Compromising Our Faith

I recently made a comment on Facebook that compromise is a dirty word in Christianity. Compromising our faith is something we can do without realizing we are doing it and if we don't stop to think and consider what we might be doing or saying. These, most of the time, are simple, unintentional slips. What I'm referring to are those times when we might be faced with a question or challenge concerning our faith, what or why we believe.

In our Christian faith, there is no room for compromise. Here's what I'm referring to; Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sin. He rose from the grave, resurrected into a new heavenly body, which we will, one day, also have. (Phil. 3:20-21) At some point in our life, we heard about this and what we needed to do to know Him as our Lord and Savior. We confessed to Him that we are sinners and we asked Him to forgive us and He did and took us to be His. We are forgiven and will have life eternal  with Him when this physical life is ended.

That's a nutshell version of the gospel and how we, those of us who are Christians, reacted to it when we heard it. There is no variation or alternative to salvation in Jesus. There are not many roads to heaven and Jesus is the only way (JN. 14:6). We have been called narrow minded, bigots and some other choice names for proclaiming this truth but don't allow that to break you down and give in to the harassment. If you/we do that, we begin to compromise the most important truth in the Bible and our Christian lives.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;  having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.  1 Pet 3:15-16

We live in a culture today that hates God and loves to mock Him. When we are approached and questioned about our faith or belief in Jesus, we need to be able to explain what and why we believe.  I have witnessed far too many Christians melt and crumble when questioned about there belief in Jesus. Christian T-shirts with scriptures quoted on them have always been an easy target for those who oppose the Christian faith.  I have witnessed more than one Christian stumble to explain the Bible verse on the shirt they are wearing. I always believed if you are going to wear a T-shirt with a Bible verse on it, be ready to explain that verse when asked about it.

This has always been a way to get the attention of someone and an opportunity to tell him/her about Jesus. But if you don't even know what the verse on your shirt is, let alone what it means or says, don't wear it. I saw this happen to a young man I was with in an auto parts store. He was asked what the verse meant and he couldn't answer. The guy asking was somewhat inebriated, I could smell the booze, but not belligerent until my friend couldn't answer. At that point, he scolded him for wearing a shirt with a scripture on it which he couldn't explain. I gave him a brief explanation of the verse and he stopped the conversation.

Here's another example: This is probably not given much thought by a lot of Christians who will skip out on Sunday worship services to play softball, basketball or some other sport. I used to play in a lot of softball tournaments and the tournaments always were held on Saturday and Sunday. That made sense since most people were not working on those days. But, if we were moving on in the tournament and were scheduled to play on Sunday morning, they were playing without me. I don't say this to brag or boast, I simply want to make the point that, as Christians, we must be able to prioritize and understand what is most important in our lives. We're not going to hell for missing a church service but if we are putting a softball game above worshipping our Lord and Savior, our Christian Priorities are out of whack.

In addition to that subject, many Christian parents will do this same thing for their children who are participating in soccer, baseball, football or some other activity. Why schedule these events on a Sunday morning? Because Sunday is just the second day of the weekend: that's how our culture sees it. According to our society and this anti-God culture, there is absolutely nothing wrong with scheduling these events for a Sunday morning. For Christian parents, this is one of the best teaching opportunities available. The parents have the advantage in explaining why they will not participate on Sunday mornings. And, remember, this is not a legalistic stance, it's simply putting God first, right where He belongs.

Allow me to share one more form of compromise. In many churches today, the message has been watered down and thinned to a point that many will never hear the truth. This ranges from sermons and messages which never mention Jesus or the gospel to a watered down, feel good about yourself message. People go in on Sunday mornings and come out feeling the same way they did when they went in. There is no Holy Spirit moving because the Spirit can't get in. Social justice and politics have taken over the pulpits in many churches. Pastors are taking it upon themselves to create their own versions of what the Bible says. "Jesus is not the only way to heaven." Where does the Bible tell us that? It doesn't but many people in the pulpit will want you to believe it.

This is not just a compromising of the faith or belief in Jesus, it's a total distortion of scripture.

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;  and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.              2 Tim 4:2-5

That time is here and has been for quite a while now. These people don't want to hear the truth and be convicted in their hearts. They don't want the pastor stepping on their toes and there are many in the pulpits of these churches who are more than willing to accommodate them. These people don't understand what it means to compromise their faith; they don't believe that compromise is a dirty word in Christianity. And, many of them are not Christians, truly saved by the blood of Jesus Christians. Many believe they are going to church to feel better about themselves or because it sets a good example to their families or it's a social thing. And, the sad thing is this, many will never hear the gospel or the truth of what the Bible really says because they are in a local church which doesn't teach it. And, I didn't even mention the issue of gays in ministry or gay marriage in the church. I guess that's a topic for another time.

Compromise in the Christian faith is a dirty word and we must understand how easy it is to fall into this trap. We need to be in our Bibles, studying the word of God and knowing what it truly says. We need to be in prayer daily, seeking God's guidance. Then, when we are challenged or asked to give a reason why we believe, we will be prepared.

Worldly Philosophies and Deceit

Worldly philosophies and deceit are nothing new to the Church in our era of time. The Apostle Paul had to deal with them as he traveled from place to place and planted churches. As he went back to these places, he often discovered that Judaizers had come in behind him and added certain doctrines or false requirements to the gospel message which he had preached. The requirement of circumcision, for example, was one of those.

