CHRISTIANITY IS IN CRISIS

All the signs abound.  Christians are believing less in the cardinal truths of the Bible.  Many are living as what Craig Groeschel called "The Christian Atheist".  They say they believe in God but do not live like it.
What are the signs I am talking about?

1) People say that they believe Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the Lord, yet they allow in drastically increasing numbers for people who have disbelieved Christ not to be lost.  Does anyone really think that a loving God would have put Jesus through what he went through if it were not the only way of salvation?

2) People say that they believe that the Bible is the word of God.  Yet, they do the opposite of what the Good Book says.  It says fornicators and adulterers will not enter the kingdom of heaven but they still fornicate and commit adultery.  The Bible teaches against partiality, yet they are partial to a fault. The Bible says we must be holy, but they say that is impossible.  The Bible says not to use vain repetitions.  They repeat prayers like good luck charms.  The Bible says not to love the world but their DVD collection differs not much from the hedonists and pagans.  The Bible says you cannot love both God and money but they say if you love money and have a lot of it that it is a sign of God's favor on you.

3) People say that we should worship God, but they often craft their "worship" and "praise" to suit their own tastes if not their carnal nature.  Aren't we supposed to ask God what HE wants?

4) Some flagrantly disobey the scriptures by prohibiting speaking in tongues while others do violence to the scriptures by saying you aren't saved unless you do.  Others place women in leadership over men in flagrant disregard for the unequivocal teaching of the Holy Spirit.  Our God is one, and he never "calls" anyone to anything that is prohibited by the Holy Spirit.  Some places actually PREFER women and hold the men down to accomplish it.  I have seen it, and I report it with great sadness. One cannot deviate from the scriptures in ANY way without getting on the slippery slide into deep error. God has used holy women as prophetesses and worship leaders and evangelists and administrators, but that is not enough for some.  I am not picking on the ladies  - the fact is that many MEN in authority do not meet scriptural qualifications either!  Just think how many would be disqualified due to the love of money, a poor reputation with outsiders, divorce and remarriage, children out of control, etc. It is an epidemic.  I could also talk about the bondages that are taught - human rules with no value against fleshly indulgence.   Forced giving in flat-out contradiction to the Holy Spirit's teaching on the subject, missing the entire intent of the New Covenant because it helps cash flow!  It is going to take a whole lot of hope and change to get back on track,

5) People say that they believe that the Bible is the word of God.  Yet, they believe the opposite of what it teaches because people who mock God have their own ideas that change as often as shifting sand.  God says he made the world in six days, and Jesus writes it on the tablets for Moses, but they believe in millions of years because godless people are trying to find an explanation for things without having to believe in God.   They believe in prehistoric primitive people who are less intelligent, resourceful, and beautiful than we are when God says the first child became a farmer and the second a shepherd and that these original intelligent and beautiful and productive men were made in the image of God himself.  Don't Christians realize that the people who teach this stuff consider the concept of  GOD a neanderthal?  A cruel and heartless being who is at fault for all the world's suffering and problems?

6) Those who doubt Genesis begin to doubt the miracles in the Bible.  They have a hard time believing that a large fish swallowed Jonah and he lived to tell about it.  They were obviously too busy doubting to read where Jesus said that the sign of Jonah was the ONLY one given to authenticate him.  Or perhaps they DID read it and believe the resurrection was spiritual and not physical.   I just had someone who rejects a straightforward and honest reading of Genesis tell me that heaven was not a physical place. Exactly what was the purpose then of Jesus having a glorified physical body ascending into heaven?

What is the hope for the believer?  Why would God bother to give us new bodies to live in a spiritual state.  Of course, those in this deep error also believe hell is a spiritual state as well.  I don't think you can cast a physical body (as is taught in scripture) into a strict;y spiritual place any more than Jesus in his physical body ascended into a strictly spiritual place.   When one believes a lie, one also has to believe a dozen others to cover the first lie, and it never ends.  Bit by bit, the well-traveled road to apostasy continues.

7) People say that the Lord is everything to them, but find little time to examine the scriptures, learn sound doctrine, and proclaim the gospel fearlessly with out of knowledge of the character of God. If a man falls in love with a woman, he does everything to spend as much time with her as possible.  Christ is knocking on the door of the luke-warm Laodicean church but few answer the door or do any more than greet the Lord at the door and tell him to come back later. How many invite him into EVERY room of their house and let him cleanse, arrange, and run things?   Precious few, which is why we are in crisis.

8) People claim they love God, but find every excuse to skate as close to the edges of sin as they dare, and then figure God will forgive them when they cross that line.

My friends, love God, give up the myths and totally embrace the Holy Word of God, and be sanctified wholly! That is the only way we can emerge triumphant out of this present most serious crisis.