Recently I was witnessing in a park. There's a question I get asked that comes up every once in a while, and I heard it again: Why does God allow all kinds of false religions in the world to fool people away from believing in Jesus?
There are some solid, biblical answers to that question. First of all, false teaching is a judgment. We often don't think about it that way, but the Joel Osteens, the Joyce Meyers, and the Rob Bells of the world are a judgment of God. They are heading up false religions as much as any other kind of pagan worship.
In 2 Timothy 4:3, we read, "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." We know from Romans 1:26 that God will give up a rebellious people in judgment to be consumed by their passions.
A person gets "fooled" into following a false religion not because the false truth was more convincing to them than the truth of the gospel. It's because the condition of their heart had already turned them away from God and toward that kind of thinking. God allowed them to be turned over to a debased mind.
The other thing we come to understand by the existence of many false religions is the genuineness and the authenticity of what Christ did on the cross. Look at the pagan religions of the world and you'll see a god (or most likely gods) that demand that the people do something in particular to appease their wrath. But in Christ, God appeased his own wrath.
Part of God being a righteously just God is that he cannot pardon sin. When you ask forgiveness of your sins, God doesn't pardon you. He can't, or he wouldn't be just. If a man who was found guilty of murdering children asked the judge to be pardoned, we would not call that judge a just judge for letting that man go without paying seriously for his crimes.
So how is it that we receive forgiveness of sins? It's because Jesus Christ died in the place that we were supposed to die, taking the penalty for our sins upon himself. In Isaiah 53:10, it says that it pleased God to crush him. The wrath of God was satisfied not because Roman soldiers killed Jesus. It's because it was God himself who killed him, pouring out his wrath on his perfect Son.
When the Bible says that we are "justified," like in 1 Corinthians 6:11, it's because our sin has been paid for, and now it's just for God to grant us forgiveness of sins when we ask. We receive mercy and grace not because we simply ask for it, but because we ask according to the blood of Christ who paid for our sins.
God's love doesn't override his justice, otherwise God would be unjust. It's because he's both loving and just that Jesus Christ died. These are some things we'll talk about more as we continue our study of 1 & 2 Timothy.
Eldership Study
We have one more week that we'll be talking specifically about eldership, and then the next week we'll talk about the qualifications of deacons. As we mentioned this past Sunday, this isn't just something we need to know in order to be an elder or a deacon, or for us to know what is expected of our elders and deacons. It's also to know the example we are to follow.
Just as an elder or a deacon is supposed to be a person above reproach, someone who is sober-minded, hospitable, gentle and not quarrelsome, so we also are to model that kind of behavior as followers of Christ. Let's finish this series strong and remain in the disciplines of the Lord.
Wednesday Night Bible Studies
Our Wednesday night Bible studies meet again this evening with the women's study at 6:00 in the Fellowship Hall. The co-ed adult study, men and women together, meets in the garage classroom also at 6:00. Both studies will finish by around 7:00, and there is childcare. Please come!
Our fellowship meals will start back again on August 20, which is also the Wednesday that AWANA kicks off (there will be a meal served the Wednesday before, August 13, for those that are doing orientation). We're still needing childcare volunteers for both AWANA and our Sunday school classes on Sunday mornings.
Please visit with Julie, Beth, Darla, or Amy if you're interested in volunteering. Beth Williams will not be here this Sunday. She officially steps down from her position handling our Sunday morning childcare volunteers in the middle part of August. Amy Bliesner will be taking her place. Promotion Sunday is August 10, the Sunday that kids will bump up to their next grade level.
Softball Finals
We played a super close game this past Sunday, managing to pull out a win in extra innings. That puts our softball team, Sermon On the Mound, in the finals this Sunday! We play at 7:00 at Anneberg Park in Manhattan. If we win that game, we'll be playing the championship at 9:00. This is the fourth year in a row we've made it to the finals. Great job on a great season!
Closing Thoughts
This church continues to be in my thoughts and prayers, especially in a season where we are having to say goodbye to some families, but hello to new friends and church members! Continue to welcome the Contreras family, Andy and his wife, Lisa, as they became new members a couple weeks ago. And also Pam Woodruff who was introduced to our congregation as a new member this past Sunday.
Don't forget your giving to First Southern Baptist Church, especially in these summer months. And remember that you can always donate online at www.fsbcjc.org. The "donate" button is on the top right-hand side of the page. Consider yourselves blessed in all things! I look forward to seeing you either at Bible study tonight or worship this Sunday.