Parts of the Church today are filled with doctrinal messages and requirements which are man made philosophies. Self proclaiming prophets who declare they only need to be 50%-65% correct on their futuristic predictions concerning the Church or the lives of those in the Church is absolutely anti-Biblical. But these men have convinced their followers that it is true because they say it is true and they have the same authority as God Himself! Here's the problem with all of that; I can't find it anywhere in the Bible. Actually, I believe it tells us whatever a prophet says has to be 100% true and comes to pass.

   You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.  DT 18:21-22

I find no place in God's word that says a prophet can be close. People are buying into this nonsense in churches across this country. This is pure deceit and a way of putting blinders on the people who believe these lies. It is very difficult to convince them that they are being lied to. I have had the opportunity to talk with some of them and they are sold out to these lies. It takes a lot of time and prayer with them and a close study (with them) of the truth of what God's word says.

One of the biggest problems within the Church in this country is the result of the church growth movement of the 1990s and early 2000s. What might have been the intention of a sincerely honest concept of bringing unchurched and unsaved people into the Church turned into a full blown marketing scheme. Local churches were using all kinds of worldly marketing techniques to put people in the empty seats of their sanctuaries. So, what's wrong with that, you may ask. I'm all for getting people into church but for the right reasons.

If I talk to someone in the park about Jesus and invite them to church on Sunday morning, it will be so they can hear more about Jesus. If I am going door to door with flyers for a local church, in an attempt to get as many people into church on Sunday morning, and they hear nothing about Jesus, I have failed. If I'm the pastor of that church and I'm preaching a message which does not talk about the love and forgiveness of Jesus but instead talks about how to feel good about yourself, I have failed. I have given them a worldly philosophy in an attempt not to offend them so they will return the following week.

This has happened week after week for the last 25 years or so. People flock into the big church down the street or on the edge of the neighborhood to hear a feel good message or a watered down version of the gospel. Many have not even heard a watered down version. People are being deceived into believing they are good to go and are OK with God. Some have never understood what it means to be truly saved and believe their church attendance on Sunday morning and whatever money they leave behind has them in good standing with God. I heard a pastor say this past week, "I don't ever want anyone who sits under my preaching to be able to say they never heard who Jesus is, what He has done for us and what we must do to be saved." That's the way it should be.

It's not about the numbers or the size of the building, it's about God's presence in the building and the people hearing the truth of His word. And that is something which is also going by the way side in some ministries. Some, recently, have proclaimed that Jesus is not the only way to salvation. A pastor in a mega church in Brooklyn NY has made this claim to his congregation. The word of God is extremely clear on this.

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.  JN 14:6

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  JN 3:16

I sometimes wonder if some of these people just decide to wing it off of the top of their head to draw all the attention to themselves. Years ago, Benny Hinn told his congregation at the end of his sermon that there were not three persons in the Godhead but nine because each of the three had three persons. Where would he get that far fetched idea from? Why would anyone even make a statement like that? The big question is, how many people in that sanctuary went out believing him and never did their homework to discover if it was really true? That was just plain and simple deceit.

Christians in this country are taught all kinds of unbelievable nonsense every week and they never pick up a Bible to find out if it's true or not. Christians get involved in all kinds of worldly practices and entertainment without even questioning if it's detrimental to their spiritual well being. We have to understand that not everything in the world is good for us or for our spiritual growth in Jesus. In reading the gospels, how much worldly stuff did Jesus get involved in? How did He occupy His time while He was here? If I'm correct and I think I am, He spent His time doing what the Father wanted Him to do and that didn't include playing with the world.

He spent His time teaching, preaching and praying. He healed the sick, raised the dead and talked about the kingdom of heaven. Now, I know we are not all preachers and Bible teachers but He set the example for us and we are to be working every day to be more and more like Him. So, how do we do it? Read and study His word, pray and be in fellowship with other Christians. Be about His business of working to spread the gospel news and build His kingdom. We need to be witnesses for Him, telling the lost how to know Him as their savior.

There are far too many Christians and others who fall into the trap of believing whatever they hear on a Sunday morning or from a TV preacher. They have fallen prey to the worldly philosophy and deceit of these self centered hucksters. So many of them are only concerned with the amount of money they can bring in or the power they can command as a result or their false messages.

There are a great number of Christians in this country who need a wake up call. They are involved with the ways of the world and it has weakened their faith. Many will not think anything of skipping a Sunday service to plays sports or so their children can participate in a sporting activity. As a disclaimer, I'm a big sports fan but it has its place and it is not on Sunday morning. Many are hooked on various types of entertainment which goes against what God is all about. When I hear about some of the TV programs which some Christians watch, I have to wonder why. And I won't even get started with video games and social media. God doesn't expect us to all be Amish; we can be entertained and have fun without the garbage of this world.

Finally, it is so easy for any of us to get sidetracked from time to time and lose sight of where we should be in our walk with Jesus. But we need to be able to catch ourselves and move back where we need to be. If we are in regular church fellowship or in Bible studies with others, we will have a sense of accountability. As a result of living a life which draws us closer to Jesus, we will be less and less likely to be sidetracked and drawn away by a worldly philosophy. Deceit is subtle and doesn't attack over night. It happens in a slow and steady manner and before we know it, we've been sucked in.

Reading the Bible every day (you have to set the time aside and be disciplined about it), praying and being in fellowship with other Christians is the key to a healthy Christian life. The Christian who is committed to these practices will be less likely to be deceived by the world or and its philosophies or the deceit of a false teacher. There is a verse in Colossians 2:8 which warns us about all of this,

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.