Although the church of the USA has in some circles the reputation of being alive, some maintain that in fact the church is mostly dead (see Rv 3:1). If this is true, the Lord's word to us is: "Wake up, and strengthen what remains before it dies" (Rv 3:2). We may lose what we have worked for and what remains of what we have worked for (2 Jn 8) if we in any way share in the evil of deceitful Christians who are so "progressive" that they do not remain rooted in the teaching of Christ (2 Jn 7, 9, 11). We must guard the rich deposit of faith (2 Tm 1:14) and fight hard for the faith (Jude 3); otherwise, we will lose what we have left, and "even the little" we think we have (Lk 8:18).
"Progressive," that is, false, teaching is very destructive. It spreads like the plague and upsets Christians' faith (2 Tm 2:17-18). False teaching eventually creates an intolerance (2 Tm 4:3) and contempt (2 Pt 2:2) for true teaching. Therefore, these false teachers "must be silenced" (Ti 1:11). We can do this by:
When we fight for the truth, we will both spread the faith and keep from losing the faith.
| PRAYER: | Father, may I know, teach, and live true teaching. |
| PROMISE: | "Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it; whoever loses it will keep it." –Lk 17:33 |
| PRAISE: | St. Josaphat reformed his order of St. Basil and the church of Ruthenia by working for unity in the Church. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College