Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #40 1 Corinthians 5:11-13

1 Corinthians 5:11-13 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

Like an iceburg the true cost of pursuing "Christian" Nationalism may not be readily apparent, but it lies beneath the surface, doing its damage whether we see it or not.

What does the myth of a "Christian" Nation cost the Church?  {See my: The Myth of a Christian Nation - by Gregory Boyd: a summary and response}  Among its many steep costs is this: The Church becomes known for what (who) it is against, not what (who) it is for.  As Gregory Boyd rightly said, "The brutal fact is that we Christians are not generally known for our love - for the simple reason that we, like the pharisees of old, generally judge more than we love." (The Myth of a Christian Nation, Boyd, p. 133-134).  A Church focused on obtaining power over its political enemies will inevitably devolve into an us vs. them mentality.  How can we share the Gospel with them, how we can be servants, when we're busy trying to destroy them?  

In a "Christian" Nation, moral authority is reduced to a tactic, we can't (or hesitate to) criticize our 'team' for immorality, but at the same time we are incentivized to criticize "them" whether warranted or not.

But that's not at all what the Apostle Paul tells the followers of Jesus Christ to do.  We are told that judgement begins, and ends, with us.  God will deal with the rest of the world, our task is to make sure that immorality has not home within our community.

Thus "Christian" Nationalism pushes the Church in the opposite direction from what scriture commands.  Instead of cleaning our own house, we throw stones at "them", instead of having zero tolerance for sin within our community, we make room (even celebrate) unrepentant sinners who happen to be good at the political power game.

The cost of "Christian" Nationalism is far to high for the Church, the Gospel, and each one of us.

Sermon Video: What is Goof for Everyone - 1 Thessalonians 5:5-12

As he begins wrapping up his letter with a variety of instruction for the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul weaves his insight around the theme of, "what is good for each other and for everyone else."  In shorter form: What is good for everyone.  As a local church, this is always going to be a significant challenge.  We have to come to agreement on what is good in various situation, decide how to pursue it, and peaceably work together to try to achieve it, for everyone.  Difficult, but not impossible for a people called and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Sermon Video: Awake and Sober - 1 Thessalonians 5:6-11

In light of our foreknowledge that Jesus will return to gather his followers, both the dead in Christ and the currently living, the Apostle Paul encourages us to live our lives in a way that is awake and sober?  What does this mean?  Metaphorically, it means we have an important job to do in sharing the Gospel and making disciples, and we need to be properly focused upon it.

How do we do this?  By embracing faith, love, and hope.

Lastly, Paul ends the discussion of the impact of the return of Christ by reminding us to use this wisdom of what will one day happen to encourage and build each other up.

A 3 minute video is all it takes to see that FFOZ denies the Gospel!

I've written a lot about the dangers of the First Fruits of Zion in the last 3+ years, and I've created long detailed videos refuting their false teachings.  I think there is value in taking the time to dig deep and examine things closely.  However, if you have a friend or family members who is participating in a Torah Club, or you know of a church that allows its building to be used for a Torah Club, show them this 3 minute video looking briefly at one of the most outrageous quotes I've seen thus far.

In the quote, asserts that some who have put their faith in Jesus will be rejected on Judgement Day because that day's decisions will be "based on deeds."  This directly contradicts dozens of passages of scripture, including John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9, and 1 John 1:9.

Christianity affirms that faith must be genuine in order to save, that it has to result in a changed heart and mind and produce fruit.  However, we reject as heresy the idea that works can save anyone (even Torah keeping won't help), our salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

If this short video prompts questions, I'm happy to have a conversation with anyone with regard to First Fruits of Zion or the larger Hebrew Roots Movement of which they are a key part.

Sermon Video: Like a Thief in the Night - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5

Having established that both those who have died in Christ and those who are still living when he returns will both be gathered to the Lord, the Apostle Paul now talks about the timing of the return of Jesus.

As Jesus told his disciples, the Father will not reveal when Jesus is coming back, which means that everyone will be surprised, right?  Not actually.  

Those who will not rejoice at his return will certainly be caught off guard, but those who anticipate that day with joy will be ready no matter if the day come sooner or later than we expected.  Why?  Because the wicked are walking in darkness, but the righteous are living in the light of the day.