Above image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay.
Scripture Reference - Titus 1:9; Titus 2:1; 1 Timothy 6:3-5 If you follow my Facebook page at Southern Grace And Beauty, you probably saw that I recently posted a few basic tenets of Christianity. Those were not all of them, but they are some of the basic ones that set us apart from any other world religion. With that being said, we should be ever-aware of false doctrine. It can seep into our relationship with Christ, so we need to be able to identify it and tear it down before it infiltrates our thoughts and hearts. 1) If the teaching does not originate from the Bible, it is false. While it's okay to read other books to get insight, we should not fully rely on them because it is man's word. That is how a lot of false doctrine gets around; people stop believing the Bible and follow what a man has to say. 2) If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The popular "name it and claim it" and "health and wealth prosperity" gospel is a prime example. Yes, God wants us to be healthy and maybe it is His will for some of us to be wealthy, but it is not the purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can claim a thousand dollars and believe that it will appear in my mailbox tomorrow, but I can guarantee you that it will not be there. Why? Because that is not what God told us, therefore it can be deemed false doctrine. 3) If the teaching requires you to do something to earn your salvation, it's false...simple. Jesus already did everything at Calvary. All we have to do is believe it and accept Him. It's important that we get it into our heads that our works will not get us into heaven. Our works should be a RESULT of our salvation; our works should PROVE our love for Jesus Christ. They should not be a basis as to whether or not we've earned our place in heaven. 4) If it requires you to deny God and exalt yourself, stay away from it. The Bible tells us that we should deny ourselves and follow Jesus. Not the other way around. Christ did not come to be a vending machine; He came to be a Savior. What are some other instances of false doctrine that you've come across? How can we make sure we are taking in the right teachings?
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Image belongs to SGAB; taken with Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links! One of the biggest excuses to not go to church is that "they always sing those boring old hymns". Well what's wrong with that? As we learned a few weeks ago, learning them has a great number of benefits including historical context and teaching basic music theory. But today, I'd like to share with you two of my personal favorite music CDs that feature some of the church's most beloved hymns. Lively and very much unlike your great-grandmother's church atmosphere, these artists are sure to spark your love for Jesus all the more. Please note that you can listen to samples of the music on these links... The first CD is by a favorite in the Christian music genre as a whole. Amy Grant offers a southern gospel twist to the hymns. Rock of Ages . . . Hymns & Faith The second CD is definitely going to be in my music stash for a long time to come. The band Selah softens the vibe with beautiful vocals and the sweet sound of a piano, often joined with a violin. Greatest Hymns CD I pray that this music will help you grow closer to the Lord and realize that He loves you and always will. Prayerfully yours, SGAB Above image courtesy of the volunteer photographers for Pixabay.
Scripture Reference - Psalm 41:9 If you've been in church long enough, or been all your life like me, there's probably a good chance that your brothers and sisters in Christ have said or done something to hurt you. I'm not talking about petty things like arguing over the color of the church carpet or music preferences. I'm referring to those really painful moments when the incident may even cause you to doubt God and His Word. I've heard the argument that "well if an incident in church caused you to lose faith in God, your focus was on the wrong thing". While that may be true in most cases, there are times when you've done all you can do to stand, as the Bible puts it. I'd like to give a strong warning to church-folk. Your words and actions affect everyone greatly. When you go to church on Sunday morning and preach one thing, and act another way Tuesday afternoon, people see that! Even people you worship with are watching you! Christ Himself rebuked hypocrites in leadership positions; He rebuked the religious nuts that produced no fruit. There may be lost ones in your congregation; there may be a weak or new believer amongst you. If you are not careful, what you do or say can easily cause them to stumble. People walk away from the church houses every single week and never return because of "religion". Believers grow cold and stale in their walk with God because so-called Christians beat them to a pulp instead of helping them grow. I'd also like to give some strong encouragement to my readers that may have faced some painful experiences in church. True Christians will not act that way. Man will fail you and hurt you. Man will pile rule after rule upon you and never lift a finger to help get you where you need to be. Jesus never intended for organized religion and denominations to overrule His Word. He never wanted future believers to squabble. We were supposed to be different; to be a light in a dark world. Hypocrisy should have no place in the house of God. If you see these things happen, know that it is not of Christ. A dead church is not of Christ. I heard a pastor say recently that no matter what happens in the church house or no matter what the leadership or congregation is doing, keep your focus on God. Keep your eyes on God. My message to everyone is this: God is central in everything you do. What you do or say can and will reflect God to the world, so please be careful.
Image above taken by me. Android LG camera.
Disclaimer: There is an affiliate link in this blog post! While I am a big fan of modern worship music, I still think it is important we show today's children the power in the old hymns. I'm a fairly young person, but I still remember hearing them in church on Sunday mornings. It delights my heart when I see kids singing along in services. So why should we be teaching our children that kind of worship? 1) It gives them a solid doctrinal foundation. Hymns themselves bring out so much about the character of God and His provision for those who love Him. They speak of creation, biblical accounts, and the coming rapture. They encourage the writer as well as the singer. 2) Hymns are history. It's so vital for our children to learn history, and there is an abundance of it in the old songs. Through studying many of our favorite classics, we can dive deep into why they were written. For instance, It Is Well was written by a 19th century man that had a lot of heartache and trouble. Amazing Grace was penned in a time of political and social turmoil. 3) They are easy to pick up musically. If your child is musically inclined, introduce them to some simple ones like Jesus Loves Me. Modern worship songs are wonderful to play, but sometimes they can be complicated to understand in a child's mind. What better way to teach music than to use it for God's glory? In saying this, I have a wonderful opportunity for you to showcase the old hymns to your kids. I actually owned this CD as a child myself. Every time we visited the little Christian supply store, I would make a beeline to the kids music. The Cedarmont Kids CD - Hymns Edition will surely bless you and your young ones. It features favorites such as Stand Up For Jesus, Amazing Grace, and the Doxology. You can listen to samples if you go to the link below at the end of this blog post. I know that these songs will give your children the spiritual nourishment they need. Side note: If you are a children's choir director, you may find this useful because it has a music only section. Hymns CD |
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