Friend or Foe

Galatians 4:16, "Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?"

The apostle Paul writes this verse to the Galatian church. This church, founded by Paul, had abandoned the saving gospel of Jesus Christ and followed false teachers who taught Jesus, but also that obedience to the Mosaic Law was necessary for salvation. The saving gospel of "by grace through faith" was being replaced by, "by faith AND works." In a life devoted to Christ good works will definitely be a part of our faith, they are the fruit of faith, but good works have NOTHING to do with our salvation.

Abandoning the True Gospel

Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit in Galatians 1:6, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel." I fear today that many who claim to be Christians have been lured by a sirens song to a false gospel that they have been cleverly deceived by.

In some sectors of the church today their is an attitude that we cannot preach the truth of the bible for fear that an unbeliever visiting our churches may be offended and not come back. If we were to boldly proclaim that if someone does not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior they are not right with God; if we were to preach that we are all sinners, that He died on a cross so we can be forgiven, that He was bodily resurrected, and proved he was God; if we were to preach that if we have true faith in Jesus repentance from our sinful lives will occur as we have become a "born again" "new creation" in Him; if we were to preach the truth of a glorious heaven to be gained, but a horrific hell and eternal judgment also as reality; if we were to preach the TRUTH of what the bible actually says, unbelievers simply will not want to hear what we have to say. So some have filtered the truth so as not to offend. And you know what, many that do, have rapidly growing churches.

Real Change

So what's the problem? Is it not a good thing if a church greatly increases it's attendance and baptizes throngs of people? Not if those who attend or are baptized have not been told the whole truth. Not if they have based a decision on faulty information. Their is a cry today that we need change in the church. A new way of doing church in a post-modern world that abhores the absolute truth as presented in the bible. That we must appeal to the world on their level in order to reach them. But how can we show a lost world the CHANGE that occurs through true faith in Christ, if us and our churches look and sound just like the lost world?

The terminology used to describe this movement has evolved from liberal, to seeker-sensitive, to purpose-driven, to emergent or emerging. The message is the same; we're all basically good people and we'll tell you that, then you can do good deeds to show what a good person you are. We'll entertain you and we'll listen to you and give you what you want; in song, preaching, programs, worship. We'll be your Wal-Mart, all your needs will be met here. But in telling people what they want to hear, are we neglecting what they need to hear?

Did Peter want to hear he would betray Christ? Did Paul want to hear his entire belief system was obsolete? Did we want to hear that we were sinners, the enemy of God, and that we could never be good enough to please Him? No, but Peter, and Paul and each of us needed to hear it. I'm not against a particular method. I'm for being creative and trying new things. But we need to do those things to gain the opportunity to present the life changing, complete truth of the bible. And we can only do that genuinely if we ourselves have been truly changed, from the inside out. Changed by the blood of Jesus and the indwelling power of God through His Holy Spirit. If we have not been availed the whole truth, we cannot know the whole truth. And if we do not know the whole truth, have we been truly changed?

In the church, and it's been this way for a long time, we must quit focussing on numbers and begin seeing real change. It is said by many, "well God must be blessing, look at how many people go to that church. Look at how many people they baptized." Friends, if growth and size are the measure of God's blessings, Mormonism an Islam are both growing at a greater rate than Christianity in our nation. Is God blessing them?

We must understand not everyone is interested in the truth. They may have an interest in being spiritual, but when confronted with the whole truth, they simply walk away. It happened to Jesus, it will happen to us. But for those who are genuinely being called by God, do we not owe them what the bible really says? Real change does not occur by conforming to our culture, real change occurs when we conform to the truth of the bible.

Anything less than the whole truth is deception. As Paul said in Galatians 1:8-9,"But if we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached, let him be accursed(cursed by God). As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." Have you, and are you, receiving the whole truth of what God has to say? If you question this in your life, read the bible. If what you are being told does not conform to the whole truth of the bible, you are listening to a another gospel.