Am I generalizing too much?

[Lik3]

It is so sad that in much of the church in the West, especially in the United States that so many are either being deceived by a false gospel, or just play church. I feel that the games need to end. Being ready for Jesus' return and being obedient are serious business. Playing is for children and athletes. Church members are called to be lights in a dark world. Many are not doing that at all. They are too busy wanting to be happy and to be entertained by great speaking. Many false prophets have come unawares and are deceiving many. This is a sign of the final hours, but so are anti-Jewish and anti-Christian attitudes. Jews have and are being targets of many an anti-Semite. Meanwhile, many believers are being persecuted in the world. I tend to think about that often and I think it is so sad that this is going on while we in the West seem to be all but squandering our freedoms.

I as a sheltered American, cannot imagine what Christians in the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and Asia are going through. It must be so difficult for them. I, as we all should, pray for those Christians who are being oppressed. Pray for those of other faiths that they would be forgiven of being deceived. Pray for the Jewish people that they may believe in the Messiah and that they would be protected from all harm. I am saddened and sometimes upset by what is going on in the Church world. I would hate to waste my own life not being obedient to God and being a light to those who are in need, including other believers. Being deceived, disobedient, and disloyal are a sad way to live.

 

[saintandrew4life]

pray far all of them and how close are we to the end of days

 

[dhh712]

It is so sad that in much of the church in the West, especially in the United States that so many are either being deceived by a false gospel, or just play church. I feel that the games need to end. Being ready for Jesus' return and being obedient are serious business. Playing is for children and athletes. Church members are called to be lights in a dark world. Many are not doing that at all. They are too busy wanting to be happy and to be entertained by great speaking. Many false prophets have come unawares and are deceiving many. This is a sign of the final hours, but so are anti-Jewish and anti-Christian attitudes. Jews have and are being targets of many an anti-Semite. Meanwhile, many believers are being persecuted in the world. I tend to think about that often and I think it is so sad that this is going on while we in the West seem to be all but squandering our freedoms.

I as a sheltered American, cannot imagine what Christians in the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and Asia are going through. It must be so difficult for them. I, as we all should, pray for those Christians who are being oppressed. Pray for those of other faiths that they would be forgiven of being deceived. Pray for the Jewish people that they may believe in the Messiah and that they would be protected from all harm. I am saddened and sometimes upset by what is going on in the Church world. I would hate to waste my own life not being obedient to God and being a light to those who are in need, including other believers. Being deceived, disobedient, and disloyal are a sad way to live.

I agree. I live out west and I'm curious as to what led you to generalize the West in that way. I feel the entire society in general is more liberal out there (am visiting in the east at the moment--don't want to go back!). While I don't see anything wrong with wanting to be happy, I feel it is time to stop and consider a moment if the church service is staring to look like a rock concert (we are meant to be separate from the world and if what we are doing looks like what the world is doing, it seems that we have become part of the world then). Happiness for the Christian is to come from being obedient to God's revealed will; it seems that perhaps some people think it must come the other way around: let me be happy first and then I can be obedient to the Lord.

I wonder sometimes what the churches that have these concert-type services are thinking when they put something like that together. I can't help but think that they do it because they feel that is what draws the crowd, as though the purpose for them is to get as many people there as they can. The Lord doesn't need gimmicks to bring the people to Him whom He has chosen to be His from before the foundations of the world were set. It seems there are these people who try to think up ways to assist the Lord in carrying out His will and then they end up falling back into the ways of the world because of it.

I'm sure it's not just these concert-type churches that are doing this, what you wrote just made me think of them.

 

[Badfish]

Hmmm, Ill ponder this at the Dragstrip.

However the gospel has been bastardized for years, of course people are becoming narcissistic and selfish, it is what western cultures evolution is teaching our kids now.

TV and social sites are our Gods now.

Its all prophesied this way, save yourself and do your best to enlighten others, but in the end, the future is already written. We are essentially living out Gods grand play.

I say Grand Play because no matter what happens, its already been predetermined, and either your name is in the book of life or it isnt.

And we should welcome the end times. I want to join Christs army and defeat satan and live on a utopian earth ruled by Christ for a nice long time.

I sure hope Jesus likes Hot Rods....Im sure he does. Im betting he has an outrageous 70 Hemi Cuda waiting for him when he comes.

 

[hownow]

I say Grand Play because no matter what happens, its already been predetermined, and either your name is in the book of life or it isnt.

Seriously? So basically you're saying nothing anyone does really matters. With that kind of perspective, what would be the point of evangelism or calling people to repentance and faith? If it's all predetermined and our choices don't matter then what was the point of the Cross in the first place?

It's sad enough that so much narcissism and selfishness rules the world today, but it's even sadder when the ones pointing it out are the ones swimming in its depths themselves, and they can't even see the sick, twisted irony of it, or stop to examine their presumptions that somehow it's OK for THEM to do it as long as they mentally assent to the "right" set of doctrines and beliefs, but everyone else is doomed and condemned for it because they weren't on some random A-list of favorites composed by a supernatural Grand Poobah.

On second thought if this is the perception of the Supreme Deity you have to bear to the world around you, perhaps it IS better if you be off into your personal amusements and entertainments, rather than spread this vile poison and call it "absolute truth."