Satan is the enemy of humanity. He knows he has been defeated by Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world. However, God allows satan to prowl around the world, looking for people to devour. Although has indeed been defeated, and that God is ultimately in control, it is still absolutely crucial for Christians to understand how satan attempt to blind people, so that they can understand and expose evil. The Bible commands Christians to: Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11).
'Fellowship' come from the Greek word 'koinónia'. Koinonia means participation or contribution. Thus, the Bible clearly commands Christians to abstain from doing evil works, or from supporting such deeds. Reprove comes from the Greek word 'elegchó, which means to rebuke or expose. Therefore, Ephesians 5:11 commands Christians to not only abstain from evil, but to rebuke or expose it.
Participation or contribution can be active or passive. Many Christians may not actively participate in evil, but far too many passively participate in evil, all without realising it. Many Christians fear people and what people think of them. As a result, they cower down to social liberalism, democracy and capitalism without even knowing it. When confronted of their failure to take action, they are shocked and usually offended. They feel as though they are being judged by the fellow Christian who is rebuking them to take action to expose evil and fight it. This is extremely frustrating for those Christians who are seeking to fight and expose evil, and asking other Christians to help wage against the spiritual warfare mounted by the forces of darkness. These evil forces see to work against the world to further blind their minds which are already darkened and hardened their hearts against God even more (Ephesians 4:18).
Many Christians think that the Gospel presentation needs to be made "culturally sensitive" to reach out to the unsaved. The Gospel is the Gospel. The Gospel is an offensive power that shines light on darkness, the unregenerate sinner, and the cure to the soul that sins. Thus, to make the Gospel culturally sensitive is to reduce its power to cure, and most importantly, an insult to the Gospel itself. The Gospel need not be modified at all to be feed to the sick. It will be fed to the sick by its offensive power, because of its offensiveness.
Christians who believe that the Gospel needs to be made "culturally sensitive" so as to reach the culture have forgotten that the Gospel is powerful in its offensiveness to the world (Galatians 5:11). While many Christians who believe in culturally sensitivity may have a good intention, it quite frankly, works to reduce its effect of grace. Many of these Christians find it offensive whenever they see the Way of the Master method is being used of whenever someone says in their testimony that it was after reading the book of Romans which details the Law of God.
This emphasis on "cultural sensitivity" has inoculated many Christians against fighting evil and exposing it, out of fear that people will not want to seek God because of their "bad" perception of Christians who are "judgmental", "intolerant" and who love to "impose their views on others". Such thinking is of a carnal nature and comes from the carnal unregenerate mind of the unsaved. Satan uses the fear Christians feel about how the unsaved think of their behaviour and character to reduce the sharing of the Gospel to its full effect by being "culturally sensitive" and to abstain from fighting evil.
'Fellowship' come from the Greek word 'koinónia'. Koinonia means participation or contribution. Thus, the Bible clearly commands Christians to abstain from doing evil works, or from supporting such deeds. Reprove comes from the Greek word 'elegchó, which means to rebuke or expose. Therefore, Ephesians 5:11 commands Christians to not only abstain from evil, but to rebuke or expose it.
Participation or contribution can be active or passive. Many Christians may not actively participate in evil, but far too many passively participate in evil, all without realising it. Many Christians fear people and what people think of them. As a result, they cower down to social liberalism, democracy and capitalism without even knowing it. When confronted of their failure to take action, they are shocked and usually offended. They feel as though they are being judged by the fellow Christian who is rebuking them to take action to expose evil and fight it. This is extremely frustrating for those Christians who are seeking to fight and expose evil, and asking other Christians to help wage against the spiritual warfare mounted by the forces of darkness. These evil forces see to work against the world to further blind their minds which are already darkened and hardened their hearts against God even more (Ephesians 4:18).
Many Christians think that the Gospel presentation needs to be made "culturally sensitive" to reach out to the unsaved. The Gospel is the Gospel. The Gospel is an offensive power that shines light on darkness, the unregenerate sinner, and the cure to the soul that sins. Thus, to make the Gospel culturally sensitive is to reduce its power to cure, and most importantly, an insult to the Gospel itself. The Gospel need not be modified at all to be feed to the sick. It will be fed to the sick by its offensive power, because of its offensiveness.
Christians who believe that the Gospel needs to be made "culturally sensitive" so as to reach the culture have forgotten that the Gospel is powerful in its offensiveness to the world (Galatians 5:11). While many Christians who believe in culturally sensitivity may have a good intention, it quite frankly, works to reduce its effect of grace. Many of these Christians find it offensive whenever they see the Way of the Master method is being used of whenever someone says in their testimony that it was after reading the book of Romans which details the Law of God.
This emphasis on "cultural sensitivity" has inoculated many Christians against fighting evil and exposing it, out of fear that people will not want to seek God because of their "bad" perception of Christians who are "judgmental", "intolerant" and who love to "impose their views on others". Such thinking is of a carnal nature and comes from the carnal unregenerate mind of the unsaved. Satan uses the fear Christians feel about how the unsaved think of their behaviour and character to reduce the sharing of the Gospel to its full effect by being "culturally sensitive" and to abstain from fighting evil.
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