Christianity

Nearly one-third of the world – 2.1 billion people – identify themselves as Christians. Worship rises from every nation, expressed in beautifully diverse languages, cultures, and styles. This is the church of the Living God, the pillar and support of the truth. It is the Body of Christ; His bride that He loves. It is through her that God has chosen to manifest and saturate the world with His love, glory, and presence.

Yet today, much of the Church is characterized less by His presence and more by corruption, compromise, and callousness. False teachings are rampant, taking root in every part of the world. Many have been “led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ,” accepting false gospels and altered versions of Jesus (2 Cor. 11:3-4).

Below are some of the most prevalent and destructive false teachings present in the Church today.  But they are not new.  Every one of these false teachings existed and was addressed within decades of Christ’s resurrection and ascension.

While we wait with eager anticipation for Jesus’ triumphant return, let us pray for truth, purity, cleansing, and revival within the Body of Christ around the world.

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 1 Tim 6:9

Jesus desires our devotion to be to Him and not to what we think He can offer us. The Bible challenges us to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Cor 4:18), not clinging to the things of this world but instead living for the world to come.

Yet many today are teaching that following Christ will lead to guaranteed financial blessing and an easier life. They minimize the realities of sin and suffering, while reducing God’s goodness to mere physical blessing and material prosperity in this world.

But in the Kingdom of God, the way up is down (Mk 9:35b). God does not call us to the lap of luxury, but to take up our cross (Matt 16:24, Lk 9:23). He promises that “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33b).

Our prayer is that believers around the world would follow in the footsteps of a suffering Savior (I Pet 2:21), embracing the cost of discipleship with joy, knowing that He is their ultimate reward. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor 4:17).

More Verses:

Mark 9:35b

I Peter 4:12-13,16

Philippians 3:10-11

Luke 12:15

Mark 10:25

Jn. 20:21

2 Cor. 4:17-18

I Tim. 6:6-10

Revelation 21:3-4

I Jn. 4:17b

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2:8-9

Jesus desires that we fully accept the gift of his truly amazing grace, looking only to Him for our salvation. “If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Rom 11:5).

Yet many around the world are deceived, thinking that their good works will somehow earn them a place in Heaven. They hopelessly strive after an impossible goal, refusing the free gift of salvation offered in Jesus Christ.

We are sinners, saved by grace alone. For, “there is no one righteous, not even one…” (Romans 3:10) and “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). We deserve death, but God, in his mercy, took our punishment, offering us eternal life. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9).

Our prayer is that believers around the world would fully grasp, accept, and rejoice in God’s amazing grace, knowing that the work of salvation was completed at the cross. His grace is enough.

More verses:

Ephesians 2:4-5

Galatians 2:16

Romans 8:1-4

James 2:10

For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light. Eph 5:8

Jesus calls us to live a life worthy of the Gospel (Phil 1:27). Our response to His abundant and free gift of grace should be total and radical obedience to Him and His call on our lives.

But many today have cheapened grace by removing repentance, confession, and discipleship, believing they can be a follower of Christ without showing fruit in their lives. Though we are all imperfect, God’s grace should lead us to repentance. Scripture is clear: “No one who is born of God will continue to sin” (1 Jn 3:9).

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it” (Rom 6:1-2)? We are made new in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). We must cast off the old self and put on the new self (Eph 4:22-24). We no longer have to be slaves to sin (Rom 6:6-7) but can be set free through His work on the cross.

Our prayer is that true discipleship will be taught alongside the message of salvation and that followers of Christ would understand that although His grace is free, it is not cheap. He gave his life for us and calls us to “Go…sin no more” Jn 8:11.

More verses:

Luke 6:46

John 14:15

Gal 5:1

Psalm 119:14

They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. Deut 32:47

Jesus desires that the Word of God be our life and sustenance. Even Jesus wielded the Word of God as a weapon against Satan’s attacks, showing us the way to spiritual victory and abundant life (Matt 4).

Yet many people do not regard the Bible as entirely true or vital; many avoid reading it, let alone allow it to change their lives. Others do not desire to hear the entire Word of God. They only wish to hear whatever will “suit their own desires” (2 Tim 4:3), listening to false teachers, of which there are many in the world (1 Jn 4:1).

