JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q3. Religious Compromise - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q3. Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive? What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with? Let's not settle for trite legalisms about drinking and smoking. What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity?

Anytime we compromise in heathen practices we brake our relationship with God and must repent. We also live with the regret of what we have done. Better to just stand firm in the first place but I fail often. I think some of the major areas of compromise in the church are easy divorce (God hates divorce) abortion either having one or not speaking up against it and homosexuality. I don't want to hurt anyones feelings but sometimes we have to. I don't want to be shunned. It hurts but we risk it and more if we speak up and its just a fact of living in this world. I don't want to let my God down but I need his strength and I get that through time in prayer and reading His Word. How much time do I spend in prayer? Not nearly enough to face the challenges of this world. How much time do I spend reading His Word HIs precious Word. Not nearly enough. I get easily distracted by chores. Its an area I would like to work on and improve in. I don't like tv so thats not a problem and I like praise music and hymns so thats not a problem. We all have our areas of regret and where we would like to grow . I think God desires sincerity and I see it in everyone on this forum.

God Bless and keep reaching for the goal set before us.
Jen

The reason it was so destructive was that God has told us from the beginning to have no other gods before him. When we start playing around with false gods we will lose out with the on true living God he will not let you serve two masters you must make a choice. The other gods you sin and sin and they are not real they have no feelings they can't help you and they are nothing but stone, wood or another material made by the true God to start with that man has come up with.
TV, radio, and the people around us we even use computer that tempt us to sin daily. We must separate ourselves from the world and all that it has to offer that is not in line with the word of God. Today sex is on TV in commercials, shows and everything you watch. The things are there it would be easy to fall into a trap of them if we are not in the word and prayed up.
When we give up what we know is right reading the word, fasting and worshiping the Lord is where the real problems come in today we would rather watch a TV show then read Gods word. Would not miss a ball game but will miss church to see one. We give into our worldly **** way to often and without remorse.

The reason for it to be so destructive is that it breaks our relationship Twith God. To let anything into our lives that is not of God.

I think today we let TV, Rodio and computers and our friends dictate what we believe.

Our real compromises comes when we stop reading the word. And learning what it says about living.

Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive?
Heathen religious practices may be equated with feng shui, charms, numerology, superstitions, which are now practised by more and more businesses. They open doors for darkness to penetrate into our lives when we choose not to depend on God but on human created things. We sometimes don't realise it but the moment we think we can only succeed if we doing certain things in a certain superstitious way, we have given way to be controlled by darkness. Even the language we speak (e.g. It worked like a charm!) give hints on how we let such things seep little by little into our lives until it crowds out our Lord and Saviour.

What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with?
"As long as it does not hurt anyone, it can be done," an honest and innocent looking statement but a powerful weapon of the enemy who tempts us into sin with the precept that, "It is OK, it is nothing, go on, it won't hurt you."

What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity?
The real compromise is when we decide that we need something else other than God to be joyful and to be fulfilled.

When your beliefs and your life's work are so entwined that one effects the other your choices will lean to what is best for your job becuase this is where your physical livelihood is centered. As long as one doesn't interfere with the other you can stand strong in your faith, but when your personal needs and comforts are effected choices become more difficult. How often do we excuse missing church because we worked late or extra hours and neeed time to rest? Do we really take a stand about working on Sunday? Do social activities connected with your job effect your church attendance or the time you spend with God in personal devotions? Do your fellow wokers encourage you to compromise your beliefs in order to be one of the crowd? If any of these things become important to you you have lost your effectiveness as a witness to your beliefs.

Please hear my heart on this issue, but we have to get back to our roots of our Fathers to get back to proper perspective. I don't mean the reformist fathers of Luther, Calvin, Knox, etc, I mean the founding fathers of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We are quick to look at the obvious idol/pagan practices and see the wrong, but we are blinded when we let a little bit of that world into our lives and into our churches.

Our entire church system as we know it today is steeped in traditions that come out of the church as it was in the 200-300's from a blend of pagan cult beliefs with religious overtones. Even our church altar is based on a system of a Greek arena.

