(2
Thessalonians 2:3)
We live in an age of full-blown
deception. Agendas rule, as propaganda reigns. Many people in authority seem disingenuous at
best and totally corrupt at worst. Our
leaders lack moral clarity, which reflects the heart of the people, who also
lack moral clarity. Values that were
once held in high esteem seem to have all but vanished from our society.
The apostle Paul wrote of a time
such as this. He said, “ Evil men and imposters will go from bad to
worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). It is almost impossible to watch the actions
and listen to the words of our leaders without seeing this truth being played
out on a frequent basis. It would seem
that there is no shortage of men throughout the world who would seek to mislead
the masses for their own personal gain.
One example of multiple forms of
deception that is on the national stage this week is the Senate’s failure to
defund Planned Parenthood. Some Senators
are deceived and believe that continuing to fund Planned Parenthood is the
proper thing to do. Others have made the
decision to fund Planned Parenthood because they fear the political
implications of casting a vote to defund Planned Parenthood. They are deceived if they believe that such a
choice is appropriate. Others understand
the issue, and because they have a complete lack of moral clarity they stand
and try to deceive the country and defend Planned Parenthood when the true
nature of that organization is currently on full and inarguable display.
It would be wonderful to believe
that deception is a malaise limited only to the secular world. But, it is not. Due to compromise and not knowing the Word of
God, more and more deception has infiltrated the church in America. In fact, an argument could be made that the
Christians in North America bear little resemblance to the Church in the Bible.
The more that Christians err and
are not held accountable, the more grievous the occurrences become. Compromise becomes the ultimate slippery
slope. John Wesley, the founder of the
Methodist Church, observed the following: “ As the
most dangerous winds may enter at little openings, so the devil never enters
more dangerously than by little unobserved incidents, which seem to be nothing,
yet insensibly open the heart to great temptations.”
The definition of temptation is “
the act of alluring or being allured”.
It is exchanging the short-term benefit of something for the long-term
consequences of it. In the Lord’s prayer
when Jesus prayed, “ And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”
(Matthew 6:13), the word temptation
had an even broader meaning. He used the
Greek word, peirasmos, which refers
to a person being “ put to test”. This
testing involves situations where we are challenged to keep the name of God
honored in our lives.
Sadly, keeping the name of God
honored is no longer a priority in our culture and not even a priority to some
in the church. Navigating this
post-Christian society is becoming increasingly complex. That is because deceptions in the church
range from unsound doctrine to complete apostasy. They are as follows:
·
Humanism
·
Universalism
·
Replacement Theology
·
Shifting away From Biblical family values
·
Shifting toward pro-choice movement
·
Over-emphasis of prosperity teachings
·
Rejecting the existence of hell
·
Irrelevancy of the law (Biblical and societal)
·
Challenging the authority of the Word of God
·
Hyper-grace teachings that condone sin
·
Incorporating New Age concepts
·
Demanding that the Church stay out of politics
·
Belief that the Kingdom of God is allegorical (not
literal)
In addition to these false teachings,
several pastors of nationally recognized mega-churches are recognized for their
illicit and corrupt behavior. Too many
Christian ministers living in North America are truly living in darkness. The sad reality is that they are also paving
a path of destruction for those who follow them.
The apostle, Paul, warns: “ For the time will come when people will
not put up with sound doctrine. Instead,
to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of
teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth
and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy
4:3-5).
It is much easier and requires
less effort to believe a myth than it is to do our due diligence to search out
the truth. It is much easier to be led
by our emotions than it is to line the facts up with Biblical truths. It is much easier to gloss over sin in the
church, rather than take an unpopular (but Biblical) stand. It is much easier to do nothing than suffer
the pushback that is so prevalent in our culture today. It is time for the church in America to
repent!
Apostasy in the church is
nothing more than spiritual adultery.
Even in the midst of poor church attendance, we must stay true to God in
all matters. We cannot pick and choose
which doctrine is acceptable, or worse yet, unacceptable to us. John Calvin, a 16th Century French
Reformer, said: “ The excellence of the Church does not
consist in multitude but in purity.”
If the Church today is confused,
we should expect that our society would reel in chaos. If the Church succumbs to the temptation of
deception, we definitely should expect our culture to cave. The buck stops with the followers of
Christ. This is our time and on our
watch- the responsibility rests on our shoulders.
In these times in which we live,
there is no room for any form of deception.
Loving and holding to the truth will stave off deception. Jesus warned that a day would come where
strong seducing spirits would be given power in the earth. One could make the argument that that day is
here.
Satan wants the Church to remain
deceived. He craves worship from the
world and accomplishes this through mass deception. He wants the Church to be weak and
ineffective. Yet, he is never to be
believed because he has “ nothing to do
with the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own
character, for he is a liar and the father of all lies”(John 8:44).
In these times, God has a unique
role for each person. This role requires
a “laying down” of certain things we would rather hold onto. These things may vary individually, but
obedience is the key for God’s blessing and favor to flow.
It is time to rally behind the
pastors who unswervingly hold onto the truth and refuse to compromise its
integrity. If your pastor is one that
values: the sanctity of life, Biblical views of marriage, support for Israel,
support for persecuted Christians worldwide, and support for our constitutional
rights of free speech and freedom of religion, please thank and encourage him, and pray for him
everyday.
Unless we quickly see a revival
in this nation, we will see the erosion and total intolerance of Biblical
beliefs. We must be serious about our
faith now and diligently stand against that which opposes our God. The stakes
are extremely high because across this globe peoples’ lives hang in the
balance. Will you agree to be the beacon
of hope God is calling you to be?
“ He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who
helps to perpetuate it.
He who
accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
Martin
Luther King, Jr.
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