Month: December 2020

“The dangers of drifting”

May I encourage you to study with your Bibles.

It is important for us to have good Christians friends that will be there for us in our time of need. You see the right kind of friendship strengthens us, while the wrong kind leads us to sin-. (Ecc 4:9-12,) said: Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken).This is what a good Christian friend will do for you, but if you allow yourself to get caught up with the wrong kind of friends they will do nothing but harm you in the long run. Paul says in, (1 Co 15:33) Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”) Friends, when a Christian prefers the companionship of people of the world, rather than fellow Christians, he is drifting toward the rocks of spiritual destruction!

I. DIMINISHING DESIRE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL

When a person first becomes a Christian and they realize what a wonderful blessing they have received through Jesus Christ, they are usually on fire for the Lord, and they can’t wait to tell people what God has done for them and how much better they feel about their life now. When a person is excited about something especially when it’s a life changing event is natural for you to want to share this good news with everyone. However, when a Christian no longer has the desire to tell people about God and how they were saved then they are drifting!

J. INCREASING DESIRE OVER THINGS OF THE WORLD.

When we start desiring the things of the world more than we desire godly things we are setting ourselves up to drift away from the Lord. The apostle John warns us against the love of the world and the things in the world.(1 John 2:15-17, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever)…Also Paul warned Timothy in 2 Titus 3:4 that there would be some who would be “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” – If we reach the point where we find more pleasure in some worldly activity than meeting with others to worship God, we definitely are spiritually adrift!

We have examined several signs of drifting away from God. Now let’s take a look at some against….

K. REMEDIES AGAINST DRIFTING… KEEP ROWING…If you don’t want to drift in a boat you keep rowing. The same thing is true spiritually. We need to strive with all diligence to grow in our faith. Yes, we need to abound or increase our faith daily.In (2 Peter 1:5-10), But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;There is no place for “retirement” in living the life of a Christian! – Just look at Paul for an example. He lived a faithful life unto death. (2 Tim 4: 7) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

L. WATCH OUT FOR UNDERCURRENTS.We must always be on the lookout for the undercurrent of temptation. Peter tells us in, (1 Peter 5: 8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.) Peter goes on and tells exactly how we are watching out for this. Verse 9, Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

M. EXPECT TO GO AGAINST THE TIDE.

1. There are many tides to sweep us away. (a). Popularity, peer pressure, the praise of others (b). Modernism, skepticism, humanism (c). Denominations – false doctrines of all kinds d. Liberalism and worldliness in the church – probably the greatest enemies of the church in our lifetime. 2). If one drifts along with the majority, he certainly will be lost. (Matthew 7:13-14) ” Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it).

N. WE MUST HAVE STRONG ANCHOR.

1. Rooted and grounded in Christ. (Colossians 2:6-7,) As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.2. Minds must be anchored to the truth.( Ephesians 4:14-15,) we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head.The reason why we should be motivated to have a strong anchor in Christ is found in (Hebrews 6:18-19), that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil. Friends, these verses teach us that if we will remain anchored in Jesus, we can know that we possess the unshakable hope of having heaven as our home.

CONCLUSION

Brethren, are we drifting? (a). The danger is real, we would be foolish to say otherwise. (b.) Many strong Christians have drifted away from the Lord and we would be arrogant to say it could not happen to us! Are there signs of drifting in your life? Honestly ask yourself: (a). Is my desire to study God’s word and pray diminishing? (b). Is my desire to be with God’s people not what it has been in the past?(c). Have I lost my desire to save those who are lost? (d). Am I desiring the things of the world too much?If we see that we are drifting from the Lord in any one of these then lets us encourage one another to give earnest heed as warned by the writer to the Hebrews: (“Therefore, we must give, the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him…”) (Hebrew 2:1-3)…Brethren, our salvation in Christ is simply too great for us to neglect! Thank you and be blessed.

