There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow."
- Martin Luther
Modern Proverbs
Too few today wrestle with the ultimate question “What must I do to be saved?” It's a crucial question most choose to leave in the hands of professionals. But is this wisdom or foolishness? Is the decision to entrust our eternal wellbeing to the clergy based more on well founded faith in clerics or spiritual apathy on our part? Is it prudence or presumption to do so without seriously investigating the validity of each religion or denomination's claims? Why do hundreds of millions of believers fail to research the blatant disagreements between the best trained among us?
The current permissive mindset is the result of Churchianity being caught in the dangerous riptide of the original sin of entitlement popularized by various forms of Me-ism. Billions have and continue to reason that surely modern Christians enjoy favor and forgiveness through the love and mercy of God, not to mention the costly atonement of Christ. While having a ring of truth, such a vast over simplification of Scripture omits the clear and concise instruction of at least half the Old and New Testaments, including such unpopular topics as conditional salvation and additions to faith, presumption and the fear of God to name just a few.
Churchianity
Modern Proverbs
by Robert R. Pennington
Lukewarm, as a physical and spiritual condition, is far more comfortable than boiling or freezing.
Christianity is a discipline where many of its adherents mistakenly believe that knowing some of it's tenants elevates them on a par with those who perceived, penned or personify these truths.
The Existentialist believes belief can create a spiritual bubble controlling reality. While decrying this theology, Western Christianity's "seeker" and "user” friendly Gospel seems little different.
Imagine a church age who so laud the cross of Christ as to drown out both His example and command they take up their own. And that by their very applause.
What fellowship has light with darkness? Little. This may explain the Spirit's distance from First World Christianity.
"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." Still, placebos alone remain rather poor prescriptions.
In the grossest darkness, as in the foulest of conditions, even a blinking beacon of Light and sounding brass serves as a lighthouse.
We wrestle not...Isn't the Western Church entertainers like the WWF, performing for the crowd while much of the audience is being destroyed. Which of us is without this sin?
Considering Churchianity's destructive weaknesses, do we use the Sabbath to lift fallen sheep from pits or to heard them in?
Few biblical passages are repeated three times, and fewer by none other than God on His throne in Isaiah, Christ in Matthew and Paul in his final warning to God's people in Acts last chapter: "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed."
Jesus quotes Isaiah when asked why He taught in parables. 21st Century 1st world Christianity is also demonstrated in parable form, leaving us in similar straits as they. Though the Bible is clear and convincing, the Church, grievous to the Holy Spirit in a variety of ways, is confusing and powerless. In Jesus' day it was reversed.
Which 3 vegetables best describe Western civilization and churchianity? Potatoes, corn and artichokes. Why? Having eyes we don't see, ears we don't hear and hearts we don't perceive. Is this true of even the Church? Isaiah, Christ and Paul said so.
Churchianity’s greatest sins is rationalization. Both in the areas of personal holiness and in its relationship with God.
In Western Christianity today a degree of belief passes quite nicely for both the power and presence of God.
My intent is not now, nor has it ever been to judge Churchianity as guilty of sins of omission and commission or doctrinal error or heresy. Yet many have noted I do so with every breath. Quite the contrary, my goal and often stated purpose is that we all be found as innocent as possible before the Great White Throne of the Eternal Judge whose punishments and rewards are without appeal and everlasting. It is He who warns repeatedly that to the extent we judge ourselves now we will not be judged then, if we judge with righteous judgment.
Does Churchianity worship so loudly and well because they feel and believe in God's goodness or to shut out their doubts for at least an hour a week.
21st century Western Christianity has been so infantilized I've rarely attended a church meeting of any kind without feeling as if being trapped in spiritual kindergarten.
Those who would correct Churchianity must give more and better not less and worse since it may be “the bank” in Christ's story of the talents.
In moving moment to moment from mourning to rejoicing, from repentance to praise, are we truly moved at all?
In churchianity, those most busy refuse to see the scope of our real problems while those beginning to comprehend their magnitude often faint from fright. Unfortunately both these reactions exacerbate our dilemma.