There are some solid, biblical answers to that question. First of all, false teaching is a judgment. We often don't think about it that way, but the Joel Osteens, the Joyce Meyers, and the Rob Bells of the world are a judgment of God. They are heading up false religions as much as any other kind of pagan worship.
In 2 Timothy 4:3, we read, "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." We know from Romans 1:26 that God will give up a rebellious people in judgment to be consumed by their passions.
A person gets "fooled" into following a false religion not because the false truth was more convincing to them than the truth of the gospel. It's because the condition of their heart had already turned them away from God and toward that kind of thinking. God allowed them to be turned over to a debased mind.
The other thing we come to understand by the existence of many false religions is the genuineness and the authenticity of what Christ did on the cross. Look at the pagan religions of the world and you'll see a god (or most likely gods) that demand that the people do something in particular to appease their wrath. But in Christ, God appeased his own wrath.
Part of God being a righteously just God is that he cannot pardon sin. When you ask forgiveness of your sins, God doesn't pardon you. He can't, or he wouldn't be just. If a man who was found guilty of murdering children asked the judge to be pardoned, we would not call that judge a just judge for letting that man go without paying seriously for his crimes.
So how is it that we receive forgiveness of sins? It's because Jesus Christ died in the place that we were supposed to die, taking the penalty for our sins upon himself. In Isaiah 53:10, it says that it pleased God to crush him. The wrath of God was satisfied not because Roman soldiers killed Jesus. It's because it was God himself who killed him, pouring out his wrath on his perfect Son.
When the Bible says that we are "justified," like in 1 Corinthians 6:11, it's because our sin has been paid for, and now it's just for God to grant us forgiveness of sins when we ask. We receive mercy and grace not because we simply ask for it, but because we ask according to the blood of Christ who paid for our sins.
God's love doesn't override his justice, otherwise God would be unjust. It's because he's both loving and just that Jesus Christ died. These are some things we'll talk about more as we continue our study of 1 & 2 Timothy.
Eldership Study
We have one more week that we'll be talking specifically about eldership, and then the next week we'll talk about the qualifications of deacons. As we mentioned this past Sunday, this isn't just something we need to know in order to be an elder or a deacon, or for us to know what is expected of our elders and deacons. It's also to know the example we are to follow.
Just as an elder or a deacon is supposed to be a person above reproach, someone who is sober-minded, hospitable, gentle and not quarrelsome, so we also are to model that kind of behavior as followers of Christ. Let's finish this series strong and remain in the disciplines of the Lord.
Wednesday Night Bible Studies
Our Wednesday night Bible studies meet again this evening with the women's study at 6:00 in the Fellowship Hall. The co-ed adult study, men and women together, meets in the garage classroom also at 6:00. Both studies will finish by around 7:00, and there is childcare. Please come!
Our fellowship meals will start back again on August 20, which is also the Wednesday that AWANA kicks off (there will be a meal served the Wednesday before, August 13, for those that are doing orientation). We're still needing childcare volunteers for both AWANA and our Sunday school classes on Sunday mornings.
Please visit with Julie, Beth, Darla, or Amy if you're interested in volunteering. Beth Williams will not be here this Sunday. She officially steps down from her position handling our Sunday morning childcare volunteers in the middle part of August. Amy Bliesner will be taking her place. Promotion Sunday is August 10, the Sunday that kids will bump up to their next grade level.
Softball Finals
We played a super close game this past Sunday, managing to pull out a win in extra innings. That puts our softball team, Sermon On the Mound, in the finals this Sunday! We play at 7:00 at Anneberg Park in Manhattan. If we win that game, we'll be playing the championship at 9:00. This is the fourth year in a row we've made it to the finals. Great job on a great season!
Closing Thoughts
This church continues to be in my thoughts and prayers, especially in a season where we are having to say goodbye to some families, but hello to new friends and church members! Continue to welcome the Contreras family, Andy and his wife, Lisa, as they became new members a couple weeks ago. And also Pam Woodruff who was introduced to our congregation as a new member this past Sunday.
Don't forget your giving to First Southern Baptist Church, especially in these summer months. And remember that you can always donate online at www.fsbcjc.org. The "donate" button is on the top right-hand side of the page. Consider yourselves blessed in all things! I look forward to seeing you either at Bible study tonight or worship this Sunday.