“The dangers of drifting”

The Churches of Christ greet you (Romans 16:16)I would like to encourage you to study with your Bible.While there is a great danger of drifting in the physical realm, there is even a greater danger of drifting away from the spiritual realm. Reading through (Hebrews 2:1), said: Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.Unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon for Christians to drift toward spiritual destruction! So the question is to you. “Are You Drifting?” Would you know it if you were? With this lesson we hope to get you to examine your own lives regarding the danger of drifting away from the Lord. First, let’s take a look at things we should know about drifting. 

A. DRIFTING REQUIRES ABSOLUTELY NO EFFORT.

1. Just stop rowing and a boater will begin to drift.

2. The same is true for the Christian, which is why we are told: “We must give the more earnest heed…” (Hebrew 2:1.)

B. IT IS AN UNCONSCIOUS PROCESS.-

1. It is possible to drift unaware. (a). In a boat, the undercurrents are often unnoticeable from the surface and you may begin to drift and not realize it.(b). In a plane, the wind or gravitational forces move the plane without you realizing it. You’re not really aware of the speed that you are traveling.

2. The same is true in the spiritual realm. (a). Many individual Christians have slowly drifted away. They start filling their lives with worldly things and slowly and surely they start drifting away from God.(b). Many churches have gradually drifted into error. They allow false doctrine to sneak in and they don’t nip it in the bud. Instead, they just ignore the problem and hope it will go away, then one day they find themselves far removed from the Scriptures.

C. WE NEVER DRIFT UPSTREAM OR AGAINST THE TIDE.

1. Faithfulness to the Lord is like rowing upstream.

2. You must constantly be “adding to your faith…” In (2 Peter 1:5-7), said: But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

3. You must continue to grow -(2 Peter 3: 18) but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ The moment you stop growing, you start drifting downstream.

D. THE SPEED DOWNSTREAM INCREASES.

1. The dangers increase with the speed of the drift. (a). When we can hear the noise of the waterfall, it is already too late (b). When we lose sight of land, it is more difficult to discern that we are drifting.

2. As we move farther and farther from the Lord, we care less and less about what we do.

E. IT IS DANGEROUS TO OTHERS.

1. A ship, just drifting, is a hazard to all other vessels at sea.When we allow ourselves to drift away from God, we become a vessel for Satan and can lead people to drift right along with us. A great example of this is the apostle Peter.Look at (Galatians 2:11-13), it said: Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.Here we see at this moment that Peter was drifting away from the truth and from God; and because of his negative influence he brought Barnabas along for the ride.Notice parents who are just drifting, will soon lose golden opportunities to teach their children – (Ephesians 6:4) And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

F. IT ENDS IN SHIPWRECK.

1. A boat adrift will crash on the rocks or go over the falls.

2. For those who drift spiritually through their own neglect, there shall be no escape from a just punishment- (Heb 2:1-3), Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,The danger of drifting is real, or there would be no need to warn against it. So the question is asked again “Are You Drifting?” To help answer the question, here are some.

G. COMMON SIGNS OF DRIFTING.A. DIMINISHING DESIRE TO STUDY GOD’S WORD, AND PRAY.

1. The Bible is a unique book – a source of information not found anywhere else. (a). Without God’s revelation, how could we truly know our origin, purpose, destiny? (b). It tells us of sin’s dreadful consequences, and how God saves us from sin.(c). It provides direction for living happy, useful lives-Reading through the ( Psalms 1:1-3), Said: Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. When one loses their desire to study God’s word, they are drifting! Prayer is a wonderful blessing – an avenue to communicate with God! Jesus, who loved His Father, prayed often – (Mark 1:35) (before daylight); (Luke 6:12) (prayed all night) He expressed concern that His disciples not grow weary to pray-.. (Luke 18:1)Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,– When the Christian prays less and less, he is drifting more and more!

H. DIMINISHING DESIRE TO BE WITH GOD’S PEOPLE.

1. This includes attending services to worship God. Everyone should have the same attitude of the Psalmist- (Psalm 122:1) I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.”If we no longer rejoice in the worship of God, in the presence of brethren, we are drifting! Fellowship with God’s people extends beyond the services of the church because we are to be concerned with edifying one another. Paul states this in, (Romans 14:19) Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another)…Friends, this type of edification should occur daily… (Hebrew 3:13) but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Thank you.

