A Shameful Dispute Among the Brethren - Hold Your Tongue Part II

I only became aware of this the other day. Two Christian brothers of some notoriety are having a public dispute. One is a young up and coming Pastor of what has grown into a mega church, the other is a brother with a TV and Radio show that has a following among the orthodoxy. It is pretty shameful what is going on between the two of them,
The orthodox brother decries the use of modern music and marketing devices he claims have no place in growing a church. The young Pastor accuses the orthodox brother of being a Pharisee and defends himself by saying one does not gain converts by ignoring perceived cultural norms but by turning the evil of said cultural norms to good use. God has done that for eons, just read the Bible for examples.

Their debate has nothing to do with the true Gospel. It is nothing but a clash of egos and they both need to check themselves.

There are differing styles of ministry that the Holy Spirit uses equally to attract the lost. We need to constantly remind ourselves of this. If the true Gospel is being preached once the folks get inside a church how they got there is not very important. If some folks keep coming back because of the music, the style of preaching, the different forms of worship, what does it matter as long as all is biblical and the Gospel is going out to all who want to and need to hear it?

I found it ironic that the (hyper?) orthodox brother was explaining how the Christian walk is a balancing act; that we all have to walk a fine line between grace abuse and legalism while he himself by his tone and pointing his bony finger was being an example of the very legalism he was decrying.
The young brother on the other hand needs to mind his temper. His anger was apparent and his sharp tongue and ill chosen words will win no new converts.

Here is the real problem: Non-believers witness this behavior and reject Christ because of it.

With all that is going on in the church these days I constantly find myself going back to this verse:

James 3: 8

“… no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.” NLT

We need to check ourselves constantly or we will become instruments of Satan instead of a force for good used by the Holy Spirit.

Until the next time, May the LORD bless us and Keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Hold Your Tongue - Proverbs 18: 21

Proverbs 18: 21
I like the New Living Translation rendering as it is very clear :

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

Ohhhhhh YEAH! For those who just love to gossip, ponder that one for a while.

Although this scripture has been misused by some through the years to pump up a false theology, the meaning is clear. It has nothing to do with the ability to create or destroy life in a literal sense but rather how our words can build or destroy a persons character, reputation, or even their livelihood. As Christ followers we need to watch our words.
Jesus said in Matt 12:37:

“The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you." NLT

The tongue can be the instrument of a great deal of good, or of a great deal of evil. Here are a few more gems from Proverbs on holding our tongues and watching our words:

Proverbs 10:19
"Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut". NLT

Proverbs 13:2 -3
"Wise words will win you a good meal, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.
Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything".

Proverbs 21:23
"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity".

And the Coup de grace on the tongue, James 3: 7-8

7) All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8) but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Stay away from church gossips; they are the deadliest of all. There is nothing worse that overbearing self righteous church people that are given to gossip. It does more to destroy the gospel message than anything else I can think of.
One thing about the church I attend now, gossip is not a major issue and I thank God for it.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Expanding on the Basics - True Repentance True Salvation – Part IV

To quickly summarize the first three parts of this series, our self examination should focus on direction, not perfection. We should be quickly convicted when we mess up and should be putting forth effort to improve. To be clear, the effort has nothing to do with gaining salvation, Christ did that for us, it only has to do with moving forward.

There is another aspect of this topic we need to think about and that is how we can assure ourselves that salvation is truly ours? "Blessed Assurance" some old timers call it.
So how do we assure ourselves of our eternal destination?
We put our faith and trust in the word of God, that it is true.

1 John 5:13
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. NIV

I could spend many weeks on this topic but instead I suggest that you read and study
1 John and 2 John. These letters are loaded with indicators of where you stand.
Remember, it is about direction, not perfection. If you hit on most of the major points in these epistles, not necessarily all of them, you are in good shape.

The path may be narrow but it is not impossible.

Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.