Will Your Kids Go To Heaven?

Do you want to have a successful Christian home?

"You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)

Do you want your kids to go to heaven?
Do you want your family/marriage/home to be solid?
If you answered yes….. The next question in front of you is:
“Should you choose a liberal or conservative church?” 

Which path gives you the best hope of building a strong family that will lead to your children choosing to be Christians? Today it is common for kids to be raised in a church only to hit teenage years and turn away from the “faith of their fathers!”  Many do not realize that it doesn’t have to be that way… and it is not that way among us.

Our families stay together and our kids become Christians.… Want to know more?

How do Churches Become Liberal?

I suppose that everyone recognizes that there are liberal churches and there are conservative churches.  Most liberal churches have arisen out of more conservative churches.  i.e.  Most churches have begun as conservative churches then over time became more and more liberal.

Today I look around at the shallow, noisy conglomerations that many call churches and wonder how in the world people are deceived into believing that these are what Jesus founded.  They generally operate using Jesus' name, but are not anywhere close to anything described in the New Testament.  How do people go from one day believing the Bible to be the Word of God and the next day just jump into a Rock concert while calling this “noisy gong and clanging cymbals” mentality  worship? (See I Corinthians 13:1)

Answer… generally they don't!  Based on Jesus' parable of the Sower we learn that it is a more gradual “choking out” of respect for the Word of God.  Most of all, Satan fears your comprehension.  He would prefer that you just not understand (Matthew 13:19) so he can snatch it away.  When that fails, the devil tries to offend you away from respect for scripture before you can become long term and stable (Matthew 13:20-21).

So They Call This Worship?

Wherefore Come out from among them, and be ye separate...

Text for today’s article:

"And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." (II Corinthians 6:15-17)

It has been sometime since I have written, owing to the distractions of building onto my house.  However, I have had opportunity to research the modern homogenization of the church into worldly entertainment that is sweeping our country.  I will share this research with you.  As with the threat of Islam, most people among the older generation have no idea what is afoot, or at least how far it goes.  Today, I’d like to take a peek into this subject.

Three specific contemporary trends come to mind:
1.  The community church movement and contemporary worship services.
2.  The loss of discipline and godliness as a cornerstone of faithful religion.
3.  The final act: setting aside Jesus as insignificant and unimportant.  (Oprah’s version of church)

Not every church moving in this direction involves all three trends, but any one of the three is a movement away from the established truths of scripture.

A "Normal" Christian Worship Service???

We recently have had several studies concerning these variations of worship that have come into the churches all over the area around us.  The reality is that in the Wichita area, we have seen churches offering everything from rock music to bribes in order get people into church.  Here, the liberal churches of Christ have been embracing more and more of these behaviors and bringing shame on all of us… whether we participate or not.

Last month one of those liberal churches… the South Emporiachurch of Christ (Wichita, Ks) invited our young people to some kind of wing ding. . . They promised to give them all free pizza and dilly bars if they’d come!  The social gospel has so eclipsed the gospel of Christ in these churches that they don’t even recognize the damage they are doing…  Perhaps even more tragic, I doubt that many of that church’s members realize that I have raised a doctrinal objection to their behavior with their leadership. They are still blindly following along.

Jesus said…”They are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."  Note how the focus of the invitation is blatantly social/worldly.  Notice further what this says about their young people… they assume that their young people are not interested in godliness… they are therefore luring them with worldliness.  Dilly bars, special appearances, entertainment etc.
 Let me ask a practical question. When you picture Jesus’ cross… Do you envision the apostles working the crowd offering free pizza and dilly bars? Me neither! So… Is Jesus the Head of this church?

What is a Contemporary Worship Service?

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."   Matthew 15:14

It seems like over and over this question has been coming up lately.  As this email list has grown, folks from all over have been asking about this.   Almost all the older generation is against this innovation... They just can't seem to figure out why!  Since this is a computer distributed (emailed) article let me recommend that you try an experiment to answer your own question. 

Run a word search on your Bible using your computer and see if you can find a contemporary worship service. Did you?  Me neither.  “Contemporary” doesn’t even occur in my version of the bible (NASV) or a KJV.  What does that tell you?  Churches going this direction are going where they have no instruction from Christ! 

Normally the churches instituting this “contemporary” worship service have long ago quit looking to the Bible for direction.  Almost always, they institute it as a separate service…. Why?  Because if they didn’t the “old” people would walk out!  And the leaders know it! 

But Jesus, I Didn't Know I was a Liberal

" Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”    Matthew 7:22-23

In today’s mailing I would like to consider the impact of this prophecy straight from the mouth of Jesus.  I like to call this section of scripture “a sneak peek at the final judgment!”  Four things come out rather clearly about said judgment:

1. You are not going to just stand there like a bump on a log before the throne of God.  You will speak, present your case, and be judged largely on what you have done with the words of Jesus. (Vs 24)
2. What is today often described as “liberalism” would seem to be the direct cause of the condemnation of a vast majority of Christians in the day of judgment. I.E. A good conscience was not a substitute for a scriptural foundation for their faith.
3. A religion based on hype rather than substance is an utter failure. I. E. Spirited, emotional worship is just not enough. (see also John 4:24)
4. These folks absolutely did not consider themselves “liberal.”  They would likely have called themselves “conservative”… but their works are of their own contrivance, i.e. they were not the works of Jesus.