Daily Devotional, Year 3 – March 2 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 41: “Christianity-Lite!!”)
By admin On May 30th, 2024.
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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – March 2
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Come Out of Her, My People!
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Part 41:
“Christianity-Lite!”
To read Part 1, click here… “May 12th (Come Out of Her, My People?)”
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THE “LITE” PHENOMENON
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For those who follow political talk-shows, they are probably familiar with the expression, “Democrat-Lite”, when Conservatives are speaking of “liberal” senators and congressmen who belong to the Republican Party.
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What this means is that these liberal Republican office-holders have commonly held ideals with Democrats, so much so, that they are actually just considered to be merely a more moderate version of a Democrat.
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Of course, this also works the other way around!
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And there are, perhaps, some “Republican Lite” Democrats, as well!
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Democrat & Republican Symbols – Wikimedia – GNU Free Doc. License 1.2 or any later version
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“LITE” FOODS & DRINKS
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Well this expression is also used to describe certain dietary drinks and foods.
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For instance there are soft drinks which have less sugar, such as Pepsi-Lite.
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Or there are also diet foods with less calories which are often advertised as being, “lite”.
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Pepsi Light – Wikimedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version
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But just how does this current, “Lite” trend relate to Christianity?
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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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CHRISTIANITY-LITE
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Well, to put it concisely, there are many Christian groups that have tried to offer to the public, “Christianity-Lite”.
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In other words, there has been a great emphasis during the last century and this century in effort to take away the more harsh and judgmental elements of the Bible and replace them with the light and fluffy, and even the little silly aspects of the world.
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And this “Christianity-Lite” phenomenon has been going on for many years.
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Happy face svg – Wikimedia – public domain
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CHRISTIANITY-LITE MUSIC
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One area of Christianity in which this “Lite” trend is seen, is in the Gospel music industry.
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And this is made evident by the production of music which takes the sensual music of the world, and adds the more amiable Christian sentiments to produce what someone may call, “Christian-Lite Music”. Maybe this kind of music has borrowed from the hand-clapping, knee-slapping genre of the world: fast and lite and with heavy rhythms and 3-part harmonies!
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And even today’s slower music has been borrowed the soft viols (violins) from the world’s orchestras, adding syrupy-sweet “Christian” lyrics which portray God as a kindly old gent in the sky, incapable of even harming a little fly!
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Church – Wikimedia – Share-alike license
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“LITE” PREACHING
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Another area of this Christian-Lite trend is seen in the preaching in today’s pulpits and in radio and television ministries.
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Lot’s of humor, and upbeat preaching of soft sermons, to the point of sounding more like summer-youth-camp-counselors than messengers from God!
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The Bible foretells of the day when the churches will no longer tolerate the plain and often self-sacrificing words of God’s truth…“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…” 2nd Timothy 4:3
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Evangelist Preaching – Church – Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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WELL, WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT!?
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Now, many will object to this condemnation by saying, “Well, what’s wrong with happy music? And what’s wrong with making a sermon interesting? We don’t want some old sour-puss up there preaching some crusty old condemning sermon!”
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And to be honest, this is a valid objection.
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After all, the Enemy-of-Souls has injected many counterfeit preachers and parishioners into churches over the past decades who, being void of the Spirit, have made Christianity look like drab, and cold and pharisee-like-judgmental.
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Sunday preaching – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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SATAN NEVER MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY
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And Satan never misses an opportunity to make even true Christians appear to be sad, and cold and judgmental.
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And so, this is one of Satan’s main strategies to turn as many people away from becoming Christians as possible.
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Therefore, it is to his advantage to bring in all this “Christian-Lite” environment into the apostate churches.
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And that way, it will make the true Gospel seem uninviting and stern and austere.
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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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“SPEAK UNTO US SMOOTH THINGS!”
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Now of course, this is nothing new.
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Even back in Isaiah’s and Jeremiah’s day, the people were clamoring for a “Lite” version of their religion…“Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:” Isaiah 30:10
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Yes, the Old Testament prophets were constantly encountering opposition from those didn’t like to hear anything negative or judgmental.
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They wanted a smooth and comfortable religion.
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Prophet Jeremiah Dictates to Baruch – Wikiart.com – US Public Domain
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“HARD SAYINGS” OF JESUS
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And even Jesus was confronted by this same type of opposition from some of those who professed to be His followers…“Many therefore of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Doth this offend you? From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.” John 6:60, 61, 66
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Yes, when those professed followers understood that true Christianity required to become crucified in Christ they simply turned back and no more followed Jesus!
