THE TRAP is to believe or perceive Christianity is a man-based religion. Some Believers believe this, and the lost man perceives it. They equate cause and effect into man’s hand, therefore, rendering God to be a theistic form of a god, and not the God the Bible reveals Him to be, which throws both into spiritual ruin.
If we are in a man-centered religion then we are in deep trouble. If we believe man is in the center, it will become a stronghold for us, and rob us of our destiny in Christ. Panic, not wisdom, will prevail and we will create more elaborate plans to fix it. We will continue down the path of shallow worship, shallow ministry, and shallow thinking. A church cannot raise itself above its basic thoughts of God. Proverbs 9:10 makes this painfully true: "The fear of The LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of The Holy One is insight." Apart from this Truth, there will be no fear of The LORD among us, and knowing The Holy One will not be The Treasure we seek! What seems to some as being a minor thing, at its core, is idolatry. The cost is too great to bear, and we will be crushed under the weight of it. If God-centered we are, however, we are more than conquerors! I fear I still have a bunch of man-centeredness still in me. We must dethrone man. It is the call on our lives to do so.
CASE IN POINT: We must get away from the trend of the modern-day church: invite God into our churches, and begin walking in The Truth that He is already there. As the man-centered church continues to build more upper rooms, the God-centered church seeks the God that came by fire that day. Those two are worlds apart: like night and day, as east is from west. While one keeps building, the other waits for the Promise of The Father. One honors itself while the other honors Him. One speaks of a God, the other knows One Who is precious to them. One will plead with Him, the other will celebrate His Presence with them. One has pearls, the other has sold theirs. One does things, the other is something. One does not get it, the other processes it. One dreams of the Love of God, the other walks in it. One speaks of Christ, the other is in Christ. One sees no hope, the other is looking for That City.
This road back to a God-centered church, faith, and religion is a lonely road. You won’t find many on it, I fear. But it is the right road. Listen closely brethren, it’s been around a long time. Isaiah 35 speaks of it better than I can.
If we are in a man-centered religion then we are in deep trouble. If we believe man is in the center, it will become a stronghold for us, and rob us of our destiny in Christ. Panic, not wisdom, will prevail and we will create more elaborate plans to fix it. We will continue down the path of shallow worship, shallow ministry, and shallow thinking. A church cannot raise itself above its basic thoughts of God. Proverbs 9:10 makes this painfully true: "The fear of The LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of The Holy One is insight." Apart from this Truth, there will be no fear of The LORD among us, and knowing The Holy One will not be The Treasure we seek! What seems to some as being a minor thing, at its core, is idolatry. The cost is too great to bear, and we will be crushed under the weight of it. If God-centered we are, however, we are more than conquerors! I fear I still have a bunch of man-centeredness still in me. We must dethrone man. It is the call on our lives to do so.
CASE IN POINT: We must get away from the trend of the modern-day church: invite God into our churches, and begin walking in The Truth that He is already there. As the man-centered church continues to build more upper rooms, the God-centered church seeks the God that came by fire that day. Those two are worlds apart: like night and day, as east is from west. While one keeps building, the other waits for the Promise of The Father. One honors itself while the other honors Him. One speaks of a God, the other knows One Who is precious to them. One will plead with Him, the other will celebrate His Presence with them. One has pearls, the other has sold theirs. One does things, the other is something. One does not get it, the other processes it. One dreams of the Love of God, the other walks in it. One speaks of Christ, the other is in Christ. One sees no hope, the other is looking for That City.
This road back to a God-centered church, faith, and religion is a lonely road. You won’t find many on it, I fear. But it is the right road. Listen closely brethren, it’s been around a long time. Isaiah 35 speaks of it better than I can.
