THE GOSPEL TRUTH
Years ago, C.S.Lewis gave this warning: “Listening to incorrect theology will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones.”
If this has ever been a problem in the church, it is certainly now. Paul warned such a day would eventually come, telling Timothy: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT).
Friends, the “time” that Scripture spoke of is here. I am shocked to see how people who describe themselves as evangelicals can be so ignorant of what the Bible clearly teaches.
People who believe in Jesus wouldn’t say such outlandish things if they studied their Bibles. That is why we need preaching and teaching from the Scripture.
Right before that verse are these words: “Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with Good teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2 NLT).
That is what we are committed to each day at Gatetree Church. This is what I have committed my very life to, preaching and teaching the truth of the Bible.
Jesus once said, “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32.)
Our latest Sunday message series is “iTruths for an iPod Generation.” Feel free to click on a give a listen—you can begin enjoying the freedom Jesus has just for you.
2 comments:
P. Tom,
I agree that complacency is a major issue with the evangelical church today. On the other hand, I also see that the perspective of the non-churched which (incorrectly) believes that evangelicals are uneducated, curt and judgmental. Before I turned my life over to Christ, I believed that God really, really had it in for me. That when I came to the end of the day, He was going to give it to me up, down and sideways, and when He was done there would be nothing left of me! I was petrified of God. I know this is one of the fears of those who do not know Christ. As an "evangelical" I hope that I can show that God IS love. Before we can save the unbelievers, we have to show that God is INDEED love. Of course, I am not a theologian but, I think, before we can preach Scripture to closed minds and ears we can demonstrate by doing that the religious-right is a group of loving, dedicated, socially responsible people who care for others.
Thank you for all your wonderful blogs, you make the Word of God “understandable”!
God is Love,
A/M
I couldn't agree with you more. We earn the right to speak to people by the way we treat them. Through the 2000 years of Christianity, there have been things done in the name of Christ with which He had nothing to do with. Terrible things that were self-serving, illegal and grossly inhuman. Furthermore, it is probable that we will invalidate the truthfulness of our message by the way we live our lives. God does not expect us to be perfectly sinless on this side of heaven; however, we are called to be godly--and to treat people in a God-honoring manner.
While such a lifestyle will not open all ears to the Gospel, it will open more than we can imagine.
Post a Comment