When you stop and think about it, it is silly to think God has changed as time has gone by. Reason being, our God doesn’t reckon time like man. We are told that a thousand years is like one day to Him (II Pet. 3:8). Not only that, we are talking about a Being without beginning or end. One who knew what was going to unfold thousands of years before it even happened (Gen. 12:1-3).

This brings us to man wanting to alter worship. Throughout history, mankind was punished over and over for making even the slightest changes to worship. From Cain (Gen. 4:1-6), to Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1-2), all the way to those in Christ’s time (Matt. 15:7-9). Any worship  acceptable to the Lord always has to be according to His will, not man’s. Since the final message has been revealed (Jude 3; II Tim. 3:16-17), any changes to worship today, we know has come from the mind of man and not God.

In many religious circles today you find worship nothing more than an entertainment event designed to appeals to the masses. You can see how happy Satan is to see people wanting to serve the Lord by doing things Satan’s way.  It’s like the garden all over again. We know that God has said that we must worship in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24).  Satan says, “Not in spirit and in truth.” And just like Eve, it is believed.

You can choose to presume to know what God approves of or you can choose to know by listening to His words. Until man realizes that worship is for God, he will continue to do what man likes rather than what is divinely approved. When Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24), it is implied that we listen and do what He says. The fact that people say that their worship is for the Lord, doesn’t excuse, or make up for that fact they do things that are unauthorized.

The question we close with, are you worshipping the way the word of God instructs? Don’t assume or presume, study and know for certain.

Chuck

Jesus Christ came to give us freedom that comes through the truth that has been given (Jn. 8:32). This is why the gospel is referred to as the perfect law of liberty (Jas. 1:25). However, this great law came by means of Christ’s death and shedding of His blood (Matt. 26:28). This gospel message is perfect because it can free those who are under bondage to sin (Rom. 6:18).

Knowing the great price that had to be paid to provide those who want this freedom, many have failed to grasp what this means. By that I mean, so many people have come to the false conclusion that Jesus did what He did so we can do whatever we want. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Let’s take note of the can and can’t.

Freedom means you can and you can’t choose

(People can choose to do whatever they want, but it doesn’t mean the Lord automatically approves of what they do)

1. You can choose to obey the gospel to become a Christian (Rom. 6:17; Mk. 16:16; Jn. 8:24; Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 2:38).

You can’t choose to obey just part of the gospel to become a Christian (Jas. 2:24-26; Lk. 6:46; Gal. 1:6-9).

2. You can choose any faithful church to assemble with (Heb. 10:25; I Cor. 11:17-18; Rom. 16:16).

You can’t choose any religious group that calls itself a “church” (I Jn. 4:1; I Tim. 4:1; Rev. 3:1).

3. You can choose to worship God in spirit and in truth (Jn. 8:24; Phil. 3:3; I Cor. 14:15).

You can’t choose to worship God any way you want (Matt. 15:7-9; Rom. 1:25; I Cor. 11:17-22). 

4. You can choose to get married if you desire (I Cor. 7:2, 28; I Tim. 4:3; Heb. 13:4; I Tim. 5:14; Matt. 19:4-5).

You can’t choose to marry if you have no right, or if the one you want to marry has no right (Matt. 5:32; Matt. 19:9; Rom. 7:1-4).

5. You can choose to leave home and live on your own (II Tim. 1:5,4:5; Titus 1:5).

You can’t choose to ignore your responsibilities towards your parents (I Tim. 5:8,16; Jn. 19:25-27).

6. You can choose to devote yourself to the ministry and preach publicly, and/or become an elder/pastor (Eph. 4:11-12; I Tim. 3:1; II Tim. 4:5).

You can’t choose to devote yourself to public ministry or an elder/pastor if you are a woman (I Tim. 2:12; I Cor. 14:34; Titus 1:5-6).  

7. You can choose to grow and mature as a child of God (I Pet. 2:2; II Pet. 3:18; II Thes. 1:3).

You can’t choose to remain on the milk of the word and remain a babe in Christ (Heb. 5:12-14; Eph. 4:14; Eph. 6:10).

8. You can choose to stand up for being a Christian and suffer for it (I Pet. 3:14; 4:14; II Tim. 3:12).

You can’t choose to suffer as a Christian for doing evil (I Pet. 4:15; Rom. 13:1-4).

We all faces choices in this life. Because of what our Lord did, He made it possible for us to make the right choices since there is freedom in Christ. However, we do not have the freedom to do whatever we want!

Chuck

Are Christians brainwashed?

If you read the first article carefully,  you will realize that Christians are not brainwashed. Being a Christian means a person must reason and come to proper conclusions on their own. If saints are instructed to come to their own conclusions, are Christians thus allowed to believe whatever they want? Only if they ignore the word of God.

Children of God are supposed to only speak by the oracles of God (I Pet. 4:11; II Tim. 3:16). How then can we say that Christians are also supposed to think on their own? To answer this, we must understand the concepts of general and specific authority. For example, husbands and wives are to have their own mate to love (Eph. 5:28; Titus 2:4). Yet, the Bible does specifically state how the husband and wife can demonstrate their love for one another. They are simply required to think of ways to please them (I Cor. 7:33).

If married couples were brainwashed, they would mindlessly go through the motions of doing things they were programed to do and would not consider whether their spouse actually appreciated these gestures.  The same goes for Christians in all other areas of their lives. They are to be hospitable (Rom. 12:13). But how is that to be done? One Christian might demonstrate hospitality by letting visiting Christians stay in their home overnight. Another Christian might demonstrate hospitality by having a family over to share a meal.  Or by hosting several families for a meal. Or by taking a fellow Christian out to eat. The point is that Christians are told to be hospitable – a general command – but that there are several specific ways to accomplish this. These specifics are left to the Christian.

If God’s people were brainwashed, then nothing that was offered to the Lord would be genuine. Something cannot be done out of free-will if that person does not even have a will. This explains why Christians are told such words as, “beware”, “watch”, “take heed”, “choose”, etc. Just as God’s people can choose to serve faithfully, they can also choose to disobey (Matt. 13:18-23).

                                                                                        Chuck