I agree with others that we do make sure we get to kid's soccer games, football games on Sunday, but move about uneasily if the Pastor is taking too long or goes over during a sermon.

I was invited to hear a Messianic Rabbi speak at a church and he stated that churches today would see more miracles IF the Pastors and leadership would be more open to do "God's will" rather than their own interpretation of God's will. I believe most churches' focus is correct, but let us look truthfully at how we are doing it. Many have compromised original beliefs to "bring in the masses". We are concerned with numbers; thereby we have soft-soaped the truth. Sin and repentance is no longer preached. A loving Jesus is preached to accept Him, which is the key, but we forget the repent portion, the portion where we have to surrender all. We pride ourselves on having 100 ministries in our church, but we are missing the mark when reaching the community and evangelism. We don't have time for that, because we are supporting 100 ministries. Then our church becomes our idol or even sometimes our pastor.

As in the world sin is not dealt with honestly in churches, we overlook some sins because they are done by "heavy contributors." We don't want to put stumbling blocks for people to come in. Our Gods become ourselves, our own agenda's and almost profit. We are losing the absolutes that God has placed before us.

When Jesus walked the earth, he was Jewish and practiced Jewish customs, traditions and was obedient to the Torah. I am suggesting searching for the truth through the powerful word of God. Listen to His counsel in the entire Word of God and be obedient to that only. We must learn the Word of God for ourselves, giving that God time as our first fruits, not as the left over portion of the day. Salvation is through the blood of Jesus and the resurrection is a powerful hope for us. Accepting Jesus as Lord is crucial, but God's instruction must be taught and sought after that fact.

Let's get back to basics and get into the truth of God's word. Yes it may be uncomfortable and we will be set apart, but we will be aliens in this world, but children in God's kingdom.......Praise be to God for His truth and promise in Jesus.

To me the real compromise is that we have compromised the church for the traditions of man. We must be Holy (set-apart) because God is Holy - - getting back to basics. We have become lazy, we don't know the word any longer, and we know what the Pastor says about the word with very little measurement of his words.

In 1 John the problem was that Gnostic beliefs had filtered into the Church and people began denying that Jesus was God, that knowledge is power and that is salvation, etc. The same is going on today. Most churches have lost their absolutes and compromised God's truth.

There are many great churches out here and we must support them without fail so we can be the earthly extension of thie glorious God we serve. We must daily put our priorities back in order. We all get side tracked by the detours that Satan puts on our straight path that God has for us.

Getting back to basics. 2 Peter 1:3 says "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." He has given us everything we need to DO IT!

Q3. Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive? What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with? Let's not settle for trite legalisms about drinking and smoking. What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity?

The reason that we are compromising today is because we have lost or love for the things of God this is what happens when we live to close to the world we are to be in the world but not part of the world system, we like what the world has to offer and we have come to the point where we want all that they have and we are to busy trying to get it and we have lost sight of what God wants for us, true riches in contenment with him we cannot seek both the riches of the world and the riches of the blessing of Jesus Christ.
If God blesses us materially that is ok but if that is our focus then we lose or focus on Jesus

Q3. Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive? What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with? Let's not settle for trite legalisms about drinking and smoking. What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity?


Time and again, the Hebrew children fell back to physical idols that they could touch and hold in their hands, despite God's commandments against idol worship. We are just like them. Why are there no relics from Jesus' life? Because he knew we would worship them and not the true God (think about the shroud of Turin and the recent coffin of James). God knows our hearts and knows that we will seek the easy way of idol worship and abandon the continual reliance on Him if we have these objects.

It seems to me that Judge Roy Moore's Ten Commandments monument in Alabama easily drifts into idol worship, separate from true worship of the Living God. This sets up a confrontational us-them scenario where Satan can divide and push many into dispair (It is easy for me to see the "Golden Calf" so clearly in others yet I cannot see it in myself. That is why we need accountability for church people, pastors, and all who continually seek to do God's will.).

Like Jesus said, God is looking for true worshippers, not in front of a particular holy mountain that the proud leadership has chosen as the best spot, but wherever God's spirit is present. This kind of spiritual relationship is not easily implemented in a life filled with stuff.