The prodigal son's unthankful premature demand for his inheritance squandered has a familiar ring... Oh yes, First World Christianity.
Was mankind meant to live inundated by 21st century city life, so saturated with images and so hard pressed by teeming throngs? Are we blessed and being liberated by the extremities of Modernism's cultural diversity or a boil in people and things, emotions and ideas? Is such a lifestyle more conducive to service or learning to use or freedom as an occasion for the flesh?
Reproduction, accomplished by all life forms from microbes to weeds is not our goal, but obedience and maturity, lest we, “going to all lengths to make a single convert,” turn him into twice the son of hell we ourselves are.
If we despise and fear being Emptied can we ever be truly Filled?
How is the charismatic Christian to explain the Herculean dedication of Zen masters to meditation in comparison with our puny attempts at effectual prayer?
In Western Christianity. the opportunities to serve sinners sacrificially abound without the Church. Though affording the highest dividend spiritually, there are very few takers while high visibility leadership roles within the Church, paying little or no eternal reward are vied for and enjoy a waiting list of applicants.
The validity of a “Ministry” in Churchianity may be inversely proportional to the number of its participants.
Might there come a time of such deceptive sin that men of mercy would speak primarily of judgment and those without judgment primarily of mercy? Might the latter become the standard the former are judged and dismissed by?
Every honest indicator suggests Christianity is loosing 9 to 10 in it’s efforts to convert the world, if not itself. It would seem the definition of churchianity mirrors that of insanity which is doing, or failing to do, the same thing while hoping for wildly better results.
Unfortunately Western Christianity not only has either Ignored or Omitted much of the Scripture but the most crucial half. If we'd kept the Gospel's conditions we would have received its promises, but by claiming its promises while rejecting its conditions, might we have forfeited all?
If Paul, a Pharisee among Pharisees, needed to daily buffet his body how much more the American Christian addicted to the world by TV, Movies, Substance, Money, Prosperity, Lust, Gluttony, Pleasure, Rebellion, Idolatry, Unthankfulness, doubt...
Why is it, "harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle?" Why has God chosen, "the poor to be rich in faith" and called them Blessed? Is it because of Salvation's Divine Exchange Rate of, ""ALL""? All of His, "heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ" for All of ours, wether the rich young ruler, the thief on the cross or you and I. Do the rich find their All too much to exchange for God's, while the poor are more inclined to see the Bargain?
How rich were the Biblical rich? Did even the wealthiest own a Car, TV, Radio, Air Conditioned Home or a Cell Phone? From their easy chair did they ever view events happening on the other side of the World or glimpse the Blue Jewel of Earth from Space or accessed 6,000 years of knowledge off the Net? Don't many of the poorest among us experience a richer lifestyle than the richest of history? Perhaps this explains why the USA is a nation of disobedient children of wrath rather than a nation "of kings and priests" bond slaves of Christ, giving their All as true disciples and conforming to their Master's Commands, Lifestyle and manner of Death.
Thousands of millions today are addicts to drugs, lust, violence, crime and every kind of damning sin, literally living in and rushing to hell without a prayer. Meanwhile we spend hours upon hours watching TV and chauffeuring our kids to soccer but fail to pray more than a handful of minutes a day. We boldly sing and preach Jesus, who’s very name mean “rescuer” as our Lord yet invest only a couple of hours a week if that and then merely going to church rather than being the Church.
How much of the Western Jesus the is True One? “Many Christ but one true.”
It's hard to care you've been Ransomed if your unaware you've been Kidnapped.
Astonishingly, slavery's often accepted as liberty by those who've never tasted true freedom.
Which is more true, “If you're saved you're a Disciple” or “If you're a Disciple you're saved?”
How in contrast is today’s, “Seeker Friendly” model to that of Acts 5:1-16. “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. And... many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all in one accord...Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.”
Notice Jesus twice “cleanses the temple” of His Father while never troubling heathen temples. Should the scripture that He is “the same yesterday, today and forever” be comforting or troubling.