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Laughing – (cropped and color added) – Fotothek df roe neg – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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PAUL WAS “CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST”
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But listen to Paul’s words, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:” Galatians 2:20
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Both Paul and Jesus were warm, loving, and joyful.
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But they were not like the world’s version of these qualities.
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And that’s the crux of the problem addressed in today’s devotional.
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Paul persecuted – www.thebiblerevival.com – US public domain
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REMOVING THE OFFENCE OF THE CROSS
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Today’s Christianity to a great extent is trying hard to remove all the harsher aspects of the true Gospel, and replace it with the giddiness, silliness, and happy-faced comedic lightness that the world loves…
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Listen to Paul…In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned;” Titus 2:7, 8
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Upon reading the writings of Paul, there is a seriousness found throughout! There is no levity or lightness mingled into them!
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Laughing – (cropped and color added) – Fotothek df roe neg – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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LOVE AND SINCERITY…BUT NO JESTING!
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And yet, there is a deep and sincere love woven into Paul’s epistles.
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Yes, Paul was filled with the joy of the Lord, which is unlike the joy of the world! Paul was well-aware of the great solemnity of the Gospel. And he never mingled worldly frivolity into his words.
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Neither did Jesus!
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Neither did John, nor Peter, nor James!
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Nor did any of the writers of the Bible. Rather, there is a holy solemnity found throughout the Bible, totally untainted by worldly, “foolish talk nor jesting…” (see Ephesians 5:4)
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THOMAS BROOKS ON JOKING PREACHERS
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Listen to a well-known Christian reformer from centuries past…
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“They preach more to please the ear than to profit the heart…False teachers handle holy things rather with wit and trifling, rather than with fear and reverence. False teachers are soul-murderers. They are like evil surgeons, that skin over the wound—but never heal it…False teachers are Hell’s greatest enrichers.” Thomas Brooks on, “The 7 Chacteristics of False Teachers”
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Laughing – (cropped and color added) – Fotothek df roe neg – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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THE PROMISED LAND, A JOYFUL PLACE!
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Oh yes, make no mistake! Heaven & Earth-Made-New will be a land filled with joy and innocent laughter, and singing and pure delights and new adventures and new worlds to be discovered!
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But this present-day order of things will be forever gone!
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And all this world’s miserable pleasures will not be longed-for, nor remembered by even one of God’s redeemed children who live in that wonderful and eternal Promised Land, which is soon to come!
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River of Water of Life – H. Melville – Wikimedia – US Public Domain
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TO READ PART 42, GO HERE…
March 27 (Come Out of Her, My People! Part 42: “Babylon Outa My Heart!”)
by G. Dore’ – The Confusion Of Tongues in Babylon – from www.creationism.org-public domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to be obedient to Thy Word, and stop doing things according to the faithless ways of this world-in-rebellion…
Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…DECEMBER 17 (Planet Earth: Devil’s Island, Part 3: Which ‘Normal’ Will You Choose?), or you can also read…” May 26th (My Ways Are Not Your Ways!)”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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FLOODWATERS of SATAN
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The Wave Constellation is primarily comprised of the Auriga Constellation plus one star from Taurus, plus one more star. The Winter Constellations are depicted in this below sketch to the right, and shows this constellation group as they are seen in early winter, as they rise in the eastern skies. The Woman is in the north. The Dragon and Orion are farther south from the Woman.
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WINTER CONSTELLATIONS-SEEN IN FALL: This sketch to the right is how this constellation group appears in the eastern sky in fall. This is the four primary constellations of the Winter Constellations. They can be seen in this position, in the late fall above the eastern horizon. The Woman of Revelation 12 is commonly called Ursa Major or The Big Dipper and appears in the north. Orion the Soldier is the at the bottom is to the south of the Woman. The The Dragon of Revelation Constellation’s mouth isThe Hyades Cluster, and the tip of his tail is Pleiades, and his Wave of Water is primarily the Auriga constellation. The Glorious Horse Constellation head is of Perseus Constellation and his rear end is Cassiopeia Constellation.
(Editor’s note: It is impossible to make this chart accurate, and visually correct, because the dome effect of the sky makes these constellations look different than they appear when placed on flat paper.)
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Flood Waters of Satan-Introduction
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW
March 3 (He That Keepeth His Mouth, Part 2: “Pearls Before Swine!”)
Pigs July 2008 – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
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THIS STUDY #61 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain
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