Man-made Laws versus God-made Laws

I found an interesting story in I Kings 12:26-33.  Jeroboam had been made king over all Israel, even though Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and was the true heir to David's throne.

King Jeroboam was afraid that if the people went to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, they would leave him and go back to Rehoboam.  In verse 28, King Jeroboam had two golden calves made.  Here we read that King Jeroboam told the people WHAT to worship. In verse 29 it says, "Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan."  This verse says that Jeroboam told the people WHERE they were to worship.  What I want to share with you today, though, is in verses 32 and 33 where King Jeroboam tells the people WHEN to worship.

Not only did Jeroboam dictate to the people WHAT they were to worship, and WHERE they were to worship, but he also dictated WHEN they were to worship!  This was really fascinating to me.  In verse 32 it says, "Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah..."  Verse 33 says, "So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart."

The feast that Jeroboam was trying to copy was the Feast of Tabernacles, mentioned in Leviticus 23:34.  The problem, though, is that God's Feast was to be celebrated on the 14th day of the 7th month - not the 15th day of the 8th month!!  For some reason this made me think of the many ministers today that tell their congregations that the 7th-day Sabbath is now on the 1st day of the week! They are "devising in their own hearts" (like Jeroboam above) the day and time of our worship of God. Not only that, I also know of some who tell their people that "it doesn't really matter what day of the week you worship the Lord on - just so you worship Him!"  Wow!  Nowhere in the Bible are we told that it is ok "to do what is right in our own eyes"!  (Judges 21:25)

I'm beginning to realize just how much Satan hates the number 7!!  Many have said that the number 7 is God's holy number.  If that's the case, then it doesn't surprise me that Satan has connived to move God's Sabbath Day to the first day of the week instead of the 7th day.  The same seems true for the above passage when King Jeroboam moved the 7th month Feast of Tabernacles to the 8th month!

There's a saying that goes like this:

"God's Word says it - I believe it - That settles it!"

Is this true for you or are you "devising in your own heart - doing what seems right in your own eyes?"  As I've written in earlier blogs, when God's kingdom is set up here on earth - there will not be two worship days.  One will be done away with, and I'm very sure it won't be God's 7th day Sabbath!

The Link Between Secular Humanism and Christianity's Teaching of "Lawless Grace"

Before I begin this post, I want to make it clear that a person's salvation is not based on their good works or on obeying the Ten Commandments, etc.  God's law (the Ten Commandments) was given to show us that we all are sinners - deserving of God's wrath and judgment because of our sin and rebellion against Him.

As Christians who have repented of our sin and given our lives over to the lordship and control of Jesus Christ, we now obey the Ten Commandments as well as other commandments given in the Bible because of our love for Him and for the suffering, punishment, and death He took in our place on the cross.  It is now our life's purpose to live our lives to bring glory to God. 

However, if as New Testament Christians we say we no longer have to obey God's commands (which is lawless grace, by the way!) - then what is left?  Christian Humanism!  We are now people who say we are Christians, BUT we live for ourselves and what makes us happy!  If it doesn't make ME happy or it interferes with MY life and the plans I have made for MY life - then I just don't have to obey what God is telling ME to do.  Christian Humanism! 

Let's take God's fourth commandment for example in Exodus 20:8-10:   "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath   of the Lord your God.  In it you shall do no work...."  Here God says, "Don't forget the Sabbath day. Don't forget to keep it holy (set apart from the rest of the world)." 

Every Sabbath day (Saturday) we drive to church, we pass churches that are closed.  Why?  They have chosen to forget God's holy day, the Sabbath!  Christians have chosen instead to work on that day or to make others work on that day by going to malls, restaurants, ball games, etc. etc.  If you read the rest of Exodus 20:10 it says we are not to make anyone else work on that day as well.

So how does Humanism fit into all of this?  Christians today are choosing to make themselves happy instead of making God happy.  It's when "my happiness is more important than God's happiness".  When we make God the means to our happiness instead of making Him the end, we are practicing Humanism.  Somehow our happiness becomes more important to us than our holiness and obedience before God.

As one of the old ministers on the Revival Hymn said, "It's not what you are going to get out of God - it's what He is going to get out of you"!  As Christians, our only reason for being is the glory of God!

What is Christian Humanism?

