“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Tim. 4:2)
We as born-again believers in Jesus Christ have a two-fold mission, to reach out to all who do not yet know or acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, and to rebuke and correct those who do, or in many cases those that only profess Him with their lips. I fear that the latter of these two has fallen by the wayside, “Never offend” has become the banner of many who stand behind the pulpit today, it has led to apathy, and in turn to the apostacy of today.
I offer you an analogy here, one that still amazes me to this day. In the land of Israel Muslims celebrate their festivals, Romanism is allowed to flourish, all manner of religious organizations abide in what is known as the Holy Land. Now, I know many of you see little wrong in this truth, but I will place this before you for your contemplation. The idol worshippers who inhabited the land of Canaan were to be utterly destroyed when Joshua led the people into the Land of Promise. He was not told to allow their alters to remain, but he knew what would happen. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) Moses said the same to the people before the Lord buried him. The Book of Judges shows how quickly we forget the Almighty.
There was great joy among many in 1948 when the people of God were back in the Land, and although I do not know how long it took, it was not long before the idol worshippers followed them there, and to their shame, they allowed them in.
I understand that we must take into account the fact that during this age of grace those who still adhere to the Old Testament, those of the children of Abraham who have refused Jesus Christ as the Messiah are unable to discern who is saved by grace. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:14) But that is no excuse in this regard, for they have opened their doors to all in fear of offending some.
I offer another thought if you will allow me to, though I have done no research on the topic, and can only offer conjecture, you may do so if you desire to, my heart could not bear it. Recall the account of Sodom and Gomorrah and that entire valley, (Gen. 18:16-19:29) those whose sins had reached even unto heaven and imagine if you will Abraham feeling sorry for those who may have lived through that moment and building a village for them to live in next door to his tent. My mind cannot contemplate that there may be gay bars in Jerusalem.
Reproving and correcting tends to go by the wayside when the Most High does not intervene directly, visibly and with great power in the sight of mankind. Today’s Christians have decided, wrongly, that love means allowing sin to flourish, that reproving is not how we are to stand against evil, much less witness to those who are living in open sin and therefore rebellion against the Word and will of God. Judging is, as it were, is a “four letter word” in the minds of many if not most who sit in those pews each Sunday morning, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7)
For many of these same individuals, the truth of Romans 3:18 stands clear and open, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Reproving, correcting and judging with righteous judgement is no longer the path they have chosen to walk, apathy has replaced empathy in their hearts, enablement and allowing inclusivity now resides where righteous judgment should sit, and words of a supposed love for all are spoken, to those who openly preach another way besides Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father. Far too many today not only fear to wield the sword of the Word of God but have begun to treat it as at best as a butter knife, and at worst a thing that is offensive to them. “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” (Psalm 94:16)