Jesus said on numerous occasions “fear not”.  Fear may be the best utensil that our enemy has in his toolbox.  It is not that fear brings us to great rebellion in and of itself.  Fear distracts us from what we ought to be doing.  Fear makes us susceptible to the whispering voices that will call our attention further and further away from Christ.  If there is a single title for 2020 it would likely be “The Year of Fear”.  We have had an onslaught of things to make us afraid.  Most of those predictions have proven false, but we persist in going deeper down the rabbit hole of fear.
 
I started following the corona virus in spring this year.  I listened with concern as the leading edge of the scientific community pronounced the gloom and doom of their predictions.  Those first voices of fear said that this illness would be highly contagious; they got that right, and highly lethal.  Many were expecting the death rates that would surpass the Spanish Flu of 1918.  Some predicted death rates of 10% to 20% of world populations.  Current death rates are more around 1/5 of 1%.  We have talked about Covid-19 daily and acted as if it is the greatest threat to humanity in a century. The greatest danger to Christianity in the UK is not a government shut down of public places of worship but Christians behaving as if one hour on Sunday is the entirety of their faith and discipleship.  The greatest threat to democracy is not corruption in the system but the willingness of the people to tolerate that corruption.  Partisans of both parties will holler with rage at the possibility of the other side playing dirty tricks, but say nothing about their own party’s cheating, or worse pretend or assert that their side is as pure as the wind-driven snow.  
 
Here is the point: the greatest threat to humanity is man.  And that is only possible if man is distracted from his real purpose: to know, love, and serve God.  The church in Great Britain of late has been falling like a rock.  The Christian “market share” (I hate to use that term but it seems to fit) of the hearts and minds of the people is falling like a rock.  No one wants to neither admit it nor do the hard work to reverse it.  I think this year of fear can have a positive effect.  It will compel us as the church to admit what we have been doing for the last generation has not worked and compel us to return to a more Biblical model of what it means to be a disciple and the church.  Let’s restore disciple making as our priority, let’s restore personal holiness as our pattern for living, let’s restore anticipating the coming of Christ as our hope.  If we keep our focus on Christ, making disciples, living holy and looking for his coming then no matter how bad 2021 is we will be victorious. We should have nothing to fear brethren for God is with us and will guide us through this so called pandemic if we remain faithful and true to His Word. Instead, we should be fearful if we fail to contend earnestly for the faith which has been delivered to us.

So Fear not Brethren and let’s show the world who we belong to and put our trust in Him and His promises. Love will cast out any fear if we obey God.
 

JACKSON, TN–Wayne Jackson, founder and contributing author of the Christian Courier, died today. He was 83 and had been suffering from a long-term debilitating, terminal illness. He passed peacefully at his home in Jackson, Tennessee surrounded by his wife and family.Wayne Jackson preached for the East Main church of Christ in Stockton, California for 56 years, from 1961 to 2017. In 1965, he founded the Christian Courier, a monthly journal of biblical studies. Over the course of his tenure, he wrote more than 3,000 articles, 43 books, and engaged in 21 public debates. In 2017, he moved to Jackson, Tennessee, to live close to family. He was a faithful member of the North Jackson church of Christ in Jackson, Tennessee. The Christian Courier continues to thrive under the leadership of his sons, Jared and Jason Jackson. Mailing Address Christian Courier P.O. Box 11746 Jackson, TN 38308

Certainly charlatan preachers and so-called “faith healers,” who cheat, steal, and fool people in the name of God should be called “false prophets.” But perhaps they’re not the only false prophets in our society. Perhaps many of our false prophets are more secular in nature. Perhaps they write books, host television and radio programs, and spread “prophecies” cleverly disguised as political commentary. How do we recognize these false prophets?

