Category: spiritual immaturity

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #27

Thursday, February 4, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Our present cultural modifications have only recently taken us by surprise. Nonetheless, had Americans walked in the spiritual light they had several decades ago, they would have foreseen such plights and averted them. As the old saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” Our national religion was (is) Christendom, not Christianity. Through the centuries, we Americans have purchased and collected millions upon millions of Bibles; we have constructed thousands upon thousands of church buildings. Yet, like ancient Israel “going through the motions,” this was largely nothing but mindless religious busyness. Faith, believing God’s words, was not motivating us; overwhelmingly, no sound Bible doctrine was underlying our activities. Each passing generation had decreasing Bible literacy—and, remember, we started off with scant understanding anyway!

What happened to our dear nation? Were we not religious? Yes, and that was the problem. We were feigning righteousness. Again, we are not a true Christian nation, but rather a Christendom nation. The “buffet” religion that people made out of Christianity—combining pure Pauline/grace doctrine with various and sundry church traditions from tens of thousands of denominations, as well as pagan (non-Christian) beliefs and practices borrowed from thousands of world religions—gave us a false sense of security.

“We are quite okay as we are. We do not worry about doctrine. We do not need the Bible. We have our tradition, experiences, praise and worship, entertainment, motivational speeches, and inspirational messages.” Faking spirituality, we were rotting and dead inside… and lacked spiritual sense to recognize it. Possessing such a superficial or shallow grasp of the truth, we gradually eased into more secular humanism. Go to “nonreligious” and “unchurched” people. They say exactly what people did (what they themselves learned!) in church. “It is okay. We do not need doctrine. We do not need the Bible. We have our tradition, experiences, motivational speeches, inspirational messages.” Indeed, the professing church—including the genuine Body of Christ—has utterly failed in maintaining its testimony….

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Found Out and Fractured in Twain #23

Sunday, January 31, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

While social problems affect every age group, they have compounded among young Americans in recent decades. Youth—particularly Millennials (my generation, born 1980–2000)—were not adequately disciplined at home. They did not learn to esteem and trust the Scriptures, discern right from wrong, respect authority, learn the roles of the two sexes, avoid drug and alcohol use, be faithful spouses and responsible parents, accept and handle losses, appreciate their national identities, and so on.

Having discarded the Bible, the resultant vacuum in our nation’s heart has sucked in anything and everything. Boundaries and benchmarks are long gone. Many have no idea what constitutes personhood. Hence, in the name of “tolerance,” we continue to accommodate increasingly deviant behavior. “I allow my children to choose their gender!” “Since we have not gotten our way, we are vindicated in rioting and vandalizing!” “I can marry anyone I love, and we can even cohabitate without marriage as well!” “Skin color must determine beliefs and values!” Utter, complete, hopeless confusion. There is no longer a standard for anything; all is in flux, subject to perpetually change with every whim and feeling. Life founded on shifting sand—a civilization based on vacillation—will perish.

We go to great lengths to justify aborting (murdering) unborn members of our species. “It is just a clump of cells and tissue, not an actual human!” How paranoid we have become as touching environmental issues—global warming/climate change, clean energy, et cetera! “Science, science, science” is a golden calf, a mantra mindlessly repeated. “Racism, racism, racism” is another overused and cheapened term. Allegedly “woke,” conscious of social injustices everywhere, they really do not have a clue as to what really matters. Boasting in their “light,” they languish in spiritual pitch blackness. Our society is scrambling so frantically to fix its problems. Nevertheless, proceeding without sound Bible doctrine (and even unaware it lacks that knowledge!), it will only aggravate its misery….

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #22

Saturday, January 30, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Lacking a clear understanding of the most fundamental concepts—that there is a Creator God, that He has spoken to us through the Holy Bible, and that He holds us accountable to walk in that revelation He gave us—our society is confused about what else it should believe. This ignorance, of course, is courtesy of the home where the parents, especially the father, did not serve in his capacity as Bible teacher like that Creator intended. Most regrettably, the man’s children left his house as defenseless prey for the evil world system to seduce, entrap, and ruin!

