US Christians Confuse Conspiracy Theories With Gospel
People ask me why I’m harping on things such as Bill Gates conspiracies, vaccine conspiracies, & lockdown protesters.
ARMCHAIR CHRISTIANITY
Have people forgotten the Word of God isn’t something we intellectualize, but rather it’s what we put into practice?
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” — James 1:22–25 ESV
TIMES OF TESTING
Everyone talks about how they believe in Jesus, and they trust the Bible, but the second a real life situation arises where people are faced with even a small amount of discomfort, people toss out scripture and lean on their own understanding.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5 ESV
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
My friend @IWasJustinYou sent this to me. You could add that to people following every rabbit hole conspiracy theory, even scripture is lying to you.
If you are a Christian, in times of stress & anxiety, we’re to turn to Christ. Yet people are turning to worldly propaganda.
You could add that to people following every rabbit hole conspiracy theory, even scripture is lying to you.
He also sent me this:
Have Christians forgotten that they’re the only Bible people might encounter? What sort of witness is it to unbelievers when Christians act like terrorists & criminals? Are Christians behaving like ambassadors of Christ?
AN EXAMPLE TO UNBELIEVERS
Have Christians forgotten that unbelievers are watching their behavior to discern your fruit. Even an unbeliever has a spirit that recognizes other spirits. Does your spirit represent that you’re a new creation in Christ, or are you still walking in the flesh?
“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” — 1 Peter 3:1–2 ESV
SOLDIERS AND COMMANDING OFFICERS
We are slaves to Christ, ambassadors for His kingdom. What king allows his soldiers or ambassadors to disobey his established chain of command, especially in uniform amongst civilians?
We don’t get to disobey scripture because we don’t think our commanding officer makes sense.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” — Romans 13:1–7 ESV
MY RESPONSIBILITIES AS A TEACHER
In what universe do people think I shouldn’t warn the flock I’ve been entrusted with, that their current actions are not only an embarrassment to the Kingdom and a terrible witness to unbelievers, but they will incur judgement from God?
“Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” — Romans 13:2 ESV
I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN YOU
People love it when I go all in on heresies that they’re not committing, because it makes them feel superior to those who are enslaved to those follies. The second I begin calling out their own sin, they claim I’m being mean, unloving & they don’t hear the Holy Spirit. Funny.
When they cheer and laugh when I go in on these other heresies, I am reminded of Paul’s words. Do these arrogant people think I’m not coming for their heresies next? We’ll find out how powerful these boastful ones are when their beliefs are held up to the lens of scripture.
“Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?” — 1 Corinthians 4:18–21 ESV
BIBLE PROPHECY COMING TRUE
We are seeing 2 Timothy 3 come to pass before our very eyes. False teachers capitalizing on people’s fleshly desires, leading astray weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins, lead astray by various passions, always “learning” (ex: fb research) but never able to know truth.
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” — 2 Timothy 3:1–9 ESV
YOUR CONSPIRACIES AREN’T THE GOSPEL
The Gospel isn’t about US politics, unmasking Illuminati, Q-anon, Flat Earth, anti-vaxx, 5G conspiracies, Bitcoin, etc.
People love to misuse Ephesians 5:11 to excuse not preaching the gospel. The darkness we’re to expose is the fruitless deeds of darkness in our own hearts.
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” — Ephesians 5:11 ESV
REPENT OF YOUR SINS
Jesus preached repentance. The prophets, the apostles all preached repentance. Turning away from our sin nature & having a change of mind. We’re to expose how each and every one of us is a slave to sin, in bondage to the flesh, but there is grace & hope to those who repent.
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” — Matthew 4:17 ESV
UPSET? TOUGH!
If anyone thinks I should stay silent while people who claim to follow Christ drive people away from the truth of the gospel through their behavior, through elevating their passions above scripture & leading others to grumble against God & incur punishment, LOL girl bye.
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” — Ezekiel 33:6 ESV
Originally published at http://rachelnstephens.com on May 13, 2020.
