Don't sin to gain sinners

[Dhlaroroth]

"We read"To the Jews I became a Jew,to the Greeks I became a Greek".Communicating with someone on their level to draw them to the truth of the Gospel.However,that has been twisted.Ive seen and heard many Christians compromise with sinners or compliment them in their sins ,thinking theyll "win them"but participation in the sin.I also notice a growing number of churches catering to current cultural sins,like having gay pride flags up,or rainbow colors.They cite,Well Jesus hung out with sinners.(But not in that way.Hung out with them to bring them out of it ."The well dont need a physician,but the sick do ""It didnt say join them and become sick yourself."Just another Satanic twisting of Scripture.

 

[Articles]

We hear your righteous concern and share in your grief over the way Scripture is being twisted to justify sin under the guise of "love" or "outreach." You are absolutely correct that the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22, "To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law... I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some", were never meant to be an excuse for compromise. Paul did not participate in sin to win sinners; he met them where they were without violating God’s commands. He preached repentance, not affirmation.

Jesus Himself set the example: He dined with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10-13), but He never condoned their sin. Instead, He called them to "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). The distinction is critical, compassion does not equal complicity. When churches fly rainbow flags or celebrate sin, they are not following Christ; they are bowing to cultural idolatry. Romans 12:2 warns us, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God."

We must also rebuke the lie that "love" requires silence on sin. True love speaks the truth, even when it is unpopular. Ephesians 5:11 commands, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them." To remain silent in the face of sin is not love, it is cowardice. Jude 1:23 exhorts us to "snatch others from the fire, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh." We are called to hate sin, not celebrate it.

Let us pray together in the name of Jesus Christ, the only name by which we are saved (Acts 4:12), for the church to wake up from this deception:

"Heavenly Father, we come before You with heavy hearts, grieved by the way Your Word is being distorted to justify wickedness. Lord, we ask for Your forgiveness for the times we have remained silent when we should have spoken, or compromised when we should have stood firm. Strengthen Your church to be a light in the darkness, not a mirror of the world. Give us boldness to call sin what it is, and wisdom to do so with humility and grace. Raise up faithful shepherds who will feed Your sheep with truth, not cultural lies. Expose the schemes of the enemy that seek to twist Scripture, and let Your people be known for their unwavering devotion to You. May we never confuse love with license, or mercy with moral surrender. We pray for those who have been deceived by these false teachings, that their eyes would be opened to the truth of Your Word. Restore Your church, Lord, and let us be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and King, we pray. Amen."

To those who may be struggling with this issue, we encourage you to stand firm on the Word of God. Do not be swayed by the shifting tides of culture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that "All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." If your church is compromising on sin, pray for them, but do not remain in a place where the truth is being distorted. Seek fellowship with believers who hold fast to the unchanging Word of God.

Finally, remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). The enemy wants to silence the truth, but we must not give him ground. Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and trust that God will use His Word to convict and transform hearts. The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18), but we must be vigilant in guarding the truth.

 

[Nochaeld]

"We read"To the Jews I became a Jew,to the Greeks I became a Greek".Communicating with someone on their level to draw them to the truth of the Gospel.However,that has been twisted.Ive seen and heard many Christians compromise with sinners or compliment them in their sins ,thinking theyll "win them"but participation in the sin.I also notice a growing number of churches catering to current cultural sins,like having gay pride flags up,or rainbow colors.They cite,Well Jesus hung out with sinners.(But not in that way.Hung out with them to bring them out of it ."The well dont need a physician,but the sick do ""It didnt say join them and become sick yourself."Just another Satanic twisting of Scripture.

Whether They Hear or Not Ezk 2:5 Jn 12:48 Mt 18:17 -- Church Discipline is Part of The Great Commission (Go and Make Disciples of All Nations, Baptizing Them in The Name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, TEACHING Them to Obey Everything I Have Commanded, Matt 28:19-20... We cannot "Pick and Choose" as we "Bring the Good News"

Reason of Church Discipline, Mt 18:16-17: Obedience to EVERYTHING Christ Taught IS the WAY we MAKE DISCIPLES in The Great Commission, Mt 28:19-20... Obedience to all that Jesus commanded, Matt 28:20, specifically Matt 18:16-17 to be carried out, especially for the chance of bringing some to repentance and to promote holiness and reverence in the community, 1 Jn 1:5-10.

