Daily Devotional for Friday July 3, 2009

What a Great Opportunity

(2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

This weekend, Pastor Rick Warren will address a Muslim group, which has terrorist connections, during its annual convention over the Fourth of July weekend in Washington, DC. Warren has agreed to appear at the convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and be part of its main session, discussing the convention's theme: "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." ISNA was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case in 2007.

What a great opportunity! Pastor Warren will have the ability to stand in front of this group and share with them how much Jesus loves them, how there is only one way to everlasting life and that is faith in Jesus Christ, and give them the invitation to reject the lies of Islam and give their hearts to Jesus! Ooops! I am sorry, I forgot I was talking about Pastor Rick Warren. He won't be there to share the Gospel with people who are following the lies of Islam to hell, but to simply advance his own agenda. How sad.

At a recent event, Warren told a group of Muslims, "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand." Listen, Rick Warren is a PASTOR. He is supposed to be a messenger of the GOSPEL. He is NOT a politician!!! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not something you water down or compromise. It is not about being politically correct because the eternal souls of men are at stake.

There is no "walking hand in hand" with Muslims! They are on the wide road to destruction while born-again Believers are on that narrow road to Glory! Muslims need to understand that they have bought a 1400-year-old lie from hell, and when they die, their souls will burn in the flames of hell for all eternity unless they turn from the lies of Islam and embrace faith in Jesus Christ and the Truth of the Bible!!!

Warren is a case study in the word "compromise." He embraces the damnable ecumenical movement that seeks to unite people of all beliefs, meaning Christians are expected to "compromise" and abandon the Absolute Truth of the Bible! His infamous book, The Purpose Driven Church, was endorsed by Leonard Sweet, a firm New Age Movement advocate. Warren hired Ken Blanchard to come to Saddleback to help train people how to be effective leaders.

Blanchard is a huge advocate of the New Age philosophies. He wrote the foreword to Jim Ballard's books Mind Like Water and What Would Buddha Do At Work? He was on the front cover of Corporate Mystic and the back cover of Deepak Chopra's Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and wrote the Foreword to Ellen Ladd's (clairvoyant) book, Death and Letting Go. Blanchard makes no apology when he says much can be gained from Buddhism. He and his wife both encourage the practice of yoga and mantra meditation.

Warren has often allowed into his church those who deny the Truth of the Scriptures, faith in Jesus Christ, giving credibility and a platform to people whose beliefs are totally inconsistent with Biblical Christianity. He has desecrated the alter of his church so often by allowing Godless people to spew their perverted views of life from his platform, that slaughtering pigs on that altar every Sunday wouldn't be any worse!!!

I truly believe that Saddleback Church was a true sovereign move of God. It was one of those God-breathed moves that no man can create or orchestrate. Sadly, Warren cashed in on this move of God with his watered down "Purpose Driven Life" book that became a model for his "Purpose Driven" business to market this move of God at his church to other churches and pastors.

Just like when Willow Creek failed miserably in marketing the sovereign move of God that occurred in that suburban Chicago church back in the late '80s, so has Warren's attempts failed to market his Purpose Driven model to other churches. As I have stated so often, you can't market, duplicate, and sell a sovereign move of God's Spirit!

After Warren's "Purpose Driven" business failed, he launched his PEACE plan to rid the world of poverty, hunger, and disease. Let me just say up front, these are all noble causes, but Jesus Himself stated that, "the poor you will have with you always." The church DOES need to be involved in these issues. However, in order to accomplish his PEACE plan, Warren has once again ignored God's Word regarding who we associate with to join forces with any false religion and heathen government official in the world who would give him the time of day and be part of his "plan." Now he is addressing an Islamic group with clear ties to terrorist groups!

In the meantime, right down the street from Warren's church the fight for God's Holy Institution of Marriage was being fought. Warren took no leadership to fight this assault on marriage that has been occurring right in his own backyard! I have also never heard Warren speak a word about working to do away with the killing of innocent babies, another plague on our culture that occurs every day just miles from his palatial Saddleback "campus."

He won't deal with these issues because he feels they are to divisive. The fact is, Warren has chosen issues that unite him with every false religion and group that has denied the Bible and faith in Christ in order to pursue his global ambitions, while he fails to even speak out against or deal with the real issues robbing the soul of our nation that are happening in his backyard!!!

I love you and care about you so much. I pray the spirit of Paul will come over Rick Warren this weekend and that he will clearly lay out the Gospel to this Muslim audience and give them a chance to be saved. What other message does Rick Warren or any pastor have except the Gospel? IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AT ANY TIME TO COMPROMISE THE GOSPEL AND THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH ANY PURSUIT, NO MATTER HOW WORTHY!

Why does a self-professed Baptist evangelist associate with these types of people? Not to preach the Gospel to them, but to use his association for his benefit! Sadly Warren decided that he could make his impact by pursuing a worldwide social agenda. That is fine. We need people to lead the effort on global poverty, AIDS in Africa, and other social causes. But you can't pursue this social agenda and ignore the pressing issues that are destroying this nation like killing babies, gay marriage, and family issues.

I actually pray daily that I am NEVER like Warren, since one day I have to stand before God. In the end, it is not anyone else who will judge my life but God. He is the only one I must please. I have really only one job, and that is to be faithful to the message of the Gospel. You also have only one you must please, and that is God. God will judge you on your faithfulness and obedience.

My word for you today is to never worry about what other men may say, only worry about what God will say. He loves you. He cares about you. We show our love for Him by taking our stand each day in this lost world for Him. Your only association with the ungodly is to try to save their souls. The Truth of the Scriptures is never going to appeal to a world that rejects the Bible, but it is the ONLY hope and answer for this world and each lost soul.

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller