There is nothing I loathe more than the manipulation of God in society. I just can't tolerate individuals that use God for their gain. That is not being judgemental that is the truth. It may be too harsh for you to read, but you need to get your act together and flee this type of doctrine that is being taught. This is the biggest problem I have with this country, and individuals that are professed Christians. I am afraid that we are living in some sort of fairy land.
"Sinners don’t want to hear that. They reject that. There’s an interesting trend today in the church, evangelical church, to dismiss the Law, to get rid of it because, they say, it is: one, offensive, and two, it is somewhat obscure to a post-modern generation that does not believe in absolutes anyway. So there is a very, very aggressive trend to take the Law out of evangelism. Instead of confronting sinners about their sin and violation of the Law of God, and the impending judgment of God upon that sinner for those violations, you remove that because they don’t understand absolute law." John MacArthur
Do you love someone enough to tell them the truth? I don't think we do. I think we have been taught the above for so long that we are more worried about losing someone in our life than telling the truth of scripture. I had a very beautiful woman tell me I should not be the spiritual leader in my home, because I am not upholding god. I had a friend tell me that I really needed to let go of something because I was now allowing it to create bitterness and resentment. I had a sweet friend tell me I was being selfish, and I needed to stop it. Those are the people you need in your life. They know the truth of scripture.
Those things aren't easy to hear about yourself. If you can't hear those things then you are self-righteous. I would start praying for humility. I would start praying to God to show you the truth. People don't know who they are, because influenced by others for so long. They have been influenced by the world and what is acceptable. Literally, the hardest thing I have had to deal with regarding God is people. It is so much easier just to correct them if I know it is wrong in scripture, and move forward now. If they argue with you about it, ask them to find the scripture that backs them up. Be strong in Him first. I admit I would rather be sick sometimes than deal with hypocritical Christians. I have been praying for taming of the tongue.
We have more passion for our jobs, our families, our friendships, our stuff, our causes, the environment, money, etc than the God we profess. We are all great offenders of this. Men have great passion for their careers more than they do God, or their wives. Women feel as though they have to be all roles. There is nothing wrong with a strong work ethic, but when it replaces all aspects of your life it is an idol. If God is commanding us to be silent with him choose that.
We have choices, and think at some point they become excuses. We can choose to ignore the hard truth of scripture, and there is too much of that going on. I did that even after I had accepted Christ, but I was still filled with worry and anxiety. I didn't understand how trials and hardships could still happen even though I let him in my heart. It was because I was deceived. It came to a point a year and half ago that I knew what was being taught by men and women was not always the literal truth of God. Read each chapter of scripture a little every day. Lay down the devotionals and just read the bible.
Remember Satan came in the form of an angel of light. Churches can be corrupted because of they have chosen to forget that. Some Pastors and Priests want power, some members want power, the elders want power, that is a sin. The church must teach the literal word of God, or it becomes corrupt. If we are reading books all the time about how to be a christian, but aren't actually immersing ourselves in scripture then that becomes our God.
I study the books Paul wrote (13 books total) more than I do Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The reason is because he didn't have Jesus physically with him. He relied completely on the Holy Spirit and the words given to him by God. I want to know how to do that. I wish we had more men in the pulpit today that were like Paul, or just more men like him that are willing to tell the truth. The below is a definition of Paul in a sermon from John MacArthur.
"This much is very clear: the apostle Paul was no people-pleaser. He wrote, “Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). Paul did not amend or abridge his message to make people happy. He was utterly unwilling to try to remove the offense from the gospel (Gal. 5:11). He did not use methodology that catered to the lusts of his listeners. He certainly did not follow the pragmatic philosophy of modern market-driven ministers."
Here is a question I want us to think about. Are you the same person in front of your friends and family as you are in private? What I mean is when they leave the room then do you talk about them like dogs? Do you pretend to their face that every choice they make is wonderful, and the right one? I just wouldn't say anything at all then if you aren't going to tell them the truth. God always knows what you think of them already in your heart and your mind. We can't hide from that. I hope that people that know me know that I try my damndest to be the same person with you.
http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/80-331/the-authoritative-nature-of-truth
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