01/16/2009

Psalms 40:4 - 5 (HCSB) ⁴    How happy is the man
    who has put his trust in the LORD
    and has not turned to the proud
    or to those who run after lies!
⁵    LORD MY GOD, YOU HAVE DONE MANY THINGS—
    Your wonderful works and Your plans for us;
    none can compare with You.
    If I were to report and speak [of them],
    they are more than can be told.
===

In my research, I come across all kinds of crazy groups that call themselves “Christian” or at least, incorporate Christianity into their warped scheme of belief.  One group believes they have discovered “the sound of God.”  Another believes that Jesus is an alien and they have literally built an embassy for him to use on his return.  And yet, another group believes that Jesus is just one of many “ascended masters” who rule the universe in a spiritual realm.

I know these all sound kooky and we chuckle at their antics, but the sad truth is, they each have thousands and thousands of followers.  What’s worse is, there are many groups that are less wacky, but still teach faulty doctrine.  One group teaches that Christ actually returned in 1844, but not to earth as the Bible teaches.  Another group teaches that Jesus is literally God’s son, that he was born of God and his wife as a spirit-being before being born through Mary as a human.  That same group also teaches that if you follow (their) Jesus, that you too will become a God.  Another group teaches that if you don’t call God by his proper name that you can’t be saved. 

Together, all of these make up an enormous number of people who think they are doing the right thing.  But they are only running after lies.  The reality is that the Bible and God’s plan are so simple that people often recoil and think there must be more to it.  They get involved with religions that demand certain behaviors or require incremental teaching to earn a place in heaven.  But in the end, they become burnt out, and their burden of sin is no less light.

The simplicity of the Gospel is this:

Matthew 11:28 - 29 (HCSB) ²⁸“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  ²⁹All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.” 

Jesus said that when you trust in him, he takes the burden of your sin.  So you don’t have to chase after any program or try endlessly to be good enough. 

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