Friday, January 30, 2009
To Hell With The Cross-Removers!
Rev. Johnny Lee Clary is one of the leading advocates for racial unity in the United States and has appeared on countless television and radio shows such as The Billy Graham Radio show, Fox News, Morris Cerullo, Oprah, Morton Downey Jr., Rolanda Watts, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, Phil Donahue, A&E Investigative Reports, ABC World News Tonight, Bertrice Berry, The Today Show, A Current Affair, The 700 Club, and Kenneth Copeland's TV show. He has also been a regular guest on TBN's Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America's top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in April 1999, Moody Magazine, Guidepost Magazine (Sept. 1998), Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales.
I have noticed a trend that is happening in churches today, and that is the removal of the cross. Many churches have decided not to display the cross because it offends people and makes the sinner feel like he is in a "religious" atmosphere. They feel it is more important to make the person who never attends church to be as comfortable as possible and by removing the cross they are making the unchurched feel like they are in a less threatening atmosphere. Therefore according to the cross-removers, they stand a better chance of winning them over.
Winning them over to what? Certainly not Jesus, because Jesus said if one is ashamed of Him before mankind, then He will also be ashamed of them before His Father in Heaven. What cross-removers are doing is saying that it is more important not to offend some sinner than to show that they are not ashamed of the cross and what Jesus did for them at Calvary. Since when do we of the Body of Christ, have to become "politically correct" and restructure what the church is all about in order not to offend someone who could care less about the worship of Christ?
One pastor said he removed the cross from his church because they got over being "religious" a long time ago. Displaying the cross has nothing to do about religion and everything to with Christ. The truth of the matter is "churches" who refuse to display the cross do not love Jesus. The are running social organizations instead of churches and have ulterior motives.
What is their true motive for being a cross-remover? I will tell you what it is. It is money and power. You see, the more people they get in their church the more potential tithers and givers they will have. The bigger the church the more power they will get. You see if they were truly concerned for the person's soul and not money and power, then they would NOT be ashamed of the cross and realize that it is all about Jesus and not about who can have the biggest church and the most money.
Yes, God wants us to prosper and He is the richest of all rich and has all the gold and all the silver as it is written in Haggai 2:8 and Psalms 50:10-12 says He owns all the world's wealth. As His sons and daughters, we get to share in His great wealth as long as our motives are using it to advance the kingdom. It is not advancing the Kingdom of Christ when we show shame over the cross because we might offend someone, so we become cross-removers.
Mark 8:34-38 (NAS) And He summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
The world expects us to be different, and if they come into the church and do not see a difference between church life and worldly life, then they will think why should they bother with any lifestyle changes?
Oh yes, the cross-removers just might build their churches but it will be one of quantity and not quality. In other words a country club and not a church. I would like to see the explanation the cross-removers give Jesus when they stand before Him on Judgement Day. Jesus will ask them why they felt what He did for them on the cross was not important enough to display the cross as a symbol of respect and worship and they will say, "Well Jesus I didn't want to offend the unchurched by making them feel they were in a "religious" atmosphere." Jesus will then say depart from me you workers of iniquity for I never knew you. Since you were ashamed of me before mankind, I am also ashamed of you before my Father in Heaven."
You see, if you truly are a Christian and truly love Jesus, then you will not be ashamed of Christ in any capacity and that includes the cross, my friend. We live in a time where the governments of the various nations tell us we can't display the Ten Commandments in public, pray in public, display the name of Jesus in public or declare that Jesus is Lord publicly because it might offend some Muslim, Buddhist, or atheist. Are you going to be so cowardly as to let the "politically correct" crowd dictate to you what the church may say, do, or display, or are you going to be a real man or woman of God and say "I am not ashamed to display the cross, because it is showing that I respect and appreciate what Jesus did for me and that my church is one who worships Jesus regardless of what the world and unsaved say. Jesus is my King and as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
Think about it!
This may sound harsh in what I am about to say in my next statement but I do not screw around. I tell it like it is baby.
Jesus carried the cross for us, but cross-removers are refusing to carry the cross for Him!
Phil 2:8 (NIV) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!
Luke 9:23 (KJV) And he said to them all, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
The bottom line is stop being ashamed of the cross and Jesus or you won't get to Heaven! Say no to cross removal and yes to cross displaying, if you really love Jesus! Stop being a user friendly or seeker friendly church and be proud to be a no compromise Jesus church!
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose ye this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
Therefore, to HELL with cross removers because that is exactly where the are going.
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