THE CURSE OF RELIGION

Christianity Today reported that Jefferson Bethke's YouTube Christian rap video has had a phenomenal number of plays-–over 10 million. It's titled, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." His intention is to contrast the Gospel with formalism and self-righteous attempts at justification.

Here is a poem I penned a while back on this subject :

THE CURSE OF RELIGION

The Pilgrims came to our shores
On a quest to worship God;
The government that was established
Freed them from the path they'd trod.

They looked to Providence for their needs
And were thankful for His supply—
With government to protect their freedom,
And not their rights to deny.

With the nation founded on God,
He allowed their works to flourish;
As He was honored in their pursuits,
The new republic He did nourish.

As generations have come and gone,
Almighty God has been neglected;
Taking credit for God's protection,
Monuments to self have been erected.

Getting away from scriptural principles,
Politics has taken center stage;
Self has come into prominence,
Now that it has come of age.

Politics is now an end, not a means,
With power and corruption a given;
A government for the common good
Is lost, as the parties have striven.

Each does what's right in his own eyes,
With no absolutes for a guide;
God's protection has been withdrawn,
With gates for the Enemy opened wide.

With freedom of religion aborted,
We have abandoned our first love;
With self in the ascendancy,
There's no reference to God above.

Sinful behaviors are accepted,
With toleration mandated by all;
Political correctness is the watchword,
With irresponsibility to be our downfall.

Alien religions are given preference,
With traditional values subverted;
One who would point out error
Finds his goals are to be averted.

While the Church has the only answer,
Self has come to the fore there, too;
Unless it returns to its first love,
The loss of freedom it will rue.

With the goal of alien religions
To destroy our way of life,
The government is giving protection
To a religion based on strife.

It is opposed to the common good
With the intent of world domination;
Unless we curb its relentless march,
Religion will be our ruination.

God's Church is the only answer,
But it must get back to the Cross; (Gal. 2:20, Rom. 6)
A works-based Church is powerless
To reverse its decades of loss.

Preaching the Cross is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18)
To which the Church must return;
Refusing to forsake our substitutes, (Gal. 3:3)
We the power of God do spurn.

Preaching the Cross will transform lives
As we lose our lives to save them; (Luke 9:24)
The watching world will gain respect
As love counteracts its mayhem.

- C. R. Solomon

Preaching The Cross

The preaching of the cross
Is not just done in teaching;
When scripturally done,
It stops not with preaching.
In all gospel proclamation
The cross must central be,
Beginning with the evangel
And throughout eternity!

Yes, the cross deals with sins
That we may have new birth;
But it must also deal with sin
If we're to know our worth.
It not only deals with deeds;
It must change our inner being.
Our being crucified with Him, (Gal. 2:20)
Not only sins but self we're seeing.

Absent this vital dimension,
Ministry is without power;
Transformed lives are lacking
And from the world we cower.
Our Lord promised to be with us
If we disciple in His name, (Matt. 28:19,20)
With both the Blood and the Cross
Being emphasized the same.

With the cross for Jesus only,
The flesh escapes detection;
Unless it is exposed
There'll be need for correction.
Fleshly ministry has been the rule
Since preaching the cross is rare;
Only as it's front and central
Will the Spirit witness bear.


Revival is our great need,
As is a completed Reformation;
Only as we preach the cross
Will lives know transformation.
Church growth had great numbers,
But spiritual growth was lacking;
Church leaders must plumb the depths,
If we're to have their backing.

Preaching of the cross. . . the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18)
Is the message most needed;
Revival will again be known
When His word we've heeded.
It is not 'Will revival come?'
But, 'Will we begin to preach it?'
Once preaching crucified with Christ,
We will begin to reach it!

Our God is not capricious
In withholding blessing from us;
When we become obedient,
He will fulfill His promise.
Preaching the cross. . . the power of God
Maintains the centrality of the cross.
Losing our lives to save them, (Matt. 16:24,25)
We will cease to suffer loss.


PREACHING THE CROSS
C. R. Solomon
6-16-12

THE GOD OF ALL GRACE (l Peter 5:10)

"The God of all grace" is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9)
To meet us at our point of need;
But it takes time and maturity
To sort our needs from our greed.

When we are reduced to our extremity,
Our priorities make a great shift;
Those to which we gave importance
Give way to those which our spirits lift.

His purpose is to "perfect" or mature us,
To "stablish" us in Christ our Lord;
Then, He can "strengthen" our walk in him
As we abide in Him and His word. (John 15:7)

All is meant by God to "settle" us
In a consistent walk in Him; (Col. 2:6)
As our affections are "set. . . on things above", (Col. 3:2)
The things of this world begin to dim.

"Perfect, stablish, strengthening, settle" us, (1 Pet. 5:10)
Is done by "the God of all grace";
And we will give Him all the glory
When, at last, we see Him face to face!

C. R. Solomon 5-1-12

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM (Prov. 9:10a)

The fear of God is missing
In the affairs of men today;
Being captain of their own fate,
They refuse to allow Him sway.

Being moved by their own passions,
They refuse to allow Him room;
As they're ruled by earthly wisdom,
They have thereby sealed their doom.

All the while, God bides His time
And lets them run their course;
When their wisdom comes to naught,
There'll be ample time for remorse.

We, as Christians, must pave the way,
With the fear of God our guide--
Exposing the fallacy of their unbelief,
On which they have relied.

When instead we live by faith
Lives they cannot explain,
We will have forsaken our wisdom
And in the Life of our Lord remain. (Jn. 15:5)

When they follow the life we live,
They should be drawn to our Lord;
We have been crucified with Christ,
As it is written in His Word. (Gal. 2:20)

- C. R. Solomon 10-12-11

COMPLETING THE REFORMATION

The Reformation served its purpose,
While needed much in Luther's day.
Again, the Church needs reforming
With fleshly teaching holding sway.

When measured by earthly standards,
The numbers indicate success;
But when assessed by the Spirit,
There are signs of much distress.

With the world in great confusion,
Will the Dark Ages be repeated?
Though we are satiated with knowledge,
Spiritual life has been depleted.

The printing press was Luther's ally,
With the way of salvation needed;
A similar need exists today,
With the way of the cross unheeded.

The internet can be our ally,
With sanctification by faith the cry;
Preaching the cross the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18)
On which the Church must rely.

The Reformation stopped short
Of teaching the believer's cross, (Gal. 2:20)
Thus subverting true discipleship, (Lk. 14:27)
With the Church suffering great loss.

The Reformation must be completed
With sanctification the missing piece;
The bands of flesh must be broken
If the Church is to know release.

The world will soon be clamoring
For the Church to be the Church;
When it fulfills its destiny,
The hungry can cease to search.

Only a completed Reformation will suffice
To make the mid-course correction;
Sanctification must have twin billing
With the foundation of justification.

When we return to preaching the cross,
The power of God will be displayed;
And the world will know once again
That full atonement has been made!

The Light is the Answer to darkness
And only Jesus can it quell;
When the believer's cross is central, (Rom. 6:6-11)
The full story the Church will tell!

C. R. Solomon, 9-30-11