YouVersion

I've never heard of this guy, Paul Washer, but I found him on youtube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8&feature=related. He delivers his message in a John the Baptist (funny that his name is "Washer") kind of way which is highly condemning. He blasts the Christians of America. He talks about how our culture is a barrier to our own faith. He talks about Revivals that are held in a culture where the pastors will watch television programs which God abhors the night before and then have to create artificial emotions, wondering why. Paul talks about how this is very easy to see when he travels to other countries because, in Nigeria, for instance, if you profess to be a Christian, you can be killed. The "consider the costs" for Americans is virtually nill. Conversion, in America, has been reduced to a flu shot. He says things like, "there's no such thing as a carnal Christian", "American christian songs dictate our beliefs" and shockingly, "many say God loves us despite our sin because he is Love, but I say to you, because He is Love, he hates that which is unholy, therefore he cannot love us if we remain in our sin." Paul focuses on what it means to be a new creation. Narrow is the way, but yet nearly everyone in America claims to be a Christian. How do we know we are Christians? Because we Do Not Conform. We do not speak as the world, dress as the world or watch what the world watches. What is the fruit we bear? Do we love rebellion and carnality? If Jesus were here today and claimed that thorn bushes bear fruit, we would tell him that he is a liar or just ignorant of the fact that this is not true. Likewise, if Paul claimed he'd been hit by a mack truck on his way to speak and this was why he was late, no one would believe him because the results would be severely different. So, if we have a true encounter with something much larger, like the God of the universe, shouldn't our lives have an even greater change? God says, not everyone who says, "Lord, Lord" will enter into heaven. Profession of faith is no proof that we go to heaven. We live and obey the will of the Father as true Christians. We live not of this world. This message was painful to hear, but in my spirit, I felt it was true. It is the side of Christianity that few are willing to preach.