They are Stupid Children

"For My people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children and have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know." (Jer. 4:22)

"To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? behold their ears are closed and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; they have no delight in it. But I am full of the wrath of the Lord; I am weary with holding it in. Pour it out on the children in the street and on the gathering of young men together; for both husband and wife shall be taken , the aged and the very old." (Jer. 5:10-11)

My dear brother Jordan Hall, senior pastor of Fellowship Church, has been attempting to get the attention of members of this community for several months with his overwhelming humor, and powerful satire. He has been maligned time and again for his unabashed, straightforward, no holds barred, preaching about the evils that lurk in every corner of our little town here on the eastern side of Montana. People who call themselves "christian" but who are obviously not, accuse him of perverting the clear teachings of God's word. Before he came, I thought I was the only one in Sidney who believed God has more traits and characteristics to His nature than love. I had three local pastors basically suggest I take my doctrine and find some place that appreciated it. Of course I immediately advised them if my doctrine was indeed mine, it had no place in God's church. I then invited them to show me where I was wrong. Not one was interested. "God is love!" He doesn't hate anyone!" they insisted. Quite contrary to what God's word tells us (Mal. 1:3; Ps. 11:5; Rom. 9:13). "You can't be filled with the Holy Spirit unless you speak in tongues," cried another. An easily disproved doctrine for any willing to listen to what God's word has to say on the topic. One actually wrote to members of his congregation and told them, "This guy's (referring to me) not a real brother in Christ."
I pray for these false brethren daily. I pray God will open their eyes and help them understand true disciples of Jesus are in an all out war against the forces of darkness here in Sidney, as are Christians all over the world. Warriors get bloody. I am incredibly blessed to be fellowshipping with an army of warriors who call themselves Fellowship Church. Some of us use language that is too strong for some of you who may indeed agree with much of what we are trying to convey, so Jordan and I have agreed to try toning down our rhetoric for the sake of those who have thin skin.
That said, I'm quite sure Jordan will not cease to communicate the truth of God's word without wavering. I certainly have no intention to cease and desist declaring the immutable, irreversible, eternal truths of God's word to appease those determined to perpetrate evil on the citizens of our community.
The gambling halls and most of the bars in Sidney are apparently run by greedy, self-righteous, fools whose only interest is in making all they can from those whose lives are shattered because of their inability to control their addictions to these ungodly pursuits. If these merchants sleep well at nights, its only because their conscience has been seared by years of ignoring it. Owning a business that sells alcoholic beverages is not inherently evil. Owning such an establishment and taking advantage of those who haven't the ability to take care of themselves do to their addiction makes one the lowest of the low. If such people sleep well now, trust God's word when it tells us unless these unregenerated heathen repent of their evil ways, they will spend eternity in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, aka hell, aka Gehenna. (Rev. 20:11-14; 22:14-15)

For those of you who have been duped into believing you are going to spend eternity in the kingdom of God because you prayed a prayer some time in your past, listen to what the word of the Lord has to say. Paul made it clear in II Cor. 13:5 there are things that accompany the life of the one who is truly born-again. These things are called fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit, and that is part of the equation. But, there are at least 16 other things called fruit God's word declares will manifest themselves in the life of the one who has indeed been born-again. Repentance (turning away from sin), love for the brethren, love for God, obedience to the revealed will of God, a burning desire to know God's word, a burning desire to fellowship with the brethren in congregation for worship and learning, a significant prayer life, regular witnessing to the lost, being filled with the Spirit, hatred of evil, proclaiming the gospel without compromise, and caring for the poor, downtrodden, lame, and sick of society are the ones most people who call themselves followers of Jesus ignore. Doing these things doesn't save anyone, but one who is saved does these things because the Holy Spirit of the living God resides within him and overwhelms him with the burning desire to honor Jesus in all he does.
We are save by faith and faith alone. We are sanctified by faith and faith alone. Salvation is from beginning to end a work of faith (Eph. 2:8, 9); but James makes it clear faith that is not accompanied by works is useless (James 2:26). One bright saint asked this question, "If you were on trial for following Jesus, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Study God's word intensely and you'll discover, to your utter dismay, most of what is being spewed from pulpits in this town came from the traditions of man not God's word. It is being preached by ignorant, self-righteous, unlearned, ungifted men, most of whom haven't read the bible form cover to cover once in their entire lifetime. If these men were called of God to the task they are attempting to fulfill, I will humbly confess I know nothing about what God's word has to say on the topic. I won't bore you with some of the incredibly unbiblical things about which I have heard them preach. If you want to hear God's word proclaimed without apology or compromise, go to our web site: http://www.fbcsidney.com/, hover over media, then sermons, and select any one for a starter. If you're one of those who like the feminized gospel that has been spewed from pulpits across America for over three decades, don't bother listening to the messages on our site. You won't like them. If you're tired of having your ears tickled, get ready for a real treat; if you like what you hear, feel free to join us as we fight the good fight against the forces of darkness.

Finally, as the title of this blog warns, don't be a stupid child.