God’s Word IS God’s Word. Eternal. Living. Active. Inerrant. Infallible.
UNCHANGEABLE.
There is a strong delusion present. Can you sense it? Know it’s there? See it? Hear it? Imagine the stench rising up to heaven!
The following was not given to the apostle Paul by the Spirit of God solely for the believers in Thessalonica, to Timothy, or to the believers in Rome about 2,000 years ago to only pertain to them. Every word within God’s Word applies to us, to everyone in this world at this moment as it did when Timothy read, and the folks in Thessalonica and Rome had Paul’s letters read aloud to them.
There has been either a great falling away, which Scripture tells us will happen just prior to the Lord Jesus Christ coming to gather us to Him, to Rapture, catch up, His Church — or else there has been such a dearth of sound teaching and absence, neglect of the Word of God among those professing faith to bring about the results of the George Barna survey that “Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist.”
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
2 Timothy 4:1-5
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…”
Romans 1:18-22
There may be great elation at the election results, and rightly so, but that’s American government and politics — NOT American faith towards the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, NOT the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ sorely lacking in the professed Church in America.
Donald Trump and the Republican Senate and House of Representatives are not going to revive the Church. Lead a faithful revival.
It’s more about the Church than it is Washington, D.C., or America. Really, it is, right, believer?
How could it get this way?
Easy; Laxity. Distractions. Unsound teachings. Weak in the Word immature professed Christians who appear to not even be fed milk let alone any meat! Weak pastors. Pastors taking pulpits that were not truly called and were taught wrongly now pass their unsound teachings on to those before them longing for the truth, for the meat to sustain and grow them.
All the talk about REVIVAL.
Okay, truly want REVIVAL? THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT INDIVIDUALLY DAILY TO BRING IT ABOUT!
Even if that amounts to praying humbly, earnestly, fervently — on fire, aflame! — faithfully more than you’ve ever prayed before. Becoming illuminated in the Word and by the Holy Spirit to be that light unto the world so that those who encounter you see God the Father in you. And that’s all that you do. Perhaps, just wondering, if it’s more than is being done presently?
I know I certainly can be humbled and acknowledge I fall short and can do more, do a lot more for the Lord Who died and conquered death to save a sinner as me. That’s God we’re mentioning that did that for me, for so many, perhaps you! I can certainly pray fervently — aflame, on fire! — more. Faithfully. Sincerely. In my secret place. Me to the Lord. Not for show. For the Lord to work in me. Seek a pure heart and mind. To be that light we ought to be as told us in God’s Word. Let it begin with me, Lord, let it begin with me and may I submit to whatever you require of me!
I am going to pursue the above earnestly.
Think that might start something? Even if we’re totally unaware of the impact we’re having on those we encounter.
Revival always and only begins with the individual. It begins with one. Why not be that one? Let us all be more trusting in the Lord, giving of ourselves to the Lord and giving less of ourselves to this world.
Think about that. Pray fervently — on fire! — about that and let’s see what can happen.
It isn’t about us.
It’s about Jesus.
It’s about God.
It’s about the Holy Spirit.
It’s about the salvation of lost souls destined for the eternal pit of hell.
It’s about life and the truth.
It’s all about Jesus.
Not me. Not you. Not those sitting in the front row at your church. Not even your pastor. AWWW — GASP!
No, not even him and if he is truly a man of God and a true shepherd aflame in his heart for Jesus Christ and the Word of God he ought to be telling this to you from the pulpit.
It’s all about Jesus and individual souls coming to Him and finding Him and receiving forgiveness of their sin by His grace for the price He paid on the tree of shame shedding His sinless blood to wash the sinner clean! Showing the promise of God by walking out of the tomb alive on the Third Day!
Time to know Jesus, God, and the Holy Bible well. To become literate, fluent, fed daily and made full each day eating and drinking of the Word of God — wherein it will become clear to anyone doing this very early on in their eating and drinking of God’s Word faithfully, asking for discernment and wisdom — that there is a Satan, and there is a Holy Spirit.
Best discover this truth now while our Good Great & Gracious God blesses with breath, a beating heart, and a spirit, a heart, a mind to ingest and know the truth. Lest you perish and in so doing gamble with your eternity, whereupon, tragically, it may be God judges in a way to demonstrate the existence of Satan.
Don’t let it get to that point — professed Christian denying Satan and the Holy Spirit.
