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BRIAN YEAGER The word compromise appears in a lot of Christian’s vocabulary. They compromise the truth for many reasons. Finding a middle course, or at least the idea, does appear in the Bible. (Revelation 3:15-16) “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” The word compromise does not appear. Yet, there were those in the Church at Laodicea that were middle riders. They wanted to find a middle ground. John writes by inspiration that there is no lukewarm. Many Christians try to justify their liberal tendencies with very many excuses. Remember that there is NO lukewarm to be in. The Bible speaks of right and wrong, not in the middle. God tells us that he has in times past overlooked, but this is no longer the case. (Acts 17:30-31) “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” God does not accept those who want a sugar coated Gospel. He never tells us to preach it so that all will like it. It in fact demands us to do the very opposite. In (Mark 16:15-16) the Lord does not tell us to go into the world and preach the Gospel in a way that everyone would believe it. As a matter of a fact he tells us that there are going to be those that do not believe and the will be damned. Paul asks if he had become the enemy to those in his letter to the Galatians for telling them the truth. (Galatians 4:16) “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” It is a sad situation when a group of Christians are offended by the preaching of truth. They want to obey other forms of doctrines than that of the Lord’s. Where does that leave them? (Galatians 1:10) “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Christ trained those who would evangelize
and start the process of teaching the world the Gospel. He trained
them to be fishers of men. (Matthew 4:18-23) “And Jesus, walking
by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And
he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going
on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets;
and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their
father, and followed him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching
in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing
all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”
Notice that Christ called them, they went. Then Christ began immediately
teaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. We do know that the kingdom is
the Church, and it came into existence on the day of Pentecost.
(Matthew 3:2) “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
It was at hand.” (Mark 9:1) “And he said unto them, Verily I say
unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste
of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”
It would come with power while some then were still living. (Acts
1:8) “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Power
would come with the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:1-4) “And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared
unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The Kingdom was in place
as there were those added to it, and it is Christ just as the Church.
(Colossians 1:13) “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”
Copyright 2000 by Brian
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