"If The Light In You Is Darkness"

  Over the past few years there have been dramatic changes in our nation. The political world has set fire many of the attitudes and desires of this nation. Politics has become a hot bed for insulting and hating. All sides are slinging the mud to the other, daily, and many professed Christian's are in the middle of the arena. Many have lost sight that Jesus is STILL King of kings and Lord of lords!

  Just as all of the political has impacted the mindset and attitudes of many we find the same happening in the church. I cannot believe some of the things that have taken place and are presently taking place. Here are some of the ideas and changes I've seen. The preacher gets up, tells a couple of jokes and using the name of Jesus he then plays a four minute segment of Frozen to make a point. The rest of the sermon rallies around this movie segment.
    The family minister is a drama major and he puts together a drama team and they dress out in full costumes to bring a play about the suffering of Christ and His apostles during worship. The audience sits with drinks in hand as if at a theater production.
    Once a year a congregation has a baby blessing day. Parents bring their babies up where the elders and preacher or preachers, lay their hand on the babies and family to bless them. It's one of the largest attended assemblies at that place each year.
    Clips from the Andy Griffith show are played and the preacher makes present day applications for his sermon. Women are being brought forth to serve and pray in the worship assembly. More and more are "joining" up with religions that do not hold to "the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." (Jude 3)  

  I am not trying to bash people. I'm trying to get us to take a sincere look at the direction many of the Lord's people have taken upon themselves and continue to follow. What's missing? Jesus states it plainly: "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" (Matthew 6:23) God is light. All spiritual light comes from Him alone. There is no other place that gives availability for light. When we abandon the Lord and His word, reducing it to something that appeals to mankind, it's no longer light but darkness. Even those who are sincere, kind, and loving can take on spiritual darkness in their heart and become blinded by that darkness. Anytime we seek union with the world's take, the world's advice, and the world's thinking, it will separate one from God. Paul warned the Corinthians of this very thing          (I Corinthians 1:18-25). To put into the hearts of God's people these warm "fuzzies" and draw attention to man a separation from God will occur. When the authority of God's word and His Son loses prominence in our faith, we will begin a union with spiritual darkness. Jesus Christ is the head of His church and God the Father gave Him that position. The church is quickly dividing into sections that people can choose their flavor. Name calling is prevalent. This group is a legalist. That group is liberal. They are contemporary. Sounds political doesn't it?

 When the church of our Lord begins to try to make everything appealing to all religions something must be given up and it begins with the inspired word of God. We are finding, because of our abandoning the Holy Scripture as all authoritative, that few are lost anymore. There is no need to concern ourselves with the truth of the faith, because many believe it divides. Truth is the only thing that will last and the only foundation for salvation. Jesus wasn't all inclusive among the Jews. He spoke plainly what He heard from His Father and when Jesus sent the Spirit back, the Spirit only spoke what the Father told Him. When we abandon the Lord's teachings we become darkness in a world of darkness and there is no longer any distinguishing light for people to be saved.

  The church isn't the church because we have a sign out front. The church is the church of Jesus Christ because it adheres to His word, His truth, and worship is about Him, not man. There can be good moral movies made, not many but some, but they are not a substitute for God's word. A reference to God's word or a dramatization of God is not the same as the authority of God's word. Preaching and teaching from the Holy Scripture is God's way to communicate His desire. Picking and choosing what to communicate because of our day and time will lead us into darkness. "But if your eye is bad, you whole body will be full of darkness." Are we really seeing clearly?