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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