Loyal
Friday, September 23, 2016, 8:17 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Touched My Mouth.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 1 (ESV).
The Counsel of the Wicked
In today’s world, in 2016, particularly here in America where I live, we are beginning to see our freedoms slowly ebb away, especially our freedom of speech. Political correctness has replaced boldness in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, even in the church. The institutional (man-made business) church is largely far too concerned with whether or not they will offend the people of the world than they are concerned with whether or not they will offend God, i.e. grieve the Holy Spirit. So, censorship of the gospel is on the rise, even in the church, in Christian-based ministries, and even on Christian-based websites. Too many people who call themselves Christians prefer to hear feel-good messages which tickle itching ears rather than the hard truths of the gospel taught by Jesus Christ himself.
The church, in particular the institutional church, has paved the way for the persecution of Christians in this country, and for the censorship of the gospel of our salvation. “How so?” you might ask.
They have done so by buying into Satan’s lies which say that the church should work to draw in large crowds of people from the world, and that they should entertain them so that they will feel right at home, and so they will want to come back. The lie also says that Christians should not say anything to offend the people of the world, so they will come back. Thus, they also have to dilute the gospel message to make it more appealing to the people of the world. Yet, they have taken it even a step further than that. The lie also tells them that they must rid their churches of seasoned Christians who follow the true gospel, and that they should target (market) young people and people who have little Bible knowledge, and those who are unchurched, who are, thus, not familiar with scripture. They don’t want anyone who might tell people the truth of the gospel, because the gospel offends.
Now, I realize that this does not apply to every congregation in America, but from what I have experienced, and from what I have read in books, even books written by renowned American pastors, and from what I have read on some Christian websites and on Christian-based blogs, and from what I have heard in sermons from pastors from California to New York, this is nationwide. A large majority of America’s churches are following human marketing schemes over the word of God in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world, in order to make them feel right at home. But, if the world feels at home in our churches, then something is terribly wrong!
So, we should not walk in this counsel, because it is not Biblical, and it is anti-God and against his Word. And, yet, so many pastors will hold to this wicked counsel over following the Word of God, because they know that if they follow God’s Word, they will be hated and rejected as Jesus was, and their congregations will die out, because the people will flee to where they can have their itching ears tickled with feel-good messages. And, so they have to make a choice between following Jesus or following humans, and all too often they choose humans over God, because that gains them popularity and acceptance, because it gives the people of the world what they want, instead of giving them what they need. And, thus, their businesses grow.
And, because the church has censored the gospel, and its messengers, we have stepped into yet another phase of this censorship of the gospel, which will result in the persecution of followers of Christ here in America. Now, top political and religious leaders in our nation, and/or in the world, are calling for the world to unite as one in opposing what they consider “religious extremism,” which includes those who hold to the tenets of the Christian faith and the gospel as taught by Jesus Christ and his NT apostles. There is also a call for the silencing (censorship) of those who would say anything that might offend any particular people group, and a call for laying aside all which divides us as the people of this world. Well, the gospel divides, so it has to go, and so do its messengers. And, that is where we are.
The Law of the Lord
So, what should our response be to all of this? Should we conform to society so we don’t offend anyone? Should we bow to the pressures of this sinful world and worldly church to soften the gospel message so that we are “politically correct”? Should we compromise our Biblical convictions, and back down on what we know is right, and is of God, in order to be accepted, or to not be rejected? Should we remain quiet when the gospel is being derailed, and false teachers prevail, and the world is going to hell? Is that what Jesus would do? Would he stand quiet while the church is asleep, and their shepherds abandon his sheep? Would he not say a peep while Christians are in sin deep? And, would he only say things positive when his church is being adulterated? I think we know the answer.
We should never compromise the gospel or the teachings of Christ and his NT apostles in order to be accepted and/or to not be rejected. The Law of the Lord, i.e. his Word should be our delight. We should meditate on it day and night. We should stand on the truth of God’s Word, and do what it says, and say what God gives us to say, even if it gets us rejected or kicked out, or invited out of places, even from the institutional church or other Christian-based organizations. We should teach the Word of God and what Jesus and his NT apostles taught, and in all practicality and application to our lives and our world today, even if it is not politically correct, and even if the world and the worldly church hates us in return. Lives are at stake here! Too many people are being deceived by master deceivers and manipulators, and someone needs to tell them the truth! Their eternity depends on it!
So, what’s it going to be? Will we be mice or “men”? Will we stand tall, or will we shrink back? Will we be more concerned with pleasing people than we are concerned with pleasing God? Do we want the acceptance of humans more than we want God’s approval of our lives? Will we say what needs to be said, i.e. what Jesus would say, and what God wants us to say, or will we be silent so that we don’t stand out, and so we don’t get rejected? And, will we share the gospel in all its fullness, or will we silently watch as the world goes to hell and the church is deceived? What’s it going to be?
He Touched My Mouth / An Original Work / June 13, 2012
Based off Isaiah 6:1-8; Jeremiah 1:4-9
Oh, I saw the Lord seated on His throne,
High and lifted up; Holy is the Lord!
The earth is full of His glory.
“Woe to me,” I cried,
“I’m of unclean lips.”
My Lord touched my mouth
With His cleansing pow’r;
Removed all my guilt, paid for by His blood.
He asked, “Whom shall I send;
Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Before I was born, God set me apart;
He appointed me to His servant be.
I said, “I don’t know how to speak.
I am but a child.” Then, the Lord replied:
“Do not say to me, ‘I am but a child.’
You must go to all, and do what I say.
Do not fear them, for I’m with you.”