Eli continually failed to discipline his sons. Why? Wasn't he and they very busy with religious things?
What passions fuel a preacher's pacing, pounding or pointing, groaning, growling or grimacing? Considering our current evil age perhaps frustration, doubt, guilt, loathing, desperation, faith, hope, love, or fear (one, some or all) but for whom; their congregation, their world or themselves?
Does modern preaching, targeted to convert an individual or two, perform a disservice to the whole? Does a menu solely of milk, at every sitting, promote health for the family? Feeding on meat, would not the Church grow, maturing to seek and save not the one or two but millions and billions
Not every Christian's a pioneer of the faith. Not every believer's an apostle, prophet, pastor or teacher... Still, the church's problem's not so much a lack of "Lewis and Clarks" as it is spending too much time watching "Lois and Clark."
Like truth, love has as many true layers as counterfeit.
Hasn't our generation found Christ's metamorphosis (Grk Kenosis) insufficient on a practical level, and thereby anthropomorphically reduced the whole of the Almighty Godhead. Yahweh, limited to being our kindly paternal figure (Santa Clause), Yeshuah, our personal savior (Best Buddy), and the Ruach Elohim, our maternal comforter (Sugar Daddy).
The truth, "It's about Him and Them, not about us" is a hard saying, who can hear it?
Attending Church is to becoming a Christian as going to a 49'rs game is to Being a 49'r... Masses BELIEVE in the Game and faithfully Pay to fill the Stadium were they cheer on their team and often praise its Coach, Many others WORK hard supporting their favorite institution through donations, ticketing, selling concessions, etc... Yet didn't Jesus warn, 'narrow is the Way' to become a Player and, 'few there are' who make the Team?
Have we really considered and comprehended that Gold is Heaven's ASPHALT?
Milk's produce is 98 lb weaklings, babies having babies. Meat's required to mature and maturity to raise a healthy family. Do even school age children enjoy breast milk?
As the Father of the Faith, Abraham, speaks volumes especially to our generation. When his and Lot's herdsmen disagreed, his heart preferred his nephew and gave him first choice over the Inheritance God had promised Abraham! Rather than lording it over Lot he offered him the best of the Promised Land! How often do we hear or give an opposite response, ""Brother Lot, God called ME to this place, His promises have ALL been to ABRAHAM. I'M God's chosen vessel to forward God's ministry so you can serve MY vision or move along. By the way, Brother, if you don't like it, seek a word from God for yourself..."
The Church, called to be the New Wine of the NT. is filled with bunches of us hoping to be table grapes and thus avoid the Winepress... And some, having been crushed, are distressed by the cool, dark, confining role they find themselves in, feeling passed over by God and put on a dusty shelf by man, Yet isn't this how fine wines are aged to perfection?
Having an earthly point of view often obscures Heaven. For instance, should an act of service be simulcast by every satellite and seen by Billions of men, it would hardly enjoy a larger audience than had it been done for God eyes alone, seeing His Omnipresence fills entirely the Multiverse.
Jesus warns of the mindset of Laodicea, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked...What might their 'worship service' consist of? What programs might they build and what cathedrals to house them? What would be their divorce rate, their attitudes towards Birth Control, Abortion and World Hunger? How might they define 'Grace'? Would their focus be on Prayer and Fasting or Play and Feasting? How would they respond to these questions?
When put to the test our embryonic undeveloped faith, far smaller than a mustard seed, is and will be found wanting.
Churchianity's faith, nearly shipwrecked, is convincing many of the wisdom of jumping overboard... I sympathize, yet it's next to impossible to help steer a ship your not on.
Jesus asked the Father not to take his disciples out of the world but sanctify them in it. I suspect His current prayer is similar, merely substituting "the church" for "the world."
Do we value anointed worship services and songs hailing the Cross of Christ as a placebo for baring our cross in the selfless service first demonstrated then demanded by heaven's Anointed One?
Do you recall the many anointed church worship services Jesus and the Apostles conducted in the Gospels and the Book of Acts? Seeing God rent the Veil and destroyed the Temple, why rebuild them (Churchianity) while neglecting Christ's Tenants (Christianity)?
