When Will We Ever Learn?

Compromise – it’s when someone with deeply held beliefs, adapts to some alternative belief system in order to appease another person or group.

How many times have you compromised your beliefs, to keep from making someone else angry, or trying to smooth over something that might get a little difficult? Everyone has at some time or another.

Whether it’s political, religious; business or personal, we’ve all compromised at some point in our lives, our careers, or both.

I got to thinking of some of some current compromises in Christianity today, and why they occurred – and how they’ve impacted the Christian walk of people today.

One of the biggest examples is the “Christlam” movement started by Rick Warren, when he spoke at the annual gathering of the Islamic Society of North America in 2009 and stated that there wasn’t much difference between Christians and Muslims, as we worship the same god.

Around the same time, he was instrumental in creating the Yale Covenant between Christianity and Islam. Here is the preamble to that so-called “covenant”:

As members of the worldwide Christian community, we were deeply encouraged and challenged by the recent historic open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world. “A Common Word Between Us and You” identifies some core common ground between Christianity and Islam which lies at the heart of our respective faiths as well as at the heart of the most ancient Abrahamic faith, Judaism. Jesus Christ’s call to love God and neighbor was rooted in the divine revelation to the people of Israel embodied in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). We receive the open letter as a Muslim hand of conviviality and cooperation extended to Christians worldwide. In this response we extend our own Christian hand in return, so that together with all other human beings we may live in peace and justice as we seek to love God and our neighbors.

Muslims and Christians have not always shaken hands in friendship; their relations have sometimes been tense, even characterized by outright hostility. Since Jesus Christ says, “First take the log out your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye” (Matthew 7:5), we want to begin by acknowledging that in the past (e.g. in the Crusades) and in the present (e.g. in excesses of the “war on terror”) many Christians have been guilty of sinning against our Muslim neighbors. Before we “shake your hand” in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world.

Yale Covenant preamble

Notice that the end of the preamble asks “the forgiveness of the all merciful one” – they’ve placed the One True God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob on the same level as the Islamic moon god of Mohammad.

Why was this compromise done by Rick Warren, and subsequently endorsed by well known leaders such as Robert Schuller, and taken by churches nationwide?

Well, this was done to ease the consciences of the liberal church and their liberal pastors – the same ones that are trying to make all of feel guilty of sins that we had nothing to do with, and the color of our skin. These are the “woke pastors” and “woke churches” of today.

Hey, I’ve said it a million times – I don’t hate anyone. Every life, no matter your skin color, no matter your nationality, no matter what religion you practice – or no faith at all – every single life matters.

As Christians however, we are all called to evangelize, to tell everyone about Jesus, his gift of salvation and eternal life, if they would only believe, and give control of their lives over to the Lord. We’re not all called to pastor a church or serve as a church elder, but every one of you is called to work in the fields, planting seed for the harvest.

As I said last week, I want to see every follower of Mohammad saved by the blood of Christ, but I will not compromise my faith to do it, like Rick Warren and the other “Christian signers” of this covenant have done. They either accept the Gospel of the Bible, or look forward to an eternity of torment in Hell.

Many of these preachers are not preaching the Gospel of Christ, they’re preaching the gospel according to Oprah Winfrey. God loves everyone, and that’s there than one way to Heaven. That too, is compromising with the worldly system.

Everyone wants to feel good – and are trying to make sure that they’ll get to Heaven. They want the, what I and a few pastors I know call ”fire insurance”. Here’s what I recently posted on that:

“God knows when you’re paying lip service trying to get that ‘fire insurance policy from Hell.’ Understand that the premium for that policy isn’t an earned premium, it’s a one-time acknowledgment that you’re a sinner, that you’re lost without Jesus running your life, believing that He died for your sin, and rose again on the third day, and then giving your life over to Jesus, to run your life. Then, and only then, is such a policy in force.”

John 3:16 says that there’s only one way. Other scripture says the same thing. There is nothing in the Bible that says that there is more than one way – that’s New Age claptrap.

Compromise is all over the Christian faith and in many churches. We forget that we are to love our fellow human being, but we’re not to love the sin.

Dr. Neil Clark Warren was a diehard evangelical. He had a weekly program with Focus on the Family and an outspoken supporter of monogamous marriage between one man and one woman.

In 2004, he started the popular dating site eHarmony, which at the time only accepted heterosexual people on their service. They rejected gay and lesbians – transgender wasn’t even a thing at the time.

He was a renowned psychologist who counseled couples contemplating marriage, as well as compatibility. He used an extensive questionnaire in these sessions, that was incorporated into the eHarmony site itself. It screened applicants not only for compatibility , but also screened out those with undesirable traits such as homosexuality.

In 2009, eHarmony was sued in New Jersey for discrimination, and was forced to change their business practices. In 2010, eHarmony launched Compatibility Partners, a site that was dedicated to alternative lifestyles, but didn’t change eHarmony.

This was compromise, pure and simple. The company compromised its closely held religious beliefs to get itself out of a legal sticky situation. They took the easy way out.

Colorado baker Jack Phillips had a lot more to lose than Neil Clark Warren. eHarmony was well capitalized and a large concern. Jack Phillips was a small town baker who refused to compromise his deeply held belief that marriage is between one man and one woman, not two women, not two men – and with the help of some legal assistance, took the case all the way to the US Supreme Court, and won.

Who do you think God has more respect for? Who glorified God with their actions? That’s right, the small town baker who put it all on the line for Jesus Christ. Neil Clark Warren could take a lesson from Jack Phillips.

