TO START WITH. . .
. . this belief and obedience topic can be tricky. Things are not always what they appear to be.
Satan attempts to deceive us as we live in the world that he rules and in which the culture of his kingdom is the norm. It’s natural for us to accept it as our personal standard until we are born again and transferred into God’s kingdom – – and then mature in the mind of Christ. Even so we are constantly bombarded by Satan’s lies and are surrounded by influences that attempt to validate them.
I’M SORRY BUT – –
One especially powerful influence for many American Christians is that “church” as we know it doesn’t have an expectation of Kingdom Life. We don’t preach Spirit-empowered radical discipleship as our norm.
We have instead created a religious culture of going to church and fulfilling certain spoken and unspoken do’s and don’ts that often have little to do with following Jesus. It is more man-centered than Christ-centered in identity, culture, resource, empowerment, accountability, and mission.
That is horrifically deceptive because it proclaims itself to be the Mt. 16:18 Church that Jesus is building but it’s not. It’s easy for us to buy into it because it costs so little compared to what Jesus requires of his disciples.
I’m sorry, but it’s true. We’ll never know the abundant Life of His Kingdom, including His “rest,” until we accept that, repent, and seek Him in a new way.
IT IS WRITTEN
It is written: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Gal. 6:7-8 niv
Do we have a problem with unbelief regarding the Life of the Kingdom of God in a way that motivates us to keep one foot in the world rather than simply obeying Jesus?
Next, “Do We Believe That – – -?”
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio USA
August 9, 2021
CLICK HERE for a printable pdf.