Will the real Jesus please stand up?

 
In an age where the church desires to be more inclusive, does it matter any longer when someone teaches something different than the biblical truth? Does the desire to see more people gathered around the circle which is called the church outweigh the mandate from scripture to be good stewards of "the Truth" we have been given? Paul twice answers this question (II Corinthians 11/Galatians 1) in the negative. Paul was not alone, Jude quite plainly directs the church to hold fast to "the Truth" that we have been given. "The Truth" which was handed down to the saints of God by God Himself. Did the saints of previous days spill their blood so bravely, simply to have the saints of this day cower in fear of opposition? I recall a conversation I once had with a pastor. In that conversation I expressed my reservations about being part of any organization that a UPC pastor was the head of. His answer to me concerning these reservations was "they preach Jesus". My heart sank as my ears were taken back in disbelief at what I had heard. Yes brother they preach Jesus, but not the Jesus of the Bible was my answer. The truth that so many saints died for, we have so diluted that we no longer can tell the difference between the real Jesus and the false messiahs of the UPC, the Mormons, of Liberal Christianity, or any other cult or mislead organization. For those that are in the church to say it doesn't matter, so long as they preach Jesus, is to betray all that have gone before us, the faith that Christ died for, and most importantly the Lord Himself. Can we really be called saints of God if the love of God, His Word, and His Truth are not in us? The real Jesus has really already stood up and through His cross, and His empty tomb, and His eternal Word proclaimed His Truth - so that's not really my question. My real question is this - Will the real saints of God really stand up for His Truth, and put to death the idol of compromise on the altar of genuine faith, the type of faith that so loves God that to hear someone blaspheme His name or rend His gospel causes an ache in our soul that cannot be tolerated? Are you still not concerned?

                                                                    In Christ

Rick Lauterbach

Pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

---

Hotmail® goes where you go. On a PC, on the Web, on your phone. See how.

Questions

I would like to ask anyone who might be reading this blog a few questions, just to see if I am the only one who feels as I do. Are you concerned as greatly as I am over the state of the church and the mindset of the average church goer? It appears to me that people who choose a church or regularly attend a church often do it for some strange reasons. Let me give an example, one which I am making up so as not to implicate anyone. The Buford (I don't know anyone with this name) family has been to several churches in the last year. They have settled on one that they have decided to join. They were having a hard time trying to decide between three different churches. Church "A" has wonderful music, the people are friendly, the nursery is clean and well run, and the pastor couldn't preach a real gospel message if his life depended on it. Church "B" has pretty good music, the people are friendly, the nursery is clean and well run, and this pastor denies biblical essentials like the virgin birth, the Trinity, and the authority of the Bible, but he's passionate. Church "C" has music that isn't the Buford's favorite style, the people are friendly, the nursery clean and well run, and this pastor preaches the Bible as the authoritative Word of God, believing and holding biblical positions on all the essential doctrines of the Bible. Which church do you think they will choose to join? 
The problem with the illustration I gave previously is that one of the churches wasn't even really a church, and one of the others was a place where the proclamation of the Gospel was never going to happen. This should have been a no-brainer. The only real choice should have been Church "C". My point is that people today are often choosing a church to attend with little consideration as to whether or not they are receiving a clear proclamation of the Gospel, but are making this very important decision for other reasons. There are even some who would suggest that the time for preaching has passed and what is needed now is just a time of sharing. A time when everyone comes and sings and prays, and attempt some form of fellowship, but apart from all that preaching stuff. Are you still not concerned?
 
                                                                    In Christ 

Rick Lauterbach

Pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

---

Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. See how it works.