Today, eHarmony and Compatibility Partners are under the eHarmony umbrella. In fact, there is no more Compatibility Partners site. In eHarmony television advertising, they have no qualms of showing two men or two women, holding hands and kissing. You gotta look fast, because it’s buried in there with heterosexual couples.

In the last days…what does the word of God say about all of this?

The first five verses of 2 Timothy, chapter 3, describe what’s going on today to a tee. From the New King James:

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

We’re instructed by Paul to turn away from these people – to not be like them. There’s a reason that Paul made this admonition to young Timothy. It comes down to this: give Satan an inch, he’ll take a mile. One crack – one small crack in your armor – is all Satan needs to get into your life, the lives of your family, your church if you’re a pastor. That’s reflected in verses 6&7:

For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The fifth chapter of 1 Corinthians deals with this as well, when it comes to those in the church who are steeped in sin. Verses 9-13:

I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

In verse 13, the Greek for “put away from yourselves” is actually a strong command to “purge from yourselves” – to put them out. Why? So sin doesn’t get a chance to get a foothold in the church, then like a virus, permeate the church. Nothing good comes from this!

And to those who say that we’re not to judge… read the above scripture again. I also suggest you read my message … “Judge Not, Really? then ask again. As a believer in Christ, you are to judge rightly.

2 Peter 3:9 says that God wants everyone to repent and be saved, that He’s long suffering, but right after, in verse 10, it says that the Lord will come like a thief in the night – when we least expect it.

Just like a parent with a disobedient child, God will discipline those He loves, in order to change their behavior. He can, and will, allow circumstances to befall us, in order to get our attention.

How many times have you gotten into the face of your child to get their attention? Maybe it required a raised voice… or a whack on the tush – your action usually created a reaction, that they stopped the offending behavior, sat up, and listened. Same here – God will allow things to occur when He needs our attention, to get it.

God’s done this throughout history.

King David when he committed adultery with Bathsheba – He even allowed an innocent child to die, but He got David’s attention, didn’t He?

So, will God just get sick and tired of it all? I mean compromising with the devil, isn’t that just playing Russian roulette with sin, or does God really care?

I pray every day for patience, and I thank Him that I’m not Him, because if I were, believers and those under the age of accountability would be in Heaven, and the earth would be scorched. God is long suffering, and thank God for that – but there will come a time, and given current events, I truly believe we’re in it now, that God is turning His back on the nations.

I’ve only been preaching it for the last couple of years now. Open your bibles to the first chapter of Romans. Starting in verse 18, you get a detailed map of the steps God takes when He turns His hand away from a nation.

I read this and think to myself, between the prophecies of Daniel 7 and 9, and Ezekiel 37-39, were headed straight for the Tribulation and that Jesus could come any day now – like a thief in the night. Heck, I don’t even want to venture a guess as to when, even Jesus Himself doesn’t know – but we gotta be ready, and part of that I’d to get to everyone we know and evangelize, evangelize, evangelize!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I was not placed on this earth to be liked. There will always be those who like a horse needing to be broken, will buck and kick. I understand this, but it won’t stop me from putting truth of the Word of God out there.

I will not compromise my deeply held beliefs, just to make friends, please family or appease others.

As a shepherd in the church, I will be judged more harshly as to how I shepherded my flock. Have I made mistakes? Who hasn’t. But one things for darned sure – I am also a watchman on the wall, and I’m telling you to get your nose out of YouTube and false prophets, get your nose into scripture. God lays it out as clear as day there.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to go there. We’re going to look at scripture to see, that we’re at 11:57-11:59 PM on the Heavenly clock.

Some of you will shut your eyes and put your fingers in your ears and say, “No! There’s a white hat group that’s gonna save America, and Donald Trump is going to restored as our rightful president.” I’m here to tell you that he may well run in 2024, and he may well be elected, but Donald Trump is an idol that’s being worshipped, and God will not put up with that from anyone.

The Father determines our timetable, not man – and when He’s good and ready, and I really feel that this could be soon, He’s gonna say, “Son, it’s time to gather the kids, and bring them home.”

Are you ready? Is your family ready? How about your friends and acquaintances? We are to give them the truth of the a gospel of Jesus Christ. This means we don’t get wish washy and compromise on sin, but we offer the way of escape – the gift of salvation through the blood of Christ.

It’s laid out so beautifully in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 – use it! Use your testimony! Tell what God’s allowed you to go through, and how He’s worked in your life to rescue you.

Jesus paid the premium for that “fire insurance” we spoke of earlier, our job is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of our sin, and be saved.

Maybe that’s you today. Are you assured eternity in Heaven? If you’re unsure, then you’re probably not. Get in your knees, and repent, “Lord, I’m a sinner, and I’ve rebelled against You and your ways. But today, right now, I’m asking you through the redeeming blood of Jesus, please forgive me of my sin.

“I know and firmly believe, that you died on that cross as the final sacrifice for my sin, that you were buried, and rose again on the third day, triumphant over sin and death, and now sit at the right hand of the Father – and that one day, I will be with You in paradise.

“Holy Spirit, please come and help me live day-to-day, and help me to overcome my sinful and worldly desires, to live as a beacon for God every day. You are my guide and my comforter. Thank You for guiding me each day.

“Now Lord God, I give my life to You. Please use me, my talents and abilities to glorify You, ever day of my life – in Jesus’ Name, Amen”

If you prayed that with sincerity in your heart, and you really believe it, welcome to the family. Your fire insurance is paid up, and your place in Heaven has been reserved.

Now go, and serve your King.