The Daily Word of Righteousness

Tabernacles and the Testimony, #10

For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. (II Corinthians 12:20—NIV)

Numerous Christian people are outraged over the fact that the unsaved abort their children. Why is it remarkable that the unsaved abort their children? Dogs bark because they are dogs. Sinners sin because they are sinners. The American secular populace views the Christians as hypocrites and does not want them interfering in their personal pleasures.

Meanwhile the Christian churches are filled with every form of immorality, covetousness, slander, gossip, hatred, strife, unforgiveness, pride, arrogance, haughtiness, smugness, selfishness, self-centeredness, witchcraft, unbelief, lying, indifference to the demands of Christ, and if there be anything else contrary to sound doctrine.

If the Evangelical churches are not to preach grace-rapture-Heaven, grace-rapture-Heaven, grace-rapture-Heaven, what are they to preach? Are there any other subjects in the New Testament? What teaching will convert the Christians to righteous behavior so the world will have a moral light to go by?

The ministers of the Gospel in America must begin to preach the commandments of Christ and His Apostles. After having declared the atoning death and triumphant resurrection of the Lord they are to emphasize that we are to present our body to God a living sacrifice. They are to emphasize that we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.

They are to emphasize moral purity, truthfulness, freedom from the idols of America such as covetousness, violence, and the love of pleasure. They are to warn the believers about being entangled in the world. They are to stress the importance of hard work, of honor, of faithfulness, of absolute integrity, of friendliness and kindness.

They are to teach the believers to seek the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit so they may build up themselves and their fellow members of the Body of Christ until all of us attain the stature of the fullness of Christ.

They are to pray without ceasing, especially for the leaders of government and all those in authority. They are to meditate each day in the Scriptures. They are to assemble with fervent believers, serving in the assembly, sharing their material means as they are able, always remembering the poor.

There is a New Testament full of commandments and exhortations. All of these are to be taught and emphasized. By so doing we will convert the believers to the righteous ways of the Lord. Then, and only then, will the unsaved have an understanding of what God requires of people—not just of Christians but of all people on the face of the earth.

How dreadful the Evangelical bias against righteous behavior actually is can be seen in the translation of Isaiah 62:1 found in The Amplified Bible (The Lockman Foundation, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, seventh printing, August, 1970.)

For Zion's sake will I [Isaiah] not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until her imputed righteousness and vindication go forth as brightness, and her salvation radiates as does a burning torch.

I doubt seriously that it was Isaiah who was speaking but rather the Spirit of Christ in Isaiah. But this is not the point.

To be continued.