) when they simply should not. It is easier to go along with a person than to come against them, especially when they are convincing. Convincing in itself is not based on facts. Why is it that often the emotional side can be easier convinced, and overrules the reality that our brain knows? It is because in ourselves we have become unbalanced people and cannot balance out heart and our mind. We could call it emotionalism, the unreal world that so many have entered into in their minds. We live in a post-modern world these days I am told - well there lays some understanding, because post-modernism is totally opposed to reality (there is no reality) and truth (there are no absolutes or truth). These very things are all a basis for un-balanced mental health. I.E. Not entering or living in a real world, but living in an imaginary one made up in each mind.
Back to the Gospel message. Why is it so abused? I would suggest it is because a false gospel is attractive, more appealing or easier to accept than the real thing. False gospels offer fame, success, money--in short, rewards.
The real Gospel entails death. Jesus death and yours. It entails dyeing to the old you and the flesh (the earthly nature). It entails for you change. Massive change, and far more than a conversion experience. It involves being open to being 'transformed in your mind', which in many cases means a total renewing inside. It is hard to be open to change, painful to open up, be open to new ways - to become like Jesus.
Throughout the ages, the Gospel has been distorted, modified, vital bits taken away and in some cases much added. The cults are good at this. Many people have given up their lives to ensure that the Gospel is preserved so that it may be handed down to us. I think we forget just how many have allowed this ultimate horror to happen to them rather than give in to the wicked and their false messages.
If you flip through "The Book Of Martyrs" you will find named like Bilney, Barnes, Lattimer, Cranmer, Fisher and many others who gave their life for the Gospel. Think for a moment, of being led out to be tied up to a post above a lot of firewood, and burled alive. Have you ever stopped and imagined what this would be like? Being locked in a wet damp cell for months, being put on false trial and condemned to death - because you have found the truth, and your opponents are raging against you to conform to their falseness.
All you have to do is deny your own words and writings and deny your belief, the one you believe is true. Not your belief in God, or in Jesus - your belief in the Gospel as the Bible portrays it. That you are saved by faith, for example. (A post-modern belief is that there is no absolute truth, therefore the Bible is not really the Word of God - Compare this to Jesus who said "the truth will set you free"). Even as you are tied to the post and the piles of wood below you are about to be lit, someone is saying to you "all you have to do is see it our way, and put aside these silly things you have been telling yourself, and we will let you go to be with your wife and kids over there". You can see your wife and children in the crowd, weeping, calling out to you "Please dear, do as he says and come home with us now for breakfast together". But these brave martyrs would not deny the truth and they all died. Some with the flames licking up and engulfing them and the horrors that you can imagine for yourself that go along with this. Some hung, some beheaded and many very hideous ways that mankind (supposed loving 'christians'!) have thought up.
Today, in the western world, it is not really Politically Correct to burn, behead and torture people as in past ages. I really believe however that if some who come under the heading of 'christian' could get away with it they literally would still burn you in public. Instead or burning you these days they resort to other tactics such as defaming, slander, falsely accusing you and the like. They murder you in their minds and then spread their venom into others people's minds.
If they are able, they will use psychological mind tricks to get you into an emotional hell, and any other trick in their book. The result is truly horrible and stops only just short of death. If they cannot do these things to your face they certainly do them behind your back.
Leaders and lay people alike come under this sentence on a regular basis, and they can easily end up is a mess psychologically, physically and emotionally. It causes divorces, church splits, financial ruin, and sometimes violence or suicide. Some have learned the wicked art of mental bullying (spiritual abuse) and can and do this under the 'christian' guise of 'love', 'for the best of the church body' etc. It is anything but love, it is the dark art of power, manipulation and control. This is not the Gospel. Just what have these people entered into, it is nothing recognisable as God's Kingdom, that is for sure.
Christian? What do you think? Righteousness, you judge. Is it not the evillest of evils? To claim truth and live a lie?
Remember the scripture "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them"? Take this really seriously. What is this or that person like inwardly? They may say the right things, look like a good person, pray fine sounding prayers, be a great preacher, famous evangelist, claim to be saved, but in the final event God will say:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter
the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father
who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive
out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them
plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Matthew 7
If you do evil, you will be rejected, unless...
Often we are told not to judge, but that is a great lie! Matthew 7 is about being a hypocrite! We are to not switch of our brains (as many believers do!) but in the Spirit make all judgements. 1 Corinthians 2. Church leaders who want to control you will use 'do not judge' to have you switch off your brain and do as you are told - this is called control, spiritual abuse, to shut you down, make you feel guilty.
So, engage your brain again, check me out, start making non hypocritical judgements, in Christian Love, with a true Gospel, and come alive!
Sadly, today, there are many gospels and those who died to bring us the truth are hardly remembered. Would you be burned alive and miss breakfast and a hug from your wife rather than bow down to a distorted gospel? I wonder how many of us really would?
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other
than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit
from the one you received, or a different gospel
from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
Did you notice Paul's words above - that people accept fake messages, false gospels very easily. Why would this be? Is the answer not in the fact that it is much easier to accept a false gospel (remember, that is no gospel at all) than the real thing? The real Gospel may not have enough appeal, so man adds to it. It might call for repentance and exposure, that would be too hard. Success, Riches, Fame, Power, and many other false gospels have far more appeal and many are fooled by them, and by doing so also fall into a trap - an eternal one!
There is no soft option in joining with Jesus into the real Gospel message, receiving the Holy Spirit, being Born Again and entering into God's Kingdom--ON HIS TERMS. We are called to become more and more like him. Self must go, we live for Jesus now and are called to love others, even when it is not convenient. We are not promised comfort, but trouble. The Gospel message is much like a revolution call, to change the world, but not with the weapons of this world that destroy, but with others...
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
So, which Gospel have we accepted? What Gospel do we preach to others, pastor?
The Gospel is of Grace, and that means forgiveness for sins. No repentance, no Gospel. Are people in your church admitting their sins and sincerely seeking righteousness? Or does your church claim to be 'christian', claim God's love and the benefits, but continue to lie, gossip, slander, manipulate and the like. Are they allergic to words like sin, repentance, asking for forgiveness, saying sorry etc.? This is a post-modern, watered down gospel, a false gospel. It has no power and will not save.
If you are not preaching the one and true Gospel, what are you doing preaching at all? Get out of the pulpit, you have no right there!
Feel free to email me with any questions or for help… Email address is below.
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