10.15.2005

So much more than a smile

Have we sunk so far as to consider offering a smile a ministry, and nodding a head as evangleism? We are in a day when we preach "God is love" but do not prove that love by expounding the gospel message. We are in a day when we preach Christian unity without defining the term Christian. We talk about moral relativism as the evil our society faces, but I will go one step further and say that "Christo-relativism" is the real problem, that is to say that if a religon professes allegiance to Christ it is therefore a 'good' religon. In this age of 'Christo-relativism' we accept unitarianism, mormonism, catholicsm and others as acceptable Christian churches. While I do not desire sepratism, and I would rejoice at all these Churches uniting under Christ the reality is that unity with these churches is not unity in Christ. I could and maybe someday I will go into detail on each of these churches and why they are not in Christ but for now I will only address the results of 'Christo-relativity.'

If we unite with the afore mentioned Churches is mandatory that we do not contradict each other. Those who would have this unification would speak of Christian solidarity. Yet if I say you must believe in Christ, and the unitarian says you must believe in a good God, there is no way those thoughts can be in solidarity. So to show a unified front we must avoid that topic outside of the Church walls. If I were to say that believe means to have full faith and trust, and the Catholic might say believe means a mental acknowledgement of truth we cannot be in solidarity on this point, therefore to show a united front to the world we must avoid these facts outside of the Church walls. If am to say there is one triune God and a Mormon may say he is one of many Gods, we cannot stand unified and must avoid this point to put on a solid front.

Many people will say that we need to look at what each faith has in common, and certainly there is a lot in common between all 'Christian' faiths. But we also must remember that anti-chirsts come in sheeps clothing and that Satan is a great deceiver even to the point of deceiving some of the elect. So we must look at the differences between faiths to test them. For instance a baptist and a methodist may disagree fiercly about God's foreknowledge and election yet on point concerning the finality of the work on the cross, and salvation by Christ alone they are in agreement. Questioning the foreknowledge or the interperation of it is honest discussion. Questioning wether or not there is a time and place to bow down before statues (as in Catholicsm) is trying to determine wether or not idolatry is acceptable. Obviously it is not.

So if we determine to stay united regardless we come to the point that all we can really agree on is that there is a God and that Jesus existed, and that God is love. So the unified gospel message could simply be 'smile God loves you.' (Nevermind the fact that if you are not born again you will be cast into the pit by Him) The gospel so much more than a smile. Let us not be ashamed of the gospel, but preach it to those who reject it, not preach it with those who reject it.

thats my rant for the day.

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