38% of Christians Surveyed Got This One Wrong

I did a survey on Bible Love Notes' Facebook page and the results were interesting. Even though mostly Christians follow the page, 38% of those surveyed proved their lack of Bible knowledge. The devotion continues below the poll...

 

Please note: I asked for the answer that is ALWAYS right, not sometimes right. In certain situations, #1 and #2 are correct, but #3 and #4 are never true. 

 

The passages below refute the first, second, and fourth statements and confirm the fifth statement. Only God can perfectly judge hearts and condemn people to Hell, but God commands us to judge: 

False teachers and ungodly influences:
Matthew 7:15-20; Ephesians 5:8-11

Sinning believers (to help restore them):

Matthew 18:15; Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20; 1 Corinthians 5:12

Our close companions:
1 Corinthians 15:33; Ephesians 5:5-7

We're also called to judge sin (Ephesians 5:11), false teachings
(Acts 17:11), and bad influences (Psalm 101:3; 1 John 2:15-17).  

And churches are commanded to have formal judgment against members living in unrepentant sin: 1 Corinthians 5; Matthew 18:15-17.

#3 represents the popular Jesus portrayed in many books and movies, but not the Jesus of Scripture. True love confronts sin and seeks to restore people to God. For Scriptures proving Christ judged people, read Did Jesus Come to Judge? or watch it on YouTube: Did Jesus Come to Judge? 

As this Facebook survey shows, we must be prepared to address these false views of judgment so we can carry out the purposes of God. 

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This survey is one example of the confusion many Christians have about biblical judgment, a subject I address thoroughly in Lies in Disguise. 

To discover other subjects addressed in my book, please refer to the landing page: Lies in Disguise.

💙 Currently available from the publisher with a discount: Lies in Disguise. Also available on Amazon and CBD.  And in the UK: CLC-UK or Eden UK. 

 

 

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Divine Appointment in Timbuktu!

When Steve Saint found himself stranded in Timbuktu,(1) a young man named Nouh agreed to take him to a local missionary to help him procure transportation.

Nouh was a Christian convert who'd been beaten and disowned by the Islamic community. His own mother had tried to poison him.(2)

Reading Christian biographies had encouraged and strengthened Nouh's faith (Hebrews 11).

He told Steve, "My favorite was about five young men who willingly risked their lives to take God's Good News to Stone Age Indians in the jungles of South America ... these men let themselves be speared to death, even though they had guns!"(3)

Can you imagine Nouh's surprise when Steve explained that one of those men was his father, Nate Saint? 

But Nouh was not the only one blessed that day.

Steve had been struggling with the purpose of his father's death, and this meeting gave him confidence that his father's witness was touching lives all the way to Timbuktu (Romans 8:28)!

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(1) Timbuktu, often used to describe the uttermost parts of the earth, is a city in the West African nation of Mali.

(2) Members of Muslim families who convert to Christianity are often tortured and/or killed by Muslim family members. See Should Christians be concerned about the idea of Sharia Law? For more on this important subject, see the Bite Size Bible Study linked to this devotion.

(3) For more details of this story that happened in 1986 and other interesting stories from the lives of Steve and Ginny Saint, check out Walking His Trail.   You can also read about Steve's life in his book End of the Spear.

To read a few more Bible Love Notes devotions about the Saint Family, see The Saint Family: Courage and Perseverance.

To do a short Bible study on the subject of today's devotion, check out today's Bite Size Bible Study.

💙 If you liked this devotion and you'd like a one-minute Bible Love Note delivered to your email each weekday, sign up for a free subscription HERE. No spam, no ads, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Don't Be Someone Christ Will "Spit Out of His Mouth"!

“Radical Christianity” isn't very popular because Christians who are radical about their faith believe it affects all areas of life: politics, education, lifestyles, words, clothes, attitudes, etc.  

What do you think? Should our beliefs “boil over” into all these areas of life, or should they stay in Christian circles? Let’s ask Jesus:

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16*

It’s interesting that the Greek word “hot” in this verse means “boiling hot” according to Thayer's Greek Lexicon. It’s a powerful and accurate description of appropriate Christian zeal. 

