Venti Jesus, Please
We live in a society where most church people are not worshipping the Yeshua of Scripture, but some amalgam of belief systems. They worship "Starbucks Jesus."
"Yes, I would like a Jesus, light on the demands, less judgement. Throw in some personal fulfillment." Greg Stier wrote a book called, "Venti Jesus, Please" taking about the need to follow Jesus just the way He is, no changes.
On Sunday, Pastor Philip mentioned the seven primary worldviews held by Americans as identified by Barna Research. One that he mentioned was "moralistic therapeutic deism." I've been teaching about this for many decades since it was first identified in 2005 in the book "Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers." I was training parents to combat this, but now those teens are in their 30s with children of their own. This worldview is stronger than ever. I am going to give you a very scaled down look at it, but I encourage you to study it more completely, especially if you have children.
Moralistic therapeutic deism is a worldview that believes in the existence of a "God," but not the Yahweh of the Bible. It basically means this:
Moralistic - Our purpose in life is to be good people. Not followers of Jesus, just good.
Therapeutic - "God's" purpose for us is to feel good about ourselves and be fulfilled. He's basically a cosmic counselor/life coach.
Deism - "God" exists and created everything but then stepped away. He doesn't interact with the universe at all, except possibly to help give us what we want. It's like a cosmic clockmaker that winds everything up and then leaves it alone. As an aside, most of the founders of the United States were deists.
Here's the issue with this false teaching:
1. The God of the Bible is very involved in His creation, to the point of stepping in personally to save it.
2. God has a plan that often involves suffering. He is not concerned about our happiness, only our joy and obedience. True following means following Jesus to the cross.
3. God's purpose is not for us to be "good." Anyone can be good. Hell will be filled with good people. God's purpose is for us to be godly. If you are really following Jesus, you will often be seen as anything but good...especially by church people. Just look at His life.
This is a more detailed look at this worldview:
I would say that the vast majority of people in our country who say they believe in "God" and who say they are "Christians" are really followers of moralistic therapeutic deism. It is a cancer in the body of Christ. It is alluring and easy to fall into. How do you fight it?
Venti Jesus, please.
Study Jesus, know Jesus, follow Jesus.
SONGS FOR SUNDAY
Battle Belongs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=johgSkNj3-A
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHAaA3ol7LI
Worship The Great I Am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgXqqCQHxdY
Same God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yse43TUrces
...and we are learning
Fear of God