Counterfeit

           I was driving in town the other day when I looked up and noticed a billboard.  Because I passed it quickly, I thought it was advertizing Chick-fil-a because of the font, the succinct three-word suggestion, and the picture of a Holstein cow as the mascot.  But, still, it didn’t look right and I didn’t know why.  A day or two later, I passed the billboard again and I actually examined it that time.  What I saw surprised me.  It wasn’t an advertisement for Chick-fil-a, but an advertisement for another restaurant in town.  They had used the same font, the same formula, and even the same kind of cow, but it was different.  And, then I noticed that there was a chicken on top of the cow, something I hadn’t noticed the first time even though it was right there, plain as day.  And, then (this is what took me aback), I actually read what the three-word suggestion said.  I thought it would be advertizing some chicken dish, but I was wrong; instead, it said, “Drink More Margaritas.”  Though there were similar elements between what I originally thought it was and what it actually was, the two were VERY different.  And, I just wonder, out of the hundreds of people who have passed that billboard, how many of them have even noticed the differences or cared.

            You know, this is the case with the religious world today.  There is the Church of King Jesus the Christ (Matthew 16:16-18; Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:33-36; 1 Timothy 6:13-16) and there are religious groups which are similar to it to varying degrees, but VERY different.  The Church of Christ looks to the Bible as THE source of authority for whatever it does (Colossians 3:17) because it is truth (John 17:17; Psalm 119:160) and that which will judge us in the Last Day (John 12:47-50).  This is while the rest of the religious world (despite any declaration to the contrary) looks to some other source of authority (e.g., a Pope, a council, quorum, a handbook, “another testament,” an “indescribable feeling,” etc.) for what it does.  The Church of Christ worships God in both spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) while the rest of the world “worships” God but do so in vain (Matthew 15:9).  The Church of Christ is entered into by those who have heard the Gospel of Christ and believed it (Romans 10:17) to the point of obedience to its invitation to be saved by it (Romans 1:16-17; 10:9-10; Acts 2:37-47; Romans 6; Colossians 1:13-14).  This is while every other religious organization is entered into by any other means for any other reason.  The point is that, despite some similarities between the Lord’s Church and every other religious group in the world, they are VERY different.  And, again, I just wonder how many of the billions of people who go to counterfeit churches ever notice all of the differences between their church and the One True Church of Christ.  And, I wonder how many of them care.

            We are called to be people who care (1 Corinthians 16:14).  We are called to help the world see the light of the truth and to encourage them to obey it no matter the cost (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Timothy 4:2).  Therefore, for the remainder of this week and on, let’s do what we’re called to do.  Let’s talk with our family members and our neighbors and co-workers and schoolmates and so on about the Lord’s One True Church and encourage them to see the differences and appropriately react to the truth, to leave their counterfeit religion and to finally bow before King Jesus.

~Curtis Carwile

“Super-Christians”

            Beware those who boast of superior spiritual qualities or intellectual abilities.  Their conduct will invariably bring grief.

            A young dating couple go on a weekend trip together.  They plan to stay in the same motel room, but to sleep in separate beds.  They don’t really understand the fuss.  They are aware of the terribleness of sin.  They know the pitfalls that fornication presents.  They have given their lives to Christ.  They truly believe that they can handle any temptation that might arise.

            A man in the congregation grows weary of the simple gospel lessons he hears Sunday after Sunday.  He longs for something deep, something that will challenge his intellect.  When he gets the chance to teach a Bible class, he gives the class something to chew on.  None of the same old repetitious material from the book of Acts or the life of Christ will ever be discussed in his class.

            A married woman is constantly in the presence of a single man.  Wherever she is, the young man will be right by her side.  But, don’t worry.  They are people of great spirituality and will profit greatly from each other’s spiritual qualities.

            We are not dealing with the hypothetical; these are real people we have described.  And, the sad truth is that their likes are found in congregations across the nation, creating trouble and causing misery among the faithful to the Lord.

