I promised you a continuation of yesterday’s blog. Here it is. Thanks for showing back up!
One of the ways that people are being misled in the end times is by what they see in their own...and other...churches, unfortunately. For awhile now, it has disturbed me that we are spending time in church just playing church, using it as a social club, and with the last days coming nearer, I...and a lot of other people worldwide...see this as dangerous. Sad, actually. Jesus Christ says that we are supposed to be talking with people about Him, telling people how He can forgive their sins and save them...it’s something we should have been doing all along, but with His return closer than ever...and seeming to be upon us, if the Bible scholars are to be believed (and I think they are) we should be all about being sure the people we love have received Him as their Savior and will be with us in Heaven when we’re raptured. (Yes, that’s in the Bible, too...just because the word “rapture” doesn’t appear in the Bible doesn’t mean it’s not gonna happen. There are a lot of things that are not in the Bible, but they’re real.)
And before you start calling me “holier than thou,” there’s something you need to know. I’m 53 years old and have only been a Christian since I was about 30. That’s about 30 years that I sinned...and sin is anything that displeases God...and believe me, I displeased God a LOT in those 30 years, so lest you think I’m coming from some high and mighty place, forget it. I’m coming from a place where I know how both sides live, and I wouldn’t return to who I used to be for all the money in Donald Trump’s, Ted Turner’s, and Bill Gates’ bank accounts combined! My life now is too good to ever want to go back to who that other person was! ‘Nuff said. Onward.
I guess the main thing I’ve noticed in churches, not just one or two either, is that the primary focus isn’t on Jesus Christ and Him crucified, dead, buried, and risen from the dead for our salvation. They’re afraid of stepping on people’s toes. It seems churches want to focus on man-made things and liturgies and programs and plans and buildings and what color the carpet is and what the newest book is...when the only Book that’s really necessary is The Holy Bible; but it appears that it’s not enough for some folks, preachers included. I believe this grieves God because He’s told us, in the Bible, all we need to know to live the life He’s called us to if we just read it. I read it through every year and have done so for about ten years, and I can tell you there is stuff in there that you never knew was there! It’s an amazing Book!
If you’re a Christian and have tried to read it and are having trouble, maybe it’s because of the wording. I will admit that the King James Version is hard for me, so I use the New American Standard, which, according to one of the introductory pages, is the translation that is nearest to the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic texts. But there are others to choose from, just be careful. And be sure you’re reading a TRANSLATION and not a paraphrase...especially don’t read “The Message” paraphrase. The author has actually ADDED TO and TAKEN AWAY FROM the Bible in writing that one. For instance, compare 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Go to www.biblegateway.com and compare any version with “The Message” and see for yourself. There are many other passages that have been twisted for whatever reason. Stay away from that one! Some people have said that they don’t use it as a study Bible but just for reading. Why would you do that? What is the purpose? Why would you need a different version to study than you do to read?
I guess I said all that to say this: We should get back to what’s most important...the basics of the Bible and not the baseness of the world.
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