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Major Categories of compromise:
*Moral Compromise – or the compromise of Consumerism
The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent
1/5/15
Chapter 6:
Lesson #5: Compromise Weakens the Church
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who
has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.’ I know your works. You
have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and
strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your
works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you
received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will
come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against
you.’”
Revelation 3:1-3
=2 quick observations:
*a church may have a reputation that does not match reality (v. 1)
*a church may very well find itself confronted by Jesus – “I will
come against you”
The issue = compromise; capitulation to the spirit of the age; going
along in order to get along
“What responsibility did the churches is Asia Minor have in
contributing to their own demise?”
Lutzer, p. 115)
A church may disappear –
*by persecution through no fault of its own – it is possible for
faithful churches to be put to death (persecution)
“Some churches are destroyed because they are faithful to
the gospel . . . faithfulness does not guarantee a church
will survive.”
(Lutzer, p. 116)
*by weakness through compromise with the world
“A weakened church that has bought into the values of the
prevailing culture is much more likely to succumb to
deception or wilt under persecution in contrast to a church
that is deeply committed to living out the gospel regardless
of the cost.” (Lutzer, p. 117)
How about the church in America?
“Our world is crammed full of things that in and of themselves
aren’t inherently sinful, but we allow them to fill the void which only
God can fill. In this way we become practical polytheists: We
worship God Himself on Sunday, then indulge ourselves with the
gods of materialism and self-fulfillment the rest of the week, and
then we serve the god of entertainment the rest of the weekend (with
a few hours carved out for church on Sunday morning). And, like
the Laodiceans, we have difficulty seeing that from which we should
repent.”
Lutzer, p. 122
“Perhaps our greatest failure is that we have equated the
American way of life with the Christian way of life. Our inability (or
unwillingness) to distinguish the two has weakened us and made us
vulnerable to the cultural currents that are intended to throw us off
course and obliterate our witness.”
Lutzer, p. 122-23
*Theological Compromise – compromise of a Weakened Gospel
2 Ways we do this:
One, water down the message to make Christianity more
appealing to unbelievers
Two, Syncretism – blend two or more beliefs
=Chrislam – a blending of Christianity and Islam
*can you remain Muslim and follow Jesus as Lord?
=Insider Movements – new Christians from Islam practicing an
amalgam of Christianity and Islam
Islam is not a religion that can be adopted or adapted by
Christians. It is a false religion with a false view of deity (Allah), a
false prophet (Muhammad), and false scriptures (Qur’an)
Allah of the Qur’an is unknown and unknowable. Allah has never
spoken directly to a man
Allah’s relationship to Muslims is as master to slave, certainly not
a personal God in relationship or covenant with his people