"CHANGE"
I never thought I would be so sick of hearing that word, but I am. I am sick of signs proclaiming "change", political candidates promoting "change", and in a way I am weary of all the change taking place in my own life. So many things in our lives are heading for - change. Our home is for sale, my husband is searching for new employment, our youngest son is planning his military career after he finishes school, my mom's illness and on it goes. These are life changes that are unavoidable and while I have not typically done well with changes, I am trusting God for all these things.
I have also been experiencing change over the past several years in my faith. This began when we began attending a "grace based" church in our area and has taken me on a wonderful journey.
I began a legalistic, leaning toward fundamentalism Christian. I believed that I had to do all these things to gain God's favor and then to keep Gods favor. I believed that I had to keep my sin accounts short and confess every sin, lest I die with some unconfessed and spoil my rewards in heaven. I also believed that I would be judged someday by God; that my life would be played out on a big screen for all the world to see what a horrible sinner I am, casting shame and that I would somehow fall short of the best spot in heaven. I was a performance oriented Christian.
By Gods grace I found truth. The truth about what it means to be "in Christ" and redeemed and justified and sanctified. I am no longer laboring under the weight of "doing" as a Christian, I am "being" a Christian and enjoying the life I have in Christ.
I have been listening to some wonderful sermons on the Missional Church (Acts29 network) and reading some fantastic material by Pastor Keller. The entire focus of all this is Christ. I know that might sound nutty, like "duh" but there is much about the church that is not focused on Christ these days.
Listen to one political stump speech by a certain candidate and you will understand exactly what I mean. Churches that ask God to "damn America", promote abortion and infanticide, promote homosexuality and a multitude of other sin; that does not even touch the churches that pervert the doctrine of the Bible by adding human works to the completed works of Christ. Those religions that tell unsuspecting people that they must do something to be accepted by God (and then it is only a possibility according to their doctrine). So my sceptisism on the current state of the "church" is warrented I think.
So when I find truth out there, that preaches Christ and He is central in their gospel, and HE is enough I am thrilled!
With all the changes in my life, it is such a comfort to know that God never changes. In spite of man's attempts to alter His Truth, the Word of God - unperverted- goes forth.
It is not true that all truth is God's truth. Not everything proclaiming to be "of God" is of God. Over and over we find heresy mixed in with the true gospel. Paul had that trouble way back when he wrote Galatians.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Galatians 1:6-9
It seems we have many gospels in our age. I am thankful I have and believe the only true gospel.