USER-FRIENDLY CHRISTIANITY

When we embrace the Good News of Christianity, we embrace Christ. However, when we embrace a different form of the Good News, we are not embracing the Good News or even Jesus. As Paul had warned, this is because there is only one Gospel (Good News):

·       But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9 ESV)

Paul made it sound so serious. That’s because it is. Many have embraced a more appealing gospel, one that coincides with our friends, professions, and lifestyles. Instead of conforming their lives to Christ and His Gospel, they have made the Gospel conform to their own comfort zone. Consequently, their views are little different from those around them.

However, the Gospel was never intended to be comfortable. Instead, as Paul had claimed, it is offensive:

·       but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24)

Even though the Good News offends in many ways, it is the power of God unto Salvation (Romans 1:16). There is no way around the Gospel of Christ (John 14:6). If we reject it, we also reject Him. As Jesus had explained to a Samaritan woman, we have no choice but to worship God according to His revealed truth:

·       “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the [revelation to the] Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:22-24)

Consequently, we are not free to monkey with God’s truth, which sets us free (John 8:31-32). Nor are we free to imagine God according to our own preferences. Such an imaginary God cannot save us. Nor can we reason, “Well, to a great extent, I am worshipping the God of the Bible.” No! Either we are submitting to God through His Word or we are not. We are not free to bend the rules to suit ourselves.

Ananias and Sapphira were sure that they could bend the rules by telling a little white lie. They had told Peter that they had handed over all of the proceeds from the sale of their property, when they hadn’t. However, Peter explained that they had also lied to the Holy Spirit:

·       But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4)

As a result, both husband and wife were struck dead. It is not easy for me to teach this message. I fear that it might turn others away from my Savior. I also fear that it will even terrify the believers away from their love of God. However, we must be faithful to the Word and teach it as it is and not as we want it to be. Contrary to my fears, as a result of this terrifying incident, good came forth:

·       And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. (Acts 5:11-14)

We have allowed pragmatic, cost/benefit considerations to reign over the Word of God. Pastors, therefore, reason, “I will not preach a sermon that will offend and drive away the seeker and the marginal believer. I’d rather that they just sit under the power of the Word.” However, they fail to see that they are withholding the transformative Word from those who need to hear and to be convicted by it.

Other Christian leaders reason, “We will just love them into the Kingdom.” However, this is a perversion of Biblical love, which demands the spoken Word, the power of God:

·       For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18; John 14:21-24; 15:7-14)

We think too highly of ourselves and our own reasoning when we think it is more effective than the Word of God. Instead, the Church needs to be humbled and repent so that the Lord will revive us.