Friends, mark these words well. There is only sure way to destroy a nation from the inside out: use worthless information to indoctrinate each successive generation during its most impressionable age. The LORD God knew that, which explains the Bible’s numerous admonitions to guard the youth with sound doctrine. Unfortunately, we have not heeded those warnings. Consequently, with the breakdown of American homes (over 100 million, remember), everyone else was willing to teach those children. The teachers—particularly college professors—swayed countless millions of young, unsuspecting minds to adopt their warped philosophical outlooks on life. Also, children learned from other children, leading to non-reality-based information. Moreover, we have allowed electronic media to brainwash us and our younger generations for well over a half-century. Televisions, computers, and internet websites (namely, social media these last several years) all serve—even to this very minute—as “educators” in the absence of the fathers with an open Bible!

As adults, the children in the above scenarios have further contributed to the deterioration of society. They are the individuals in power, leading our governments, businesses, schools, churches, and so on. Using the worthless information they learned, they will make spiritually-poor decisions, impacting mankind as a whole. That destructive cycle will continue, both small-scale (individual and home) and large-scale (state, nation, and world). Let us see specific examples of the results….

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #21

Friday, January 29, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Re-read Moses’ advice: “But if ye will not do so [obey the LORD’S words], behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” Stated another way, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). We as a nation have thrown away the Scriptures, and taught our younger generations to do likewise. Our sin has found us out. The expression “what goes around, comes around” is true: the consequences of one’s evil actions catch up in a negative way, and, behold, our bitter harvest is finally here!

All evils in society start in the home—and never forget it! “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-8). “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Notice, the duty of spiritual instruction is given to the father, not the mother.

Since most fathers have overwhelmingly failed in their spiritual responsibility, youth have grown up and are growing up in households that are breeding grounds for instability, immaturity, and misinformation. These children grow to adulthood physically, but are emotionally and spiritually undeveloped. Alas, it is even worse than that. They repeat the pattern, passing on their ignorance and weakness to their own children. Multiply that one such spiritually-darkened household by more than 100 million, remembering that process spans several decades, and the result is staggering. We have arrived at our present-day fatal culture….

Redeem the Year!

Friday, January 1, 2021

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV).

What great advice for 2021!

Despite 2,000 years of Bible schools and seminaries, 2,000 years of a completed Bible canon, 2,000 years of Bible reading in churches, several decades of “Christian” television and radio, and just over a decade of widespread use of “Christian” websites, how sad that Bible ignorance is still quite extensive (it is as if God never gave His Word to start with!).

Frankly, the Church the Body of Christ needs to wake up! The verse previous to today’s Scripture says, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (verse 14). Paul, loosely quoting Isaiah 60:1, reminded us that the spiritual ignorance that gripped Israel in Isaiah’s day seized Christians in his day—and it still grips Christians 20 centuries later. Feel-good sermons, enjoyable “worship” services, and rites, rituals, and ceremonies will NOT solve this problem—they exacerbate it!

“[God] will have all men to be saved…” (1 Timothy 2:4a). Do you want this New Year to count for God’s glory? First, you need to get saved from sins and hell! You need to become a Christian by trusting in and relying on Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). That is only part of God’s will for you, for 1 Timothy 2:4b continues, “[God] will have all men… to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Now, God’s will for your Christian life is daily, personal Bible study to renew your mind, so your faith in those verses can cause God to work in your life—it will be His life, thus making you “perfect [spiritually mature], throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Today’s Scripture urges us to buy back the time Satan has robbed from God (time created for God’s glory). By faith, we need to make that time glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by applying His Word, particularly Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon, to our lives. Have a good year in Christ! 🙂

You can download our free “One-Year Bible Reading Schedule.”

