There are sincere, valid reasons and then there are enough excuses to fill the heavens greater than all the stars and heavenly bodies.

First, faith should NEVER be about religion. Religion describes an act, a practice. Such as religiously attending Sunday services, or religiously volunteering to help the homeless, and so on. Faith should be founded upon, built upon the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father. The Holy Spirit and the whole inerrant infallible living and active Word of God. If looking at a place, a person, or a pastor you will be disappointed and setting yourself up for an eroding along the way placing all the human nouns in this life ahead of Christ, ahead of God, ahead of the Holy Spirit, and ahead of the Holy Bible.

People fail. People disappoint. There is no perfection here. Nowhere to be found. Even in what may appear the most holy, faithful person, pastor, or place of worship.

Far too many churches, and I address this to the well-heeled large to mega-sized ones do have problems when it comes to money. Because there is so much coming in. Weekly. Monthly. There are pastors in America living in $10,000,000 homes. Imitating Jesus? Celebrity, rock star big name pastors. Idolized. Treated as celebrities rather than supposed men of God who are nothing more, should be nothing more than stalwart stewards of the Word, earthly shepherds of flocks leading them along the straight and narrow. It is a slippery slope for those richly blessed to preach that gain such notoriety and attention to maintain humility and sound teaching basing everything they preach on the Word of God.

Don’t idolize any pastor, preacher, priest, minister, reverend, or teacher. Always ask, every time, “Are they preaching, teaching the sound doctrine of the Word of God?” Be like a Berean.

Money, money, money. Far too much of it in certain places, certain churches. Certainly a great temptation to many. Misused by many.

Do not allow their poor example, their failings, or their love of money to taint your faith or to keep you from the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not permit the behaviors of others to spot or blemish your garment with sin. Making excuses. Understand all are human, all are wicked, all fall short of the glory of God, all have sinned, and all are still sinners. It is only by the grace of God and His mercy, love, and forgiveness we are not, no one who truly repents and believes, obeys and maintains the faith does not taste of the wrath, the condemnation of God.

Avoid the rumor mill, the gossipers, and the grumblers, and focus on the Lord. Focus on the word of God. Make yourself right in the sight of the Lord. Do not permit anyone at any place to sidetrack you, derail you, or attempt to remove you from faith in God, faith in Jesus, faith in the Holy Spirit, or faith in the Word of God.

Look to Jesus. Look to the Holy Bible. Not to others and what they say or do. God will take care of them and everything everyone has done or does here. Make yourself right with the Lord. No excuses.

Period.

And stop prioritizing religion ad being religious and begin prioritizing Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Bible.

Period.

It isn’t easy. It’s getting harder all the time. But pray about finding and making a sound doctrine, sound Bible teaching, Bible preaching, founded upon Christ, and the Jesus of the Bible are the priorities of the church you are attending, and where money and fame and appeasing the world, accommodating sin is not present. Find a sound doctrine preaching, BELIEVING, teaching pastor. Not desiring to become a celebrity TV or radio pastor, not needing the 24-carat gold cufflinks, private jet, and pushing for a Starbucks in the church kind of pastor and place. And focus on the teaching. On the Christian fellowship. And mostly on growing in spiritual maturity alongside the Lord Jesus Christ.

But also understanding there is no perfection here on earth. Not even in the best church on earth. It will still be comprised of people. Sinners. Even if saved we are all still sinners. And a church is not to conform to us 100%. No one will ever find a place that suits them 100% of the time in every way, every person, every sermon.

But…if there are no Bibles seen? No Bible preached from? No sound teachings? Rumors abound. It’s a place of grumblers? No different than most theaters and entertainment centers?

Something, some things are getting in the way of the teaching and preaching of the Word and spreading the gospel, the sound gospel to others?

If anything else, everything else is getting in the way of that? Time to either speak sincerely, purely, Biblically to the pastor and leaders whom you are attending and if they do not take your heartfelt Biblically founded approach into consideration and return to the Word, return to teaching Christ alone, return to God then it may be time you forget about religion and focus on Jesus, on God, on the Holy Spirit and the Bible — elsewhere.

Don’t permit your devotion, or your faith to fade because of others, or a place. no excuses will be accepted when each one of us faces the Lord in judgment.

