Proverbs 31 OBS I am Loved, Week 1: God is the Light

Counterfeit Christians

I really appreciated that we got right down to business with context in this study.  Wendy teaches that in his letter, John was writing to the church who had being overtaken by false teachers called Gnostics.  Among their false teachings was that you can have unrepentant sin in your life and still be in fellowship with God.

I think Modern Christians call that not judging.  If someone brings up how it's wrong to have a worship leader who is sleeping with half the church, then people will accuse them of judging.

This is right on time 

Today's Christianity is full of false teaching. All you need to do is go to Facebook.  You've got people making idols out of Politicians (DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS THANK YOU VERY MUCH) and endorsing so much foolishness.

One of the reasons the larger public does not take Christianity seriously is because the Christians don't take it seriously.  Churches have allowed themselves to be hijacked by patriotism, nationalism, politicians, materialism, and celebrities. These are the real gods and everyone knows it.  

We are also too willing to look the other way at darkness invading our churches whether it's sexual abuse, foul living, or charlatans running scams on the members.  

There is so much shallow teaching out there these days and the people don't know anything so they shout Amen at everything.

This basic statement by John is that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness is a wakeup call for all of us.  If God is the light, then there shouldn't be any darkness amongst us.

There is no Perfect but there must be conviction

We know there is no perfect and that it's only because of the Beautiful Exchange on the Cross and God's Grace that we are even in able to be in relationship with God but that doesn't give us carte blanche to live any old kind of way.

There are still standards and consequences.

I truly believe that if you are a part of a church or a Bible study and you're not being convicted on a regular basis, then you are wasting your time.  I said CONVICTED...that means you should be motivated to do better and grow from what you're learning.  

CONDEMNATION tells you that you're bad, feel guilty, and wallow in the mire.  The Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)

I was convicted doing this Bible Study.  I know there are certain areas of my life where I don't trust God (I bet you can guess which parts)  The problem is that I don't have any trust in God for those areas.  I am so afraid and terrified because I think that it all rests on me and I'm petrified of making the wrong choice and ruining my entire life.  Sounds dramatic?  Yes but I've also seen it happen.

Guess what?  God is not condemning me about my lack of Faith and that's it.  Horrible Christian who has to be punished.  No...I'm convicted, repentant, and looking forward to growth.

I became convicted during the study about my lack of faith and realized that if the Spirit is guiding (and certifying like Brother Richard said), then we are all good.  It may not look conventional and it may not be what I thought...but if it's Spirit led and Spirit certified, Let the Church say Amen.

Life Transformation

I am in the business of Transformation and I can tell you that there is no change unless the people are willing to confront what's really holding them back and commit to the process of growth.  Otherwise they are doing quick fixes and wasting their time.  They've got to put in that work. The Same is true of Spiritual Life Transformation.  

“Life transformation flows from the time we invest in the Word, not from the teacher’s lectures or commentary. It’s sitting and soaking in our Bibles, allowing God to work in our hearts in and through the reading and the homework.”

Sadly not putting in the work, is one of the reasons American Christianity is in such a bad place.  I have read a statistic that said that only 20% of American Churchgoers read their Bibles on a regular basis.  This is how False teaching grabs such a strong hold and it's also why people will shout Amen at everything!

Great first week to this study!! Looking forward to more