The world is in a lot of turmoil. American is in turmoil. We’re in a civil war of ideas, values and beliefs.
We’ve become fractured in how we see things. How to deal with the poor. How to fix the country’s debt. How to deal with sin — if indeed anything is sin anymore.
In the Church, we battle all kinds of ideologies and theologies. Just yesterday my pastor and another church leader and I discussed spiritual warfare and movies like Harry Potter and Twilight. Demonic or not?
If you were Satan, how would you choose to lull American Christians to sleep? An all out attack of witchcraft and carnality. Or by seemingly innocent fantasy movies like Potter and Twilight? Or cloaked in humor like Two and A Half Men or Friends?
We’re not shocked any more at sexual immorality or witchcraft as entertainment. Vampires who want to suck your blood? Really? Women have parties with their daughters creating vampire worlds. Or pretending they are in love with Edward.
We’re falling asleep at the wheel, Church. Worse, we’re offended and defensive when someone challenges our belief system.
Revelation 21:8 scares me! “But for the cowardly and unbelieving (untrustworthy) and abominable and murderers and immoral persons, and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone…”
Wow. I don’t see that as symbolic or allegorical. Who’d want to risk it. I got to tell you, I’m kind of cowardly at times. This makes me take notice. It challenges my belief system that I want God to keep my world safe and secure from any trouble.
But Paul wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor 6:9-10) that the unrighteous won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Not liars, deceivers, revilers, drunkards, cheaters, swindlers, effeminates, or homosexuals, adulterers, etc will inherit the kingdom of God.
What can we say to this clear passage? We can’t ignore it. But you know, it threatens our belief system. I don’t want to think those who embrace any of those things will wind up in hell. Away from God for eternity.
But God says they will.
We can’t just say, “I choose not to believe it.” and go our merry way. There’s a difference between stumbling and struggling, sinning and repenting, seeking a way of redemption and freedom than embracing the sin and claiming it as “who I am.”
I lie. I repent. I cheat. I repent. I can’t say “I’m a liar, that’s who I am,” and expect to inherit God’s kingdom.
We must challenge our belief system with the Word. Far to often we use the current wisdom of this age, the momentary pleasures of this world to challenge God and His Word.
But Beloved, He will prevail in the end. Did you read Revelation lately?
We all believe something. Even people who believe in science or the environment, or that there is no God, have a belief system.
I have a belief system: Jesus is the living Lord. The redeemer of the world. I use His Word to form what I believe and how I live day to day. Imperfectly for sure, but I don’t ever want to embrace an idea or emotion — good or bad, spiritual or not — that I can’t ultimately line up with the nature of Jesus I see in scripture.