10

Religion South Platte Sentinel Wednesday, April 25, 2007 Page 10 Jesus Christ is the sovereign king of the universe A...

0 downloads 69 Views 226KB Size
Religion

South Platte Sentinel

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 Page 10

Jesus Christ is the sovereign king of the universe A certain infamous televangelist (who will remain unnamed) was caught in the 1980’s wearing an earpiece so that his accomplices in his sound booth could feed him personal information on people in his audience while he was claiming to get personal messages directly from God. He duped thousands of people, was embarrassed, and slowly faded off the evangelical map. As I was channel surfing the other day, I saw him on TV again promoting miracle healing water. Obviously, his past shenanigans have not affected his current ministry. While I mean this gentleman no harm or disrespect, I question how discerning we have become as Christians in distinguishing truth from error. As I wrote a few weeks ago, we live in a world of deception, error, and theological confusion. Many Christians argue that we should not bring up theology for doctrine divides. We shouldn’t be divisive, but

focus on unity in the body of Christ. After all, let’s all just “love Jesus”, right? With that, I ask this question, “What Jesus are we talking about?” The Jesus of the scriptures, or a Jesus we have invented to suit our 21st century postmodern cravings. God gives us this clear mandate in the second of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:4: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” Not only are we to worship the correct God, but He also requires that we worship Him correctly. Idolatry is a scary word. We’ve even invented an entire pop culture phenomenon focusing on discovering the next “American Idol.” Sorry, Sanjaya! What does it mean to worship an idol? It means that we have created something or elevated something or someone above God Himself. While most of us will not

God's Word For Today By Pastor Sean Cole have carved images of reptiles or Buddha statues in our homes (some may have these things, I don’t know), most of us are guilty of the following type of idolatry. We say these simple words: “To me, God is -,” “In my opinion, Jesus is -.” And then we invent a Jesus or God who fits our set of beliefs and would never hold us accountable for the sins to which we so dearly cling. We make an idol in our minds of what we want Jesus Christ to be. Jesus then becomes a passive

dispenser of wise sayings who wears sandals, never confronts people, and is nice to everyone. This is not the Jesus of history nor of the Bible. Jesus Christ is the sovereign king of the universe who calls all people everywhere to repent. The true Jesus is infinitely holy and is the spotless lamb who committed no sin. The true Jesus holds people accountable for their sins and spoke more about Hell than any other person in the New Testament. The true Christ died on a cross crying out “It is finished!” thereby obtaining eternal redemption for His people. Yet, in the midst of all this, Christ still says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30). Christ still offers Himself as a perfect savior and will never cast away anyone who comes to

Him in repentance and faith. Are you guilty of breaking the Second Commandment by inventing a God in your own image? Are you searching the scriptures to discover the true Jesus of the Bible? Are you praying for discernment in a world of heresies, error, and false teachers? Do you need rest for your soul? Rest from the guilt of sin and the pains of facing an eternal separation from God in hell? Then take Jesus at His word and come to Him. Find rest, salvation, and security in the sovereign savior and Lord. He has never turned away anyone who has come humbly to Him and cried out for mercy and asked forgiveness and trusted in His power to save to the uttermost. In a world of confusion, the one person you can count on is Jesus Christ - the perfect, glorious, beautiful savior who will give you ultimate rest for your soul. (Sean Cole is the lead pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Sterling.)

TO ALL PATIENTS OF

DR. TERESA HILL WE ARE CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF

HILL CHIROPRACTIC.

WE WILL BE DRAWING 2 NAMES EVERY WEEK IN APRIL. OUR GRAND PRIZE IS A CUSTOM MADE THERAPEUTIC PILLOW. YOU MAY ENTER BY CALLING TO WISH US "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY," OR BY STOPPING BY 207 ASH ST. IN STERLING. GIFT CERTIFICATES AND MANY OTHER PRIZES WILL BE GIVEN. The St. Anthony’s Spring Luncheon will be held on Wed., May 2 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 421 S. 11 Ave. The "all you can eat" luncheon includes hot and cold dishes, plus desserts and carryouts are available. Tickets are $6 and are available at the door. In anticipation of the May luncheon, President Altar Rosary Virginia Basseggio (right) and member Betty Pimple are all ready preparing for the event. (Courtesy Photo.)

RLIE CHA

CONTINENTAL

JAY

STERLING • YUMA • FORT MORGAN • BRUSH

It's SPRING-UP Time at

COUNTRY GARDENS NURSERY Time To Come On Out & Get the Supplies You'll Need To Spring-Up Around Your Home! *Flower & Garden Seeds *Fertilizer *Peat Moss *Spagnum *Bone Meal *Systemic Insecticides For Trees, Shrubs & Perennials

2006 Mazda 3i 4-Door Sedan

Red, Front Wheel Drive, 4 Cylinder, 2.0 Liter Automatic, Power Steering, Tilt Wheel, Cruise Control, AM/FM Stereo, Single Compact Disc, Dual Front Air Bags, Only 15,649 Miles. Stock #62506083

522 N. 3rd St. 500 W. 8th Ave. 115 E. Platte Ave. 501 Edison Sterling, CO Fort Morgan, CO Brush, CO Yuma, CO 522-9250 970-842-0405 970-857-2438 800-876-0577

www.korf.net

Now Is The Perfect Time To Plant Perennials, Trees & Shrubs Come Out and Look Over Our Locally Grown Selection Order Your Plant Seedlings Now For When You Need Them!

COUNTRY GARDENS NURSERY 1 Mile North of NJC Hwy. 138 (970) 522-6417