Biblical Christianity: The Essentials, Not The Excesses

I recently got in contact with a brother in Christ living outside of London who was asking for assistance in developing a website dedicated to Christian apologetics and evangelism for the UK, which is in just as bad a shape, if not worse, than here in America when it comes to the knowledge of God and the need for the Gospel message. Great Britain is awash in skepticism, indifference, and rank hostility towards the things of God and the urgency to come to Jesus Christ for salvation. We are as well, which is pretty obvious. However, there are still embers of spiritual fire in a remnant of believers who will not be intimidated or silenced by the world and its evil. Instead, they choose to undergo ridicule, ostracism, and persecution of varied means to see that the message of salvation in and only through the Lord Jesus Christ continues to be told and spread. Any alert Christian will see that time is running out and that we should not hold on to anything this world offers us at the expense of our walk with the LORD and the compromise of our testimony. Like Paul, we desire to be with the LORD, but we are also in the world at this time to serve Him and to accomplish His will for our lives (Philippians 1:23-26). Until that day when the LORD appears in the air to deliver us from the wrath to come (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), or we go the way of all humanity (Psalm 116:15; 1 Corinthians 2:8-9; Hebrews 9:27), He will sovereignly keep us in the place where He wants us and will protect us until the appointed time to go home.

This British brother (who will remain anonymous) asked me for the names of reputable Christian websites here in America that he could put on his site for anyone interested in knowing something about authentic Bible-based Christianity without all of the nonsense and bad teaching that seems to fill the internet lately and is unfortunately gaining more traction and popularity among those wanting a taste of religion and have their ears tickled and their souls put at ease (2 Timothy 4:1-5). There are not that many people today who want to hear the truth about our stand before God and what He expects of us (Romans 3:4), but we who take the call of Jesus seriously enough (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8) to tell others need to do so in love but also with a firmness and dedication that will not wither or grow weary. Just to let you know, my webpage (www.realitycityreverend.com) has a long list of solid Biblical material. I am not here to promote myself, but to present to you a summary of the article sent to the attention of the brethren in London putting their proposed apologetics website together. It deals with what Biblical Christianity is and is not, and the decision you and all people need to make concerning Jesus.

The article is as follows:

" So, what exactly is Biblical Christianity? I am not referring to robes, regalia, ritual, recitations, rote repetition of verses, creeds, confessions, and prayers that you either do not understand nor mean when you say them. Neither is Biblical Christianity the tedious chore of listening to sermons that are nothing more than "pep talks" or dull presentations of topics and theological disputes that really affect no one in terms of drawing them nearer to the LORD and the true worship He desires. Biblical Christianity has absolutely NOTHING TO DO with the ridiculous and outlandish performances, bad preaching, gaudy appearances, and slick presentation of what is referred to as the "name it an claim it" blasphemy that religious hucksters are using to make the Sovereign LORD into some kind of "wish-granter" who has to give in to your demands for wealth, health, and prosperity. These "prosperity pimps" as one preacher has described them, tend to sell the gullible and desperate the idea that if they send a "Seed-faith" gift to their "ministry", they will receive blessings, healings, and the whole shebang. Meanwhile, when their promises do not come to pass and they run off to purchase the latest jet or luxury car after using the LORD Jesus as a "cash cow", they leave a trail of skeptics and angry, disillusioned people who end up wanting nothing to do with God or faith, which is just the way the devil wants it. Little wonder that authentic Christianity does not get a fair shot and the name of Christ is dragged through the mud (Isaiah 1:1-7, 3:12, 56:11, John 10:12; Acts 20:28-31; 2 Peter 2:12-22; Jude 1-25)."

" I do hope that you will continue to read what I have written, for it is done with the intention of showing that real Christianity is not a series of complex ideas, formulas, not anything we can do in our own strength or effort to make ourselves somehow "good" enough for God's standards, because we are unable to do so (Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-18; Ephesians 2:8-10). It is not merely having some kind of knowledge about Jesus that sounds decent to you, or to go along with most of the world's mindset and believe that He was a "good teacher", a "man of high moral character", a "noble peasant sage", or a host of other theories that are nowhere found in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).