Christotainment
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”—2 Timothy 4:1-4
God’s truth is the only truth that matters. Any truth is God’s truth. Which is to say that if there is something true in the world, then we know that is from God. But, anything else that claims to be truth, but it is not in accordance with what He has revealed through His Word is not truth at all. God’s truth then is the only truth that matters because it is the only “truth” there is.
Today, there are many who sit in church’s looking for what I like to call “Christotainment.” They want some aspects of the Gospel, but not the entire gospel itself. They want “feel good” sermons that talk about positive thinking, life-management techniques, glorified therapy sessions, and how much God wants to bless you. The service is surrounded with pop-music that is usually devoid of any theological truth, but is filled with general feelings and expressions that could easily be transferred to any secular pop radio station. Rarely will you hear words like “sin,” “judgment,” “God’s wrath,” “church discipline,” and the like. The message is watered down and spoon-fed to people in such a way that everything can be packaged in a couple of points without any call to repentance or life-change in the light of God’s coming judgment. Such a church is wrong and devoid of the Gospel. It’s cheap grace, without any cost of following Christ, without a cross to take up, without the Spirit, and devoid of any understanding of surrender or sacrifice. These so-called churches are made up of those who “will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
As believers, we must make sure that we align ourselves with churches that preach the “whole counsel of God”—Acts 20:27. We are not allowed to change, add to, or dilute the Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19), no more than we are allowed to take away stop signs at intersections, take poison labels off bottles, or add amendments to the U.S. Constitution. God’s Word is unchanging and will endure forever (1 Peter 1:25; Matthew 24:35). It is our responsibility to learn that Word, follow it, and do what it says, for in doing so we will experience great blessing and joy. Amen.
God’s truth is the only truth that matters. Any truth is God’s truth. Which is to say that if there is something true in the world, then we know that is from God. But, anything else that claims to be truth, but it is not in accordance with what He has revealed through His Word is not truth at all. God’s truth then is the only truth that matters because it is the only “truth” there is.
Today, there are many who sit in church’s looking for what I like to call “Christotainment.” They want some aspects of the Gospel, but not the entire gospel itself. They want “feel good” sermons that talk about positive thinking, life-management techniques, glorified therapy sessions, and how much God wants to bless you. The service is surrounded with pop-music that is usually devoid of any theological truth, but is filled with general feelings and expressions that could easily be transferred to any secular pop radio station. Rarely will you hear words like “sin,” “judgment,” “God’s wrath,” “church discipline,” and the like. The message is watered down and spoon-fed to people in such a way that everything can be packaged in a couple of points without any call to repentance or life-change in the light of God’s coming judgment. Such a church is wrong and devoid of the Gospel. It’s cheap grace, without any cost of following Christ, without a cross to take up, without the Spirit, and devoid of any understanding of surrender or sacrifice. These so-called churches are made up of those who “will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
As believers, we must make sure that we align ourselves with churches that preach the “whole counsel of God”—Acts 20:27. We are not allowed to change, add to, or dilute the Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19), no more than we are allowed to take away stop signs at intersections, take poison labels off bottles, or add amendments to the U.S. Constitution. God’s Word is unchanging and will endure forever (1 Peter 1:25; Matthew 24:35). It is our responsibility to learn that Word, follow it, and do what it says, for in doing so we will experience great blessing and joy. Amen.
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