Did the Lord destroy His Temple in Jerusalem that we might build millions of our own chapels and cathedrals in the name of Christ or was His purpose of shattering the salt shaker that we might do the works of Christ and be the Salt and Light for a perishing world?
A generation that doesn't know war doesn't know hate, leaving it's claims of love unproved at best.
The more ardent and honest God's would be disciple, the more passionate his love-hate relationship with the “Gospel.” That “whosoever will” can be a “CHRISTian,” with all that title's accompanying privileges is rapturous news! Oh, but how to make it work?
True transformation is so hard to come by few will try. Few even pray. Instead in silent doubt and disappointment we “justify” God by interpreting away expectations clearly stated in his Word. Yet who do we hope to convince? Certainly not God, who by his Word having framed the Universe. Clearly He’s well able to say what he means and mean what he says. Not the Devil, whose strategies have brought us to this ruinous state? By “vindicating” God over his own Word we excuse our spiritual anemia but at what price? This dishonesty is the very “poison apple” Satan offers the church. Yet like Eve we bite and like Snow White we swoon. What remains to be seen is if the Prince of Peace will awake us from our delirium with a kiss or spew us out of his mouth? "
Most of the Western Church, like the impenitent thief, demand Christ keep them from their cross (Pre-Trib. Rapture, Health and Wealth, Cheap Grace, etc...). While a remnant of the remnant warn, “Don't you fear God? We are (about to) receive the just reward for our deeds but He (these present day, mostly third world, martyrs) have done nothing wrong!”
Today, the better churches in the Western Word provide a kindergarten level of Biblical scholastic content and Christian relational experiences. To their credit, much of the teaching, prayer and activities are well intentioned and can even be effective, to a point. Unfortunately, individuals and whole generations armed with entree level experience year after year fail the test with when placed in adult situations.
The cost of being forced to repeat Kindergarten indefinitely is considerable on many levels. How bored and frustrated children, not to mention teens and adults, would soon become with finger-painting, snacks and naptime. Who wouldn't quickly look elsewhere for stimulus and impute?
In what may prove a height of irony, the Church's quest to become ever more politically correct and seeker friendly may be the very cause of its diminishing strength and numbers. Isn't the point of religion to seek knowledge and aid from the Divine Other?
Do people attend church hoping to find a relationship with the transcendent God or with people as needy, more or less, as themselves?
Is the Church's strategy of kneeling to the world, in hopes of becoming it's friend, working? Is the world becoming more like the church or vice a versa? Is the dumbing down of Christian teacher and student curriculum, from training clergy to the laity, and the addition of ever more touchy feely content, strengthening or weakening our experience of the true God?
When pondering the Biblical world view of a cosmic battle raging against the souls of mankind, might the above strategy prove disastrous for all concerned. Few are attracted by the veneer of worldliness the church presents. Aren't those outside the church, offering more of the real thing, always better at it?
Why are converts, young and old, so susceptible to the subtleties of sin? Can it be but we are ill equipped to meet the challenges set before us? Small wonder so few successfully navigate the maelstrom of 21st century temptations to evil. Scripture warns that more deadly still are our Tempters. A race of Super beings, evil in intelligence and experience, beyond human understanding. Given these conditions, if we blatantly disregard God's advice how can the church hope that even it's brightest and best elementary students, venturing ill prepared into an often imperceptible cosmic war, will meet with anything but a disastrous end?
On back of plastic shampoo container, "Enter a world of botanical bliss and the power of your naturally beautiful hair. Embracing you like a meadow of fresh flowers. This luxurious shampoo, blended with 100% organic botanicals and essences of coconut and palm oils, will take your hair to a place it's never been before. Deeply quenched, radiantly restored and naturally flowing.” Ingrediants (in order of use) include: water, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl, sulfate, cocamidoprophyl betaine, sodium chlloride... Directions for above shampoo use. "Message into wet hair and indulge in the luxurious lather. Surrender to the intoxicating fragrance...” or more honesty put, “lather, rise, repeat.” Does this shampoo rhetoric remind anyone of 21st century churchianity?"