            Their counterpart appears in the scriptures in the form of the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 8:1-13), who gloried in their superior knowledge; who were so “strong” that they could go into an idol’s temple and eat of idolatrous feasts; who thought they were beyond failing; who couldn’t worry about the spiritual weaklings in the church who might be led into sin by their conduct; who were apparently motivated by the “after all, such people ought to grow up and quit being so weak- the church would probably be better off without them, anyway” attitude.

            It is interesting to observe that Paul was not very impressed with this air of spirituality and knowledge manifested by these Corinthians.  To them he wrote, “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (8:1), and further, you know “nothing yet as you ought to know” (8:2).  He reminded them that the weak brother being destroyed by their “knowledge” was one “for whom Christ died” (8:11).  In contrast to their arrogance, he spoke of his own actions in buffeting his body, and bringing it into bondage… lest he himself should be rejected (9:27).  Then, in one final warning he said, “Therefore, let him who thinks he stand take heed lest he fall” (10:12).

            If you find yourself among those described above, we urge you to repent.  If you are not among them, beware of those who are, and “restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”  Indeed, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

By: Bill Hall, “Two Men”

Downton Abbey, Society, & Sin

            In Isaiah 5:20, the prophet says “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

            For anyone who doesn’t know, Downton Abbey is a television program on PBS.  And, it is a pretty popular show worldwide.  The show is set in the early 20^th century and it revolves around a huge English manor (named “Downton Abbey”) and its inhabitants.  As odd as it may seem, I’d like to tell you a little about two of the characters.  One of their names is Thomas and he is one of the footmen of the house.  He is also a homosexual.  And, if there was any doubt in your mind, very early in the series, that point is made abundantly clear in one particular scene.  For this and other reasons, a lot of people hate this character.  The second character is Lady Mary.  She is the daughter of the lord of the house.  Very early in the series, she slept with a Turkish gentleman.  And, while this was used as a plot device, the fact that she slept with someone she just met that day did not cause a lot of outrage in the show... or in society.

            This is the reason why I bring all of this up: society no longer blushes or even blinks at people sleeping with each other.  Rather, they expect it and they find it odd when they don’t!  There was a time when, if people in polite society did engage in fornication, they would at least be ashamed of it.  But, that is not the way it has been for a long time; people have just forgotten how to be ashamed of such things.  And, it’s getting this way with homosexuality.  What once was an ugly taboo has become fashionable.  What once was a revolting abomination has become mundane and commonplace.  And, mark my words, sooner than we think there will come a day when the same will be truthfully said for things like pedophilia and bestiality. 

            While the world continues to embrace sin, as Christians, we need to do more than keep it at arm’s length.  We need to remember that we are called to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16), striving to perfect holiness every moment of every day (2 Corinthians 7:1).  This means that we are to be set apart from the world, not thinking the way the world thinks about things or doing the things the world does (1 Corinthians 6:11).  This means that we need to acknowledge sin for what it is: damnable (Revelation 21:8).  Specifically, we need to realize that all forms of fornication are sinful (Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:4-6).  Even more specifically than that, we need to realize that homosexuality is sinful (Genesis 19; Jude 1:7; Romans 1:24-27).  Also, we need to do more than just realize and acknowledge these things as true; we need to refrain from engaging in these and any other sin, resisting every temptation to sin against our holy and righteous God (James 1:12-25; 1 Peter 5:8-11; Genesis 39:9).  And, we need to openly oppose all sin, like Jesus (John 2; Matthew 21), lest we be considered equal partners in their sin (Romans 1:28-32); to do anything less would be calling evil “good” and good “evil” (Isaiah 5:20).  We need to do all of this all of the time (2 Timothy 4:2) even when people think we’re odd, especially when people find it strange (1 Peter 4:1-6).  Finally, lest we forget the real purpose of all of this: we need to do all of this to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

            Wide is the path to destruction and there are many who find it (Matthew 7:13).  Don’t be one of the many.  Rather, know the truth and stand up for it every day for the glory of God.  May the Lord bless us with wisdom, strength, and courage to do His will!

~Curtis Carwile