Folks who see Christianity as not working...

• Lost folks...
• Bitter Christians...
• Young Christians - or taught to be a Christian, anyway...
• Confused Christians...
• Burnt Out Christians...
• Bad press / bad testimony / stupidity that even lost folks know better...

After all...

• There is an increase in church size...
• Gain is godliness to folks today...
• There is a lot of 'born againin' going on - and in the media...
• Lots of folks who have never heard of Jesus are "committing their lives' to Him...
• Lots of Christian moral battles
• Ecumenicalism is the rule... Tolerance for all religions... (accept for those 'only' guys...)
• Anything goes if it makes you a happier and better person...
• According to modern Christians, God is still changing his mind and words and teachings, etc.. (that is totally different than rightly dividing... - the Lord is never changing, of course (Hebrews 13:8) but that is reference to his character - His holiness - His Deity - His Omnipotence - His Omniscience and His Omnipresence, but not in his ministry.)

From these folks:  People / Pastors / Teachers / Colleges / Bible Institutes / Parents / Grandparents / Sunday School Teachers / School Curriculums / Kids Programs / Music by itself or in teaching videos, etc. Reading Books - anything with the word 'Christian' attached...

They are...

*1.  Claiming Wrong Scripture Applications!

• II Timothy 2:15 - wrongly dividing!  What a mess that has made - even serious Christians can hardly grasp the Book seriously and comfortably these days!


Truth:  Know which Scriptures are TO you, knowing that all 66 Books are FOR you.

• Mark 16:15 - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  They do still go today, but they are telling folks to follow Jesus as if it were the days of the gospels / or the Tribulation. Yes, in those days, they did have to follow Him - physically, etc.  Even in the tribulation, they will need to learn from the mind of Christ as His mind was during His walk days.  They will also have to walk that walk - with the Spirit of God upon their flesh - See Acts 2:16-19
• Not the "Jesus Gospel" - salvation then was different.


Truth: Follow Paul's gospel!  The gospel about the RISEN Christ!

• Romans 2:16 - In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
• I Corinthians 11:1 - In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
• Romans 16:25 - Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

• Matthew 28:19,20 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.


Truth: Paul's ways of following the risen Christ:

• I Corinthians 4:17 - For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
• Philippians 4:9 - Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

• Jesus? - No, He was to be followed in the Gospels and will be in the Tribulation.
• Peter?  No, Acts 1-8; I II Peter, etc. is OT pre-Paul and Tribulation.
• John?  No.  James?  No.  Jude?  No - pre-Paul and Tribulation.


Truth:- Paul! - as He follows the risen Christ as you read Romans through to Philemon!

• I Corinthians 11:1 - Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
• Philippians 3:17 - Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
• I Corinthians 4:16 - Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

• II Timothy 2:4: No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
• II Corinthians 10:3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:


Truth:

• Romans 7:25 - I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

• II Corinthians 2:17 - For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
• I Corinthians 15:33 - Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
• Images - Deuteronomy 5:8 - Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
• Images vs reading! -

• Ephesians 6:17b - And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
• Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
• II Thessalonians 3:14 - And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

• any music for worship:  Acts 17:23-25 - For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.  God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;  Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;


Truth:

• John 4:24 - God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
• Psalm 68:4 - Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
• Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
• Ephesians 5:19 - Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

• Even our own hymnals sing mostly about what the Lord has done FOR US - today's hymnals are so much all about US today instead of Him!


Truth:

• See list of things that the Scriptures say we should praise Him for and compare that to what the CCM world sings 'about' their Jesus!  (click here for page online of complete list)

• Ephesians 4:19 - Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
• Getting closer and closer - II Timothy 3:1,2a This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves...
• II Timothy 4:3 - For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
• II Corinthians 10:12 - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
• II Corinthians 11:13 - For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
• Romans 10:3 - For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.


Truth:

• Psalms 68:4 -  Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
• Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
• Ephesians 5:19 - Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

• I Corinthians 1:17 - For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
• I Corinthians 2:4 - And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
• I Corinthians 2:13 - Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
• II Corinthians 1:12 - For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
• II Corinthians 11:3 - But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

• Denominations - Look at this huge list of denominations - what a mess for the lost person to see!
• It is about being MADE free, not being SET free!  We can never learn how to do it all RIGHT - but to try to learn... etc.
• I Corinthians 3:3 - For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?


Truth:

• Romans 16:17 - Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
• I Corinthians 1:10 - Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

• Jeremiah 23:22: But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

• Jeremiah 7:4 - Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
• Jeremiah 7:8 - Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

• Again - not the walk of the Gospels or the Tribulation!
• Not a man trying to walk the walk written TO a woman, nor a woman trying to walk the walk of the man!
• Not the children or teens trying to walk the walk of an adult - nor an adult trying to walk the walk of a child or teen!  (see this article - not the best on Halloween itself, but his last paragraph says it well about adults living like children today because they ALL follow images, not words.)


Truth:

• (Grow up Christian - I Corinthians 13:11: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.; Ephesians 4:14: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
• Romans 6:4 - Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
• Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
• Colossians 2:6 - As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
• II Corinthians 4:10,11 - Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

• An increase unto more ungodliness!
• A world in pleasant rebellion against God!
• Imitation Christians going to imitation churches being wooed by imitation pastors using imitation sermons with imitation words led by an imitation spirit which produces imitation salvations while they worship and praise an imitation savior with their own imitation music which keeps an imitation Christian going to the real Lake of Fire!
• An army for the devil that is getting bigger and bigger - but will still lose!  Revelation 16:14 - For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

• vs 11 - Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
• vs 12 - the word has been taken out of hearts... lest they should believe and be saved!
• vs 13 - keep them shallow so they can't take the truth, even if it was a joy for them at first!  - "Quitters and 'not gitters'!"
• vs 14 - allow them to be choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life...
• vs 15 - very little good ground - most good ground is now overrun by weeds/ tares and rocks.

• You do now see that it is not as much a problem with the flesh as it is with the mind, eh?
• You do have that willing mind?
• that forward mind?
• a readiness of mind?
• Humility of mind?
• A renewed mind?
• You are fully persuaded, right?
• You have a fervency that shows?

• Give up the faith?  (depart from the faith - I Timothy 4:1 - Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
• Give in to the new faith? (err from the faith - I Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. I Timothy 6:21 - Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. II Timothy 2:18 - Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

• Give it more as you seek a stronger and growing faith? (Romans 10:17 - faith cometh by hearing... hearing the words of the Lord; II Thessalonians 1:3 - your faith groweth exceedingly)