I just opened an annual statement from a church I used to attend. It was for tax purposes and to summarize what the church funds had been used for over the year. Also, the tell all the good that had come from the tithes and offerings. A normal thing for a church to do.
What really got my attention was this... it gave the number of people who had made Jesus their "leader and forgiver." Leader and forgiver??? What happened to LORD and SAVIOR?
Am I wrong for being offended by this? I know we always have new Bible translations with current wording... but this seems to be totally watered down. I feel the new generation of believers will totally miss the sovereignty of God.
Leader? That could be anyone? Your parents, your boss, your teacher, even your pastor? But only ONE can be LORD! Leader is someone who shows you the way and you follow. Yes... Jesus can be considered a leader. But to make Jesus the LORD of your life... well, that's a big difference. It means you submit to His will and not your own. It means that you lay every area of your life at His feet. It means every decision, every choice, every step you take in life is guided and directed by HIM. He knows what's best for us... He wrote the book. We follow His Word.
And forgiver? What is that supposed to mean? You could go to any person and ask their forgiveness. Just like a priest. They would then become your forgiver. But they could NEVER be your SAVIOR! Only Jesus can be our Savior! He died so that we could live!
I'm tired of the Gospel being twisted to fit what people want to believe. To make them comfortable with God or even with the sin they want to hold on to. I don't understand that. If heaven and hell are real... then tell them the truth. I would want to know the truth. Better yet... I'll go look for the truth myself. I don't want to leave such a great decision for my eternity in someone else's hands. What if they're wrong?
We can't hide the truth to attract more people. Jesus didn't disguise himself. And He certainly didn't need to water down what He said. He spoke boldly. No gimmicks. Everyone had the same choice then as they do today. Choose to believe... or walk away. No offense to anyone... but if you want to go to Heaven and spend eternity with God... you will do it HIS WAY. You can't pick and choose what part of the Bible you want to believe. It's all or nothing.
A lot of people today have an 'idea' of who God is or what they think He should be like.... and then proceed to find a church that 'fits' their way of thinking. That's backwards. We need to read the Bible, find out who God says He is... and adjust our lives accordingly. Find a church that teaches His Word.
I believe we don't give people enough credit. As if they can't handle the truth. But they can. We don't need to shield them from it. If we love people... we will tell them what they NEED to hear. The TRUTH. And then it's up to them to either accept or reject. We don't need to try and make Jesus more attractive to them. And we don't need to fill their heads with the false lies that life will be trouble free or they will never sin again... "in this world we will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world."
We won't be perfect... we're human after all. We still need direction in life... that's our need for Jesus to be the LORD of our lives. And we still sin... fall short even when we try our best... and that's why we need Jesus to be our SAVIOR. He does for us what we can't do for ourselves. So why would we want to water that down?
...Whew! I just had to get that out. If you read to the end... thanks. Sometimes I just need to rant.
God bless!
Mary Ann :)
