SHAM RELIGION

“So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain” (Ezek. 33:31 NKJV).

Although this message was directed to the people who listened to the prophet Ezekiel, it also describes many church members today. Our verse speaks of their attendance, their association, their attention, they antipathy, and their affections.

Attendance – “They come to you.” These folks have an impressive attendance record. They show up every Sunday in church. But physical presence is no substitute for the real thing.

Association – “They come to you as people do.” These folks attend church along with the people of God, and try to pass themselves off as God’s people. They want to be identified as religious; but it is all just for show.

Attention – “They hear your words.” A lot of these folks will listen to the preaching of preachers. They might even appear to be interested. But looks can be so deceiving. Listening to the message does not mean they are real. Many a sham Christian seems to be listening well.

Antipathy – “But they do not do them.” Hearing the Word of God preached is one thing; doing the Word of God is another. Some of these folks will even commend the preacher after the service for giving a fine message. But they have no intention of doing it.

Affections – “With their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.” The talk and the walk of these folks are not in agreement. In their talk they sound so in love with Lord and devoted to His Word. However, their actions reveal that their heart is not doing the talking. What they are really interested in and what they really love are the things of the world. They are covetous people who have their hearts set on money and other things of the world. Like Demas, they love this present world (2 Tim. 4:10).

(Adapted from Analytical Biblical Expositor)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Relationships not built on God’s sure unshakable foundation are nothing but sandcastles that can collapse at any time!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Eat with

In Gal. 2:12 we read, “For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision!” (NKJV).

Eat with is the Greek word sunesthiō (συνεσθίω = soon-es-thee'-o). It is made up of two words: “sun/syn” which means together and speaks of an intimate association, and “esthío” which means to eat. Thus the word means to eat together. Further, the word is in the imperfect tense indicating that Peter joined the Gentiles in meals repeatedly. In classical Greek, as well as in the Septuagint, and the New Testament, sunesthiō means to eat together. It is for this reason that the apostle Paul rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy concerning the Gentiles. It was Peter’s regular practice to commune with them, but was now separating himself because of the Jewish believers.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And Joseph said unto them, fear not: for am I in the place of God?” (Gen. 50:19 KJV).

Did You Know…

In ancient Israel, the redemption and transfer of property was made final and legal when a man took off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor (Ruth 4:7).

Bible Quiz

According to 1 Samuels 1, why did the High Priest think Hannah was drunk?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: I am called Rufus and I am proud to say that my dad helped Jesus carry His cross to Calvary. Do you know the name of my privileged father? Simon (Mark 15:21).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“Holy One of Israel”

"Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen you” (Isa. 49:7 NKJV).

1. Meaning – Holy One of Israel speaks of God as Israel’s Redeemer. He is able to redeem because of His transcendent power.

2. Insights – In context, God who is faithful in the fulfillment of His promises, has chosen His Servant and through Him provided salvation (Acts 4:12). Even though people will despise the Messiah and the nation of Israel abhors Him, yet kings and princes will arise to acknowledge Him and bow down to worship, recognizing that the God of Israel chose the Messiah. He is the solution to their problems. God’s redemptive act for His people will reveal to the nations that He is Savior, Redeemer, Holy One, and God.

Did You Know...Christian History

Charlotte Elliott was born on 18 March 1789 at Westfield Lodge, Brighton, England. She was an English poet, hymn writer, and editor. As a young woman Charlotte was a gifted portrait artist and writer of humorous verse. Suddenly, in her early thirties, Charlotte suffered a serious illness that left her weak and depressed. She was unable to go out, or to attend church. During her illness, a well-known preacher, Dr. Caesar Malan of Switzerland visited her and asked her if she had peace with God. She resented the question and refused to talk about it. She complained loudly that if God really loved her, He would not have allowed such an illness.

A few days later she apologized to Dr. Malan, saying she needed to clean up her life before becoming a Christian. Dr. Malan answered, “Come just as you are.” That day Charlotte yielded her life to Christ. She found salvation and peace of heart, even though her health did not improved. From the age of 33 until her death, Charlotte suffered crippling fatigue. Despite her ailment, she made herself useful. For example, she edited the Religious Remembrancer magazine.

In 1835, about twelve years after her conversion, her brother was raising funds for a school for the daughters of clergymen. Unable to help with the project, Charlotte felt useless. Perhaps God had even rejected her! She fell into deep doubt. As she pondered her situation, she remembered the words of Dr. Malan and decided to write a song for others who were in her situation. The words she wrote became one of the greatest soul-winning songs in the history of hymns – “Just As I Am.”

One day, her doctor gave her a copy, not realizing that she was the author. He told her copies were being sold and the money used to help the school her brother was working to establish. Charlotte could not hold back the tears as she realized God was using her after all. In the end, her poem brought in more money than all the other fund-raisers the family had done combined.

Charlotte lived to be 82, and wrote about 150 hymns and many poems, some of which were printed anonymously. However, “Just As I Am” is probably the best known. She died on September 22, 1871. After her death, more than a thousand letters were found among her papers, written by people telling her how her hymn had touched their lives. Dr. Billy Graham wrote that his team used this hymn in almost every one of their crusades, since it presented “the strongest possible Biblical basis for the call of Christ.”

A Little Humor

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, “Why is the bride dressed in white?” The mother replied, ‘Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.’ The child thought about this for a moment, then said ‘So why is the groom wearing black?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“To be in step with the world means to be out of step with Christ!”