Focus on Christ, on God, on the Holy Spirit, and on the inerrant infallible Word of God.

First, foremost, always and forever.

And everything else is passing dung. It really is…leave God to judge others and not be so harsh with you.

Ken Pullen, A CROOKED PATH, Monday, June 19th, 2023

Fading Devotion

June 6, 2023

By Will Green

Reprinted from Man and Home

Faith, in its essence, is a deeply personal and profound aspect of human existence. It serves as a guiding force, providing solace, meaning, and purpose to countless individuals across the globe. However, there are moments when the pillars of our religious convictions begin to crumble under the weight of various influences.

Excessive Luxury in the Church: Expensive Soundboards

“My husband, who went to school for music production, said the soundboards they had were a minimum of $1mil each, and they had like 7 of them.”

It’s amazing to think of how much money can be spent on things like soundboards for church music. In the case of this one church, they spent a whopping 7 million dollars just on this! There could be so many other ways that money could have been used to help people, and this extravagant spending can sometimes make people question their faith.

Encouraging More Donations: Church Letters

“The church wrote a letter saying they knew how much money he was making and that he should give more to the church.”

It can be very off-putting when a church asks for more money, especially when they seem to know how much you make. This experience can make it feel like the church cares more about money than helping people.

The Hidden Predators: Big Church Guy

“When my sister-in-law got her Masters in counseling, one of her professors said that many predators ‘hide behind’ the facade of Big Church Guy. He said they will purposely seek out a board position or similar so that people won’t question what he’s doing.”

It’s deeply troubling to think that someone would use their position in a religious community to take advantage of others. This kind of behavior can not only harm the individuals involved, but it can also make others lose faith in their religion.

Misuse of Donations: Elaborate Props

“They received over one million dollars in donations every week and spent it on elaborate props, rather than helping the community.”

Religions often teach about the importance of helping others, so it can be disheartening to see a church using its funds on elaborate props instead of supporting the community. This can cause people to question their religious beliefs and whether the church is living up to its teachings.

Commercialization of Religion: Starbucks in Church

“There’s a megachurch in Florida with a Starbucks in it.”

Seeing a Starbucks inside a church can make it feel like religion is being turned into a business. It’s important to think about if the church focuses on spiritual growth or is more interested in making money.

Mandatory Donations: The Donation Chart

“When I was in middle school, a pastor created this chart showing what everyone should donate each week/month based on your household’s income.”

It can be very off-putting when a church starts telling you how much money you should give. This kind of behavior can make people feel like they’re being judged based on how much money they make rather than on their faith and their actions.

The Gossip Culture: Church Rumors

“Also, if you’ve ever been to a church, they all gossip about each other.”

Gossip can be found in any group of people, but it can feel particularly harmful when it’s in a religious community. Some people feel like they can’t trust their fellow church members, which can cause them to doubt their faith.

Curiosity Punished: Grandmother’s Reaction

“When I was a kid, I asked my grandmother where God came from, and she smacked me across the face and said, ‘We don’t ask questions like that.’ I was just being curious, and her reaction shocked me.”

Religion should be where people can explore their beliefs and ask questions, but sometimes it feels like curiosity is punished. When people are treated this way, it can make them feel like they’re not allowed to question or explore their beliefs, which can cause them to lose faith.

The Failings of Religious Leaders

Religious leaders ruined religion for me.”

Religious leaders are supposed to be examples of the values and beliefs of their religion, but sometimes they need to catch up. Seeing your leaders failing to live up to their faith’s ideals can lead to religious doubts.

Idolizing the Pastor: Life-Size Bronze Statue

“The first thing I saw upon entering was a life-size bronze statue of the pastor.”

It can feel strange and uncomfortable when a church seems to idolize its pastor to the point of creating a life-size statue. It makes people ask if the church is more focused on worshiping its leader than God.

The Erosion of Sacred Spaces: Commercial Breaks in Service

“Two rock-based bands, a stage, not an altar. They had a commercial break for expo erasable markers in the middle of it.”

The church is supposed to be a sacred space for worship and reflection, but when it starts to feel like a concert or a commercial event, it can make people question whether the focus is on spirituality.