[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”1891px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
\u201c2 For men will be lovers of themselves \u2026 4 of pleasure rather than lovers of God 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Verse 2 explains the cause of this behaviour, when people cease to adore God, and instead adore themselves and their pleasures. The outward appearances of worship form a necessary part of this self-adoration, to give people a feeling of being good, worthy, and superior, and those appearances may also provide some social respect. The forum for worship also provides a platform for people to promote their own interests and alternative beliefs and idols. I recently saw part of a YouTube video in which a female Presbyterian minister from Canada was preaching that God had been wrong in Genesis 3, that Eve had been correct in her advice to Adam, and the gift of knowledge was woman\u2019s contribution to mankind! When the focus becomes self, church offers nothing different to the world outside, except the wider world usually does “self” better. So, it\u2019s not surprising the fastest falling membership for churches are in those mainstream denominations that have ceased to preach the clear and simple truths of the gospel. May God protect us and keep us in the simple truth of his word.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201c2 For men will be lovers of themselves \u2026 4 of pleasure rather than lovers of God 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!\u201d Cause Verse 2 explains the cause of this behaviour, when people cease to adore God, and instead adore themselves and their pleasures. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-verses"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29028"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29033,"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29028\/revisions\/29033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questionsandbelief.org\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Cause<\/h3>\n
This can be a temptation for all of us. Through worship God can give many blessings, but when our enjoyment of worship becomes our focus, that can tempt us to turn our concern onto ourselves.<\/p>\nModern Examples<\/h3>\n
I also saw examples where worship was turned into spectacular forms of entertainment; like the minister doing crowd surfing, and a musical play with the person of Christ dressed as Batman, and a service where people were asked to wear pink to watch the Ken & Barbie movie and then hear an explanation of its spiritual messages!
Another example is where the focus is not on the gospel, but on using wisdom from the bible for self-help advice on how to cope with life\u2019s difficulties, with no mention of sin or salvation. It\u2019s treating the bible in a similar way to the old 1977 book \u201cPulling Your Own Strings\u201d.
Or the message can be reduced to psychology or sociology. About forty years ago I read an article by a Sociology Professor whose book had been a set text for a subject I studied; he complained about his pastor giving sermons which were simply talks on Sociology of a very amateur standard.
I also read a recent review of the King\u2019s Christmas message, which viewed his praise of the attitude or emotion of faith in people regardless of their beliefs as actually being disbelief in the Christian church of which he is the nominal leader.<\/p>\nReflection<\/h3>\n
There is a warning here to turn away from such people. The danger they present is worse than simply turning away from God\u2019s word, for they block those who might search for God\u2019s truth. They give a false, self-centred focus, which makes it difficult for us to hear the meaning which the Holy Spirit would give as we read God\u2019s word.
People like us need to hear the alarming truth \u2013 that we are now basking in God\u2019s patience and the blessings He provides in His grace. But for those who resolutely choose to reject His gift of salvation in Jesus, who choose to stay in sin and separate themselves from Him, eventually God will allow them to have their way. And that state of separation from God is called Hell.<\/p>\n