Is there Apostasy in America today?

This question can simply be answered, Yes!  But who then is in apostasy?  For you can’t fall away from something that you never really had, so the answer to this question must be found in those that attend our churches today. Apostasy is defined as the abandoning of what one used to believe or practice. In the book of Jeremiah, God called Jeremiah to preach to a people who had abandoned their faith in God for something else. God’s simple message to Judah was to repent and return to the Lord, but they refused to listen. So, why didn’t they listen?  1) They failed to remember their past.  God rebuked them for not remembering where they came from and the God who led them there. As Christians, if we the Church forget God, our nation is doomed. (Ps 9:17) “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” 2) They failed to remember God’s Word. 

(Ps 11:3)” If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” It’s sad but in our country today all of a sudden God’s Word is optional or up for debate, and HisWord is even left out of the conversation. Christian, the remedy for sin is still found in a high respect for God’s Word, our repentance, & the confession of our sin.  (Ps 33:12) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.

The True Meaning Of The Lord’s Supper

For centuries churches have been divided over the true meaning of the “Lord’s Supper." Does it save you? Are we actually eating the Lord’s body & blood? Does it impart some type of saving grace when you receive  it?  Well depending on which church you belong to, beliefs differs. I have always said that you can tell what a church believes about the Lord’s Supper by what they believe about salvation. That’s why it’s so important that we know the scriptures. The Lord Jesus Christ on the same night of his betrayal introduced to his apostles what is called the “Lords Supper.” Jesus used the Passover meal to symbolically teach us about the Passover's true meaning and about his great redemptive death on the cross. Jesus taught us that the bread and wine symbolically pictured the death of his physical body, and the shedding of his blood as a covering for our sin. His purpose was to teach to us the importance of remembering often his great sacrifice for our sin, lest we forget. Jesus never taught that he miraculously indwelt the elements on the table, for he is already present in those that are born again and at the table. Therefore it is not a way to be saved, but rather a way to remember his sacrifice often so that we stay close and in love with our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Fear Can Only Be Overcome By Faith In God

(Judges 7:9-10) "And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:" In the above passage, Gideon was commanded by God to go down to the encamped enemy and conquer them, but first God wanted Gideon to spy them out. You see, God wanted Gideon to see firsthand that He had already placed a fear in the enemy's heart, but He also wanted Gideon to face his own personal fear; and that's why God told him to take with him his servant. Sometimes we just need another to walk with us. In the story of Gideon hear, God wants all of us to realize that fear is always present with us, even when we know the will of God. God shrunk the army of Gideon from 32,000 men of war to only 300 of the most fearful. Why, to teach him that it was not by his might that he would win the battle, but rather by God's. Fear is natural, but God supernatural. Fear is always present, but if we will just let faith lead as Gideon did, we too will see the victory and God will receive all the Glory!

The Prodigal Father’s Example Of Goodliness

(Luke 15:20) "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."  When we look at the story of the prodigal son the focus is mainly on the rebellion and the repentance of the son, but what we need to also see is "the love" of the Prodigal's Father. The Prodigal's Father is an excellent example of what a (F-A-T-H-E-R) should be. 1) He was (F)aithful; He was faithful to his God and to his family. 2) He was (A)ccessible; He was a man approachable and compassionate. 3) He was (T)rustworthy; His son knew that his father  would forgive him and accept him back. 4) He was the (H)ead of his family; He was the leader, provider, and head problem solver in his home. 5) He was an (E)ample of godliness in his home;  In this parable he represents the forgiveness, longsuffering, and agape love of God Our Father. 6) He was (R)esponsive; After his son returned, he responded in  humility and acceptance of his son. Fathers, children need to know that you love them no matter what. A godly father is one that is involved personally in the life of his family, always watching and willing to demonstrate his love to them by more than just words. Thank God for Our Heavenly Father's Godly example. Fathers, may we like the Prodigal's Father practice His godliness!

Add to Your Faith Virtue

(2 Peter 1:2) " Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:" It is the calling of every born again believer to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The "knowledge" spoken of above, has been given to us very clearly in the Word of God, but it takes "faith" to practice it. We have been called to the glory that we will one day have with Christ, but we still need to add to our faith today the grace of certain perfecting virtues.  (2Peter 1:3-7), "…add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity." Therefore, we must diligently work on each virtue individually because each of them in time will lead to the next maturing grace"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Fear or Faith, It’s Our Choice

(Judges 6:2) "And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds." Fear is common to all men, even the saved. Therefore as Christians we need to have faith in God and His promises lest we become like the Israelites here in the book of Judges and hide in fear, rather than live victorious through faith. Fear will never accomplish the will of God, but rather it causes you to give up, succumb to the enemy, quit, and hide. How many Christians today believe that the enemy is too strong, or that the battle is no longer winnable? Be careful Christian, fear leads us to defeat and ruin, unless it's overcome by faith. During this time in Israel's history, God raised up a judge named Gideon to deliver his people from the oppression of the Midianites. When God found Gideon, he wasn't a super hero but rather he was a super chicken, but as God proved Himself to Gideon over time, he became one of the most faithful, courageous men in Israel's history. Brethren, God loves taking the unknown, the untalented, and even the most weak to accomplish His will. There is nothing in this world that cannot be overcome by our faith in God's Word and through His power.

Don’t Ride This World’s Rollercoaster

(Judges. 2:6) " Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way…"  The "way" of the Lord is the "way" of His Word and will. When we like Israel decide not to listen to God or His preachers we fall out of the way of the Lord onto a path that leads us down to the place of His judgment. The book of Judges covers a time period of about 350 years where Israel six different times fell into sin and had to be rescued out of it by God. Each time Israel fell away from the Lord, God in His righteous anger caused them to be persecuted which resulted in their crying and returning back to Him. Why is it that so many Christians today ride the same rollercoaster ride as Israel did, instead of learning to abide in Christ, & stay on His path? Obedient Christianity is not up and down, but rather a consistent hearing and obeying of the known will of God.