What is "Christian Humanism"?  Actually, the term "Christian Humanism" is an oxymoron.  Humanism believes that "the chief end of man is happiness".  Christianity believes that "the chief end of man is to glorify God forever in Christ Jesus".  These two are basically polar opposites.  Christians as well as churches are being deceived into accepting this belief system called Humanism.

One of my favorite Christian programs to watch is Manna Fest with Perry Stone.  Last night his topic was, "Tapping into the Blessing Cycle".  His guest speaker was Walter Hallam.  Mr. Hallam began his presentation by stating, "Every man of God was born for success."  Excuse me, Mr. Hallam.  Did I hear you right?  Let's look at what he said with the definition of Humanism in mind.  My paraphrase of what Mr. Hallam said might go something like this:  "Every man of God was born for happiness."   Hmmmm.
That sure sounds like Humanism to me.

"Christian Humanism" desires to make God the means to our happiness instead of making God the end .  Our purpose in life is not so we can be "happy" or successful.  Our only reason for being is for the glory of God in Christ Jesus!  That is the chief end of all mankind.

There's a reason this generation is called "The Me Generation".  Young and old alike have fallen for the very first lie in the Bible.  God had told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.  Satan came along and told Eve in Genesis 3:4&5 that they would not die but that "... you will be like God"!  Wow!  Wouldn't that make you "happy" - to be like God??  What's sad is that Christians, and even our pastors are falling for this lie of making the goal of your life "happiness" instead of "bringing glory to God".

One of my favorite videos is called "Revival Hymn".  It's 35 minutes long, but will turn your life around if you let it!  One of the prayers recorded in it goes like this:

"Lord Jesus, I'm gonna obey You and love You and serve You and do what You want me to do as long as I live even if I go to Hell at the end of the road simply because You are worthy to be loved, obeyed and served!"

My next post will take a look at how "lawless grace" and "humanism" are tied together.  For now, take a few minutes to enjoy the video.  God bless!

The Sabbath Day: Holy or Profane?

The other day I was watching a Christian program on TV which really clarified for me what the difference is between something that is "Holy" and something that is "Common". The analogy that the speaker gave was this:  God created our sun to have a "Common" purpose in our galaxy.  However, if we should decide to worship the sun and make the sun holy - we would be committing idolatry because God did not create the sun for worship.

Let's apply this analogy to the 4th Commandment - to remember the 7th Day Sabbath and keep it holy.  (See Exodus 20:10)  God the Creater made the first day of the week for us to work.  He created it as a "common" day.  He did not create the first day of the week for worship!  However, if we decide to make it a day of worship, (a holy day) - then we also are committing idolatry.  We have just taken something God created as "Common" and we have made it "Holy" (set apart for worship)! 

In Numbers 26:61 it says, "And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered profane fire before the Lord."
Leviticus 10:1-3 says, "Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.  So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.  And Moses said to Aaron, 'This is what the Lord spoke, saying:  "By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified."

Worshipping on the first day of the week makes that a "profane worship day".  Why?  Because as the above verse states:  God has not commanded us to worship on that day.  But the opposite is also true when we take the 7th Day Sabbath (Saturday), which God has commanded us to keep holy - and we make it a "common/profane day"!  We are now guilty of idolatry as well as disobedience to a holy God - and we think we can still ask God to "bless us"?

The Apostasy: The Idolatry of Evangelical Believers

Since I began this blog about the Apostasy and believers being falsely taught that God's Law has been "done away with", I've had the feeling that idolatry is being practiced by many believers - but I just couldn't figure out how to explain it.  For one thing, we don't have carved idols that we actually bow down to here in the U.S. as many foreign countries have with their various religions, etc.

Well, yesterday God showed me in Ezekiel 14:3-6, the idolatry that many evangelical believers are practicing today.  It's called "Idolatry of the Heart".  Here is how this passage reads in the NKJV:

"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity.  Should I (the Lord God) let Myself be inquired of at all by them? Therefore, speak to them, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God:  "Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols."'  Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God:  "Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations."

Ezekiel 14:7 & 8 then says:  "For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself.  I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people.  Then you shall know that I am the Lord."

