Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me, Pastor Jordan, for some Fine Points from Sunday’s service and message “Keeping Salvation Alive”
King syrup, lard for baking and chitlings were all common food items that could be purchased in nearly every store that sold groceries as their main product when I was a teenager in my small hometown.
Those small grocers were eventually bought out by larger grocers who were bought out by even larger ones or ran out of business because they could not compete with them because of volume pricing.
That meant that items that were not popular with many “mainstream” customers were taken off the shelfs to make room for more culturally refined products. This has left shoppers for these items mentioned above that were once common, scrambling to find them anywhere in the few places they are still sold.
The true gospel of Jesus Christ is following a similar fate as once common foods. And just like them, it is becoming more challenging to find churches that preach this gospel. In attempts to attract and draw people, churches are avoiding language that seems to limit personal freedom or liberty or require someone to live a particular way.
They are designed to make people feel good just the way they are and to give them advice on how they can achieve their goals while continuing to live selfish, inward focused materialistic lives pretending to be or deceiving themselves to be followers and disciples of Jesus Christ.
These types of churches are more appealing, draw larger numbers of people and have more resources than the ones who stay with the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Just like the larger companies bought out the smaller companies or ran them out of business, these alternatives churches that preach and teach an appealing to the flesh form of Christianity are threatening the existence and availability of true gospel churches.
Soon the gospel of Jesus Christ will be so widely compromised, revised and adulterated that it will become ineffective in producing lifegiving and live-changing faith required for salvation.
There are people who think they are followers of Jesus Christ, who think they are doing God’s will, people who are being told they are born-again and are forgiven who haven’t repented of their sins or even been told they need to repent. Repentance isn’t just about being sorry for something, but it is a turning away of all things evil and a turning toward all things good and to God Himself.
Not only are they not repentant, but they still fail to see and love others as themselves by behaving selfishly, greedily and indifferently to the suffering and welfare of others. Many become merchandised for the promotion of other people’s agendas for power, wantonness and licentious lifestyles.
These merchandisers are agents of evil because instead of helping to bridge the divide between people, they help sustain and intensify division because is serves their wicked and lustful purposes. But true believers and followers of Jesus Christ must see through this dilution of the gospel.
We must see that Christ never told us to be at war with the people we are called to help save. Our task is not to force obedience or morality onto our neighbors or the world, but to demonstrate the love of and obedience to God and help them see and come to the same saving faith we ourselves have.
While we who preserve, preach, teach and live this gospel may become hard to find, we must remain in accessible places so that those who seek, want and desire the truth and those whom God has ordained to eternal life can find us and see and hear the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
You can hear the complete sermon by clicking the sermon title above. You can also see and listen to our previous Sunday School, Missions and BTU sessions by clicking this link. Be sure to download our mobile app on your phones and mobile devices to get the latest news, updates and shortcuts to all of our ministries, functions and activities.
Click the SS Daily Bible Readings for an excellent devotional and preparation for the upcoming Sunday School study. Don’t forget to leave a comment or question down below. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments.
Pastor Jordan