Is God elusive at times? Yes. We are living in the natural. But that's not His fault. I believe He is always there, but I am the cheater, the adulterer, the abandoner -- easily drawn away by the temporal. But in having daily devotional time, prayer, and meeting together to encourage each other to seek a higher way, we draw close to God. May we develop a discerning spirit where we am able to separate truth from myth and follow the true God despite the distractions of idolatry.

Q3. Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive? What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with? Let's not settle for trite legalisms about drinking and smoking. What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity?

When we consider religious practices, should we not also look at organizations that require the taking of "oaths" to become members? One I think of is the ___ who require a 'blood oath' which is contrary to scripture. Christ died on the cross and shed his blood for us, we should not see having to swear to shed our blood to get into an organizatrion. In many trades, one cannot move up the ladder unless they are associated with some organizatin, whether it be the ____, or other organizations the leadership of the company are associated with. In like manner if you belong to another organization you may not move up. If the leadership is strong in the ____ and you are affiliated with the _____, you will go no where - personal experience here.

The struggles are to follow ones beliefs in God and how many very fundamentalist will try to persuade you that your religious beliefs are wrong. If one has a love for God and His Son and follow to the best of their ability the 10 Commandments and the Beatutides, why is their faith belief wrong?

All the Christian religions are off shoots of the original Church which has it roots buried deeply in the Jewish religion - we as Christians are Judio-Christians. The struggle today is to see the common heritage that all Christian religions have, that is the Church founded upon the "Rock." As today, there were also divisions in the early church - followers of John or Paul but they told us that they were followers of Christ, not of a certain person.

God Bless
Richard Obl.SB

This post has been edited by Pastor Ralph: 01 October 2003 - 06:02 AM

The religious compromise required by the practices in the trade guilds is spiritually destructive because it prevented the full transformation of the person into Christ. In Romans it says - "be transformed by the renewing of your mind and be not conformed to the world. If people hang on to old habits and activities - how can the renewing of the mind take place? It can't and won't until the believer renounces evil practices of any kind.

One person mentioned it before and I will mention it as well. One of he most dangerous comprimises that Christians are allowing into their lives is the new age spiritualism creeping into even the church. Alternative Health treatments are the big ones here. Acupuncture and Accupressure, Healing Touch therapies - these are based in a non-Christian world view of Taoism. I know of Christian retreat centers that have Reike massage, or include native Spirituality into their offerings - such as a sweet grass or sweat lodge ceremony - yet these are based in paganism as well. Sometimes we innocently submit our care to a chiropractor who practices with new age techniques. There's so much more - and yet when we place our trust in non Christian world views we open ourselves to the enemies attack. And as people have mentioned the growing problem of what is on TV or the internet. It's more common to see a horoscope, to have yoga or new age meditation on these media than anything Christian - The biggest problem I see is that we are unaware of the danger and we let it slip by.

Q3. Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive?

Heathen religious practices in the trade guild were attractive to the natural self. Hang out with Temple Prostitutes, get drunk, and worship something that doesn't give instruction. Because these things were attractive in the natural and easier to follow than God's rules, they became incorporated and diluted, if not destroyed God's work.

What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with? Let's not settle for trite legalisms about drinking and smoking. What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity?
Let me break this down to everyday things we do instead of the big moral picture. The real issues today are numbers and money. Many churches will chose the easy right and ignore the morally hard in order to keep up appearances. It's ok that people miss church because they were out on the boat, it's ok that they don't tithe because at least they're there, it really doesn't matter what they wear, cause they're filling a seat. We take that which is foul in the eyes of God and turn it into something acceptable because people's acceptance of us is more important than our acceptance of Him.

susan

It was and still is destructive to us because we are separating us for God. It is destructive to our witness because the non-Christian won't see the difference between me and them so why change. Because the Christian is not following Christ teaching, not spending time with God, not get into the word, putting other thing before Christ than it is easier to talk yourself into loosening your morals.

We should never compromise because it is always destructive. We are breaking the relationship that we have with God. When we compromise, at some point we are giving up something or blending qualities of two different things. When evil is mixed with good, the good iS no longer pure. Don't allow compromise to faint your faith.

