Adapt or die!
Every year I hear someone declare “A word for the year “. Many have been absolutely correct others just rhymed well. So as I was praying and I asked the Lord what was one of the biggest problems facing the church (His body of believers) today. And I saw in my heart what I will call “decoy devils”.
Decoy devils distract from the truth using a partial truth as an aversion. Let me give you an example. As I was growing up there was great debate about the validity of the “Living Bible” translation. I remember people literally saying ,” if the King James was good enough for Paul then it’s good enough for me!” You think I’m kidding but I’m not.
Let’s link this thinking. When people who used to ride the bus started to go by plane all they had to compare their experience to was a bus. So when one sweet lady with only a bus mentality purchased her first plane ticket she told the agent that she didn’t want to sit by a window because she’d just had her hair done. Well now most people are aware that the windows in airplanes don’t actually open.
Most people also realize that the Bible was not written in King James English. It was translated from
Hebrew and Greek into “The King’s English”. The Living Bible is now an acceptable translation just like the English Standard Version, The Message Bible , etc. something that is common was a very big distraction at that time. People preached about it, talked about it, left churches because of it. Was it a subject worthy of time and energy? Or did it distract people from the reality that Jesus is the Word made flesh and he is living and breathing just like we are. If something is alive it adapts to its environment. Every living creature either adapts or dies.
Wouldn’t it make sense that the Word would adapt (not change) to the audience of its day? Do you speak or understand the Kings English? If we wanted to be really specific we should go back to the original languages of the Bible, which were Hebrew and Greek. I don’t speak Hebrew or Greek so I wouldn’t be able to understand Gods living and breathing Word made flesh: Jesus.
Here’s a more recent decoy or distraction: Christmas and Holy days. The distraction is saying that those were really Pagan holidays transferred by the Catholic Church to make them Holy days. Is that true? I don’t know. But I do know this ... those Holy days have been redeemed and the world celebrates the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ during those seasons. So is it important to “uncover” the truth about what exact day Jesus was born? Is it important to count exactly how many days (hours) Jesus lay in the tomb? Or is it more important to recognize these events are life altering times historically and spiritually.
Personally I don’t want people to stop celebrating the birth of Christ whether it is the wrong day or WAS a Pagan holiday ... it has been redeemed and we call it “Christmas”.
Let us be aware of decoy devils and distractions. They don’t bring people closer to Jesus. They don’t keep people out of Heaven and they don’t send people to hell.
The truth is that Jesus was born, he died and he rose again. His command is for us to love one another as he loved us. Focus on the entire picture and you’re less likely to get distracted by the surrounding noise in the background. Take in the absolute truth. Major in what matters. If it doesn’t lift someone from the pit of darkness into the kingdom of Light, what difference does it make?
Please ponder what matters now and in the coming year. Please don’t fight demons that don’t exist. They are merely decoys sent to divide us and distract us. Let us love one another, warts and all, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Joy to the world! Not one ounce of wasted theology, not one ounce of confusion, the simple, beautiful, incomprehensible truth that Jesus gave so we could live.
Free your soul from distractions and stay true to the message “Glory to God in the highest, peace and good will toward men” . Truth sets you free distractions set you apart. Be wise and follow the Star not the flashlight. Amen.
Decoy devils distract from the truth using a partial truth as an aversion. Let me give you an example. As I was growing up there was great debate about the validity of the “Living Bible” translation. I remember people literally saying ,” if the King James was good enough for Paul then it’s good enough for me!” You think I’m kidding but I’m not.
Let’s link this thinking. When people who used to ride the bus started to go by plane all they had to compare their experience to was a bus. So when one sweet lady with only a bus mentality purchased her first plane ticket she told the agent that she didn’t want to sit by a window because she’d just had her hair done. Well now most people are aware that the windows in airplanes don’t actually open.
Most people also realize that the Bible was not written in King James English. It was translated from
Hebrew and Greek into “The King’s English”. The Living Bible is now an acceptable translation just like the English Standard Version, The Message Bible , etc. something that is common was a very big distraction at that time. People preached about it, talked about it, left churches because of it. Was it a subject worthy of time and energy? Or did it distract people from the reality that Jesus is the Word made flesh and he is living and breathing just like we are. If something is alive it adapts to its environment. Every living creature either adapts or dies.
Wouldn’t it make sense that the Word would adapt (not change) to the audience of its day? Do you speak or understand the Kings English? If we wanted to be really specific we should go back to the original languages of the Bible, which were Hebrew and Greek. I don’t speak Hebrew or Greek so I wouldn’t be able to understand Gods living and breathing Word made flesh: Jesus.
Here’s a more recent decoy or distraction: Christmas and Holy days. The distraction is saying that those were really Pagan holidays transferred by the Catholic Church to make them Holy days. Is that true? I don’t know. But I do know this ... those Holy days have been redeemed and the world celebrates the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ during those seasons. So is it important to “uncover” the truth about what exact day Jesus was born? Is it important to count exactly how many days (hours) Jesus lay in the tomb? Or is it more important to recognize these events are life altering times historically and spiritually.
Personally I don’t want people to stop celebrating the birth of Christ whether it is the wrong day or WAS a Pagan holiday ... it has been redeemed and we call it “Christmas”.
Let us be aware of decoy devils and distractions. They don’t bring people closer to Jesus. They don’t keep people out of Heaven and they don’t send people to hell.
The truth is that Jesus was born, he died and he rose again. His command is for us to love one another as he loved us. Focus on the entire picture and you’re less likely to get distracted by the surrounding noise in the background. Take in the absolute truth. Major in what matters. If it doesn’t lift someone from the pit of darkness into the kingdom of Light, what difference does it make?
Please ponder what matters now and in the coming year. Please don’t fight demons that don’t exist. They are merely decoys sent to divide us and distract us. Let us love one another, warts and all, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Joy to the world! Not one ounce of wasted theology, not one ounce of confusion, the simple, beautiful, incomprehensible truth that Jesus gave so we could live.
Free your soul from distractions and stay true to the message “Glory to God in the highest, peace and good will toward men” . Truth sets you free distractions set you apart. Be wise and follow the Star not the flashlight. Amen.
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