A MATTER OF FAITH: SIMPLY BELIEVING

COMING SOON! 

When did being a Christian become so complicated? Beyond yielding personal desires to the will of God it seems there are quite a few “do this and not that” requirements from church folk.

1 TIMOTHY 6:3-5 (King James Version)
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 

I annoyingly / tirelessly plead with people to study Scripture. There are many reasons why we hear different interpretations of God’s commandments today and some of them, are motivated by the ego of one individual, the church leader. For example: God embraces same sex relationships, a lifestyle the church leader participates in.  I am not encouraging people to avoid church but to obtain personal knowledge and understanding of what is written. HOWEVER, if your church promotes a doctrine contrary to Scripture then leave.

There are those who do not have a frist hand knowledge of what is in the Bible, though he or she may own one. Someone else interprets Scripture for them: a parent, a friend and or a church leader. Cults, any religious organization that perverts the Word of God, are formed using Bible verses out of context. Today we have: Black Churches, Spanish Churches, denominations and non-denomination churches, institutions that promote their uniqueness.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:25 THE COMPLETE JEWISH BIBLE
So that there will be no disagreements within the body, but rather all the parts will be equally concerned for all the others.

The King James Version of 1 Corinthians 12:25 states: “there should be no schism in the body” but there are. Church leaders make sure the programs will attract more members not necessarily to save souls but to keep the bodies they have in their building. People take more pride in the size of their church than they do the number of individuals who are strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10).  My church is not bigger than your church but the people in attendance are strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

Should we go back to the “Old School” religion? Ceartainly not! The churches of my grandmother’s day were plagued with hypocrisy, nepotism, and  false doctrine.

2 TIMOTHY 2:15 THE EXPANDED BIBLE
·Make every effort [Do your best; Be diligent] to ·give [present] yourself to God as the kind of person he will approve. Be a worker who ·is not ashamed [or will not be shamed] and who ·uses the true teaching in the right way [correctly handles the true message/word of truth; or holds carefully to the true message/word of truth].

We are cautioned from Genesis to Revelation to make God our priority.  Second Timothy instructs us to “make every effort’ to present ourseleves not to man but God.  Revisiting 1 Timothy 6, The Expanded Bible translation makes it clear: Problems within the body of Christ are a direct result of false teachings. 

1 TIMOTHY 6:3-5 THE EXPANDED
Anyone who has a different teaching and does not agree with the ·true teaching [sound/healthy words] of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that ·shows the true way to serve God [promotes piety/godliness]— that person is ·full of pride [arrogant; conceited] and understands nothing, but ·is sick with a love for [has an unhealthy interest in] ·arguing [controversies; debate] and ·fighting about [quarrels over] words. This brings ·jealousy [envy], ·fighting [strife; division], ·speaking against others [slander; blasphemy], evil ·mistrust [suspicions], and constant ·quarrels [bickerading; disputes] from those who have ·evil [depraved; corrupted] minds and have ·lost [been deprived of] the truth. They think that ·serving God [godliness; piety] is a way to ·get rich [make a profit].

Far to many “Christians” have been swept up by the excitement of church busyness. We have lost the ease of simply believing. Faith in God is a lifestyle not an activity. The Apostle Paul understood what simply belieiving meant, despite all of his credentials he said;  “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 CORINTHIANS 2:2)

You have the ability to learn more about Creator God through the Son of God with the help of the Spirit of God if you focus on Him and not them.

A MATTER OF FAITH reflects the opinions and property of the author MARSHA L F RANDOLPH. All rights reserved- do not use without permission. All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated. Don’t miss weekly faith based post FOLLOW THIS BLOG and receive notifications when a new article is posted.
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