The problem in Laodicea was not unusual. The Bible has numerous warnings regarding humanity's deceitful nature. Jeremiah 17:9 says the human heart is “is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 say, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” And sadly, self-deception continues today, especially in religious matters.
Recent reports indicate that with increasing regularity, many people today desire spirituality in their lives but are unwilling to follow specific instructions on how to achieve it. Instead of accepting a single organization's teachings, many now pick and choose from numerous ideas in assembling their own eclectic collections of religious ideas. This phenomenon has been called “Cafeteria Christianity” and “The Religion of the Sovereign Self.”
Like the Laodiceans of the first century, people who engineer their own religions are generally pleased with their choices and believe God approves of their ways — ways that are in direct contradiction with others holding similarly self-designed religious ideas. Even though Scripture tells us God is not the “author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33), some mistakenly believe there are many paths to God and that all are acceptable to Him. Paul shows the fallacy of this view saying there is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).
Because of our self-deceptive tendencies, God says, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10). In the message to Thyatira, Jesus said, “all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works” (Revelation 2:23).
In order to truly follow God, humans need new hearts (Ezekiel 11:19; 18:31; 36:26)—ones submissive to Him and those He establishes as teachers in His Church (Ephesians 4:11-12; Hebrews 13:17). In sharp contrast to the human proclivity to pick and choose one's own religious ideas, Paul described first century believers as people who had yielded hearts to God, His ministers and the Church. In writing to the Thessalonians, Paul called them “followers of us and of the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 1:6) and “imitators of the churches of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:14).
To be contd.
God bless you all.
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