HAVE YOU AN OPEN MIND?

By on Nov 2, 2012 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. 
(Proverbs 29:18)

But God Has Already Spoken In The Revelation Of Holy Scripture

This spiritual darkness continues to spread apostasy and Satan continues making huge inroads into the visible church through deceitful spirits sowing their teachings of demons.

O yes indeed, our culture is tolerant—tolerant all right; tolerant of almost any view except that of the historic Biblical Christian faith. And you also need to know, this idea of religious tolerance isn’t really a new idea at all.

Back in the late 1800’s when he saw the encroaching liberalism one minister put it well when he said:

A great many people say, you must hear both sides; but if a man should write me a most slanderous letter about my wife, I don’t think I would have to read it.

I would tear it up and throw it to the winds. Have I to take up a book that is a slander on my Lord and Master, who has redeemed me with His blood? Ten thousands times no! I will not touch it.

Christian journalist Nick Harrison comments on this further:

It’s one of Satan’s lies that we must be “open-minded” about our spiritual beliefs. But no, a Christian whose faith is founded on solid rock has no reason to test out the sand around him.

Don’t open yourself to the influence of evil in any form. Jesus stood firm against every strategy of the enemy. So must we.

What I’d like to ask you to do here is to think about this for a moment. No doubt we have all heard of someone who is said to be open-minded. This is generally presented as a trait much to be desired.

Well, let me ask you a question: What is another way to refer to people like this? We would say that such a person is “broad-minded”; would we not?

Now remember what Jesus said about being broad-minded:

 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. (Matthew 7:13, KJV)

This is why the discerning Christian, anxious to please Jesus and to base his life upon the bedrock Truth of what the Bible actually says, sees that the root problem within our overly tolerant society—and in the whole seeker sensitive Church Growth Movement (CGM)—is actually a denial of this principle taught by our Lord.

As the ESV puts it they’re taking the easy way:

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” (Matthew 7:13)

It’s easy to tell people something they want to hear; that Jesus is here to make their lives better, which is the core message of the CGM. It’s actually an extension of original cult of liberalism; the same ill-fated idea to try and create a Christianity that’s compatible with the capricious culture of it’s time.

People need to remember that the Seeker Driven sector, now embracing Word Faith preachers like Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes, as well as sinfully ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church—with its  univeralism the EC calls Emergence Christianity—are themselves an extention of the CGM.

The EC itself has embraced people like gay affirming “pastor” Jay Bakker whose among those making an idol out of the grace of God in their twisted and perverted version of tolerance. Having dealt personally with such as these I can tell you full well The Tolerant Ones Really Aren’t So Tolerant; unless, you agree with them.

These are turning the grace of God into license for those having sexual relations with another of the same sex i.e homosexuality; and they illustrate perfectly, that those in such eagerness to be “tolerant” of their fellow man—taking the easy way of telling them what they wish to hear—have instead lost the fear of God.

And thus we’re now brought back around to the truth of our opening text — Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. Don’t let them fool you because God’s already warned about these kinds of false prophets:

“from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:13-14)

However, Jesus also gives us the remedy:

Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16)

Further reading