Besides prosperity doctrine we see a slew of heretical teachings which mix pop culture, pop psychology, or whatever the world deems popular at that moment with Scripture. The result is a perversion of the Gospel; the kind that is more difficult to spot than Camping's ill advised dire prophecy. The fact of the matter is the Gospel message is not supposed to be popular by the standards of the world.
"A brother will
betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will
rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will
hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. When
you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son
of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of
Jesus Himself described His purpose, the Gospel, as a sword that would divide one against another. Yet we continue in Christo-American culture to want to mix what is the latest human fad or trend with the Gospel. Christianity becomes another self-help source or small group training. The bottom line is a purpose driven sheep that knows only a watered down gospel is being driven by the wrong purpose. Your best life is not now:
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." Revelation 21: 3-4 (NLT)
God help us if this is the best life we can have! Christianity is not about gemstones and gold dust. It is not about laughing uncontrollably or people wanting to be called a prophet without a prophet's sacrifice. You want a prophecy? Jesus is coming back. You don't need to know when. You only need to know what you should be doing until He comes. That answer is not found at a Christian leadership seminar. It is not found in the latest mega-church pastor's book. It is not found in the systems of man but rather in the Word of God:
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22: 37-40 (NIV)
Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28: 18-20 (NLT)
We do not need to overcomplicate what God has made so fundamentally easy. The first set of verses is Jesus specifically telling us how we are to behave until He comes back. Are the other commandments and instructions important? Of course but the beauty of the simplicity of Jesus' teaching here is you only really need to follow these two. Why? Because everything hinges on these two. If you disobey any other instruction or directive from God you can trace it back to one of these two. Adultery for example is a violation of a covenant you make with God. If you love God with everything you have, you would not break that covenant. It is also written though shall not steal. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you would never steal. All of the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. The second set of verses deal with Jesus instructing us with what we are supposed to be doing until He comes back. There is a world that is living in captivity, as we once did. We hold the key to their freedom. We hold the key to their sharing in eternal life. We need to be a witness to the glorious salvation we have been granted. How to act and what to do. God provides all of the answers within His Word. No additional steps required. No additional program needed.
