The American Gospel redux

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
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The Word of God is clear that days are coming,or are already here, when men will not want to hear the Truth of the gospel but instead create an alternative gospel, even an American Gospel. Instead of having a love for and desiring truth, believers will begin to want to hear only that which makes them feel good and does not confront their old nature. “Christian happy talk”, one leader calls it.

In thousands of American churches now it is no longer acceptable to preach about subjects like: Jesus as King ,the Kingdom, sin, hell, money or the power of the Holy Spirit. A friend of mine spoke at a very large supposedly charismatic church, and before he walked on the platform was told mentioning the words, “Holy Spirit” was off limits! Why? Because it was too controversial! Apparently it was considered taboo and  might “scare away” the people! There are a large number of these seeker-sensitive ,mile-wide, inch-deep churches all over.

The American dream has morphed into something very different from what our founding fathers envisioned. Initially it was freedom to worship and pursue freedom from tyranny, the ability to be self-reliant and to stand on our own two feet.

But today as Americans we have been taught an American Dream that means to be free to be make money, have a home and live an excessive American life. Most of what is going on in America is not only not biblically normal, but excessive, perverse, unrestrained and allows an idolatry of that kind of lifestyle to flourish.

Many American parents now have an excessive idolatry of their children to the point of self indulgence and excess. This is revealed by the amount of debt  families get into to fulfill their children’s every little whim. This obsequious fawning over their children isn’t healthy and creates spoiled and demanding little “angels”. Many millennial parents expose their children to just one side of  life rather than allow them to face the very real obstacles they will run into as they grow up-like peer pressure and being rejected. A consumerist mentality of parenting, where indulgence and saying “yes” means Love, is clearly unhealthy.

Overall when these believers go without hearing an authentic gospel message of self-denial and the cross, they end up with little capacity to function in”the real world” and when they face the very eventual setbacks and roadblocks of life,they may collapse. They have a great sense of God’s love for them until they are told “no” or they don’t get what they want. This is a bitter pill to swallow but it is not heard in many churches and that’s why it is crucial to preach and declare the truth!

Look at some of the differences between what many are being taught versus what the Word teaches:

American Gospel                                                    Gospel of the Kingdom
God +PLUS my options                                              one choice-“Follow Me”
comfortable                                                                  uncomfortable to our flesh
not offensive                                                                offends the mind, reveals the heart
looks back                                                                    goes forward
convenience all-important                                      covenant
ministry determined by people’s needs              Holy Spirit directed ministry
the people(Lao) rule(dicea)                                      apostles and elders rule
avoid conflict                                                               conflict of Kingdoms
people-pleasing                                                          God-pleasing
seeker-friendly                                                            Holy Spirit friendly
get people “saved”                                                     make disciples
ministry done only by elite few                              ministry done by Body
program-oriented worship                                      apostolic teaching, prayer
“inch deep and a mile wide”                                   rooted &grounded inChrist
breeds spiritual babies                                            brings maturity
attendees easily offended                                       unable to be offended
go around the mountain                                          takes territory
fruit is proud & puffed up                                       produces a humble, meek people
allows foolishness                                                     loves wisdom