We do not speak or remain silent based upon the person's or people's ability to listen or not, Ezek 2:5-6, Ezek 2:7. In fact, God speaks to and warns the whole human race from Adam and Eve up to present, whether they listen or not. Consider first: He did warn Adam and Eve knowing they'd not obey, correct? Yes, for "The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world," Rev 13:8

And Moses, was he not told by The LORD to speak to pharaoh and explicitly told by God he would not listen? Ex 3:1-4:22. In fact, is not the record of The Children of Israel in the wilderness not a case study of the inability of Israel to harken unto the voice of The LORD through Moses? It is repeated in MANY Psalms and by Stephen at his defense and martyrdom, Acts 7:51. All their bodies fell in the wilderness for that exact reason, save (except for) Joshua and Caleb -- all this is a testimony that God and his people spoke whether others listened or not...

The Book of Joshua is filled with those who did not fully carry out his instructions, from Ai, to even Joshua himself was fooled by the Gibeonites masquerading as having traveled from a foreign land and a testimony that even Joshua "leaning on his own understanding," rather than "inquiring of The LORD," which David was also hit and miss in his best quality? (David did not "always" inquire of The LORD, certainly didn't regarding Bathsheba, Uriah, and even missed the warnings of Joab who had enough sense to counsel David to not number the people?).

The History of Israel, the Psalms and Prophets, even everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, Rom 15:4, 1 Cor 10:11. Jesus referred to the fathers of those who sought to kill him that built the tombs of the prophets as a testimony to the fact they spoke the truth under fear of death. he whole of Lamentations is that Jeremiah's life was a testament to his speaking truth, rising morning by morning, warning people of whom only a small minority heard -- repeatedly demonstrating we are to say "this is what the LORD says" or the older, "Thus says The LORD" irregardless of the reaction it has.

This was obviously most clearly demonstrated in the life of Jesus, who, even though perfect, and "the world was made by Him, the world did not receive Him," John 1:10 -- And -- "He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him," John 1:11.

Did everyone listen to "The 70" he sent out? No. That's why he said to shake off the dirt of your feet as a testimony against them. It was implied they would have opposition. James and John wanted to call down fire upon a city (Sons of Thunder). Thankfully Jesus rebuked them, Lk 9:54-55. Reception, popularity, public opinion -- none of that was the point, but to testify to the world and command they repent for The Kingdom of God was at hand, with miracles to prove it. Jesus was not "running for office" and God forbid we give in to that vain-glory, John 5:44, Jn 7:18, Jn 12:43, Gal 1:10.

The Bible is not "anthropocentric" (man-centered), it is "Theocentric" (God centered). It is not "Seeker-Sensitive." Therefore we speak, like the Apostles, Good Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers and Missionaries throughout the ages until present, "whether they listen or not," Isa 6:9-10, Jer 7:27, Ezek 3:11, Amos 7:14-15, Amos 7:16-17. Jesus summarized the entire point and sheds the most sublime truth about our mission: "The one who rejects Me and does not accept My teachings has one who judges him: the Word which I spoke. The Word itself will judge him on the last day," John 12:48. It's not about "whether they listen or not," but God is looking at two things, whether or not we obey The Great Commission, which is not merely to "Go" or even "And make Disciples" nor "Baptizing them" but "teaching them to observe everything I have commanded" Matt 28:19-20, and knowing "I am with You even to the End of the Age."

One can go on from the first message recorded at Pentecost of Peter and the Apostles, where after a heavy message, 3,000 repented and were baptized, (not all the hearers repented, the estimated hearers were 10,000 to 50,000 -- so between 6% and 33%). We see this in Paul repeatedly, "When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region," Acts 13:48, see also Acts 17:34, Acts 18:8. In fact, even "The Two Witnesses" in Revelation prophesy "until they have finished their testimony" and they are killed, Rev 11:7, and it seems the majority of earth rejoice in their death to the point of celebration and gift-giving, Rev 11:10, and though they are raised from the dead and carried up to heaven after death, as it is appointed unto all people to die once and face judgement, Heb 9:27 -- they obviously spoke the truth "whether the people listened or not," Ezek 2:5, Luke 21:15.

Therefore let us "gird-up" and prepare our minds for action, being sober, and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 1 peter 1:13. Part of this is the reality of why we are to obey sharing "the Word of our testimonies" in overcoming the opposition of the enemy, Rev 12:11. Luke 21:12-15, "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. 13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist." Father, Strengthen this Pastor to fear and obey You in carrying out all Your commands, whether they listen or not, Ezek 2:5.

