For the majority of people comfortably familiar with the setting of churches some three decades ago, the present-day scene brings little cheer. Watered-down sermons, loud music, and teachings from sources other than the Living Word account for an unwelcome norm. It has gone way beyond this pathetic state in very recent times. The serious consequences of sin and the need for repentance have been shoved to the sidelines if not totally hurled out of the window. All under the banner of inclusiveness!

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Herein lies the heart of the matter – God has been progressively pushed out of these churches. Order has followed suit; a peaceful place of praise and worship has become a hotbed of much strife. It only gets much worse when sin is tolerated and even celebrated. There are some who enjoy this sort of revelry, but there would be quite a number who are upset by such practices. Dissension amidst strife permeates the otherwise tranquil landscape. Such a scenario only welcomes the malevolent forces of darkness – they will have more than a field day. It only takes a short while for this heinous rearrangement to cause a once Godly institution to be totally unrecognizable!

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The old things that have passed away have to do with the fallen nature –  sin should be permanently out of the picture. The individual that has accepted Christ as his or her Lord and Savior has taken on a brand-new look. There is no turning back to the old mannerisms, only joyous acceptance and adherence to the full Counsel of God.

The call of an inclusive church is yet another vile practice from the pit of hell. These folks are not coming to Christ to be cleansed of all their unrighteousness. They are blatantly telling the Lord to accept their sinful state and perhaps pat them on the back for staying that way.

Never before has the Christian scene seen such a wicked form of repudiation where the grace and mercy of the Lord is concerned. It is literally an instance of spitting on His goodness and loving-kindness. Inclusiveness translates into a demand that sinful practices be accepted.

Such a demand has little opposition from the majority of mainstream pulpits. There is a wholehearted nod of approval from clergymen more interested in the coffers of their workplace. So we have it; cohabitating couples involved in adultery, if not fornication – everything under the LGBT classification in tow! They are more than welcome. They now become part of a big family. Question is, where is this big family going to spend eternity?

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

All smiles when the governing bodies consider sinful practices to be acceptable. But these are earthly institutions calling the shots. Not God! He certainly did not say yes. He certainly did not let them off the hook. On the contrary, He has taken all this into account so long as there is no repentance.

Of late, the absurdity connected with being inclusive has gone as far as blasphemy. There is talk of a non-binary and gender-neutral Creator. There is a diabolical move to do away with masculine references to the Almighty God!

When the pulpits are so engrossed with debates about issues that have no bearing on the spiritual well-being of those on the pews,  it is plain daylight robbery!

Many souls are not presented with the genuine Good News when talk about salvation is swept aside. There is only confusion amidst a flurry of false doctrines. At the end of the day, a lot of pew warmers become impotent where coming to terms with the challenges of the times matter. This wrong focus, which places undue emphasis on false teachings out of nowhere, only draws them ever closer to the gates of hell!

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

I will say this loudly and clearly. There are high-sounding individuals waving their man-made credentials; are these folks above the Heavenly Father?

No way, because the common factor that makes them all the same is their fallen nature. They are doing the bidding for the minions of the evil one while in the midst of inflating their egos. The eternal destiny of their listeners is really of little significance to them.

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9).

Being accursed sounds very much like a serious indictment. The reason for this is easy to understand. Those who peddle untruths do irreparable damage to the spiritual well-being of a myriad of pew sitters – they are also denying many souls a place in the Kingdom of God!

Yours in Christ

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com

“What do you think about going to Texas?”

Chris Katulka, director of North American Ministries for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, posed that question to me in the summer of 2020.

“To live?” I think that was my response.

Well, he explained, at least initially, it would just be for a visit. I was given the task—the test?—of lining up and then executing my own ministry trip to Texas.

Chris shared with me how Texas is, not surprisingly, home to a large base of support for The Friends of Israel. However, we have no one located there as a church ministries representative for FOI.

So, that’s where I came in. Now, in case you haven’t been there, Texas is indeed a big place! So where would I begin?

Since most of the people I know in ministry connections are clustered in Greater Houston, it was an obvious choice to attempt to begin there.

Still, it took me a while to get that first trip lined up. When Chris first talked to me about it, my response was, “That sounds like a good trip for the winter.” But I didn’t make it until the beginning of winter a year and a half later, in November of 2021.

This month, I concluded my fourth ministry trip to Texas—having gone two times each in November and March. My first trip was just over a week in length, and the rest have been on the order of 10 days. I have gone to Houston on each of them and, just once this past November, added in an extension to Dallas.

Thus far, I have spoken in a total of nine different churches in Texas, along with one home Bible study group, and appeared on two different radio programs.

I’d be remiss if I did not share a special word of gratitude to the following:

• Andy Woods and Sugar Land Bible Church, where I have spoken four times (two men’s breakfasts and two full Sunday mornings)
• Robert Dean and West Houston Bible Church, where I have spoken four times (two Tuesday night services and two Chafer Theological Seminary Pastors’ Conferences)
• Bruce Munsterman and the KHCB Christian Radio Network in Houston. Bruce and his staff have interviewed me now on all four trips—two interviews each time, for a total of eight—and also invited me to contribute one-minute radio spots for the holidays this winter.

Many others have also gone above and beyond what might be expected and have graciously helped me on my way during these trips to Texas.

All of these connections bear evidence of God’s unusual providence (as the Pilgrim Fathers would term it) upon my trips. I think especially of Bruce coming up to me after the first men’s breakfast at Sugar Land—the first time I had ever spoken on Texas soil—and inviting me on the radio.

So many people since then have told me they heard me through that means. And it is so nice to go back now and see people I have met before and be remembered and accepted by them. It begins to feel more and more like going home.

I would also be remiss here not to offer credit to Dan Dark, a ministry advancement representative for FOI. He has worked extensively in Texas himself and has given me invaluable advice, direction, and assistance.

I end with my own word of advice to all travelers in Christian ministry—going to Texas or anywhere else. Leave early! I am always amazed when a Christian leader has to cancel his first speaking session at a conference because he planned to arrive just in time … and the travel plans just didn’t pan out.

Perhaps there was a time when that might have worked, but not anymore.

On my most recent trip, I left on Thursday to speak on Sunday—and, boy, I am so glad that I did. My flight schedule had to be changed, first due to weather, then the new flight was, of course, delayed. Instead of arriving in the evening just after rush hour, I finally got to my hotel room in the middle of the night. Imagine if I had traveled on Saturday with the intention of speaking on Sunday morning!

Well, many people are traveling—and moving—to Texas, and “the fields” there truly “are already white for harvest” (John 4:35). I have seen opportunities for ministry there that are very different from what I am used to at home in the Midwest. And I believe that God has uniquely blessed my trips there.

If you’re located in Texas, give me a shout! I just might be headed your way.

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Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.