Questions for Your Consideration

Questions for Your Consideration

Where is the fear of God?

Did the Holy Spirit stutter when He stated clearly in the Bible that each of us will give an account to God?

Honestly, ask yourself if are we laying up treasures in heaven or on earth?

Are we thinking and acting as faithful stewards of our time, talents, and treasures?

We who have all our needs met and most of our wants satisfied, how can the love of God dwell in us as we fall prey to the materialistic culture that fuels our lust for more and better while there are those locally and internationally that lack for basic needs?

The cold hard facts are that each human is mortal. There will come a day that is their last day. Then what? Do we live in the light of eternity? Do we get tangled up in the temporal agendas of this passing world? 

Do we notice or care about the sins we commit by our attitudes, actions, and inactions?

Do we feel a need to call on the Lord from the core of our being for His grace, mercy, and help?

Do we even begin to appreciate the cosmic battle for souls that is happening all around us every day? 

Are we allowing our ignorance of church history and disconnection with those on the front lines of the mission field to let us embrace mediocracy of suburban church culture as acceptable to God Almighty who is the only true Creator, Savior, and Judge?

If we were objectively evaluated by our spouse, children, coworkers, and closest friends how would they report about us when our attitudes, behaviors, and words are closely compared to the clear standards of the New Testament? 

Many were burned at the stake during the Reformation to bring us the Bible in English. Many died on battlefields or came home seriously wounded to protect our religious freedoms. Many gave sacrificially to build the churches, Bible Colleges, and seminaries where we have attended or been blessed due to what happened there. We have benefited due to the generous contributions of those who came before us. Would they be pleased with how we have treated these gifts intended to further our Christian faith?  

As those who have been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, we are no longer our own according to the Word of God. We were bought with a price. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do we respect our body in the ways we eat, exercise, and sleep? 

What if a group of totally neutral journalists was to come to your home and your home church to make a documentary. What would they find and record? Would the words, deeds, and attitudes of you, your family and fellow church members be a graceful expression of what the Bible clearly proclaims? Would the journalist be impressed by the humility, kindness, and compassion of those they got to know personally? Jesus said that if you see me then you see the Father. If you and your closest Christian associates were known over the course of a year, would they honestly feel that they had encountered the Word of God made flesh?

What if we fail to pay close attention to what the Bible teaches. what if we tune out the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. What if we ignore the parts of sermons that make us uncomfortable. What if we do the opposite of Romans 12:2 that says be not conformed to the ways of the world but transformed by the Word of God. But instead, we are conformed to the ways of the world and are not transformed by the Word of God. Then how will there be a dime's worth of difference between us and our neighbors who do not claim to be Christians? How will our children and grandchildren endure the attacks of the worldly culture on their Christian faith? 

Does the Christian lifestyle that the high school and college students observe in us compel them to resist the temptations of the world, flesh, and devil in order to live a holy life as unto the Living God despite the peer pressure and waves of worldly programming sent to them from the media? And if not then is it shocking that the Millennials are not attending church in percentages that are much higher than previous generations? And as this trend continues then how will those in their 20s parent, vote, and serve as role models for the coming decades?

In chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation, it is recorded that Jesus Christ gave His evaluation of the 7 churches. So can you imagine that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His evaluation of your local church and of the overall Christian churches in the USA this decade? What might be included in His report? What favorable and unfavorable comments might be included? Is it possible that He could call us to repentance?

If we keep drifting along comparing ourselves to others like us then how can there ever be improvements? If we ignore history and trends then where are we headed? If we say that the Bible is inspired by God and is the Word of God that reveals the mind of Christ yet fail to adjust our personal and corporate lives to reflect the love and grace of God then is it any wonder that those outside the church call us hypocrites? 

I will stop writing these run on sentences now. But just maybe you have begun to think and feel in ways that are uncommon for you. It could be useful for you to read this again slowly and reflect on those parts that bother you the most. Just maybe you will feel motivated to pray earnest prayers in ways you never had before. If your thoughts and feels get stirred up then may I recommend that you write in your journal at length to process those matters? 

We are just pilgrims passing through this brief earthly existence. So how can each day be leveraged to glorify God to the maximum? 

It was not fun to write this. But I did it in love. I hope you are prompted to think and feel more like Christ.