Are you Standing up for Truth?!
There used to be a saying many years ago, "Make love, not war!"
But you know what? Often we have to "fight" because of something we love!
Think, for example, about doctors fighting battles against disease and death (just think of the current Corona Virus situation - fighting to bring it under control). Consider scientists and engineers fighting against pollution. Legislators fighting against crime and injustice.
In the Bible there are many examples of warring against evil. The apostle Paul waged war against the false teachers. Why? Because he loved the Truth and he loved those he had led to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude urges US to "contend for the faith", or as the New Living Translation puts it so clearly: "defend the faith that God has
entrusted once for all time to His holy people" (v3).
We are living in an age where the Truth of God's Word is no longer
being proclaimed. Tragically so many of the so-called mainline churches are opting for a more "inclusive" message and rather deny or water down the Truth of God's infallible Word. Many preachers and ministries want to be "popular" rather than preach the Word as it is! They want people to be comfortable!!
That is NOT love. Instead of sharing the Good News of Jesus, of warning folk of the eternal consequences of not accepting the Lord Jesus and His Way of salvation, they proclaim a false message of social justice. What is the "Social Justice Gospel"? It says basically: "let us meet the needs of the communities, but we'll not preach about Jesus" As stated in the book "Watchmen or Wolves - demonic takeover in the House of God"(a), "We will just 'be Jesus' to the people, so that they can see God's love for them. We can simply 'love them into the kingdom'". Sounds "nice and good", but ever so dangerous. People need to see love in action, yes. But they also need to hear the "full gospel", to learn about the Saviour who loved them so much He died a cruel death on the cross of Calvary, so that they may be saved from a lost eternity in a very real place called Hell.
How do we test a person's ministry?
Not by popularity (Matthew 24:9-11)
Not by miraculous signs and wonders (Matthew 24:23-24)
but by ...
their faithfulness to the Word of God (Isaiah 8:20, 1 Timothy 4 & 1 John 4:1-6)
Important also to remember ...
We should never encourage those who bring any hint of false doctrine (2 John 7-11)
So can this apply to us?
Pray that the precious Lord Jesus will make us more sensitive to evil, more discerning in what we listen to, what we read, churches we attend. Pray that the Lord will give us strength to war against anything that is not of Him and which seeks to water down His Word or add to what it is saying. (Rev 22:18-19)