The Word of God should be life-giving to the believer. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). In His words are our life and victory. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matt 24:35).

We pray that all would hear and understand God’s Word as truth and not be deceived by false teachers. May the Holy Spirit give a hunger for His Word to every believer and may they be filled and satisfied by His Word alone. Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (Jn 6:35).

More verses:

2 Tim 3:16

Acts 17:11

Acts 5:29

1 John 4:1

Matt 4:4

Matt 5:18

John 10:35

Matt. 24:35

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” Jer 32:27

Jesus calls us to be people of radical faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6).

Yet for many in the Church, beneath the Christian facade lies a heart of unbelief that breeds passivity and nominalism. Attempting to follow Christ from the safety of the sidelines, they miss out on seeing the power of God at work in their lives and in the world.

Jesus speaks harshly against a nominal, passive, and safe religion (Lk 9:57-62). He calls us to live a life of faith in a God who can part the sea, heal the sick, raise the dead, and forgive the sinner. It is out of this kind of faith that radical and world-changing obedience is born.

Our prayer is that believers today would demonstrate great Hebrews 11 faith as they call on the God of the universe to do the impossible, believing and waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of His glory as He answers.

More verses:

Ephesians 1:19-21

Matthew 19:26

Romans 1:17

James 1:6

John 14:12

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Tim 2:5

Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). All other paths lead away from Him.

Yet many around the world today are claiming multiple ways to God. Believing Jesus to be insufficient, they claim their own “truth” by combining different religious beliefs. To them, truth is relative and can be created based on their cultural inclinations and personal preferences.

There is only one Truth, and Jesus said that that Truth would set us free (Jn 8:32). Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (Jn 10:9). There is only one way and one gate: Jesus. He is enough, and He has no rivals because “salvation is found in no one else” (Acts 4:12).

Our prayer is that anything blinding people from the pure and true Gospel will fall like scales from their eyes, revealing that Jesus is enough and He is the only way to salvation.

More verses:

Matthew 7:14

Hebrews 7:25

But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who…has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Lk 12:5

The heart of God is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). But our sin and rebellion against an eternal and holy God warrants eternal punishment. His wrath and judgment are real.

Many today minimize God’s mercy and the good news of the Gospel by denying God’s wrath and judgment, seeing God’s justice as contradictory to His love. They choose to soften God’s love into tolerance instead of embracing the full majesty and depth of His character.

It is His holy love that demands wrath and justice against sin, which only kills and destroys. The Bible is clear, “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23a). Jesus himself spoke frankly about the reality of Hell on many occasions (Matt. 25:46, Mark 9:43-48, Matt. 22:13, Luke 16:19-31…). We must be able to grasp the full extent of the punishment that we deserve, before we can understand the Good News of the Gospel!

Billions around the world are headed toward Hell – an eternity without Christ. Our prayer is that God’s full character will be taught and received with urgency, as today is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2)!

More verses:

Romans 2:5

Proverbs 24:12

Jeremiah 30:23

Nahum 1:6

Romans 1:18

Rev. 20:15

Rev. 21:8

Luke 16

2 Thess.1:9,10

Rev. 14:11

…not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. Phil 3:9

Jesus desires our heart, not our perfect performance. Because of Jesus and His work on the cross “…a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Rom 3:28).

But many act as though unsatisfied by His grace, holding themselves and others to a “grace-less” and impossible standard. They attempt to attain favor with God through their works, trampling God’s free gift of salvation by demanding the perfect performance of often man-made requirements.

To God, it is the heart that matters, not the outward appearance. In Luke 18, two men come to God in prayer. One, in pride, compares himself to others, elevating His righteous works to gain God’s favor. The other humbly asks for God’s undeserved mercy. Jesus severely warns his followers against the former, who merely cleans the outside of the cup, while the inside remains unclean (Matt 24:25).

Our prayer is that believers around the world would accept the true and undeserved gift of salvation by grace through faith, with full assurance that the work was finished in Christ. A holy heart will not – cannot – come through any human effort, but only through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit.

More verses:

Mark 12:29-31

Mark 10:17-27

Romans 3:21-26

Romans 5:1

Phil. 3:9

2 Corin. 5:21

Jeremiah 23:6

2 Tim 1:9

Col 2:16-17