We Can Do It!

If asked how you were saved, what would you answer?

• I asked Jesus into my heart.
• I was baptized in water.
• I joined a church.
• I said the sinner’s prayer.
• I believed in Jesus.
• I raised my hand and went forward at a church service.

Notice what each of these answers has in common: “I”. Each is something you did. Not one of them considers what Jesus did.

Luke 18:9-14 records a parable of Jesus toward some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. Two men went to the temple to pray. One thanked God he wasn’t like sinners and then rambled off two of his good deeds. The second man stood afar off … would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

The second man left being justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Self-righteousness is a confidence in your own works to make you or keep you right with God. It’s an expression – intended or not – of pride in personal achievement.

The second man in Christ’s parable went home justified, declared righteous and forgiven. He had only God’s love, mercy, and grace as his hope. Even his faith to trust God wasn’t his own, it was the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Why Christians Don’t Have Temples or Shrines

The Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China (Daniel Rice, 2019).

God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24).

Most world religions have shrines and temples where followers go to speak to, to worship, or perform rituals to their god. The place is considered to be holy and a special meeting place with the deity. Christianity has no shrines or temples for worshipers to visit.

Christian prayer and worship are not restricted to any certain place or time. Christians don’t believe that one place or location is more holy or gives the worshiper more influence than any other location or time.

The God of Christianity is described in the Bible as One who cannot be contained in or by a temple or any other locale. He created all things in the universe, and since everything belongs to Him, His greatness cannot be contained by anything He created.

Christians do gather in buildings to worship, but that is for convenience from weather and other conditions. The building has no bearing on the Christian’s devotion or God’s response. He requires no rituals to get His attention or favor. The God of the universe hears and answers His child when standing on a crowded street corner, alone in bed before falling asleep, or in a group with other Christians.

God teaches in the Bible that He lives within His people. Each Christian is the temple of God. He indwells each of His people equally, without prejudice or partiality.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Why don’t Christians have temples or shrines? Because every Christian is a temple to the God who has loved them, taken away their sins, and given them an eternal inheritance in His presence in Heaven, through Jesus.

Be the Church

First Baptist Church of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Pastor Jorge Guzman (2017)

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers …. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42, 46-47).

One of the creeds of the woke religion is that Christians must “be the Church” all while diminishing the necessity of corporate worship. In fact, it’s become popular as part of the social justice movement to say Christianity is about acting like Christians, while adding that getting together on a Sunday morning can be offensive to God.

It might seem strange, but the Bible never commands us to worship alone. God commands us to worship together. Contrary to modernism, if you are a Christian maturing in the faith, you will act like a Christian. It’s called “sanctification.” You must still worship corporately.

The word church literally means called out ones. The word by nature implies a togetherness, and when the “church” does “church” it means worshiping together. The woke creed “be the church” is gibberish, popular nonsense talk used to sound meaningful.

Believers gather together for worship of God the Father, through Jesus. Our worship includes reading and teaching the Bible, prayer, sending out missionaries, taking the Lord’s Supper, baptizing new believers in water, encouraging one another, disciplining sinning saints, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

Some of these, like prayer and Bible reading can be done on your own in any place. But just because you can do it alone doesn’t mean you aren’t to also worship with other believers.

Most of the expressions of Christian worship require other believers worshiping at the same time, in person, in the same place.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Mary, the Queen of Heaven

Photo by RLR 2019

In Roman Catholicism, the month of May is dedicated to Mary. Statues of Mary are decorated, and garlands of flowers or gold crowns placed on the statue’s head. I took this photo in 2019 of a gem encrusted gold crown used at St Mary of the Mountains Roman Catholic Church in Virginia City, Nevada.

The crown is used to recognize Mary as the Queen of Heaven, the co-redeemer of sinners with Jesus.

Mary is held in such high esteem that she is prayed to (Catechism, paragraph 969), preached about and worshiped (Vatican Council II, page 420, paragraph 65) because she continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation (Catechism, 969).

In 1854, Pope Pius IX, as the prophet and apostle of Romanism said contrary to the Bible, that Mary was preserved immune from all stain of original sin. According to Rome’s prophet Mary was born without sin and never sinned (Catechism, 491).

Mary is not the queen of Heaven. There is no queen of Heaven and never has been. God alone rules Heaven and He shares His eternal throne with no one.

The Bible repeatedly tells Christians to worship God alone (Acts 10:25-26; 14:13-14; Revelation 19:10; 22:9). Yes, Catholics finagle the issue by saying they venerate Mary but the Second Vatican Council, by the prophetic declaration of their apostle said Mary is to be the subject of preaching and worship ….”

Mary herself said God was her Saviour. And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior (Luke 1:46-47). According to the Apostle Peter speaking about Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit, said … “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8, 14).

One Town. Two Women

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14).

And to the angel of the church in Thyatria write … I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and beguile My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols (Revelation 2:18, 20).

Thyatira was the center of clothing design and manufacturing for Rome. Trade unions controlled the supply of materials and prices in Thyatira, and their meetings were known for drunkenness and sexual orgies. Business was the religion of Thyatira.

It’s of great interest to me that the New Testament identifies two different women in Thyatira. Both were businesswomen, but both of very different character; and character counts.

The first was Lydia, a resident of Thyatira. She sold the expensive fabric made in Thyatira. The fabric was called purple and was dyed from the crushed shells of a sea creature found near the city. The unique color was used by royalty and people of influence.  

The Book of Acts says Lydia was in Philippi, probably for business, and attending a Jewish prayer meeting for women. Paul preached at the meeting and God opened Lydia’s heart so she would believe the gospel of Jesus. Lydia became the first of Paul’s European converts.

The church that formed from Paul’s ministry in Thyatira became activity oriented. They had programs for every age and interest group every night of the week. They were always doing something, somewhere, for somebody. They were so busy doing ministry that they forgot the foundation of ministry: truth! Over time, they allowed a self-appointed woman to preach and lead, which the Bible forbids (1 Timothy 2:12).

The Book of Revelation includes a letter from Jesus to the church in Thyatira. In the letter, Jesus called the preacher woman by the name Jezebel, after the wicked queen of Israel in the Old Testament (1 Kings 16-21). Both Jezebels encouraged sexual immorality and spiritual adultery.

One town. Two women. One woman’s heart was opened by God, she was born again, and she immediately sought ways to serve God’s people. The other woman’s heart was stone cold, God condemned her, and she used her position to seduce God’s people.