I just completed a 6,324mile road trip from Florida to Washington State and back. When you drive that long, you have a lot of time to be in awe of the Creator, worship Him and think deeply about His gospel.
At least that is what TT thinks about. The gospel.
It’s how He wired me.
I have been learning more about the deception of Progressive Christianity and how they tend not to believe anything that appears “hard” or “difficult” like original sin, penal substitutionary atonement, wrath of God, punishment from God and hell.
God gets called a cosmic child abuser for allowing His Son to die on the cross.
That’s when you know things are twisted.
The good news becomes the bad news and lies becomes the “good news.”
Progressive Christianity is all about “love” and good experiences/feelings….which sounds nice if that indeed was what love really was.
Contrary to false gospel beliefs about love….
Love looks like a cross.
Love looks like dying to self.
Loves looks like He disciplines those I love.
Love looks like someone else took our punishment.
Love looks like God the Father, Jesus AND the Holy Spirit.
Love looks like Jesus is God, not just a good example for us.
The prosperity gospel thrives in America. My definition of the prosperity gospel would be the belief that when you decide to to follow Jesus, your life will be better which includes your health, wealth and well-being.
Is my life better with Jesus? Yes, it is better with Jesus. In a car accident, earthquake, robbery and persecution it is better with Emmanuel. In losing my life, I find it. In taking up my cross daily, I find Jesus.
The prosperity gospel flies in the face of all the disciples being martyred for their faith (besides John). The scary part about how I believe the prosperity gospel can thrive in America is that….
Bubbles create cults.
Cults create culture.
Cultures can exist on lies propagated by their leaders.
That is why I love my life-style with bouncing around and hearing a TON of different belief systems within Christianity. It keeps me from getting sucked into a cult and out of cultures that set themselves up against the truth. It keeps me seeking God and living. It keeps me grounded in the word to see what is Jesus and what is man made.
The prosperity gospel, I just THOUGHT was another false gospel running parallel to Progressive Christianity. Then I realized they are running tandem.
I would think under progressive Christianity is a faulty foundation
of the prosperity gospel.
And even under the faulty foundation of the prosperity gospel would be the question “Why does God allow suffering?”
So it would look like this:
Progressive Christianity
Prosperity Gospel
Why does God allow suffering?
When that answer can’t be found or reconciled about why God allows suffering, we make up false narratives. For instance, saying God isn’t sovereign could be a Progressive view, because saying He is sovereign would mean He is involved in this suffering, has some control or allows it.
So we make God aloof, maybe because we equate God with our possible distant father we had growing up. We say He isn’t everywhere, all knowing and all powerful because…then…one who was abused could ask “Why I abused?” “Why was I treated that way? Why did God allow that to happen?”
We can’t reconcile that God would have anything to do with hard times, so we rewrite the story of God. We disassociate God with suffering. We say it’s about health and wealth and every time LIFE flies in the face of it, we take an eraser or highlighter to the parts of Scripture we don’t like and make our own fairy tale of God. We make God in our own image to fit our narrative. We deceive ourselves.
Most Christians, in America, wouldn’t say they believe the prosperity gospel necessarily, but it’s deeply ingrained. So when your child gets cancer, it is “Why would God allow this to happen?” When COVID hits and you lose your job, it’s “Where is God”? Or when you work for a Christian organization and stand on the truth that the Bible is infallible, original sin, penal substitutionary atonement and hell are real….and you lose your position as a result….you could ask “Jesus, where you at?”
But I don’t. Because I know He is here. He is aware of it all. He is Emmanuel. He allows for free will, which means a lot of crazy can happen, but not outside His control.
Because my God is good, He allows suffering and calls me to suffer with Him.Like Moses, I ain’t going if You ain’t going. I am learning more and more what Emmanuel means. It’s my greatest treasure…that name.
Jesus never promised we would have a healthy, wealthy life.
Instead, the Bible promised hard times are on the way.
2 Timothy 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Matthew 5: 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I implore you, don’t get deceived. I have been an evangelist since my birth 20 years ago. I am USED to non-Christians believing wildly. 2020 was the year I have heard more about deception IN THE CHURCH than ever in my 20 years. But nothing is new under the sun. New year, new name. This kind of stuff has been happening since the beginning with satan asking “Did God really say?”
I have a fear of the Lord about being deceived or leading one of these precious ones astray. It’s righteous. I have told friends recently how I am afraid I would eventually be deceived. I currently am very alert and eyes wide opened. But I’m on my toes. Lies have crept into the church about God and His story and ya gurl will go to her grave standing in the witness stand….hopefully unshaken and immoveable on His firm foundation.
People who have been given a realistic sense of what it means to follow Jesus, and who have counted the cost, will make much steadier disciples. ~Zane Pratt
I just finished a marathon ride across America. We train to remain steadfast. You will need endurance to be steady in the coming persecutions. If you believe a false gospel, you will be deceived in your delusion and fall on the faulty foundation. But if the word of God directs your narrative of the gospel, you will be steady.
The journey is what will get you.
Not so much the destination.
Stay alert for this Race and finish well.
Lastly, from Paul…my ride or die…cut from the same cloth…brotha from another motha….who I resonate more with now more than ever….said to Timothy, someone entrusted to his care:
I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God….
God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-control
Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord
Share in the suffering for the gospel
Guard the good deposit entrusted to you
If we deny Him, He will deny us
Present yourself…rightly handling the word of truth
(He goes on to specifically call out 2 names of people who have swerved from the truth…..upsetting the faith of some. Thank you Paul.)
Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove. rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine but…will accumulate teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to truth and wander off into myths.
As for you, be sober minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist….
At my first defense, NO ONE CAME TO STAND BY ME, but ALL deserted me….
to Him be the GLORY forever and ever. Amen. ~Paul