I, for one, don’t know how anyone can call themselves a Christ follower, a child of God, an obedient Bible-knowing, Bible-believing disciple of Jesus, and mock, refuse the existence of Satan and the Holy Spirit. Certainly one cannot be born again, which is the only way to receive the gift of eternal life if not knowing and believing in the Holy Spirit as a distinct individual of the Trinity.
Come on, folks…really.
Let’s help each other to come out from the stupor and be sober and discerning rightly.
Oh, and the information in the article below this preface was researched and compiled in 2009 by the most reliable and Christian-based folks in America doing such work. 2009! So, imagine what the percentages are 15 years later. Think there might be some room for improvement?
Considering;
Why Believers Need a Biblical Worldview
Can The Majority Of Churches Be Trusted To Instill A Biblical Worldview?
Just saying…
Read on…
Ken Pullen, Thursday, November 14th, 2024
Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist
George Barna
From The George Barna Group
Survey and results from 2009
A nationwide survey of adults’ spiritual beliefs, conducted by The Barna Group, suggests that Americans who consider themselves to be Christian have a diverse set of beliefs –but many of those beliefs are contradictory or, at least, inconsistent. The survey explored beliefs about spiritual beings, the influence of faith on their life, views of the Bible, and reactions to faiths other than their own.
Views on Spiritual Beings
The Barna survey asked questions about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, and demons.
All 1,871 self-described Christians were asked about their perception of God. In total, three-quarters (78%) said he is the “all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today.” The remaining one-quarter chose other descriptions of God – depictions that are not consistent with biblical teaching (e.g., everyone is god, god refers to the realization of human potential, etc.).
For the other survey items a four-point opinion scale was used to measure people’s reactions to statements about each spiritual entity.
Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” An additional two out of ten Christians (19%) said they “agree somewhat” with that perspective. A minority of Christians indicated that they believe Satan is real by disagreeing with the statement: one-quarter (26%) disagreed strongly and about one-tenth (9%) disagreed somewhat. The remaining 8% were not sure what they believe about the existence of Satan.
Although a core teaching of the Christian faith is the divinity and perfection of Jesus Christ, tens of millions of Christians do not accept that teaching. More than one-fifth (22%) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17% agreeing somewhat. Holding the opposing view were 9% who disagreed somewhat and 46% who disagreed strongly. Six percent did not have an opinion on this matter.
Much like their perceptions of Satan, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either. Overall, 38% strongly agreed and 20% agreed somewhat that the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity.” Just one-third of Christians disagreed that the Holy Spirit is not a living force (9% disagreed somewhat, 25% disagreed strongly) while 9% were not sure.
A majority of Christians believe that a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces, such as demons or evil spirits. Two out of three Christians agreed that such influence is real (39% agreed strongly, 25% agreed somewhat), while just three out of ten rejected the influence of supernatural forces (18% disagreed strongly, 10% disagreed somewhat). The remaining 8% were undecided on this matter.
Influence of Faith
Most self-described Christians contend that their religious faith has significantly impacted their life. Almost six out of ten adults (59%) said their faith had “greatly transformed” their life, while 29% said their faith “has been helpful but has not greatly transformed” their life and 9% stated that their religious faith “has not made much of a difference” in who they are and how they live.
Christians were asked if they believed that a person must either side with God or with the devil – that there is no in-between position. A large majority strongly agreed with the notion (61%) while an additional 15% agreed somewhat. Just one out of ten adults disagreed somewhat (10%) and a similar proportion (11%) disagreed strongly. Surprisingly few adults (3%) did not have an opinion on this matter.
A large majority of Christians also proclaimed that the most important purpose in their life is to “love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul,” a notion drawn directly from the Bible (Mark 12:29-30). In total, three out of four self-described Christians (74%) strongly affirmed that idea, while 15% more agreed somewhat with the statement. Just 4% strongly disagreed and 7% somewhat disagreed with the statement. Three percent said they were not sure.
Thoughts on Other Faiths
Among self-identified Christians, few held a positive opinion of Wicca. Overall, just 5% had a positive opinion while 55% had a negative opinion of Wicca. However, a huge segment (40%) did not know enough about Wicca to have formed an opinion of it, despite it being described to them as “an organized form of witchcraft.”
