Diminished Christianity

I wanted to write a note of spiritual encouragement:

There are so many religions in the world and such confusion on what is morally right and wrong. Many young people of my generation have embraced the lies of the world. I find this sad, especially because we live in a time when a plethora of information is available to those who are willing to research and study out the philosophies we are encountering.

Jesus Christ is the stone over which which everyone stumbles. A short time ago I had a religious discussion with people at work. Represented were the Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, and Muslim faiths, as well as an agnostic. Everyone united on certain points, but as soon as I expressed conviction that everyone must accept Christ or suffer eternal damnation I was roundly rebuked by the other faiths.

The civilized western world grew out of the faiths that sprang from Abraham's sons. But if you accept the truth of Christ you can't avoid the fact that there is only one way to enter God's rest, and that requires repentance and faith in Christ. This is offensive to other faiths. They turn and look at us Christians with disgust. If you hold to the truth in the public workplace I am certain you know what I mean because you, too, have been in those conversations with coworkers.

But too many of us get wrapped up in the arguments as to "how we know the Bible is true" and "how we can prove it."

All we need prove is Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul stated, without the resurrection our faith is vain. The resurrection is a validated historical event, thus proving Christ's deity, which proves the authority of his teachings, and when his teachings are proven valid then the sources he referenced are valid (namely the laws of Moses the teachings of the prophets).

It is all so simple, so why is it so hard?

We are sinners and finite human beings. We don't want to accept full accountability to a holy and righteous God who must have vengeance on the wicked. And it is not our definition of wickedness that matters, it is his. He is the authority.

My advice: ignore the push for psychology and instead look for wisdom. People are hung up on the way that people are born. Well, we know that we are all born into a sinful world and we all fall into it, but we don't have to be casualties in this spiritual war. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling."

The Devil is alive and well, Christian. (Yes, he is). But I am guilty of neglecting that facts. He is the prince of this world, working constantly to deceive us.
Truth does not relate to the way we feel about it. It is true whether we want it to be or not.

So let's not be discouraged or go on the defensive. Remember who the enemy is. It is not the people we encounter. Our enemy is not fleshly, but spiritual.