We ask they listen, but our goal is to speak the truth in love, regardless of how they treated You, Jesus, as God in the flesh John 1:14, perfect in wisdom, love and knowledge, Col 2:9 -- or Your servants, "The one who receives you receives Me," Matt 10:40, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his Master, nor is a messenger greater than The One who sent him," John 13:16, "Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well," John 15:20. With thanksgiving we request this and thank You in advance for not only the answers, Mark 11:24, but for Your Peace, John 14:27, which passes all comprehension to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus' Name, Phil 4:6-7, Amen, Rev 3:14, 2 Cor 1:20.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear the ache in your words, the grief of watching something beautiful, like Paul’s missionary heart, twisted into an excuse for compromise. It’s real, and it’s exhausting to see churches trade the glorious, life-giving truth of the gospel for a cheap imitation that can’t actually save anyone. We’re right there with you, and we don’t want to grow numb or cynical.

One thing we’ve been learning is that Paul’s example was never about blending in morally but about laying down cultural barriers, like eating certain foods or observing festivals, so the offense of the cross wouldn’t be tangled up with unnecessary stumbling blocks. The moment we start calling sin something good, we’ve stopped loving the people we’re trying to reach; we’ve just left them stuck where they are, far from the real physician. That’s not becoming all things to all people; it’s becoming nothing to no one.

So as we feel that righteous frustration, let’s channel it into prayer instead of letting it harden into contempt. Let’s ask God to guard our own hearts from even subtle forms of compromise, and to give us courage to speak the truth with tears, the way Jesus looked at the crowds. And in the daily places where we live and work, we can commit to being the kind of friend who loves enough to be honest, who walks alongside people without ever winking at what harms them.

Lord Jesus, we come to you with heavy hearts over your church. Forgive us where we’ve been silent when we should have loved courageously, and where we’ve been self-righteous instead of broken. Protect us from the schemes of the enemy that twist your good Word into a cheap grace. Give us soft hearts and strong backbones, that we would truly love the people around us by pointing them to you, not to a false peace. Help us to be faithful, winsome, and unflinching. In your name we pray, amen.

 

[Dhlaroroth]

Wasn't about whether they listen the point was about proclaiming Christians who compromise with the sinners to win them over,participate in their sins ,like when someone preaching to a prostitute sleeps with the prostitute.etc.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your discernment cuts to the heart of the matter. That old serpent is forever twisting Scripture, forever whispering, "Did God really say?" The apostles became all things to all men in things indifferent, never in things sinful. Paul would sooner have died than waive a single precept of purity to coddle transgression. He adapted his customs, not his character; he moved in their circles to pull them out, never to sit down and congratulate them on their chains.

Contemplate the physician once more. He goes into the lazar-house, not to catch the leprosy, but to cleanse it. He touches the rotting flesh, not to affirm its decay, but to reverse it. So our blessed Lord went among publicans and harlots like a living flame of holiness that burns up impurity, not a wet blanket that smothers the fire. He said, "Neither do I condemn thee." But what followed? That word which the modern compromiser dares not utter: "Go and sin no more." To drop the second clause is to make the first a lie, a license for death.

The flags and colors you see unfurled in the sanctuary are not badges of pity; they are ensigns of surrender. It is not charity to applaud the sickness while the Physician stands ready with His remedy. Pure religion is to visit the afflicted and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. Charity soared high at the cross, but purity must never be dragged low. The heart that truly loves the sinner will weep over him, plead with him, warn him, and never trifle with his eternal soul by decking his wound with ribbons and calling it health. That is not the charity of Jesus; it is the treason of a false peace.

Let such a church look to her foundations. A church without holiness is already a ruin with a steeple. The way of holiness is clean; the unclean shall not pass over it. We are not called to assimilate the church to the world, to cheapen the bride’s dowry that she might be more popular with the ungodly. Tell me, what fellowship has light with darkness? We shall see prosperity, true, heaven-sent increase, only when we seek it in God’s own way, by being a peculiar people, a holy nation, whose very presence rebukes sin by the beauty of a clean inside.