Once again spearheading the California effort to involve Protestants, particularly Evangelicals, as well as Catholics in the passage of parental notification prior to a minor girl receiving a secret abortion reveals that in this case, rather than the third time being the charm, it's a bore. The good news is with the legalization of gay marriage in the same state many thousands of churches are finally up in arms (or what passes for it in Churchianity) about something worth-while. The bad news is these same “good Christian soldiers” reveal their apostasy by their every effort to defend the state's definition of “marriage.” So much so, that in a very real spiritual sense, before God they may nailing their own coffins shut by choosing to wake up only when their 501-c tax status and facility rental programs are in jeopardy rather than in defense of the pre-born and their minor daughters from seduction and sexual predators and to save between a fourth and half their grandchildren from a state sponsored slaughter exceeding the Holocaust. Apparently “judging with righteous judgment” has devolved to the point of the Church preferring to add 10 words to the states constitution clarifying heterosexual marriage rather than addressing, even in the smallest way (parental notification) the over 10 million children murdered by their parents and local government by abortion...
The New Testament has surprisingly little to say concerning the organizational verse home churches debate. Shapes and styles seem to matter far less to Christ and His apostles than content. The rule of emphases strongly suggests God favors function with only a passing interest in form.
How commonly tragic to find one's way only to be jostled and trampled by lost leaders claiming to know better.
Jesus bids us "knock and keep knocking (verb tense) and the door shall be opened to you." Yet while the quantity of the Church has grown to encompass 1 in 3 of mankind the quality of "spirit filled believers" has suffered greatly. Concerning the fruit and gifts of the Spirit Churchianity is, at best, shadow of its former glory. Leaving one to wonder that with billions of Christians having thousands of years to ""open heaven's door"" why is it shut so fast against us? Either the Door cannot be opened more than a sliver or we lack the knowledge and/or will to do so. Is it barred and/or locked? If so how and who has the keys?
There is as much and as little evidence to suggest that 21st century Protestantism is the successor of 1st century Christianity as their is to suggest that Peter's is the Pope.
It is childish, selfish and wrong to critique those who over time and through determination have gained leadership of the Church and its resource. Unless while in doing so they misunderstood why.
It sometimes seems that Christians grope through life with eyes leering, shut or mesmerized by belly-button lint.
Is attending Church about worshipping God or doing so acceptably? Is it about hearing or understanding and obeying scripture? Is a warm glow of sentimentality or a shower of sparks from iron sharpening iron more in keeping with authentic Christian fellowship? Did Jesus come to bring peace or a sword?
Churchianity is the result of leaders assuming roles without the spiritual power required to fill even the 1st century position of deacon, created to distribute food to the poor of the Church. Yet buttressed by trillion dollar facilities and programs and fortified by poor doctrine and juvenile worship, all seems right with heaven until stress cracks the facade.
Unfortunately it's a common habit to judge one's spiritual success against those with less. In this way little becomes acceptable seeing our goodness, or at least our limited understanding of it, in some way exceeds that of others. Any serious debate as to the level of our spirituality being "good enough" to save either us or them, much less both, is soon jettisoned in the name of faith and the pursuit of the Christian American Dream.
One wonders as to the quality of light possessed by Evangelicals seeing the exponential darkening of the conscience of the 1st World since they declared their intent to evangelize their neighbors in these nations.
Seeing Jesus was sent only to the church of His day, would the modern equivalent to the cities He denounced be denominations and Christian organizations?
All my raving against our generation's claiming Christ as “personal savior” come from an honest weight and measure of our righteousness, or lack thereof. The Apostle John warns against deception explaining he who knows Christ must be holy as He is holy. Yet, ironically, my one hope is to know the King of kings and Lord of lords personally.
My goal is wake from nap time, pull down our fanciful finger paintings of Jesus' beatific smile and truly enter the transfigured presence of the resurrected Alpha and Omega, before whose face that same John, the "disciple that Jesus loved, "fell as dead."
