WEDNESDAY, MAY 31
1 Corinthians 5:7-13
2 Chronicles 18

"…Therefore put away from among
yourselves that wicked person."

FAILURE TO SEPARATE

The Scriptures are replete with many disastrous examples of those who failed to separate from sinners. One such example is that of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. The Scriptures’ assessment of him is as follows: "And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel" (2 Chron 17:3-4). Nevertheless, Jehoshaphat had frequent relations and affinities with the wicked King Ahab of Israel. This included a disastrous joint military campaign against the king of Syria (1 Kings 22; 2 Chron 18). His son Jehoram married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. After Jehoram died, his son Ahaziah succeeded the throne. However, within a year of succeeding the throne, Ahaziah was killed by Jehu (2 Kings 9:27). Athaliah took this opportunity to usurp the Davidic throne and to destroy all her grandchildren. Only Joash was saved by the intervention of his aunt Jehosheba (2 Kings 11:2; 2 Chron 22:11). If she had succeeded in destroying all of the royal seed of David, there would have been no Messiah! All of this began when Jehoshaphat joined affinity with Ahab. Athaliah and her subsequent actions were thus the deadly fruit of compromise!

The same can be said of Neo-Evangelicalism. It is essentially a spirit of compromise that sweeps through Christianity today. It seeks to please men by calling for love and unity at the expense of truth. They would often misapply Matthew 7:1-3 to prevent anyone from being exclusive on doctrine because "love unites, doctrine divides." As a result, churches are continually weakened by a lack of knowledge of biblical doctrines and discernment. Eventually, these churches became citadels of Satan rather than the house of prayer. The evidence of many abandoned church buildings in countries which once had a rich Christian heritage serves as a warning to all of us.

THOUGHT: How can I identify a Neo-Evangelical spirit?
PRAYER: Lord, help me never to compromise on the truth.