I've just finished the chapter entitled "False Prophets" in Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Yes, it is embarrassing that I've been reading this book for well over a year, but in my defense, I read Bonhoeffer in the midst as well as The Truth War.
This chapter is one I wish every Christian would read, at least all those ignorant to what is happening in the Christian church today in America. Looking at Europe in the 1950's gives us profound insight, and we see how godless that country is now.
In a nutshell, it isn't always what the false prophet says, it is what ISN'T said. The messages are all about love, they are vague. They do not talk about the justice or holiness of God. People aren't told they are born sinners, and eternal judgment is not spoken of. There is a stark contrast with many of today's sermons vs. men like Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield. Pastors who are not fulfilling their duty as under-shepherd are often prideful and more interested in humor and soothing people than proclaiming the word of Truth.
I'm continually amazed at how many people stay in these bastions of false teaching for various reasons. Children are not going to learn how to contend for the faith when they listen to messages that only tell part of the message of the Bible. We adults are not immune to the damaging effects either--we'll start to compromise and think there actually IS value in our kids being shown lewd TV shows as part of 'evangelistic' training or that attending a youth event that strongly mimics a drug-induced concert is worthwhile.
This chapter is one I wish every Christian would read, at least all those ignorant to what is happening in the Christian church today in America. Looking at Europe in the 1950's gives us profound insight, and we see how godless that country is now.
In a nutshell, it isn't always what the false prophet says, it is what ISN'T said. The messages are all about love, they are vague. They do not talk about the justice or holiness of God. People aren't told they are born sinners, and eternal judgment is not spoken of. There is a stark contrast with many of today's sermons vs. men like Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield. Pastors who are not fulfilling their duty as under-shepherd are often prideful and more interested in humor and soothing people than proclaiming the word of Truth.
I'm continually amazed at how many people stay in these bastions of false teaching for various reasons. Children are not going to learn how to contend for the faith when they listen to messages that only tell part of the message of the Bible. We adults are not immune to the damaging effects either--we'll start to compromise and think there actually IS value in our kids being shown lewd TV shows as part of 'evangelistic' training or that attending a youth event that strongly mimics a drug-induced concert is worthwhile.
Why is it that parents will tell kids if they are in a car with a drunk-driver they are also to blame if there is an accident, but Christians will turn a blind eye to a pastor that is an apostate? Friendship or family relationships trump all in today's "community driven" church.
Examine yourself in the light of God's word...read Jude...don't buy into the modern notion that saying a little prayer makes a person a child of God, saved from the penalty of eternal damnation. The Christian life is not an easy flip of a switch in a mind. It is a dying to self, a realizing that we are born in sin and then we choose to sin--that if we don't give our lives to Christ, we will die in our sins and live forever in a lake of fire. A personal encounter with the Cross, with the gruesome death of Jesus, and with His glorious conquering of death, must happen in order for us to pass from death to life. We are not being honest with people if we promote anything but the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The world can keep it's sin and it's methods, people need something entirely different from what they have. There is no blending of light with darkness, no matter how many churches keep trying to play that game. All they end up with is a gray haze.
Remember, it isn't just what the pastor says that needs to be checked against Scripture, it is also what he knowingly chooses NOT to say. And if he won't say something that he should say, the next question is, why not? Clearly he must not believe it or he'd be compelled to speak the truth. We aren't to purposefully offend, but we must give the message of the gospel in it's entirety, and that is what should offend when encountering unrepentant sinners because there is a distinct contrast.
Happy Easter,
ACL
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