w.w.b.b?

What would Bishop R.C. Ryle blog?

"If Christ crucified has not his rightful place in your sermons, 

and sin is not exposed as it should be, 

and your people are not plainly told what they ought to believe, 

and be, and do, 

your preaching is of no use....

An unpreaching minister is of little use to the church of Christ. He is a lampless light house

a silent trumpeter, 

a sleeping watchman, 

                                         a painted fire"

Bishop Ryle was deeply concerned about right doctrine because he was deeply concerned about people's souls. Are we? Or are we more concerned about us being right?

Now, Ryle was not telling his people to check out and follow blindly, not at all. He was showing them the standard upon which to judge their actions. We are called to think all the time. Christians are not called to check their brains at the door, unfortunately all to many Christians and non-Christians alike believe they can and should!

So this is what Jesus was telling his followers in Mark 9:30-41. This is the passage where Jesus takes a kid in his arms and says "whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and who ever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me"

So what is this really about (oh, wait, I pray I won't be wrong on the Internet)...Jesus is telling us to welcome the outcasts and the worthless just as he welcomed us since we indeed were outcast and worthless as well. 

It's not the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it". If that were the case we would not have needed the cross. 

When taken with this understanding the passage from Ryle is very simple; 

Christ was crucified because God demanded justice for disobedience

We did it.  We were not framed. 

Come to terms with that,

ask for forgiveness

and come under the rule of God. 

His Spirit will live in you. 

You can't save yourself. 

So quit telling people where they are wrong all the time. Yep, sometimes we have to point folks straight...but understand that Jesus says you have to take care of your own junk first, then and only then can you help others. 

Next time you jump online to bash another, examine your own heart next to Jesus...and ask yourself are you trying to help a person see a truth and that they have been lied to, or are you just ticked off and trying to vent?