ROMANS 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Lately, I have been out of sorts spiritually, I want to pray, I need to pray but the words don’t come to mind. Praying in my heavenly language is my only outlet yet even that is lacking because I don’t have understanding. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.(Proverbs 4:7)” I knew what was wrong but I didn’t understand how we as Believers in God’s word could have gotten so far away from the truth.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:18-22
But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
The people in the pulpit got further away from the truth of God’s word. Instead of messages of “hell, fire and brimstone” we began receiving messages that said we should do the best we can because “all have sinned”. This no one is perfect message was well received; as more churches promoting this idea increased membership so did the competition for bodies in the pews.
The message, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;(Romans 3:23)”, allowed imperfect people to “come as you are” to church and they did. But, without messages of hell and consequences of sin, transgressions there was no repentance. As a child I heard of Pastors who were adulterers, this was in the 60’s, thus it must have been happening before then.
1 CORINTHIANS 6:9
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Sexual sins were ignored, homosexuality was ignored. In the 90’s I worked in the hospital as an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse), that is where I met a man who explained to me why homosexuality was a sin. This practicing homosexual had various lovers, all were church leaders (and according to him were well known). He was in the hospital awaiting surgery, he did not want to go to sleep so he explained to me verse by verse, from Genesis to Revelation, what Scripture said about same sex relationships. I learned two things that night: homosexuality was an abomination to God and even married male church leaders practice this sin, secretly.
But, it is not just fornication, adultery and homosexuality that has been ignored by those who should be teaching and preaching against it. I met the founder of Heartbeat Miami when I served as the Team Leader of the Congregational Care program at the church I WAS a part of around 2010. I was shocked when she told me of a Pastor’s wife who was seeking an abortion. The founder of the pro-life organization wanted to speak to the young girls of the church I was a part of because, statistically speaking, many of the teenagers that attended the church would seek and probably have an abortion; unfortunately she was not permitted to speak. (Sad note, the gentleman that I met who wanted to speak to the ADULT men’s group regarding safe sex and test them (discreetly)for HIV was not permitted to speak either.) Once upon a time the church was silent regarding abortion today there are some churches that support it and same sex unions.
It is important that we each work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) because this is the only way to be sure what is coming from the pulpit is what is truth. For the most part the church leaders are not yea-ing or nay-ing anything thus they are not teaching the promises of God but the will of man. (see 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 above).
The process has taken decades but it did not happen overnight, people who call themselves Christian are behaving worldly because the pulpit has come in agreement with the world. With every generation that little bit of leaven has infected more people. Unless we turn, repent, things will not get better.
ROMANS 12:1-2 THE VOICE
Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship. 2 Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.
Thursday, August 18, 2022 7:41:20 AM
- written by Marsha L Floyd
The above are the written words of Marsha L Floyd all rights reserved.
Scripture quoted is from the King James Version Bible unless otherwise noted.
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