My Lord touched my mouth;
Gave me words to say.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
The Counsel of the Wicked
In today’s world, in 2016, particularly here in America where I live, we are beginning to see our freedoms slowly ebb away, especially our freedom of speech. Political correctness has replaced boldness in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, even in the church. The institutional (man-made business) church is largely far too concerned with whether or not they will offend the people of the world than they are concerned with whether or not they will offend God, i.e. grieve the Holy Spirit. So, censorship of the gospel is on the rise, even in the church, in Christian-based ministries, and even on Christian-based websites. Too many people who call themselves Christians prefer to hear feel-good messages which tickle itching ears rather than the hard truths of the gospel taught by Jesus Christ himself.
The church, in particular the institutional church, has paved the way for the persecution of Christians in this country, and for the censorship of the gospel of our salvation. “How so?” you might ask.
They have done so by buying into Satan’s lies which say that the church should work to draw in large crowds of people from the world, and that they should entertain them so that they will feel right at home, and so they will want to come back. The lie also says that Christians should not say anything to offend the people of the world, so they will come back. Thus, they also have to dilute the gospel message to make it more appealing to the people of the world. Yet, they have taken it even a step further than that. The lie also tells them that they must rid their churches of seasoned Christians who follow the true gospel, and that they should target (market) young people and people who have little Bible knowledge, and those who are unchurched, who are, thus, not familiar with scripture. They don’t want anyone who might tell people the truth of the gospel, because the gospel offends.
Now, I realize that this does not apply to every congregation in America, but from what I have experienced, and from what I have read in books, even books written by renowned American pastors, and from what I have read on some Christian websites and on Christian-based blogs, and from what I have heard in sermons from pastors from California to New York, this is nationwide. A large majority of America’s churches are following human marketing schemes over the word of God in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world, in order to make them feel right at home. But, if the world feels at home in our churches, then something is terribly wrong!
So, we should not walk in this counsel, because it is not Biblical, and it is anti-God and against his Word. And, yet, so many pastors will hold to this wicked counsel over following the Word of God, because they know that if they follow God’s Word, they will be hated and rejected as Jesus was, and their congregations will die out, because the people will flee to where they can have their itching ears tickled with feel-good messages. And, so they have to make a choice between following Jesus or following humans, and all too often they choose humans over God, because that gains them popularity and acceptance, because it gives the people of the world what they want, instead of giving them what they need. And, thus, their businesses grow.
And, because the church has censored the gospel, and its messengers, we have stepped into yet another phase of this censorship of the gospel, which will result in the persecution of followers of Christ here in America. Now, top political and religious leaders in our nation, and/or in the world, are calling for the world to unite as one in opposing what they consider “religious extremism,” which includes those who hold to the tenets of the Christian faith and the gospel as taught by Jesus Christ and his NT apostles. There is also a call for the silencing (censorship) of those who would say anything that might offend any particular people group, and a call for laying aside all which divides us as the people of this world. Well, the gospel divides, so it has to go, and so do its messengers. And, that is where we are.
The Law of the Lord
So, what should our response be to all of this? Should we conform to society so we don’t offend anyone? Should we bow to the pressures of this sinful world and worldly church to soften the gospel message so that we are “politically correct”? Should we compromise our Biblical convictions, and back down on what we know is right, and is of God, in order to be accepted, or to not be rejected? Should we remain quiet when the gospel is being derailed, and false teachers prevail, and the world is going to hell? Is that what Jesus would do? Would he stand quiet while the church is asleep, and their shepherds abandon his sheep? Would he not say a peep while Christians are in sin deep? And, would he only say things positive when his church is being adulterated? I think we know the answer.
We should never compromise the gospel or the teachings of Christ and his NT apostles in order to be accepted and/or to not be rejected. The Law of the Lord, i.e. his Word should be our delight. We should meditate on it day and night. We should stand on the truth of God’s Word, and do what it says, and say what God gives us to say, even if it gets us rejected or kicked out, or invited out of places, even from the institutional church or other Christian-based organizations. We should teach the Word of God and what Jesus and his NT apostles taught, and in all practicality and application to our lives and our world today, even if it is not politically correct, and even if the world and the worldly church hates us in return. Lives are at stake here! Too many people are being deceived by master deceivers and manipulators, and someone needs to tell them the truth! Their eternity depends on it!
So, what’s it going to be? Will we be mice or “men”? Will we stand tall, or will we shrink back? Will we be more concerned with pleasing people than we are concerned with pleasing God? Do we want the acceptance of humans more than we want God’s approval of our lives? Will we say what needs to be said, i.e. what Jesus would say, and what God wants us to say, or will we be silent so that we don’t stand out, and so we don’t get rejected? And, will we share the gospel in all its fullness, or will we silently watch as the world goes to hell and the church is deceived? What’s it going to be?
He Touched My Mouth / An Original Work / June 13, 2012
Based off Isaiah 6:1-8; Jeremiah 1:4-9
Oh, I saw the Lord seated on His throne,
High and lifted up; Holy is the Lord!
The earth is full of His glory.
“Woe to me,” I cried,
“I’m of unclean lips.”
My Lord touched my mouth
With His cleansing pow’r;
Removed all my guilt, paid for by His blood.
He asked, “Whom shall I send;
Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Before I was born, God set me apart;
He appointed me to His servant be.
I said, “I don’t know how to speak.
I am but a child.” Then, the Lord replied:
“Do not say to me, ‘I am but a child.’
You must go to all, and do what I say.
Do not fear them, for I’m with you.”
My Lord touched my mouth;
Gave me words to say.