Rom 16
Scripture:
[17] I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. [18] For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. [19] For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. [20] The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Observation:
Watch out for those who cause divisions and the obstacles they put in your way. The people who cause division are serving themselves, not Jesus Christ.
As Christians we can rejoice over one another who are obedient, but we still need to be watchful and careful.
To be fooled is naive. It is our responsibility to stay true to the Word and not be fooled. Be innocent of what is evil.
Application:
One thing is certain, God’s Word is as applicable today as it was when it was God breathed .
There are examples all around us of deceitful people causing division and trying to change things to suit them personally. A prime example in the forefront right now in this country is the Equality Act being pushed through the US congress. Talk about causing division. This is a huge chasm between orthodox biblical beliefs and totally secular atheistic beliefs. This is secularization of our society and our churches veiled in equality. Who doesn’t want equality, right?
Educate yourselves. Don’t turn a blind eye and be so naive to think that this mess will just go away. Contrary to what they may say, the people pushing this bill do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, they serve only their own power and self interests. We can rest in the assurance that God will use this for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose, but we cannot be naive.
The Lord loves our obedience to Him, but we must be wise and look around us at changes that affect our Christian liberties and rights. We have a right to apply our orthodox Christian belief that marriage is between one woman and one man. We have a right to apply our orthodox Christian belief that we should not be forced to accept LGBTQ individuals as pastors of our churches or teachers of our youth. These are not just privileges, they are our rights as Christians in this great country. We are all sinners, there is no question about that. We need to love one another through our sins but if we truly love someone we also need to confront with the Truth. We should not be coerced into changing our orthodox biblical beliefs to conform with this secularizing society.
This has been happening for years but is now picking up pace where major churches and denominations are caving in to the coercion of unorthodox Christian liberalism and modifying their church doctrine to be more acceptable to this demented society. The United Methodist Church split is a prime example.
Do not be naive. Educate yourself about how society is changing around you and speak up. If we don’t we will end up like frogs in a slowly heating pot of water, not jumping out because the change is so slow and then when they notice how hot it is, it is too late.
As followers of Jesus Christ we are not called to sit and wait. We are called to action. I believe this attack on our Christina beliefs and liberties is a case where we are called to action to the point that silence and complacent inaction may not only be naive, it may in fact be action for the enemy.
Prayer:
Lord I love you. Thank you for the blessings you continually provide to me every single day. Lord give me wisdom and help me to discern evil masquerading as good. Keep me well grounded in your Word. Without your Word and the Holy Spirit in me it would be impossible to tell the difference between objective good and bad as this world changes to subjectively calling evil good and good evil. Lord keep me strong and I pray that I glorify you in all I do. In Jesus holy name I pray. Amen.