By Teaching for Shameful Gain

“For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus 1:10-16 ESV)

Sadly, this is speaking about what is going on within the gatherings of what are called “churches” today here in America. We have many professers of faith in Jesus Christ who are living in disobedience to the Lord in defiance of his commandments (New Covenant) in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord and against other humans. For they are following after liars and deceivers who are teaching them a diluted and altered gospel message which makes no requirements of them for genuine repentance, walks of obedience to the Lord, and holy living, as required for true salvation.

And this is not teaching “works salvation.” This is teaching the true gospel of Christ which says that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And if anyone would come after Christ he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) Jesus. For if we hold on to our old lives of sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, we have eternal life. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, we do not have life in Him.

So, these liars and deceivers need to be silenced, too, for they are leading the masses astray to follow after this altered gospel message which is telling the people that they can profess faith in Jesus Christ, have all their sins forgiven, have heaven guaranteed them when they die, but regardless of how they live. But Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He gave his life up for us, and he put our sins to death with him, so that we can now be crucified with him in death to sin and now walk with him in obedience to his commands in holy living, by his grace.

And a lot of these liars and deceivers are teaching what is false for shameful gain. And they have turned the gatherings of the church into marketplaces where they are marketing “the church” to the people of the world just like other businesses. And so they have compromised the truth of the gospel to make it more acceptable to the ungodly and to human flesh so as not to offend the people of the world who they are trying to attract to their gatherings. And so they have also altered the character of God and of his true church, the body of Christ, to blend Christianity in with the world.

So, there should be men of God in positions of leadership and authority within the universal body of Christ in various locations who will make it their responsibility to rebuke these liars and deceivers, that they may be sound in the faith. But sadly, so many of them are among the liars and deceivers who have bought into marketing “the church” to the world and who have embraced the “cheapened grace” gospel, that it appears that few are willing to speak out against the lies and to instruct the people in the truth of the gospel as taught by Jesus and by his NT apostles.

So many people today, thus, who are making professions of faith in Jesus Christ, do have both their minds and their consciences seared (defiled) by the lies which they are believing, and so they are continuing in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord Jesus, and obedience to God and to his commandments is not their practice. So they profess to know God, but they deny him by their works (deeds, actions). And according to the Scriptures they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. And they will not inherit the kingdom of God regardless of what their lips profess.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Your Grace Divine 

 

An Original Work / November 6, 2011

All I have is Yours, Lord.

You gave all to me,

When You died at Calv’ry

On that cruel tree.

Crucified for my sins;

You paid what I owe,

So I’d be forgiven; 

My God come to know.

All I have is Yours, Lord.

You gave all to me,

When You died at Calv’ry

On that cruel tree.

Lord, I am so thankful

For Your grace divine.

I invited You, Lord,

In this heart of mine.

I have been forgiven

For all of my sins,

So I’d live with Jesus;

His grace flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful

For Your grace divine.

I invited You, Lord,

In this heart of mine.

Growing in Your grace, Lord;

Live for You each day;

How I love to worship

You throughout my day.

Sitting at Your feet, Lord,

List’ning to You speak,

Leads me to love You, Lord,

More throughout the week.

Growing in Your grace, Lord;

Live for You each day;

How I love to worship

You throughout my day.

https://vimeo.com/125863486