Survey respondents were asked whether they believed that Mormons are Christians. Mormons themselves claim to be Christian, but most evangelical leaders say that they are not. There was no clear-cut perspective among the self-described Christians: four out of ten felt Mormons were Christian (18% strongly agreed, 21% somewhat agreed), three out of ten disagreed (17% strongly, 12% somewhat), and three out of ten were not sure what to think.
When asked whether it was important to them to have “active, healthy relationships with people who belong to religious faiths that do not accept the central beliefs of your faith,” about two-thirds of the self-professed Christians claimed it was important. Thirty-six percent agreed strongly with the notion, and 29% agreed somewhat, while 11% disagreed strongly and 16% disagreed somewhat. The other 8% did not have an opinion.
A slight majority of Christians (55%) strongly agree that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches, with another 18% agreeing somewhat. About one out of five either disagree strongly (9%) or somewhat (13%) with this statement, and 5% aren’t sure what to believe.
There is no similar clarity among self-defined Christians regarding how the Bible compares to other holy books. When faced with the statement that “the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths,” the group was evenly split between those who accepted the idea (19% agreed strongly, 22% agreed somewhat) and those who rejected it (28% disagreed strongly, 12% disagreed somewhat), while leaving a sizeable portion (20%) undecided.
The study also identified a number of instances in which people’s beliefs seemed inconsistent. Among those were the following:
- About half (47%) of the Christians who believed that Satan is merely a symbol of evil nevertheless agreed that a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces such as demons.
- About half (49%) of those who agreed that the Holy Spirit is only a symbol but not a living entity also agreed that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches, even though the Bible clearly describes the Holy Spirit as more than a symbolic reference to God’s power or presence.
- About one-third (33%) of the self-defined Christians who agree that the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon all teach the same truths simultaneously contend that the Bible is totally accurate in its principles, even though the three sacred books have very different ideas about truth, salvation, and the nature of God.
How Born Agains Differ
The study examined how one segment of the Christian population – those whose beliefs about salvation categorize them as “born again” – differ from the beliefs of people who describe themselves as Christian but do not base their view of salvation solely on confession of sin and God’s grace received through Jesus Christ. (The Barna Group has labeled the latter group “notional Christians.”) For each of the 13 questions examined in the study, there were statistically significant differences between these two segments of the Christian population. Among the most significant gaps in belief were the following:
- Born again adults are at least twice as likely as notionals to strongly agree that the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches; that their life has been greatly transformed by their faith; that a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces such as demons; and to hold an unfavorable opinion of Wicca.
- Born again adults are more than twice as likely as notionals to strongly disagree that Satan is just a symbol of evil, and that Jesus sinned while He lived on earth.
- Born again adults are more than three times as likely as notionals to strongly disagree that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol of God’s power or presence; that Mormons are Christians; and that the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon teach the same truths.
- Born again adults are one-third more likely than notionals to possess a definition of God as the omniscient, omnipotent creator and ruler of the world; nearly 60% more likely to believe that you either side with God or Satan because there is no in-between position; and slightly more than 50% more likely to say their chief purpose in life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul.
- The smallest difference between the two segments related to the importance of having active relationships with people who reject the central tenets of the person’s faith. Born again adults were slightly more likely to strongly agree that such relationships were important to them (39% versus 31%).
Americans Are Struggling to Make Sense of Their Faith
George Barna, the author of nearly four dozen books analyzing research concerning America’s faith, suggested that Americans are constantly trying to figure out how to make sense of biblical teachings in light of their daily experiences.
“Most Americans, even those who say they are Christian, have doubts about the intrusion of the supernatural into the natural world. Hollywood has made evil accessible and tame, making Satan and demons less worrisome than the Bible suggests they really are. It’s hard for achievement-driven, self-reliant, independent people to believe that their lives can be impacted by unseen forces. At the same time, through sheer force of repetition, many Americans intellectually accept some ideas – such as the fact that you either side with God or Satan, there’s no in-between – that do not get translated into practice.”
Barna also noted that Christians tend to be open to co-existence with other faiths. “Most people understand that America’s religious life is diverse,” explained the author of a forthcoming book about the nation’s faith segments, The Seven Faith Tribes. “A majority of Christians are generally open to maintaining relationships with people of other faiths, and most are not predisposed to judging people of different faiths, such as Mormons or Wiccans. But that open-mindedness is sometimes due to their limited knowledge about the principles of their own faith and ignorance about other faiths as it is to a purposeful acceptance of other faiths.”
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