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    Enemies of Christ
    Enemies of Christ
    Enemies of Christ
    Ebook128 pages1 hour

    Enemies of Christ

    By Rod Martin, Jr

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    Subtitle: The Need to Protect Our Own Salvation from Ravening Wolves

    Jesus warned us about this. He told us that there would be some who would appear and sound pleasant, but who would really be wolves in sheep’s clothing. These are the enemies of Christ.

    Today, we’re confronted by the lazy arrogance of modern Pharisees who pretend that salvation is easy. Christ told us that the path is narrow and difficult. Who do we believe, the biblical literalist or Christ himself?

    Today, some are told that salvation is permanent once we commit ourselves to Christ. But what of those who give temporary allegiance to Christ in order to continue sinning?

    Today, some are told that taking responsibility for the crimes of others against us is impossible. But Christ led by example, taking responsibility for all the sins of the world. If we are to follow God, then we have to have unconditional love closer to that of the Heavenly Father, but also utter humility, fearless confidence and perfect responsibility.

    Today, some ministers are telling their flocks that the Age of Miracles ended nearly 2,000 years ago — that modern miracles are only possible because of the sheer number of Christians in the world.

    Today, too many Christians imply that they already know everything that they need to know and that their interpretation of scripture is perfect. It’s “My Way or the Highway,” yet no one knows all that God knows. There’s not enough humility to learn more. God has much more to teach us.

    Today, there are some who condemn some of the New Testament teachings — those of Paul of Tarsus. Why do they feel this way?

    Today, a majority of Christians have physical or graven images that distract them from Truth. They cling to those images and symbols, instead of to the spirit that gives life.

    Today, a growing minority of Christians ridicule science, unaware that the rift is artificial. Science studies the products of God’s creation. There’s no getting around that fact. Science has done a pretty good job in that study. There are still many unknowns. But both Christian fundamentalists and secular scientists ignore certain possibilities that may be far closer to truth than either side is willing to admit.

    “Enemies of Christ” gives us a scathing look at how Christianity has fallen into disrepair over the last 1,700 years. Truth is still there, but too many have been led astray. This book does not tell us what to think, but it does show us how to return to a vital humility to God. With that humility, we can more easily see our own failings and help us return to the Christianity that Christ gave us at the beginning.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTharsis Highlands
    Release dateApr 20, 2019
    ISBN9780463731123
    Enemies of Christ
    Author

    Rod Martin, Jr

    Rod Martin, Jr. was born in West Texas, United States. He has been a Hollywood artist, a software engineer with a degree summa cum laude, a writer, web designer and a college professor.Rod Martin's interests have ranged from astronomy to ancient history, physics to geology, and graphics arts to motion pictures.He has studied comparative religion, worked as a lay minister and spiritual counselor, and taught ethics in college.While doing graphic arts in Hollywood, he also studied electronic engineering. In 1983, as Carl Martin, he published his first novel, "Touch the Stars: Emergence," co-authored by John Dalmas (Tor Books, NY). He continues to write science fiction under that pen name.Later, switching careers to computers and information technology, Mr. Martin worked for Control Data, Ceridian Payroll, Bank of America, Global Database Marketing and IPRO Tech. He also created "Stars in the NeighborHood" 3D astronomy space software.He currently resides in the Philippines with his wife, Juvy. He has taught information technology, mathematics and professional ethics at Benedicto College, in Cebu. He continues to teach online and to write books and blogs.

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      Book preview

      Enemies of Christ - Rod Martin, Jr

      Enemies of Christ

      The Need to Protect Our Own Salvation from Ravening Wolves

      Rod Martin, Jr.

      Alternate Title: Watered Down Christianity

      To John Harper, for long distance fellowship

      "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15).

      Smashwords Edition

      April 2019

      Published by Tharsis Highlands Publishing

      Copyright 2015, 2018, 2019 Rod Martin, Jr.

      All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof in any form.

      Acknowledgements

      Cover design by Rod Martin, Jr.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      ~~~<>~~~

      Contents

      Introduction: Belief vs. Truth

      Chapter 1: Lazy Arrogance

      Chapter 2: Permanent Salvation—A License to Kill?

      Chapter 3: Responsible,... Sometimes

      Chapter 4: Miracles Don’t Happen Any More

      Chapter 5: My Interpretation or the Highway

      Chapter 6: Pauline Confusion?

      Chapter 7: Imperial Edict

      Chapter 8: Graven Images

      Chapter 9: God or Science?

      Chapter 10: The Cure for Diluted Christianity

      Appendix

      References

      About Rod Martin, Jr.

      Other Books by Rod Martin, Jr.

      Connect with Rod Martin, Jr.

