There are churches (cults) who claim to have the only truth in a re-written Bible. One is the Jehovah’s Witnesses with their so-called New World Translation. This book was written by one man by the name of Charles Taze Russell, who believed that Jesus was the Archangel Michael. Today the followers abide by the writings of the Watchtower and Tract Society.
Another cult is the Latter Day Saints (Mormons), whose Bible consists of fairy tales and also is written by another deluded man, John Smith. This man claims to have had conversations with an angel named Moroni, who told him the location of golden plates on which were written the secrets of God. Even the angel’s name sounds wacky; it kind of makes a person wonder if there was LSD use in those days.
If these organizations don’t extol Jesus Christ as God’s only begotten Son, who died for us on the cross, then they are a man-made religion. If they don’t esteem Him who sits at the right hand of God the Father, then they are wrong. If they put any other name ahead of Christ Jesus, they are wrong.
“…For there is no other name under heaven, given among men whereby you must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
What is the true church? The true Christian church is where God’s unaltered Word is taught and where repentant sinners come seeking a better way of life. Tired and hungry for truth and deliverance, repentant sinners come on bended knee to God’s throne of grace. There they meet up with the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus, and find rest for their souls.
“Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Such people come to church in search of truth and the deep things of God, as well as how to attain contentment, peace of mind and rest for their eternal souls. Many fail to find it in today’s politically correct and spiritually dead man-made religion.
In the true church some are newborn Christians (babes in Christ), who truly seek and desire the milk of the word of God. Others are gaining maturity by growing in faith through digesting the meatier portions of scripture and growing strong by it.
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Some of us attend church for the music and entertainment, while others are looking for a mate. Still others want momentary elation rather than learning what the Lord has for them from His Word, the Bible. In doing so, they rely on man-made euphoria in the form of various charismatic manifestations. While these manifestations appear to be harmless, they can have a crippling effect on those who rely on them, and cause them never to be fully mature Christians.
And then, of course, there are nominal Christians, those for whom going to church is a Sunday ritual. Some of these go to church just to further their business ties or to appear to be an upright citizen. But as time goes on and Bible prophecy is fulfilled, they may finally get their act together and repent – let’s hope so.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that we are all too human. Is it any wonder that God and His beloved Son decided long ago that the second person of the Trinity had to come to Earth and die for us, to show us the Father’s love for us with His great plan of salvation?
The word of God says, “…All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags….” (Isaiah 64:6). And since there is none righteous — no not one — we could never have attained heaven otherwise.
As for those who are only religious and without substance, God says, “They worship me with their mouths, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8).
The key to this whole thing is to know God in a personal way and to rely on His infallible Word, the Bible. “Every word of God is true; He is a shield to those who trust in Him” (Proverbs 30:5).
Today, we believers must take the opportunity to be on the offensive — while we still can — during the current administration. This window of opportunity may not be open long, and if we ever hope to reach the unsaved, it is now. With time running out we can’t be closet Christians anymore, and it might be a good idea to extol the virtues of your particular Bible-believing church openly and unafraid.
As for me, I attend a church where the Bible is taught and the Gospel preached at each and every service. We have two services on Sunday, a traditional one at 9:30 a.m. and another one with modern music at 11:00 a.m.
If you live within 100 miles of First Baptist Church of Naples, you should stop by and worship with us. If not, you can access us live at www.fbcn.org and get the times for worship on the internet. You’ll be glad you did.
By the way, a new faith-based movie is coming out soon, titled “Generational Sins.” It sounds as if it is trying to be more true to life than what Christians are used to. With over twenty-nine expletives, it portends to be a slice of life, something for the nonbeliever as well as the believer.
Although I’m in favor of more realistic Christian films, I’m not sure how this tactic will work. I’ve always believed that what is needed is more thought-provoking themes as opposed to hard- hitting, in your face cursing. If this is the producer’s ploy, then it may not do any good in provoking the masses to action, since they’ve seen and heard it all before, over and over in today’s regular and often obscene movies.
P.S. I’m still in need of a legitimate publisher, not a self-publishing scammer. If you know of one, please contact me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com
YBIC
Jim Towers
You can reach me at – jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or www.thepropheciesmovie and book.