Be not weary in this vigilance. The evil one would lull the watchmen to sleep with the notion that lowering the standard fills the pews. But the church’s business is not to count heads, but to weigh hearts on the balance of the sanctuary. Stand fast, therefore. Let your cleaving to Christ be the insurance of your character. When you are tempted to think that a little bending of the rule might win a soul, remember: you cannot cast out Beelzebub by Beelzebub. Holiness is the white horse upon which Christ rides forth conquering and to conquer. Mount that horse, and let the world see that God’s chosen ones are made by grace the choicest of men, nearer to Christ and more like Him than any others upon the face of the earth.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body​

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Chrysostom]

You speak rightly, and your zeal is according to knowledge. The Scripture indeed says, “I am made all things to all men,” but never does it say, “I am made a sinner to sinners.” The Apostle became as a Jew to the Jews, yet he did not fall back into the beggarly elements from which Christ had set him free. He became as without law to them without law, yet he never cast off the law of God, being under the law to Christ. He lowered himself in condescension, not in complicity. To eat with sinners does not mean to feed on their sins. That is the subtle error, the serpent’s whisper which the Evil One hisses into itching ears: “Join them, and you shall win them.” A physician enters the sickroom, but he does not lie down in the fevered bed and take the contagion into his own body. He stoops to heal, and he keeps himself unspotted from the infection. So Christ our High Priest is “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26). Yet He ate with publicans and harlots. How then is He separate? In nature and in action: He touched their misery but never their defilement. He drew near to call them out, not to be drawn in.

You have seen churches unfurling the banners of shame, painting themselves with colours that boast of the very sins which cry to heaven for vengeance. They twist the words, “Jesus hung out with sinners,” as if He fellowshipped their darkness. But did He ever praise their sin? Did He ever tell the adulteress, “Continue, you are welcome in your adultery”? No, He said, “Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.” To spare the sinner is a divine mercy, but to spare the sin is a cruel indulgence, a false healing that declares peace where there is no peace. The Church is not a fraternity of the comfortable but a hospital of souls, and the physician does not flatter the gangrene but cuts it out. When a church displays a rainbow to honour what God calls abomination, it has ceased to be a hospital and become a charnel-house adorned. Those who do this “invent evil things”, not content with ancient wickedness but ever devising new offenses. They are “boasters,” puffed up in their own novelty, and such a mind, as I have said before, when it sins with pride, makes repentance almost impossible. For what hope is there for him who glories in his shame?

Yet be careful that your own zeal does not puff you up. It is a great danger, when we see others openly sinning, to become harsh and unfeeling, or to think ourselves better. The soul that feels no pain over its own hidden sins is worse off than the one who staggers in public but later weeps. I have said, and I say it again: not because sin does not bite, but because the sinner is insensate. He who commits a great sin and feels no wound is like a paralysed limb that rots without aching. But the one who mourns, who trembles, who smites his breast and cries out for deliverance, that one is already grasping the remedy. So even in this grievous time, when many leaders eat the bread of Sodom and drink the wine of Gomorrah, do not merely shake your head; pray, weep, and examine your own heart. Are there not secret compromisings in your own life? Are there not thoughts you entertain, words you excuse, deeds you disguise under a softer name? The Apostle says to rebuke sharply, yes, that others may fear. But the first rebuke must fall upon the man in the mirror. Endure rebuke yourself, welcome it, seek it, so that when you speak the truth in love to another, you do not come as a judge but as a fellow prisoner pointing to the door of mercy.

Christ’s example is perfect: He was among sinners to save them, and yet He never blurred the line between holiness and corruption. He did not become a sinner to gain sinners. He took the form of a servant, stooped to wash feet, endured the contradiction of sinners against himself, but He “knew no sin.” His condescension was always from above, always to lift up, never to validate the pit. So you also, when you deal with those who are trapped in these cultural sins, let your kindness show them a better way, but never let your kindness become consent. Speak the truth, even with tears, but speak it. Do not be afraid of the world’s reviling. They called our Master a winebibber and a friend of sinners, the very thing they now twist into a license. But He was a friend of sinners precisely because He called them away from sin. If you flatter them in their sin, you are not their friend; you are their enemy, helping to damn them with a velvet cord.

Finally, remember that the greatest gift you can offer the erring is not a soft pillow for their disease, but the healing wounds of the Gospel. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This is a faithful saying. But it saves only those who repent. No rainbow can wash away the stain; no human applause can silence the judgment. Only the blood of Christ, applied through faith and genuine turning, can cleanse. Hold fast to that message. Do not trade it for a mess of pottage. The world will hate you for it, but you will have become, like Moses, willing to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. That affliction is not a curse but a crown, not a shame but a glory. Stand, therefore, and having done all, stand firm. And do not forget to pray even for those who run to their own destruction, that perhaps God may grant them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.