Are We Teaching The Tough Love Approach or the New Age Movement?

We have been warned that people are going to depart from the faith, depart from sound doctrine and heap to themselves teachers of what they want to hear, because they have itchy ears.  Not only is it a departing from the founding fathers and the principles our country was built on, but a “new age” movement has crept in the church.  Throwing off the good hymns (sort of pulling out the flowery music with no substance) and throwing off sound doctrine.  Let’s don’t offend anyone.  

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Titus 1:9

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.  Titus 2:1

for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. 1 Timothy 1:10 

 

Jesus had this perfect balance of grace and truth – it says he was full of grace and truth.  It says that we are to speak the truth in love. He was divine love, but he also was righteous and just.  Jesus and all the apostles were killed except John was banned to the isle of Patmos.  Is it because they preached repentance? John the Baptist was beheaded and he preached repentance, and so did the Old Testament prophets.  

 

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Eccl 4:15

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

 

Jesus got upset with the money changers who were taking advantage of God’s people trying to worship and offer sacrifices by overcharging the poor people.

 

Next, I even see it at the Bible studies where people who “say” they are preaching the truth that if you don’t agree with them, they will quickly give you the boot out of their Bible study.  There is not “agree” we disagree.  If I go to any Christian single group and they start preaching their doctrine discrediting and knocking marriage, I’m going to speak up, I am a defender of marriage as a Christian widow.   The Bible talks about how marriage is a mystery and it represents Christ’s love to his church. I know Satan is against marriage because of this. 

 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, Ephesians 5:25

This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:32

and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2

Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:24

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Ephesians 5:28

 

I already have seen our society has moved to no commitment to get married (the rules have changed since I was in my 20’s) and I see single Christians forbidding people to marry when we are warned that is part of the last days.  So if I get the boot at a Bible study because I believe marriage and widows should be honored, I’ll shake off the dust off my feet and go on.

Support (honor) widows who are genuinely widows 1 Timothy 5:3

Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 1 Timothy 4:3

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Hebrews 13:4

 

I had to switch over to Bible studies ran by married couples, because I find all too many times divorced Christian singles start preaching their doctrine against marriage.  My husband and I were married through a married single’s pastor at Chapel Rock and he pre-counseled us and married us.  About the only single pastor I met who does not preach against marriage was Craig Olney who was a divorced single’s pastor at the Zionsville Presbyterian Church.  About every single’s group I go to where the leader is never married or divorced, tend to preach against marriage.  I plan to host a Bible study in my home, but I am only inviting married couples to teach, because I don’t agree with people tearing down marriage.

 

The Bereans were of “noble character” because they searched the scriptures. They did not accept everything “hook line and sinker.”

 

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11

 

OR we have many who preach this extreme works doctrine and go around and condemn people every single sermon like the Galatians church for not doing a bunch works.  Paul said that he labored more than anyone, but not him it was the grace of God that did the laboring.  It reminds me of that scripture that a false balance or false weight is an abomination to the Lord.  Proverbs 11:1

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Cor. 15:10

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Ephesians 3:7

 

I attended a boundaries seminar when I had teenagers at E91 Christian Church so they would not walk all over me, and I think some of that training is starting to sink in with teenager Christians. 

 

I have had a battle with certain people who mock Christianity all my life.  I was recently listening to a radio broadcast that said, “Blessed are you when you don’t sit in the scoffer’s seat.”  I’ve prayed for God’s mercy on several people who mock God’s work, ministry and my life because the Bible says that “God is not mocked, what a man sows he will also reap.”   Some of this I experienced in college classes (a mocking God attitude).  It’s not a popularity contest road.  It’s a narrow gate, not the broad road leads to destruction (Matthew 7:3).

 

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Psalm 1:1

What killed my relationships in the past is I never had any fun with some men where I could let down my hair and enjoy life, and be myself.  I have found the same thing at many Christian groups.  I was never good enough for them.  I did not pray enough, or read the Bible enough or do everything just right to please them.  

 

But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife—1 Cor. 7:33

After a while, I just “gave up” on trying to please people, because I never measured up to their expectations.  That is a “hard” yoke to be under and if we start transferring that to God, that we never can please God it’s a miserable place to be.   Agape is long suffering.  So do I have to agree with you 100% of the time to get along?  Are you going to give me the boot because I believe in “marriage in the Lord” and you don’t as a single Christian?

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord. 1 Cor. 7:39

 

Jesus talked to the Pharisees about a “yoke” of bondage that they put on people and I find that same “yoke” on many people today.  The Pharisees knew all the rules and regulations and they did many good works, but the did not know the “spirit” of the law in that it’s not about what we do, but what Christ does inside of us.   It’s about giving grace to each other for our shortcomings.  We are under the law of the spirit of life.

because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? Acts 15:10

They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Matthew 23:4

 

I tried to please certain people in my past, but nothing I did was right.   I believe the main problem was I was the one trying to do the pleasing all the time, rather than a man seeing that he had responsibility to “do his part too,” there was no “team” effort.    When you are a giver in life and you end up with another giver, it’s heaven on earth.  That is how my relationship is with the Lord and marriage is, it was a two-way street.  God and I are co-laborers together.

 

For we are God's co-workers. You are God's farmland and God's building. 1 Cor. 3:9

If we live a life out of performance based Christianity, good luck with your performance because I find that “we all have failed and come short of the glory of God.”  Thank God that I have 1John 1:9.  There are times I may not hold up under pressure, but God does not fail.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Cor. 10:13

And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. Duet 31:8  and Hebrews 13:5

 

My marriage was not all roses, but it had its thorns at times.  I loved an accepted my husband like he was, but I opposed him on several occasions when he did not want to attend church (wanted to go golfing or boating) and did not make his teens go to church.   I wanted my teens to go to church and I don’t consider that the home is a democracy at all times.  Most of the time it’s a dictatorship!   I was able to compromise with my husband that he would go golfing in the morning on Sundays at 7am and still make it to church at 10am since there is only so much sunshine in Indiana in the summer.  Unfortunately, those compromises he made with his children in letting them stay home for various reasons as a teenager and do their own thing in life, did not pay off in the long run now and the fruit is very evident!  

 

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

 

Part of my husband’s problem is that he drifted away from the church at the age of 19 years old and did not come back to it until he was 38 years old, he lack some “commitment” when it came to the area of faithfulness in serving God.  I find that my faithfulness gets tested all the time versus my faithfulness to do other things when it comes to many areas of my life.  Sort of like Peter who got discouraged and went back to fishing, when the Lord asked him if he loved fish more than him, I get asked that all the time by the Lord,  Mary, “do you love dancing more than me?”  “Mary do you love television and movies more than me?”  Mary do you love your children more than me.”  “Mary do you love work or college computer classes more than me?” What we love is what we spend most of our time doing.  If we love Jesus who was the word made flesh, we will love God’s word and abide and spend time in it.

What I find is that at times I back off and I put more gas in my car spiritually, spend more time in the word, especially if there are several attacks going on in my life and others.  Like the last two weeks I had a friend down with cancer.  So I was doing more praying and went and visited her in the hospital, than at times I focus on spending time with my family.  I just don’t want to be like the scarecrow on the Wizard of Oz where people and life are pulling us apart (like crows).

The sermon at Indian Creek Christian church last Sunday was about finding our focus or our center/ “compass” in God.  I’ve heard it in past compared to getting our celestial fix like how the Navy navigate by the stars.  We need our inner spirit in tune with God and then all these “things” in our peripheral life get better.  It says to “seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto us.”  And to set our affection on things above, not on things of this earth.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. Hebrews 3:1