Let Them Hear
In the first three chapters of St John�s Revelation we read this phrase� �to He who has an ear let him hear�. My supposition is that it refers to all of us who concern ourselves with hearing Christ�s words to us and who are prepared to be corrected. Throughout these chapters� Christ directs His comments to the churches in Asia Minor, and all but one have in some way diverted from their roots in the Faith. They were in danger of losing their righteousness, AND� their Faith in Christ was faltering. They had adopted rituals of other beliefs� incorporating them into the practices of their worship. They had done this to �better fit� the culture of the community around them; surely they did not think of what they were doing as being against God�s will for man. They might have been trying to be more inclusive/// or maybe hoping that by incorporating these seemingly harmless practices [that] outsiders would be more comfortable, and would join them in their worship. In the process of doing so they were compromising the True Faith. Christ warns them to return to the basics to cut themselves loose from the doctrines of man, and to plant themselves firmly in the foundation of Gods Word and work. � Some had allowed sin to flourish in their midst, and others fallen back to idolatry. � Some of them were just going through the motions to further their own personal gain, � AND still another had become lukewarm allowing complacency to pull them away from the One True God. � All but one found themselves facing a confrontation with Christ. They had neglected the basics of Faith in the Most High. The Father watched as His only Son�s pain for them was being compromised. In The Revelation it is very clear that we too should pay heed to the words written there. IF we read carefully we know that Christ has laid His doctrine bare spelling it out in the simplest of terms [we call them the beatitudes.] We have been told what is and is not acceptable, how to treat our fellow man, how to interact with one another, as well as what our relationship with God the Father should be. We are the salt of the earth and there is an expectation that we will live by God�s standard. Matthew 5:13-14 Our Savior tells us 5:13 SCRIPTURE 13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. If we go off following those who would mislead us we will surely be the worse for the wear. We will be alienated from God and the world will overtake us and eventually obliterate all that we believe. Even today we must be careful not to place our faith in the ever changing doctrines of man. Though many of these ideas are an attempt to be a kinder and gentler faith they are not the commands of God. In this same message from Christ�we are told to love our neighbor as ourselves, and Yes, of course we are to love our neighbor, but that doesn�t mean we are to automatically condone a behavior or lifestyle that does not agree with what has been laid out for us in this wonderful and amazing Book which was given to us by our Creator. The problem with secular doctrines are that they seem so harmless on the surface, that is why they are the most damaging to young Christians or to those who have neglected to strive for growth. We must be careful to teach and speak the truth when we handle God�s word not wavering� not of two minds or cautiously� but, boldly absolutely sure that we can depend on what is written within God�s Holy Word. Because it is going to remain the truth. Matthew 5:17-20 SCRIPTURE 17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20: For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. It may seem like an impossible standard�but if we strive to understand it and to live our lives as close to the foot of the cross as we can. IF we live in anticipation of the potter�s next turn of the wheel to be changed again and again to conform to the image of Christ. We will be drawn into the presence of the Almighty. But we must keep our eyes open and be careful how we handle God�s words the consequences could be devastating for those who are weak in the faith. They could be forever lost by unsound, unsafe and even unbiblical doctrines; we must not let them become entangled in these things of man they are like Kudzu vine creeping in the mortar in our rock foundation. Often, I find myself dumbfounded by statements people make about God. Recently, I heard someone say that Our God is not the God of Two Thousand years ago or the God of Ten Thousand years ago; alluding to the fact that God was now a modern God. That He has somehow changed into this modern God� and now we can all relax and put our faith on auto pilot, since the standard placed forth in God�s word is antiquated and no longer a cultural fit. As if anywhere in the Bible God has indicated that he is a changing God. Is He no longer the great I AM? Is He not the unchanging God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Every day we find God�s Children being portrayed as a people of hate as a people determined to obstruct free speech when in fact the opposite is true. The world would muzzle us in a second� if given the opportunity. In America today we can say anything we want� as long as we do not disagree with the popular opinion of the moment, as long as Christians continue to go along to get along. We will always find Christ at the bottom of the list as if He were an illicit subject not fit for public examination. As a disciple of Christ our duty is to proclaim and defend Him. Even though we have been warned that we would be discouraged for defending the Uncompromised God of the ages, and [We will be] reviled for our love of the Truth... The world hated Christ why should we expect less. Remember we have been chosen out of the world. John 15 starting in eighteen. John15:18-20 18: If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19: If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20: Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. We do have to live in the world but we do not have to be of it. We are separated from the world or at least we should be as Paul aptly puts it in Romans 12:2 2: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. I see many Christians willing to follow the idea that God�s expectations of us has in some way changed, as if we should somehow integrate secular ideas and cultural theologies in order to be a more obliging church. The world would prefer us to be to be more like a fraternity or a bridge club than a body of individuals who are determined to chase after Christ. Listen to what I am saying this next part is important� there are many folks who think the Bible itself should be rewritten in order to comply with today�s moral and ethical standard. Not a new translation, but a complete rewrite as if it were a common dime novel or some sad �B� movie where the plot never thickens. Don�t misunderstand, many translations are wonderful in the aspect that they allow us to understand difficult passages or they may even allow us to rethink the way in which we have understood a particular thought or idea. I am sure that if God wanted it comprised of the morality of the moment we would have just received it yesterday. The people who believe things such as this come to us in sheep�s clothing convinced that they are bringing with them a kinder, gentler and more tolerant way. These people are deceivers, not only deceiving us, but themselves as well. Often what they are teaching sounds reasonable, but/// when it comes right down to it� they are but ravening wolves� determined to undermine our desire to follow Christ, and the result is a dilution of our personal faith, and a corruption of God�s word. The last statement Christ makes before He left the people amazed by the simplicity of His teaching. He compares the basic premise to building a house In Matthew 7: 24-2724: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26: And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. There we have it the foolish builder who built his house on the sand and how the wise builder builds on stone creating a firm permanent foundation which will not be compromised by the storms and difficulties of maintaining the course God has set out for his people. Let�s pay close attention to what we are being fed, AND watch even closer what we ourselves feed others. Let us always be sure that we are conveying the Word of God correctly. And we must always remember that the only way to do this is to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us until there is no one left for us to tell. I make these statements in defense of our Faith and in a positive belief in a great and glorious God who will never leave us nor forsake us, a God who commands us to keep His Word pure and to keep it always one our hearts and minds. I thank God for my salvation and for His word of truth to guide me through this troubled life. � All praise to � The Great I AM� � The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob� � The unchanging God of forever� AMEN
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