As Christians, our first response is to say that we read our bibles daily. That is great, indeed we cannot spend enough time in the Word mingled with prayer and meditation.
However, the question is; what is shaping your worldview? According to a recent Barna report, a large majority of evangelicals lack a biblical worldview.
So again, what are you reading? If the Bible is not shaping your understanding of the world around you and God's plan for your life, what is? God's word must be the central core and plumb line of all our understanding.
Consider the following: how well do you understand the historic significance of our scriptures? Are you aware of the struggle to bring the Bible to the common man in a language they could understand? Are you familiar with the work of missionaries throughout the last few centuries? How do you interpret current events? When issues such as abortion, euthanasia, drug use, same sex marriage, premarital sex, adultery, politics, etc. come up, how do you react?
It is one thing to be reading our bibles daily, but it is another thing to have what we read shape the way we think, act, and speak.
Let us examine our intake; are you allowing the world to infiltrate your home through secular media such as television, movies, magazines, or music? If so, to the degree you absorb this material you are desensitizing yourself to the Spirit of God and the dangers of a fallen world. Don't fall for the lie that says we need to be in the culture to be relevant. A Spirit filled believer is the most relevant thing the world will ever need. Only by keeping ourselves unspotted from the world can our 'religion' be pure and undefiled. Only by properly reflecting the glory of the Lord can we shine for Christ is this wicked and perverse generation.
May God keep our hearts and thoughts pure and holy as we set our minds on the things above where Christ is.
It seems the blog is heating up over the contentious issue of works in the role of salvation. While the mother church has always espoused works as a necessary requirement for salvation, even then they cannot and will not guarantee the security of the pilgrim. Rather, they promote a regimen of penance mixed with a healthy dose of charitable and self sacrificing efforts to swing the poor souls chances of avoiding the fires of hell. The prospective candidate is then encouraged to much self introspection and examination of their works to prove the merit of God's grace. Perhaps the rest of the rebellious children are finally catching on and returning home as they have always wanted?
