Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Matthew 24:40-42 (KJV)
Friends, this week we are going to cover a lesson that may offend some people. However, I love you too much to sweep this message under a rug. So if I offend you, I’m sorry.
Recently, I had a conversation with someone about God’s requirement for holy living. “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7, KJV). The person that I was talking with did not like the Bible’s reference to holiness, so in response, I was told, “There are other religions.”
Yes, there are other religions. There are Lutheran, Scientology, Buddhism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Islam, Catholic, Hinduism, Baptist, Pentecostal, and many more. Now there is even Chrislam, which is a mixture of Christian and Islam.
I don’t want to be an alarmist…but sound the alarm! There is a push to mix these two religions, Christian and Islam. When I first heard about Chrislam, I didn’t believe it. Further, when I searched the internet and found well-known ministers embracing this new religion, I was flabbergasted and glad that I was sitting down. Because if I had been standing up, I probably would have hit the floor.
So take your pick. Whatever you want to believe, there is a religion for it. But heed my warning! Although there are many religions, there is only one God. So no matter what religion you pick, you cannot change God into your image. God alone is God and His Word (the Bible) is Truth.
For too long, Satan and his evil cohorts have successfully deceived many people by tricking them with false religions. False religions will not save souls. “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3, NLT).
Dear readers, we are currently living in a time when people don’t want to hear right teaching. Consequently, their lives remain empty and in a futile attempt to appease their restlessness, they try to remake and repackage God into a religion that allows them to retain their own evil desires. Somehow they pacify their cold, calloused hearts through worshipping man-made gods.
No man-made god can cleanse or prepare hearts for eternal life in God’s presence. The deceived hearts will be left behind when our Lord returns. He is coming for the pure and the spotless (Ephesians 5:27) (2 Peter 3:14)(1 Thessalonians 5:23). “Obey God because you are his children… But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy” (1 Peter 1:14-15, NLT).
In Romans chapter 8:3, Paul tells us that, “…God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins” (NLT). If you have truly accepted the blood sacrifice of Jesus, then sin’s control over you has been broken. No longer, do you continue to live in sin—you have been freed!
Paul goes on to say in Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (KJV). Please understand that if your mind continues to be controlled by all sorts of sin, it will bring death. On the other hand, if you have accepted God’s gift of His Son, been freed from your sins, been filled with God’s Spirit, and live and walk by His Spirit, you will have life. If you do not have the Spirit of God within you, leading and guiding you, then you are not one of His. You don’t belong to God (Romans 8:9).
I know that this may sound harsh to you if you have been taught a different way for many years. But don’t take my word for it; instead, search the Scriptures! “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God” (3 John 1:11, KJV).
Today, counterfeit religions are flourishing all around us. And we, the Church (God’s children), are standing quietly by and watching it happen. What should we do?
Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:2, that we should, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (KJV). We are to teach the truth, whether it is convenient or not. Further, we must stop justifying sin. Unfortunately, too many Christians want to be “liked” by the world so they refuse to speak out—in essence, they wink at sin.
It is time that we change our attitudes and quit worrying about being popular. Sin is sin…and we must begin speaking the uncompromised Word of God. I am not encouraging you to pick fights or stand around arguing about the Word. But I am saying that it is time to hate sin and stop justifying it.
I certainly am glad that John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, John, and Jesus were not concerned about being “liked.” They didn’t care whether the world liked them or not, they continued to speak out against sin. Aren’t you glad?
One final suggestion, if you currently are attending a church that does not teach sanctification or holy living, then it is time for you to leave that church. Get into a church that teaches the whole truths of God’s Word. I beg you to search the Scriptures before it is too late. Don’t be left behind!
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 14:12 ( KJV)
Three Key concepts:
1. There may be many religions in the world today, but there is still only one true God.
2. Religion cannot save anyone, only God can.
3. Christians must be willing to speak the uncompromised Word of God.