      ~~~<>~~~

      Introduction: Belief vs. Truth

      A Sign of the Times

      In this day of instant gratification, a user-friendly Jesus seems to fit right in. Now, salvation is made easy—a veritable 8 lane freeway with pre-packaged biblical interpretation, immediate and permanent forgiveness, and lenient requirements to fit any lifestyle.

      Snap out of it! Fast-food Christianity is bad for our spiritual health. It’s junk food that will clog our Holy Spirit.

      But how can we tell what is nutritious from junk—truth from garbage? There is no easy answer. Don’t depend on any system to tell us. The first line of defense is to maintain a constant guard with humility and a hunger for answers.

      Any system can be gamed by ego. Jesus warned us about this. And Jesus gave us a clue when he said that we can tell a tree by the fruit it bears. Of course, he was not talking apples and oranges. We have to look closely. We have to know what righteousness looks like and what ego is all about.

      I don’t have it all figured out, but I have seen enough miracles and studied their content to know that many of the modern churches are not even close to what Christ was teaching on many issues. But do not despair. So long as we keep our focus on love without any self-concern, we will be headed in the right direction.

      Every watering down is a lack of faith. It is a belief in the superiority of nature (physical reality and effect) over God and creation (cause). It is a fear of consequences. It is being reasonable—seduced by the beautiful patterns of logic based on limited perception instead of adhering to the source of all logic.

      It is easy to see why some of us would view nature or reality as superior. Stub our toe and it hurts. Break a bone and we’re in agony. Have a mountain fall on us and our body is dead. Reality can seem dangerous and powerful. But that is part of the lie. So long as we live the lie, it will seem all too real and potentially dangerous. We will feel at effect instead of at cause and in control.

      With God in our hearts, and faith planted firmly in our souls, all things are possible. With Truth, physical reality remains but a thin shadow of a far larger reality which includes spirit.

      It gives me no joy to tell anyone that they are wrong. But I will point out that certain ideas are further from truth. Staying with an idea that is only halfway to heaven is a tragedy in the making. Some people are stuck on the road to righteousness.

      We need to remain humble for new answers. Why? Because our level of knowledge is not yet that of God. Our understanding is still imperfect. But this imperfection does not prevent us from helping one another.

      Any idea can be helpful if a person remains humble and hungry, but we cannot remain so if we think we have it all figured out. God has more to teach us. Any human idea is temporary on the way to Truth. We need to become comfortable with the idea of change. So long as that change brings us closer to God, then everything is as it should be.

      However, if we cling to an idea as if it were ultimate Truth, then we have effectively stopped on the path to salvation and we are clinging to ego and dogma, instead of to Christ and Truth.

      The journey to salvation is a narrow path—not a broad location. It requires constant meekness and change.

      Physical Crutch versus Spiritual Guidance

      The Truth in the Bible is of a spiritual nature. The words of all human languages are not. Biblical Truth lays beyond human words. This is why guidance of the Holy Spirit remains so important. We will not find our way without spiritual guidance.

      There may well be an infinite number of ways to water down Christianity. We need to keep our focus on love, God, Christ and Truth, but we also need to stay on guard against all manner of possible corruption in the denominations, individual interpretations—even in this book. Humility will allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. This is humility to God and to Truth—not humility to any group and their dogma. And some people are clearly confused on this point.

      What is Belief?

      Evangelist Ken Ham once asked his audience, Who do you believe: God or science? Of course, the audience said, God, but they did not understand that Mr. Ham had given them a false dichotomy. The real dichotomy is Mr. Ham’s interpretation versus God and science. The Heavenly Father and science are largely in agreement. After all, science studies the products of God’s creation. They’ve done a pretty good job of it, too. There has been some corruption, granted, but that has been the exception to the rule.

      Belief is a personally held idea that may or may not be true. All too often, belief falls far short of Truth. This is especially the case when there are so many different denominations with conflicting beliefs.

      Sometimes we are asked to believe based on faith. So, what is faith? Is it merely a stronger belief, blindly accepting what someone else tells us? Or could it be a spiritual state which rises above mere belief?

      Can we have faith in a false belief? The answer is a resounding, No! To consider such an idea only means that we do not understand what faith truly is. Faith is a perfect state of divine confidence. Faith is creation combined with humility, love and responsibility. It remains fearless and completely pure. It contains not one spot of doubt, arrogance, self-concern or blame. Clinging to false beliefs shows a lack of humility and, so burdened, we never reach the state of faith.

      What This Book Can Do

      Anything we can think in human words is only an approximation of truth and never is it actual Truth. So many Christians remain human bodies thinking human words and never get close to the Holy Spirit. I hope this book can help change that.

      There are many things in this book which can be misunderstood and then the misunderstood is rejected without the original idea ever being seen. I appreciate the importance of understanding. Be humble and patient. Truth is never easy until we find it.

      There are so many denominations of Christianity—so many varying beliefs in disagreement. Who is right? How

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