I think it is a blessing and a curse that we have so many churches in America, that it seems there should be no excuse for anyone to have not heard the truth of God’s word. It is a blessing because in America, we don’t have to go very far before we are reminded of God by seeing him represented on buildings bearing his name. But it may also be a curse because not all churches are equal. Not all churches represent God in a way that truly reflects who he is. Not all churches support, and hold true to, the entire Bible. And some churches have resorted to using gimmicks, deception, or they even distort the word of God in order to grow their numbers. This can make it extremely difficult for those who are seeking salvation to hear the plain truth from the Holy scriptures. Paul made sure the Corinthians understand that the word of God speaks for itself. It doesn’t need us to distort it or to deceive people with a bait and switch. It says is second Corinthians 4, verse 2:
“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
Paul understood that the plain truth of the Bible is what we need. It doesn’t need any additional help to reach the hearts of people, because the Bible is most powerful when we let it speak for itself. Churches who try to lure people in with gimmicks or deception, churches who distort the word of God, or churches who have a different agenda than sharing the plain truth about God should be avoided. I encourage you to evaluate your church. Does it proclaim the plain truth of God’s word? This is not a time for the church to produce spiritually thin Christians. We need the plain truth of God’s word, because any other version or method is distorting what God intended for his people.
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The Bible tells us that God’s word will not return void. In other words, when the plain truth of God’s word is shared, he will use it to affect lives; he will use it to draw men unto himself. We’re making a big mistake when we think we need to revise God’s word to better appeal to our time or culture, or when church becomes a comedy act or a performance in an effort to make it more fun. We do not have to convince people to come to the Father because we’re not the ones who draw men to him. The Bible is clear that God draws men unto himself. Our job is to proclaim the truth plainly, as Paul puts it, without changing it and without compromise. Any other strategy is of the flesh.