See our archived Bible Q&A: “What Scriptural advice can you give me for the New Year?”

‘Twas the Sunday Night Before Christmas

Sunday, December 20, 2020

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 KJV).

Let us not be so sidetracked by religion and commercialization that we miss the reason for the Christmas Season….

During the Christmas Season, we wonder how many people are visiting church for the second time this year (the other being Easter Sunday). How many will be going to church today—the Sunday before Christmas—just to feel “religious” or “holy?” How many really know Jesus Christ? For many, visiting a church building is just an obligation; they do not have faith in God’s Word and have no interest in God’s Word.

We do not go to church to “feel closer to God,” for if we have trusted in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, we cannot be any closer to God than we already are in Christ! “[Before salvation, we were] without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh [close to God] by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:12,13).

Furthermore, we do not go to church in order to get God’s blessings, for God has already given us “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We go to church, not because we are keeping Israel’s Sabbath day, since we are not obligated to observe Israel’s religious days (Colossians 2:16). We go to church to fellowship with like-minded believers and hear sound doctrine… more than twice a year, by the way.

In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy that whenever he would assemble with fellow Christians, certain behavior was acceptable and other types of behavior were not (described throughout the epistle of 1 Timothy). Recall that when the Bible refers to “the church,” it refers to the body of believers, not the physical building in which they meet.

As we get opportunities, let us make an effort to reach these dear souls misled by all the vain religious tradition and Christmas commercialization, and may we tell them of the wonderful Christ Jesus whose name is found in Christmas!

*Based on the poem “‘Twas the Sunday Night Before Christmas.”

In Every Thing Give Thanks

Thursday, November 26, 2020

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV).

Dear saints, take a moment this Thanksgiving to learn a valuable lesson from the Holy Scriptures!

God wants “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). To be “saved” here means you have been rescued from the penalty of sin (hell and the lake of fire), and that you have a home in heaven, because you have trusted the death, shed blood, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for your sins. To “come unto the knowledge of the truth” is when a person who has trusted Christ, begins to understand why God saved him or her, and how God will use him or her for His glory. Although soul salvation is instantaneous, spiritual maturity is a life-long process (that is especially true regarding handling difficulties, the grace way!).

It is human nature to avoid difficulties and stress, to flee them, rather than confront them. This self-preservation is advantageous, particularly in “life or death” situations. However, running from troubling circumstances is not the way God has designed our life in Christ to function. Today’s Scripture says, “In every thing give thanks,” not “For every thing give thanks.” We do not thank God for our troubles; we thank God while we are enduring those troubles. This is tough, I know, but it takes time for us to learn it. Even the Apostle Paul had to learn this.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Be thankful in every thing. God’s grace is sufficient for you, dear saint, in all of life’s circumstances. When you learn this, you are “[coming] unto the knowledge of the truth.”

*Excerpted from our Thanksgiving 2012 Bible study with the same name. That study can be read here or watched here.

You may also see, “What are our spiritual blessings in Christ?”

Not Made Perfect by the Flesh #5

Friday, October 30, 2020

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3 KJV).

Can “the flesh” add anything to the Holy Spirit’s work? Nay, it cannot!

“I will be like the most High,” Lucifer boasted (Isaiah 14:14). As he told Christ, he desires worship: “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). Employing whatever sneaky means necessary, Satan accomplishes his goal. If he can counterfeit God’s actions, then people will be deceived and credit God. By attributing Satan’s work to God, man unwittingly worships Satan. It is an ingenious strategy, one seldom perceived!

Emotions mislead because the human heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). While something may “feel” right, it may not actually be right. Feelings are fickle, changing with our circumstances. Therefore, we cannot use them to gauge truth and error. Adrenaline rushes come and go, so never should we confuse them with the permanent Holy Spirit. If we are externalists or formalists, we run the risk of faking at some point. For instance, if we observe people raising hands or dancing, peer pressure urges us to mimic them. The Holy Spirit is thus quenched and our flesh—namely, the fear of being “left out”—motivates the behavior. Satan smiles. Except for the rare Berean Bible student, no one is able to notice the error.