To know if we’re boiling hot for the Lord, we should ask ourselves: 

What motivates me—pleasing God or pleasing people and culture?  

What concerns me—Christians who speak unpopular truths or those who remain silent?

What breaks my heart—millions of babies killed in the womb, millions of LGBTQ people walking to eternal death, Islamic hatred of Christians, or Christians sharing God's unpopular warnings?

If you don't want Jesus to spit you out, “never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11).

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This devotion will further explain this subject: Are You a Bottle-Fed or Meat-Eating Christian? 

Notes 

Child sacrifice: Don't let culture make you lukewarm about the evil child sacrifice approved and promoted in our country which harms both mother and child. See Do You Believe This Wonderful Truth?

True concern for those living LGBTQ lifestyles: Don't let culture stop you from giving God's healthy, compassionate warnings to those who deny His creation design. See Responding to Revisionist Theology: Don't Overlook Verse 11.

Does Islam really teach hatred of Christians:

Yes, it teaches hatred of both Jews and Christians. Don't be taken in by the growing number of Islamic resources which try to excuse passages in the Quran which promote violence. Here are some sources that explain this honestly: Religion Research Institute and Islam and Violence. And don't fall for the false claim that the Bible is as violent as the Quran: See Were Old Testament Wars the Same as Muslim Jihad? 

* Why Jesus said He'd rather some were cold:

In this passage Jesus isn’t saying being cold is a good thing. He wants us to recognize the true nature of our faith, and it’s better to understand we’re cold and need faith than to think we’re faithful when we’re simply lukewarm.

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When Your Problems Seem Overwhelming

Sometimes our problems seem overwhelming. 

Christ told us it would be that way:
"In this world you will have trouble."

But Jesus didn't end there. He added,
"But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Jesus makes no promises that life will be easy. In fact, He tells us to expect troubles, sorrows, persecution, and trials, things that will sometimes even make us feel like giving up (Matthew 10:22; 2 Corinthians 1:8).

We are assured of our future because God has purchased for us an eternity of perfect peace and joy.

Until then, whenever we feel overwhelmed, we can take our negative thoughts captive and make our minds obedient to the truth that Christ has overcome and we are also overcomers (Romans 8:37).

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5  

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I also encourage you to read these two Bible Love Notes devotions:

When You Can't Even Pray and Even Paul Despaired.

If you liked this devotion, please sign up for a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Bible Love Notes HERE.

WISDOM FOR LIFE: Do you know the story behind my book Wisdom for Life? You can read it HERE and find out where to purchase it online.

LIES IN DISGUISE: Check out the relevant subjects in each chapter, read some endorsements, and find out where to order Lies in Disguise HERE.

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Fools Find No Pleasure in Understanding

A person unsubscribed from Bible Love Notes after telling me I was wrong about people having to diligently “work out our salvation” (Philippians 2:12-13).

 

She said that Galatians 5:16-18 (below) proves we simply need to pray, and the Spirit will change us.

 
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”*  

This passage actually tells us that our old sin nature and our new nature are in conflict. That's why Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to “put off” the old and “put on” the new, something involving action as well as prayer.

 
Besides the clear message of Philippians 2:12-13 about working out our salvation, we're also commanded to obey God (John 15:10), read and study Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15), seek godly fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25), and fulfill God's purposes for us (Ephesians 2:10). 

 

We don't need to do these things to be saved, but once we're saved, these things are proof of our salvation (1 John 2:3-4; James 2:17). 

 

Sadly, even when I explained our need to act as well as pray, this person proved the truth in Proverbs 18:2. 

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For more on this subject, see:

 

Christians Are Lifelong Students of Jesus

 

Nine Disciplines of Growing Christians

 

Comfortable on the Couch 

 

* When this passage says we are “not under the law,” it's talking about not being under Old Covenant law. It doesn't mean we need not obey God's New Testament commands. For more specific truths about the purpose and fulfillment of Old Testament law, see Law Collection. To understand the errors in a growing movement of Christians who claim we must obey Old Testament dietary and ceremonial laws, see All or Nothing: Hebrew Roots Movement. 

 

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