Prophets & False Prophets

When we think of a prophet, we tend to think of someone who predicts events in the distant future. However, in biblical times, a prophet did not primarily predict the future, he interpreted the present. The most pressing question a prophet answered wasn’t, “What will happen?” but rather, “Why is this happening?

When there was war, drought, earthquake, or plague, the people wanted to know, “Why is this happening?” Prophets would consult God, interpret the events of the day, and explain what people needed to do to avoid doom. A true prophet was moved by a message from the Lord, but a false prophet was moved by his own selfish interests and his own interpretation of the situation. The false prophet would claim to know why things were happening and how to make things better; but, of course, things never panned out the way false prophets predicted (see Deuteronomy 18:20-22).

This is the distinction Peter drew when he wrote, “No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). The Scriptures came from prophets who were carried along by the Holy Spirit, but false prophecies are a man’s own personal interpretation, produced by his own will.

Simply put, a false prophet is someone who claims some great insight into why things are happening and how to turn things around for the future, but their insight is coming from their own imagination and not from the Lord.

Secular False Prophets

The ancient world was very spiritual and religious. One of the best ways to gather a following was by telling people you had a message from God about their situation. If you said God told you how to make everyone’s problems go away, there was a good chance that desperate people would listen.

Our world today is not quite so religious, but it is just as desperate for prophets. Perhaps that is why many of today’s prophets are secular. Unlike religious false prophets, secular false prophets do not claim divine authority for their message, but they speak with no less certainty about the present and the future. Motivated by their own selfish interests, they:

• Interpret – “This is why bad things are happening”
• Instruct – “Here is what you must do”
• Predict – “This is your horrible fate if you do not listen”

From both the “right” and “left” extremes of the ideological spectrum, there are plenty of people who want to sit in the prophet’s seat. These are not people who are simply offering an opinion or a perspective, but people who confidently assert that they speak with authority. The bleak future about which they warn is not offered as a mere possibility, but as an absolute certainty if people do not heed their warning.

Recognizing False Prophets

You may be thinking, “Yes! I have heard some false prophets like that!” But, of course, we all tend to see ourselves as being too wise and discerning to be so easily fooled. However, Jesus’ words are just as applicable to us as they were to his original audience, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). We must all beware and on guard against false prophets.

How can we recognize these false prophets? How can we know when someone’s prognostication is not just mistaken but actually toxic and destructive? Jesus tells us exactly how to recognize them. He says, in Matthew 7:16-20,

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

I used to think this simply meant we will see sinful practices and behaviors in their personal lives. After all, we have seen plenty of illicit and immoral behaviors come to light in the lives of popular leaders and teachers. Sometimes this bad “fruit” is growing in the would-be prophet’s own backyard; but more often, the bad “fruit” is growing in the lives of those who listen to them.

Their Fruit in OUR Lives

I learned this lesson the hard way. At one time, I listened to a lot of talk radio. It would be accurate to say the hosts were my “prophets.” I believed they had profound insight about why things were happening in the world, what steps needed to be taken, and the doom that awaited us if people didn’t listen to their warnings. I obviously knew their message wasn’t directly from God, but I felt like they were speaking a godly message.

One day I finally recognized the bad fruit their message was bearing in my life. My heart was full of anxiety and anger. The way I thought about those who disagreed with me and the future was not spiritually healthy. The message that was bringing fame and fortune to these men, was bringing fear and frustration to me.

The “bad fruit” of false prophets isn’t always recognizable in their personal lives, but it is recognizable in our hearts and minds. If you want to know if someone is proclaiming a message from God or from their own corrupt heart, just look at what the message is producing in you. Good seed produces good fruit and bad seed produces bad fruit.

If someone is proclaiming a message of godly wisdom, it will be (James 3:17):

• pure
• peaceable
• gentle
• open to reason
• full of mercy
• full of good fruits
• impartial
• sincere

Similarly, the result of Spirit-filled teaching will be, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). You don’t have to dig up dirt in someone’s life to know if they are proclaiming a message from God or not; all you have to do is examine the fruit of what they’re proclaiming.

Beware of both religious and secular false prophets, we are all susceptible.