Mark 16:15 “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.’” (ESV)
Today, on my phone’s newsfeed, there
was an advertisement for a Lifetime movie about Gwen Shamblin, the creator of
the Weigh Down Workshop. The only connection I have to this program is I had a
friend that went through it years ago. As I remember, she was introduced to it through
another believer. At that time, I was suspicious of how the program taught
people to lose weight. Apparently, Mrs. Shamblin had a master’s degree in
nutrition, so many people thought she was legitimate. This program was advertised
as faith-based and made patrons look at their overeating and weight as a sin. I
will not comment on this point tonight.
What I would like to talk about is
that yet ANOTHER Christian person/program is getting a tell-all movie about their
rise to fame and fall from grace. If you investigate Mrs. Shamblin and her church,
as I did today, you will see that there was A LOT of material for the filmmakers
to work with. Sigh. She was yet another person of faith who may have started
out with good intentions but became captivated by greed and power. It is wearying
to my soul to think of how many prominent leaders that claim Christ have gone
down this dark and worldly road. So many, especially those in the public eye,
have had scandals rock their ministries. They may begin with a focus on Jesus, but
once they gain power, money, and status they become more interested in what the
world has to offer them. Of course, the media will shine a big spotlight on
these stories instead of the millions of people who are faithfully following Christ
and reaching out in love to help others in His name.
I don’t know about you, but I believe
that this is fodder for those who assert that corruption, abuse, infidelity, hatred,
judgement, and hypocrisy are rampant in the church. As I sit here, knowing this
is how we are portrayed to un unchurched world, my heart breaks. The evil one
certainly knows what he is doing in the land that he rules.
We need, all of us that are
imperfect children of God, to be louder in our love and grace. We need to be in
God’s Holy Word and seek His guidance in prayer. We need to be bolder, faithful,
and fearless. We must, without perverting or editorializing, speak the language
of faith through sharing the Gospel message as it is written. We must stand for
the truth of the Trinity and be able to identify false prophets that lead
people who are truly searching astray. How, my dear ones, can we continue to
stay silent? That is just what the evil one wants.
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of
the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone
who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (NIV)
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