In talking about religion or Christianity expressly with friends or acquaintances or even strangers I’m often told that our churches are old and not keeping up with the times.  That “times have changed”.  That the Old Testament is no longer relevant.  That we must all learn to get along.  I’ve even been told on many an occasion that God “hates” me (or in so many words) because I do “not love everyone for who they are”.  I want to talk about that today.  And in no way whatsoever am I going to make you happy.  Even myself.  I, myself, am scared.  And that’s good.  Because when I’m scared I’m really feeling either like a hypocrite or shameful or convicted.  The latter of which is a good thing.

2 Timothy 4:3 – For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.

The word for the above verse is called, “Apostasy”.  From the Greek word apostasia, meaning withdrawl or defection.  Our churches today, for wanting to call worshippers and fill their pews in general and not cause animosity between their people of said filled pews, are caving in to this dangerous new world which has been spoken of many, many times in the Bible and is a clear indication of the end times.  It is now extremely rare to find a church where the pastor even mentions the word, “sin” much less gives examples of it.  Bibles are being re-written to include non-sexual references with pronouns of “they, them, he OR she”, etc.  Even God is referenced as a deity rather than the “Father”.  What we find ourselves in is akin to taking a cinnamon pull-apart and only eating the section that has the most sugar coating.  We leave the “other, dryer parts” for our sisters and brothers.  We mold God into our very own personal Jesus.  We mold God into an all-loving “deity” who loves us no matter what we do, how we do it and with whom.  Through the years we’ve forgotten that God is a jealous God – a God who wants no other gods before him (Commandment #1) and a God who is prone to much anger.  Remember the flood which killed billions and left only seven people on this earth?

Why then do our pastors of our churches (not mine) preach in a way that is not what the Bible orders?  Because of fame, of fortune, of the falling away….And why then do us as a people go to such churches?  Because we can justify our sins and we can keep on sinning.

Greg Laurie, author of, “The Great Compromise” copyrighted in 1994 nonetheless, says it a few ways.  First he quotes French philosopher, Voltaire:  “God made man in His image, and man returned the favor.”  Then he goes on to say, “We want a God we can comprehend in neat, finite, human terms. We want a God we can understand – A “designer” deity.. We want a God we can predict and figure out.  We want him custom-made to suit our individual needs and circumstances.  We want a God who will put up with our mood swings and temper tantrums.  We want a God we can check in with now and then, a God who will tolerate our excesses and oversights, One who will love us right where we are and look the other way when we fail or refuse to live up to clearly defined Biblical standards.  We want ‘Religion Lite’.

“When we do this, we are really giving God a makeover.  We are making Him into our own image.  There is a word to describe God’s laws in this manner – idolatry.”

So if we are doing this, which most of us are, we are most certainly not living up to the very first commandment (which must then be the most important if one can put them into importance categories), we are “HAVING OTHER GODS BEFORE HIM.”  Other idols if you may….because, frankly, it ain’t Him.

What I want to convey is when we hear other teaching, teaching that is not from the Bible, teaching that is “tickling our ears”, run the other way.  You don’t belong in that church.