Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for
your miseries that shall come upon you.
Your riches are corrupted, and our garments
are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered;
and the rust of them shall be a witness
against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire.
Ye have heaped treasure together for the
last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers
who have reaped down your fields, which
is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the
cries of them which have reaped are entered
in to the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth.
Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been
wanton: ye have nourished your hearts, as
in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and
killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
James 5:1-6
The Greek word that is translated as "go to" may seem a bit confusing so let me do my best to clarify it by using the Greek this work can be a particle of exhortation a word that is an imperative of the Greek word "ayw" meaning to lead or to bring art to lead away to lead out to conduct the force and as a particle here you can mean to come now and it also carries the meaning that his singular president and parroted in the second person to context must give us the clarification is how we are to understand this word. A good translation would be to come now, in other words as an imperative that means do not delay do it now. Furthermore need to an understanding of the word "Sabbaoth," this is not "Sabbath" that means the seventh day. Sabbaoth that means The Lord of Hosts.
In writing about the current conditions of the Christian Church it is not meant to say that every one or every church is problematic but to say that we must examine our churches and that which is being taught to ensure that they are not problematic. This does not mean that there are people in it who have a good heart and a desire to serve the God that they believe who He is (I am not speaking here of such as Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons do hold to a completely different God than what the Bible teaches), rather there is people who are really wanting to serve God are being misled.
Experience tells us that persecution often has the opposite effect that it desires to produce: i.e., Islam, the Moslems killing Christians as though they can stop the spread of Christianity by this killing and an examination says that Christianity is still thriving in those countries. Not thriving like it is in the United States or the European countries, rather under those conditions it is still growing and many are coming to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So they're persecution is actually having the opposite effect that they desire it to have. Authentic Christian faith has always thrived under such persecution. Yes, during these times of persecution is not easy to be a Christian. This often leads people to become lukewarm or halfhearted followers of Christ in times of great difficulty. The battle lines are being drawn if they've not already been drawn, and on one side is the culture of this world both of the secular field and in some of the Christian churches, and the Authentic kingdom of God. Authentic Christians do not run away from difficulties, in fact they are driven closer to Jesus Christ and to have a deeper relationship with him. Authentic Christians remember that there are only pilgrims and strangers in this world now that they have become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Authentic Christians during these times examined and claim to the basics of Authentic Christian faith.
Peace and prosperity than just the exact opposite is that which is happening to Christians under persecution for it has the opposite effect. It can be saying that when things are going well, we tend to forget that we are engaged in warfare. So not only does the secular world not benefit from their peace and prosperity as a halt but more importantly the Christian Church does not fare well if they cling to that peace and prosperity. Authentic Christians develop an intensity and intensify of faith that would get them through the tough times even to those times of peace and prosperity when life is easy. It is when the church becomes assimilated into the culture that they become cultural Christians and that replaces Authentic Faith. Unfortunately in this day and age the distinctions between church and culture have become blurred.
Due to our Christian churches becoming blurred between a culture of this world and Authentic Christianity they have become part of the culture. Being part of this culture causes them to blend into the landscape as another institution. We find that many that are falling into this cultural Christianity and do all they can to become financially prosperous (be prosperous is not in of itself wrong, but the motive behind the drive to be prosperous is what matters). It is this cultural Christianity that has become a force in politics and Law. We see this with the laws that are protecting abortion, and homosexuality, such things as transgender-ism and even the clergy and become so enmeshed and their concerns about a proper society, that there be a prosperous society, to be an all inclusive society, that they have lost their spiritual distinction.
We are to be on guard for ourselves so that we are not influenced by those who are "Christian" leader that are more about liberalism, about culturalism, and are in fact only nominal Christians. It is they that are doing much harm to those who are attempting to live Authentic Christian lives.
If My people, which are called by My name,
shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek My face, and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sins,
and heal their land.
II Chronicles 7:14
We are part of the problem or the solution: choose
Richard L. Crumb
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