Religious division is something most don’t want to talk about, but it is a fact that people are divided on things concerning God. Now man isn’t divided because the Bible is the problem, because the Bible is the word of Almighty God and nothing in this great book comes up short (Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 23:29; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12). Division exists because of the attitudes of men, and it will continue as long as men behave badly (1 Corinthians 1:10; 2 Cor. 13:11; 1 Timothy 1:3-4, 6:3-5; Mark 7:7).
But all the differences in churches and religious practices can be made right if the proper procedure is put into action. I’m not talking about so-called unity forums where everyone comes together and agrees on some point, then leaves still being members of different churches. I’m talking about men forsaking their creed books, their ownthoughts and what others have told them, never holding those views again and just letting the Bible be their guide. Now if man will do this, someone will have to admit he has been wrong. There is no way around that because there are too many churches and only one Bible and the Bible didn’t create the religious confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Once that is done, men will have to conform to what the Bible teaches and refuse fellowship with those who don’t abide in the doctrine (Galatians 1:8-9; 2 John 8-11). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. It is shameful that some will accept what is said about others without confirming it. For example, If Bobby tells Herman that Stanley was laughing at a homeless cat, Herman will believe it. But the right thing would have been for Herman to ask Stanley if he laughed at the cat. And if Bobby is so opposed to people laughing at the hardships of animals, why did he have to run and tell Herman? The thing that he should do is go to Stanley and let him know that making fun of suffering is wrong. It became gossip when Bobby went to the third person rather then dealing with the person involved.
If we hear something about another person, we need to realize that such is rumor because we didn’t see it. And we sure don’t need to be spreading rumors. If we are concern about what we hear, we need to go directly to the source and find out. Also we need to refuse to listen to people who spread things about others (Acts 17:21; 1 Timothy 5:13; Proverbs 18:8; Leviticus 19:16; Proverbs 20:19, 26:20:22; Matthew 18:15; Galatians 2:11; 2 Corinthians 12:20). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. How much money do people have to lose before they wise up to the schemes of some preachers? A while back there was a congressman that started an investigation of preachers on cable networks—questioning their spending habits and lifestyles. Some of these men and women are living a life of luxury off the backs of the hard working deceived viewers who keep sending the checks (2 Peter 2:1-3; Romans 16:17-18).
Back in the eighties, people thought they had seen it all when Jim Bakker used church funds to build an air conditioned dog house. Come on people, wise up! The Bible teaches a simple plan concerning the church and money. Each church is to lay something aside (once) on the first day of the week in order that the work of the church may go on. This offering is provided by the members of the local church, and no one else is required to give. The church takes this offering and spends within its budget and the work of the church will continue (1 Corinthians 16:1-4). The next time you see preachers begging for money, turn off the TV! Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. This quote came from the Tonight Show host, Jay Leno, that he told as a joke. However, this makes a great point:
“With hurricanes, tornados and fires out of control. With mud slides, flooding and severe thunderstorms tearing up this country up from one end to another. And also with the threat of swine flu, along with possible terrorist attacks. Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?” (end of joke) (This is no joke) Psalm 33:12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance.” Proverbs 1:33: “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely and will be secure, without fear of evil.” Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them.“ Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. |