Twenty-first century christians struggle with immorality(***********, sexual sins, lying, cheating, gossiping). We compromise, tolerate behavior that God hates. We must remain loyal to God, against any attempt to rationalize sin. Standing firm against Satan attractive temptations is never easy, but the alternative is deadly. We shouldn't tolerate sin under pressure just to be open minded. Never compromise our faith but continue to grow in faith, grow in good work and contiinue to do more.
THE REWARD IS GREAT!

when we mix Judge not with not judging the sin.......we have to judge sin and keep it out of the church.....it has to be taught against, not accepted...if I really love my brother, i do not want him to miss eternal life and the sin i accept in his life because i love him causes him hurt and also everyone else who might follow his example. sin is not a personal issue because it affects everyone we touch.

There can only be room for one spiritual teaching as one will contradict the other. I believe there is a spiritual reality in all the choises we make, big and small. A hard lesson I just learned was loosing my carreer. Praise God. Its just a job now. God is first. It was and still is difficult, but now I am free of that false god. My attitude is to keep putting Jesus first. Anything in a christians life can become an idol if you put it before God.
I can only say these things because I want to live a spirit led christianity as opposed to a performance based.

Q3. Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive?
They allowed their selves to be tempted by a Jezebel doctrine and or spirit. This doctrine caused Christians to have a stumbling block in front of them and they began to compromise and when we compromise God’s truth for something else we began to perform pagan practices including worshiping false gods. The Lord clearly states in the commandments of the Old Testament that we are to have no other gods before Him, nor make any carved images, or bow down and serve them. (Exodus 20:1-6) And again in Matt. 22:33-38 Jesus tells us that, we are to love your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, this is the first and great commandment.

What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with? Let's not settle for trite legalisms about drinking and smoking.
The same compromises today exist as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. That is a perfect example. Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, v9 that which has been is what will be; that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity?
I think Christians today struggle with time; we live in a microwave generation. They compromise their time for hurting people, with their busyness in and out of the church. In the busyness of building up a church or material things to live comfortable they loose what really matters most and that’s LOVE. Without love we have nothing!

The more we compromise the weaker we become.Weakness leads to participating in sinful acts.Like joining Clubs and doing things to become members,participating in heathern practices.Christians being tempted to sin in the long run hurts someone.It hurts God.It shows that we prefer to satisfy our desires.We struggle ,as we practice immoral sin in which it often brings disease to our bodies and adversily affects our personalities.Once we get into being more concerned about our own selfish pleasures than about the needs and concerns of fellow believers we are headed for spiritual destruction in Christianity.
Through our weakness,we can gain spiritual strength,in being quick to repent,asking for forgiveness.We need to be bold and stand up to sinful circumstances,speaking out against immoral acts and compromising in wrong doings.Blessings Linda

" Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive?"

This participating caused an 'unholy mixture' to creep in to those churches and people, who began well, but allowed their faith to become polluted.

"What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with?"

I would say, the same things that have always been; People are no different today, then 2000 years ago. Human nature always wants it all;
We want God in our lives, but we also want what the world offers as well, we want to blend the two, and hope it will all work out in the end;
God allows no compromise, and has provided a way for us to attain this seperation from the things of the world.....its called the Cross.

Only by embracing the Cross of Christ, being willing to allow ourselves to be crucified upon it, (all that we are, have, and ever hope to be) and picking up our own Cross, can we be overcomers.

The reason for not doing this, is we have left our first love....Jesus.

I presume this question is referring to compromises christians sometimes are faced with in their work situations. A very difficult problem sometimes, especially if standing up for your principles loses you your job and means you may not find work in the same industry again. Presumably, this was the conflict faced by new christians in the church at Thyatira.
What compromises do C21 christians face today? Fortunately, in Australia, we live in a nominally christian society, but where a christian is living in a muslim society, they can expect very real persecution of themselves and their family if they refuse to conform to traditional muslim culture. Nevertheless, even in Australia, with rosters covering a 7/24 week, many people have a real struggle if they ask for Sundays off so they can worship and rest.