So-called “Christian revivals” are being held where protests, riots, lootings, and shootings have occurred. It is claimed, “The Devil is active, but God is moving!” Online videos show musicians hosting “Christian rock” concerts. Crowds—mainly young adults—raise their hands, jump, run, sing, sob, and pray. Supposedly, they are “coming to Jesus;” yet, a clear Gospel message is absent. When we compare their activities with the Scriptures, what is allegedly “God’s work” turns out to be a mockery of Jesus Christ. Remember, we are not made perfect by the flesh!

Bible Q&As #779 and #780: “Should Christians observe All Saints’ Day?” and “Should Christians observe All Souls’ Day?”

Not Made Perfect by the Flesh #4

Thursday, October 29, 2020

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3 KJV).

Can “the flesh” add anything to the Holy Spirit’s work? Nay, it cannot!

The Galatians were preoccupied with the Law of Moses (cf. Galatians 4:21). Religious rules and regulations captivated them. They were deceived into believing their performance—their “flesh”—could somehow enhance their Christian life (cf. today’s Scripture). Did the Holy Spirit come to indwell these saints because of their religious works? No! Would He need their pious deeds to continue living in and through them? No! Sadly, today’s professing church is equally “foolish.” Nearly 20 centuries later, it still refuses to recognize rites, rituals, and ceremonies are incompatible with God’s grace! Like the Galatians not thinking clearly, we lack even basic spiritual common sense. We too have not let the Message of Grace renew our mind.

Philosophy and other vain speculations of lost (pagan!) people distracted the Corinthian believers. The first three chapters of 1 Corinthians are the Holy Spirit’s instructions to straighten out their confusion. Selfishness abounded in Corinth because spiritual ignorance flourished there. Whereas the Galatians were quite “strict” with their legalism, the Corinthians were quite “loose” with their sensuality. The Corinthians acted like spiritual babies because they also thought like spiritual babies. This too describes today’s professing church. Actually, the conundrums in 1 Corinthians parallel the chaos and confusion of modern “praise and worship.” Recall 1 Corinthians 14:40!

Instead of being thankful for the Message of God’s Grace—what the Holy Spirit has revealed in Pauline doctrine, Romans through Philemon—we unwisely believe we can improve the Christian life. Whether from Galatia or Corinth, we must learn the lesson: neither formalism (strict rules and regulations) nor fanaticism (no rules or regulations whatsoever) will ever replace the Holy Spirit’s work in grace believer’s heart. Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why did Jesus offer Himself to Israel if He knew they would reject Him?”

Not Made Perfect by the Flesh #3

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3 KJV).

Can “the flesh” add anything to the Holy Spirit’s work? Nay, it cannot!

When we hear of people “filled with the Holy Ghost” and “praising Jesus,” we should not automatically assume the Lord Jesus Christ is being honored. Lies are everywhere. We discern truth and error by considering Bible verses—especially Scripture “rightly divided” (2 Timothy 2:15). If anyone claims individuals “going wild” is a sign of praising the Lord, or masses acting ridiculous is evidence of the Holy Spirit being “poured out,” these are simply false claims. The Bible establishes the standard for Christian behavior. Yea, the Pauline Epistles, Romans through Philemon, show us what God the Holy Spirit is doing today.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17). “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:20,21). In the Scriptures, we read of what the Holy Spirit is doing and not doing. He Himself is speaking through the Holy Bible.

If the Holy Spirit is working in a particular area, or He is operating in a specific person, this rule is always true: “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). A lack of modesty and discipline means it is not the Holy Spirit! Again, Galatians chapter 5: “[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” The Holy Spirit produces “temperance,” self-control. If there is no restraint, it is man’s flesh and not God’s Spirit….