How do we identify "idolatry of the heart"?  First of all, this idolatry is not referring to carved images that are set up in order for one to practice their religion by bowing down before them and/or offering sacrifices to them, etc.  This idolatry is something that "estranges and separates" us from our relationship with our God. (14:5)  This idolatry is something that "causes us to stumble into iniquity". (14:3,4,7)  It is an "idolatry of the heart" that makes our hearts lukewarm towards God.  I wrote about this in my blog in June 2010 regarding apostasy-and-uncircumcised hearts.

Many evangelical Christians are spending their spare time playing video games on their i-phones, playing fantasy games with others on their computers, and many are even spending time viewing pornagraphic websites.  Spending your spare time watching T.V., being on the internet, going shopping, being with friends, can all be "idolatry of the heart" IF it all leaves you with NO TIME to spend with your God by reading His Word (not someone else's devotionals) or being on your knees in prayer and worship before Him.  Of course, the more time we stay away from God and His Word - the more likely we are going to "stumble into iniquity" as Ezekiel 14 put it.  As someone else has put it, "If the devil can't get you to sin, he will keep you BUSY!"

If you as a believer in Christ Jesus, find you have "no heart" for spending time with Him - then you need to examine your heart and your lifestyle.  If you find that your "want to" is broken regarding spending time in prayer and Bible-reading, then do what Ezekiel 14:6 says to do:  "Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations."  If you find you don't even have "the heart" to do this - then you, my dear friend, have been deceived into thinking that you are truly a born-again Christian.
As I John 3:10 says, "Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God..."    If you have a desire to have a personal relationship with God, please let me know and I will be glad to introduce you to Him.

False Teaching and the Worship of God: Where Have We Gone Wrong?

As I've watched the news this week with the uprising in Egypt, it was interesting to see how when it came time for the Muslims to worship, they immediately stopped their protesting and fell to their knees. This got me to wondering about the form of Christian worship we've been taught to practice.  Is going to church, singing, praying, standing, clapping hands, reading the Bible, sitting quietly, taking an offering, (just to name a few) - really what God means by the word "worship"?  Has the Apostasy and the false teaching in our churches of "Lawless Grace" taken us away from the heart of worship?

In order to answer that question, I immediately turned to the Bible, God's Word.  Because it is written in Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New Testament), that meant getting out my Strong's Concordance and looking up the word "Worship" in those two languages. What I found out totally surprised me!!  There are only three Hebrew words in the Old Testament that refer to worship. The main word, "shachah" is mentioned 55 times and means to "prostrate oneself, bow down, fall down flat, or make to stoop." The other two Hebrew words have the same meaning as well.  I was rather fearful as I approached the New Testament's Greek word for "worship". Again, the main Greek word for worship is "proskuneo" which means to "crouch, or to prostrate oneself in homage." This word is used 34 times! Lastly, I went to my Webster's Dictionary and looked up the word "prostrate". It's definition is "to throw flat on the ground, lying flat, crushed, submissive, overcome."

I'm sure I don't have to tell you just how HUMBLING it is to get down on your knees with your face to the floor, or better yet - lying down FLAT on the floor with your face down. Yet, religions all around the world are able to humble themselves in that way for their FALSE gods. We Christians belong to the TRUE and LIVING God and yet we can't even get down on our knees to pray!

As you read your Bible through this year and see the word, "worship", remind yourself that it's true meaning is "to prostrate myself by falling down flat or bowing down." "Lawless Grace" in our churches today says Jesus is a God of love and forgiveness so we as Christians just don't need to be that extreme in our worship of Him. He will surely understand how embarrassing that posture can be for us. Right? WRONG!! Jesus is coming back very soon and He has promised that when He comes back, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow , of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth." (Philippians 2:10)  God clarifies it even more in I Corinthians 14:25:  "...and so falling down on his face, he will worship God..."

One last verse I must share with you before closing is 2 Chronicles 7:14 because it is a favorite of Christians in these last days as they seek a church revival:

"If My people who are called by My Name will HUMBLE themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

The Hebrew word for "Humble" is "kana" which means "to bend the knee; to humiliate; to bring down low." Sounds like "prostrate" doesn't it? Do you really desire a church revival in our land? Then join me and others this year as we "prostrate" ourselves before the One and Only True God - Jesus Christ!!  Here's a great song to help us do just that:  "Here I Am To Worship"