“CURING BAD THEOLOGY – A Big God and Open Bibles” – Feb. 20
May 2, 2016I am praying for a college friend this morning. I recently learned from a Facebook post that he has abandoned the Faith. My heart breaks for this lost sheep who has begun a pilgrimage along a path toward another “gospel”. I am reminded once again of the importance of abiding in Christ. I am reminded once again of my own propensity to wander. No child of God ever gets beyond their need for an open Bible and a powerful Savior; no lost sheep is beyond the call of the Good Shepherd. I pray that my friend will recognize the voice of our Good Shepherd and follow Him home.
“Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?” Mark 12:24
I made an error awhile back. I realize that will shock many of you. We were traveling to my son’s flag football game in a nearby small town. We turned right rather than turning left and proceeded several miles in the wrong direction. My wife had gotten on-line and printed out the directions; we diligently followed the direction but still ended up in making an error. The consequences of having bad directions was for us to get a little lost and either be late to the flag football game or to miss it entirely. I would argue that getting on-line and printing off the directions was probably a reasonable amount of effort given the potential consequences.
Now, consider if the potential consequence would have been…
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A DEVOTED LIFE 
This is very difficult indeed. Thank you for being open and writing about it.
So sad to see someone walk away from their faith. I’ve seen several people do it in recent years, as they walked away in small steps in what CS Lewis called “Christianity AND” – Christianity and yoga, Christianity and mental training, Christianity and ___ (fill in the blanks). It comes down to what you said – abiding in Christ… maintaining our relationship with him (which, like any relationship worth keeping, requires that we work at it), and keeping his word in our hearts and minds. The enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy – steal our focus & peace, destroy our reliance on God, and eventually to kill our spiritual growth, and if possible, end our lives on this earth where we still have a chance to make the right choices that lead us back to God…
Though we know there will be departure from the faith, it is heart-rending to see someone we love deceived. People need intimate relating around the Word in an accountable setting. At this point though, keep praying for JESUS’ light to shine on his heart.
I also have a dear friend of mine who has wandered from his faith in Christ about 3 years ago. I have been so afraid for him, and also of him because I have felt that I myself am only one step away from making the same devastating decision–based solely on the reality that during one of the hardest battles of my life, at the end of it, something in me broke, something in me changed, and my heart just closed itself off to God–so I have been afraid of having that friend be an active friend in my life because I know that I can be so easily swayed to join him where he is right now, and I also know that’s not where I really want to be.
I reread your old post “Curing Bad Theology” and I just thank you for the reminders of God’s sovereignty and Power, but also for our very real need to KNOW him! To really reeeeally know him intimately, and not just a “yeah, I heard about him from so-and-so” but to be able to say “Yeah, I know him and I speak to him regularly, and work alongside him.”
The truth is, I feel like I reverted from knowing God, to knowing of God. Its like all the memories and past experiences and all the struggles we endured together never happened. Even though the memories are there, there are no emotions associated with them, its as if I’m viewing someone else’s life. This is much deeper than Spiritual Amnesia, this is Spiritual Dementia where truth and lies are all blurred together, and something just doesn’t sit right in my soul, but my heart is non-responsive and my mind is preoccupied.
Even though I didn’t mimic his decision, nor your friend’s to leave the faith, to abandon God’s church and pursue a “better” path that allows me to do whatever I want (seemingly at no consequence), I know that whatever is going on in my heart, and what’s going on in theirs is very similar. I may not have left the sheepfold, but I’m still in need of the Shepherd, and even deeper, I am in need of remembering who my Shepherd is and why and how I became apart of the flock in the first place.
I need to remember the sin problem and why its a big deal to God, why it should be a big deal to me, and why I shouldn’t cultivate it in my life nor encourage others into it. There is a real need for correction and direction, but first and foremost to really really really remember and taste of the Gospel again, as if for the first time. There’s a need to remember how tangible and available Jesus really is for us.
Sorry for the long post, and thanks again for the reminders.
As I pray for my friend, I will pray for yours as well.
~Angelique C.
Angel,
God is so near to us in tough times. Understand always that HE seeks always to do us good. It is satan whose job description is to kill, steal and destroy. You’re loved of GOD draw close: seek Him with a sincere heart and you will find Him….patiently pursue Him. GODbless you.
Absolutely love this entry. This is so true and poignant. You said it best: nothing or nobody should “supplant” God’s word and the reality of his power. Our simple relationships with Christ, at there core, should be stable and healthy. You’d be surprised how many people don’t have this and are Christians; It’s truly a sad and damaging thing. Thanks for the post.