Interesting Developments in Christianity
by Michael K. Lake, Th.D.
I hope by now many of you have had a chance to read over my last bulletin. I have received many wonderful e-mails thanking me for the article. In fact, several ministers asked my permission to preach the article from their pulpits. Although I appreciate the requests, they are not necessary. My heart’s desire is to speak into your lives. If it touches your heart, share it with others.
What has also intrigued me is the fact that when I hear from God and develop an article with either warm milk or a little meat, I also receive a good number of unsubscribe requests too. It is fascinating – people do not expect to receive anything that would challenge status quo or demand transformation in their lives from a Bible College or Seminary. (Let me add that these unsubscribe requests are not from BLCS students, but those that only requested our catalog.) Does this mean that we expect nothing new from our theological education? Maybe we don’t want anything that will stretch us or make us grow. I am just amazed at times the responses I get from the Church.
Most of you know a little about my background, I was raised old-line Baptist and surrendered to the ministry at 13. Back then we expected our ministers to challenge us; cause us to look deeper at ourselves and scripture; and to demand transformation within the lives and hearts of believers. In fact, back then if a minister did not do these things he was not worth his salt.
Today things are quite a bit different! We want pop psychology over biblical truth. We want the best life now as long as we never have to repent or change. We want God, His Word and His power to change our surroundings, but never change us. I am seeing the warning of Paul manifest in our very midst:
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV)
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Needless to say, all of this is proof that we are living in the last of the Last Days.
To be honest, it used to hurt my heart when I saw a good number of people unsubscribe after I sent out an anointing article. This past week the Holy Spirit has changed my paradigm. With each article I am not only feeding, but I am weeding! If you can’t take the truth in one of the articles I have written, your flesh will never survive any of the courses I have taught at Biblical Life. So having a good number of people unsubscribing is a good thing – they are not hungry for truth and transformation. My heart’s desire is to speak into the lives of those that have a spiritual hunger, not itching ears!
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