The Way of Cain

In our consideration of what The Visible Church has to answer for, few of its failures are more destructive than the current contemporary, seeker-sensitive, emergent worship forms.

It is the sin of Cain: The stubborn refusal to worship God the way He prescribes.

This is not a comparison of the music I like vs. the music you like. Nor is it where you worship or what name you give your church. This is about honoring God.

Christians worship God. The unsaved (seekers) do not and cannot
Christians worship God in spirit. Indulging fleshly desire or sensual gratification is not worship of God. It is the worship of self.
Christians worship God in truth. It is God Who determines what worship is.

Contemporary worship-forms are drawn from the culture and from personal desire, not from anything biblical. Efforts to sanctify your idea of worship, from the scriptures, simply exposes your lack of biblical knowledge.

It is not God Who desires the worship of unsaved souls.
It is not God Who likes the sound of raucus or sensual music forms
It is not God Who encourages worshippers to give vent to emotional expressions that result in swooning or thrashing on the floor or "mosh-pits" at concerts.
It is not God Who equates the singing of songs with worship.
It is not God Who ignores the heart-attitude, illustrated by the disrespectful fashion choices of those who claim to be worshiping God in the beauty of holiness.

The list is long. But the point is the same: If God is the One being worshiped, it's His goals, standards and expectations that are important, not our's.

Try showing up in a court of law, dressed for Church. But don't be surprised at the scolding you get or the penalty imposed, simply because you demonstrated disrespect for the Court. The least you can expect is to be sent home to change.

Cain had no respect for God. He expressed his disrespect by choosing a worship form that pleased him.

That's the Way of Cain!

The Church Has A Lot To Answer For

There's a lot of talk about what this person or that political party has to answer for. We're talking "Judgment" here. And the judgment in view is that of God.

But what about the organized Church. The one that claims to be the "Ordained of God?" Is she going to escape retribution? Not on your life!

I'm not talking about those cult-like sub-groups. I'm talking about Mainstream "Church." The one that everyone can see and many people enjoy.

Let me spell it out for you. This is the Church that has:
Abandoned The Bible as the final authority in all things pertaining to faith and practice.

Opened the doors to a variety of biblically offensive patterns and policies

Normalized the sin of Cain, by creating all sorts of alternative "worship" forms.

Embraced Satan's Lie by teaching as fact that believers become "little gods."

Accepted The False Relgion of Babel, with it's mysticism and required religious behaviors.

Incorporated occultic practices such as exorcism or 'Deliverance' techniques, speaking in gibberish and calling it an angelic language: the language of God, channeling spirits of demons who communicate messages supposedly from God and clairvoyance in knowing the physical or financial condition of people they've never met.

Turned a deaf ear and blind eye to the Canaanite practice of offering their infant children to be sacrificed on the altar of a false god for wealth or pleasure. Abortion on demand, as a woman's "Right"

Making merchandise of mens' souls with a Health-Wealth Medicine Show, complete with hucksters and shills, peddling useless products at outrageous prices and calling it The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Exalting biblical ignorance by calling it spirituality or the Spirit-filled life.

All the while marginalizing the clear truth of God's Word. A truth we do not want to hear because of its unyielding exaltation of God....over self.

Do you recognize YOUR church? In subsequent blogs I will attempt to flesh out what is meant by these statements, one statement at a time.