Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Confronting the Craziness

I see a lot of crazy stuff going on, and I feel like I have to speak to it.
I saw a story about how Jesus has returned...in Siberia last night on Nightline. Have you seen this one? Check out the video of it here: http://tinyurl.com/4deqob
Pretty convincing stuff...if not for the BIBLE.
Matthew 24:23-27 (TNIV) At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time. “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Or what about this story about how 70% of all Protestants believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life" Read it here: http://tinyurl.com/3uc9mk
Well we don't want to offend anyone with our opinion...it sounds so rational doesn't it? ...if not for the BIBLE.
John 14:6 (TNIV) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
I am just stunned by the state of the church. I'm not sure if it is biblical illiteracy, or if it is some misguided sense of humility. As Christians we are not presenting our truth, we are presenting God's truth. If there were some other way for us to be restored as well as escape Hell, do you not think that Jesus would have done that rather than die a humiliating and painful death on the cross? If all we had to do was pick the religion of our choice like the flavor of the month to connect with God for eternity, then that would make Jesus the Chief of all Fools for choosing death on a cross. It is not arrogance to say that God has, at great personal cost to Himself, pulled off the greatest rescue mission ever. How it cheapens the death of Jesus on the cross when we say, there are other ways... It is not arrogance because the story did not originate with us. We can trace the unfolding of God's story all the way back to creation, it is up to us to simply live inside of it and tell it to others.
What really gets under my skin is the so-called churches that are nothing more than a "build-a-god" workshop. They mesh all "truths" together in some sort of unrecognizable soup. You know I used to do that with my school lunches in jr. high, and it never turned out to be a good thing.

Ok...rant is over...I think. (it just wounds me that so many are being deceived!)