We’re Just Giving You Fair Warning

God-breathed revelation

We live in a day and age in which believing that God’s Word is indeed God’s Word inspired by the Holy Spirit is officially and disdainfully frowned upon. If you are someone who believes that the Bible is God’s spoken/verbal revelation to man…unto salvation, you are considered very “peculiar” by most, and to a growing number of others within the intelligentsia caste today, you are considered not just wrong, but dangerously wrong and a threat to the status quo of acceptable Secular Fundamentalist orthodoxy.

This is nothing new, of course . Jesus warned his disciples quite early on that:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
—John 15:18

And John, his beloved disciple, underscored the Messiah’s warning:

“Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”
—1 John 3:13

John the Baptist learned this axiomatic truth firsthand when the ”politically correct” of his day …(ahem)…encouraged him to keep his unpopular theology to himself…..

"Beheading of John the Baptist", Caravaggio

The Gospel message of Jesus Christ stands in sharp contrast and opposition to the prevailing consensus thinking….. always has and always will. Christians ought not be surprised by the mounting pressure to conform to the current, fashionable and acceptable “ways of the world”.

The Church,… the Bride of Christ,… would do well to take her Lord, the Anointed One who claimed to be Truth incarnate, at his Word.

We’re Just Giving You Fair Warning
(Keep Your Gospel Message Tame)

You can trust the Word of Jesus,
But the world will disapprove.
You may keep your Faith, young fella…
But then be prepared to lose!

You may THINK that God has spoken,
You might THINK that Christ is LORD,
But you’d better keep your mouth shut,
Folks like you the world abhors.

If you WANT to be outspoken
Sharing “good news” with the lost,
Well, my friend, you best be ready,
And you’d better count the cost.

There are certain parts of Scripture
That the world just won’t abide…
They’ll insist some word needs banning,
Burned,….. or even crucified!

We’re just giving you fair warning….
Keep your “gospel” message tame.
Folks can tolerate it “friendly”,
But won’t stand for Sin and Shame.

Here’s the fence you now will straddle,
Here’s the lukewarm water spring….
We can drink to Christ the Guru,
Not so much to Christ the King.

Keep your thoughts then undercover,
Under wraps and you’ll be fine,
Keep your “revelation” shrouded,
Your commitments unaligned.

Join Saint Peter ‘round the fire,
Safe and sound’s the way to go!
Just ignore that sinking feeling
When you hear that rooster crow.

Peter denies knowing Christ

So, now here’s the deal we offer:
No more “sin talk” please, my friend…
Keep your “Lamb God” if you want to,
But your “Lion God” offends.

We just hope you will consider
This proposal…OUR “good news”.
It’s an offer we think helpful,
One we trust you can’t refuse.

“Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”
—Matthew 10:34-35

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,0 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?1 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
—Luke 14: 26-33

Christ on the way to Calvary (detail, Hieronymous Bosch)