Like smoke in mirrors, even the "elect" seem unable to discern truth in the political arena. Small wonder, seeing we are hardly able to recognize it in our Scriptures, Churches or own lives.
The order of advice given Laodicea seems reversed in importance. Humanity treasures sight above clothing and clothing above wealth. There must be additional lessons here unless this ranking is simply further commentary on deceptions having taken over the final church and/or prevalent church age. As for remedying our situation, eyes opened to the reality of the crises/opportunity before us would be most helpful. This should inspire a desire to be clothed with the kind of good deeds that accompany true salvation. This, in turn, would no doubt draw a backlash of tribulation and persecution, providing the fire to try and refine true faith, which is worth far more than gold.
Transformed lives are often offered as proof the power of God is alive and well in 1st World churches. Perhaps this evidence is overstated given the lifestyle of the average Christian is largely indistinguishable from our worldly counterparts.
Who hears from God, if any? When from the Spirit and/or from the flesh or worse? Who speaks for God, if any? When by the Spirit and/or by the flesh or worse? How can those bereft of discernment regarding the simplest of things be trusted with great?
Of those who hear from God and are willing and able to speak few are able and willing to hear them over today’s furor of frenzied foolishness.
God's people always venerate their faith's martyrs except those they, in one way or another, themselves create.
Years ago even main line Churchianity was wise enough to discredit the "Word of Faith" movement. Unfortunately, they did so without recognizing their own fondness of the "name it and claim it" principal. Rather than declaring jets, jewels and jutting bank accounts, which they had already, instead they pronounced upon themselves the righteousness of Christ, intimacy with the Holy Spirit and eternal rewards, irregardless of their unprecedented levels of apathy and sin.
The Bible declares "Iron sharpens iron." Yet with so little metal in the souls of modern believers one wonders how well clay and jello work.
Last weekend earthquake devastated Hattie killing nearly 200,000. America and churchianity want to help, even spiritually. But it's pretty hard to export righteousness without getting right.
A few weeks ago Haiti, the poorest most powerless nation in the western hemisphere, was all but destroyed by a 7.0 earthquake killing 250,000 and that left 1,500,000 homeless. This "act of God" followed a prior hurricane killing an equal number a few years earlier. On the heals of this most recent tragedy Pat Robinson of the 700 Club, one of America's most famous tele-evangelists reported that during the Haitian slave revolt of 1804, leaders had made a pact with the Devil to gain freedom from centuries of crushing enslavement at the hands of rich and powerful Christian nations. Sadly, the week of Robertson's remarks marked the United State's 37th anniversary of legalized abortion on demand for any reason at any age of development prior to birth. What the outspoken tele-evangelist and every other Christian leader failed to note was that America, the richest most powerful nation in the western hemisphere, if not the word, had at the height of its freedom and prosperity even more certainly sold it's soul to Satan as evidenced by our sealing the deal day after day, year after year, decade after decade in the innocent blood of 50,000,000 aborted babies.
Many if not most of Churchianity's ardent supporters are more fans than actual players. Freed from the rigors of practice and injury on the field they're content to visit the concession stands, sit in the shade and talking sports all the while imagining those sitting in the bleachers have made the team.
"A word to the wise" is waisted on the foolish.
Given unprecedented levels of apathy and sin within and without the Churchianity the solace believers take in being "born again" may be as hollow as was the valid claim of the Jews rejecting Jesus that they were "children of Abraham. References John 8, Revelation 2-3.
By arrogantly considering itself unsinkable and setting a heading through dangerous ice, the Titanic set in motion a chain of events that would end in deadly tragedy without an abrupt change of mind and course. Sound familiar?
Other Modern Proverb topics include:
- God
- Living Faith
- Salvation
- Prayer
- Miracles
- Revival
- Sin
- Repentance
- The Kingdom
- Spiritual Warfare
- Judgment
- Pro-Life
- Reward
- Human Condition
- Emotion
- Strategy
- Theology
- Personal
- Family
- General Observations
- 2,000 New Observations 2011-2017
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