Andy and Ice Cream Jesus

Andy and Ice Cream Jesus

After I heard a popular Christian radio personality rail against being “legalistic”, I realized he was talking about me and my beliefs and the beliefs of many of my Christian brothers and sisters. No one wants to be put down with what the world considers an ugly word like “legalistic”. Am I deceived, am I wrong, are others deceived? Satan certainly is the father of lies and deception. It bothered me that this radio personality, supposedly full of grace, attacked obedient minded people. But something happened that made me feel better, almost immediately. The Holy Spirit moved in me, bringing to my remembrance verse after verse, teaching after teaching, and I realized that the true Jesus obeyed and taught obedience with even love being a command, not just worldly affection, but true love that works in unfavorable conditions. The world and many in the church today would call Jesus “legalistic”. Many fans of Jesus just memorize the “sweet” teachings, the ice cream dessert, and ignore the difficult “legalistic” teachings that Jesus gave as requirements to be a true follower and not just a fan of Jesus.

          Can we separate Jesus from His Father’s commandments or “law”, as some refer to God’s will? Did Jesus separate Himself from having to be obedient or is it now that we no longer have to obey the commandments given to us through Moses? Does His sacrifice at the Cross give us an automatic pass into the eternal life with our Holy Father?

          Can we separate Jesus from His Father’s law? Did He? In Jesus’ great ‘Sermon on the Mount’, He teaches us that not only does He expect us to keep the commandments, but Jesus’ presence now demands a higher standard than the original law. Jesus said that not only can we not be sexually immoral in the physical, but we must now also control our thoughts along with our flesh! He teaches about the other commands in the same manner. This teaching is in Matthew 5:27-30, His sermon on the Mount . Jesus demands a higher standard because He is with us and in us. How could one who claims to be saved, with the Holy Spirit in them, live in unrepentant, continual sin? I am not speaking of temporal sin, repented of, but choosing daily to satisfy your flesh and starve your spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin so that we can repent of it, which means to turn away from sin and back to God. If we continue in sin we remove ourselves from God. God never moves away from us, but when we choose worldly sin, we reject Him, turning our back to him.

 Hebrews 10:26 27

26For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 

27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 

               ‘There no longer remains a sacrifice for their sins’(26b). Grace to cover our sins is a result of Jesus’ sacrifice at the Cross. Just as God is eternal, so is salvation and grace. So how is it that our sins can cause us to lose our salvation? If we continually sin, we choose world over God. The sin does not have power over salvation but shows our true heart and Spirit, which does affect our eternal salvation. Continual sin is the result of a broken relationship with Jesus. Salvation itself was eternal before we received it. We were not yet saved, because we had not accepted or embraced the salvation available to us. Salvation was there in front of us, eternally available, but it was not until we renounced our sin and made Jesus our Lord and Savior, that we received the salvation that had always been available to us. When we receive Jesus as our Savior we do not lose our freewill. We are free to choose sin or God. We are not forced to serve God. We have to choose daily to be a servant and child of God. This is a constant theme throughout God’s Word. Peter said that we would have been better to have never known the love of Jesus than to have known and turned away from Him to sin again (2Peter 2:20-22). Jesus sternly warns that He will not allow anyone into heaven that does not DO the will of God  (Matthew 7:21-23). Obedience is paramount to a positive relationship with our Father and front and center in God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus made it clear that His life was devoted to obeying God the Father. Jesus never changed God’s will for us, but He became our advocate to be able to come to God with repentant heart and be forgiven. Jesus announced that He only says and does what His Father says and does (John 5:19). Obviously Jesus obeyed God, upheld His commandments and did our Father’s Will. Every time Jesus was asked how one could receive eternal life, His initial response always was, “Have you kept the commandments?” So the answer is “no”, Jesus did not separate himself from His Father’s commandments and neither does he allow us too.

               Andy Stanley uploaded a video teaching to the popular youtube, announcing to his thousands of followers that homosexuality was ok and adultery was not. He went on to explain that people who were involved in homosexual activity could be leaders in the church, but adulterers could not. This is completely unbiblical in every way. The bible clearly defines and declares any sexual immorality a sin resulting in eternal death and damnation if left unrepentant, which Andy is encouraging. False teaching that feels good and is sweet to taste, is a dangerous trap. Anyone can be forgiven for their sins if they repent, turn away from them, and follow Jesus. But, continual unrepentant sin, results in eternal death says God.  Andy is preaching Ice Cream Jesus. If it feels natural and you don’t hurt anybody else, then it is ok with Andy and Ice Cream Jesus, as long as you wear a smile and are courteous. You see, Ice Cream Jesus is an imaginary Savior. Ice Cream Jesus agrees with popular world ideals and distorts actual truth as it is written God’s Word. Teachers serving up various flavors of this tasty eternal damnation, are always happy and smiling because they are satisfying their customers who are looking for someone to assure them that satisfying their flesh will not set them in hell. Those customers come in droves throwing their money into the buckets because they are thankful that Ice Cream Jesus forgives them of their continual sin that they will not repent, and turn away from. By the way, without repentance, there is no forgiveness. Forgiveness is also eternal, but like salvation, has to be asked for and received. For that to happen, you have to confess and repent…… even Apostle Peter had to repent.

               Disclaimer: I am not picking on believers with homosexual tendencies, I love you. I have my own temptations to overcome as does everyone. It is just a popular sin that is perverted as being acceptable to God in this time. God and His Will have not changed. God loves you, no question, but that is not all that is required for eternal life in God’s Kingdom. Deny yourself, (fleshly wants and desires) take up your Cross and follow me says Jesus.  I am picking on Andy though. Shame on you, Andy, using all the popular keywords like love, forgiveness, and your smooth, polished delivery to do satan’s work of perverting the Word of God. By the way, Andy, why did you think you have the authority to redefine sin? That is putting yourself over God. May the Lord rebuke you.

               Ice Cream Jesus brings the sinners and leaves them in their sin. The poor folks tote a bible but seem to be none the wiser. How do we know whether Ice Cream Jesus or the King Jesus of Nazareth is teaching us? The quick method is one you shouldn’t completely trust, but is a good initial test. Do you feel elated and justified, pumped up as a teenager at a rock concert and everything is pretty much ok, that you are on track with God? That is usually Ice Cream Jesus.

               Jesus of Nazareth assures us that we are loved, but we have sins that we are hiding from ourselves which we haven’t given up to God. We will realize we still have to guard ourselves from temptation and be wary of the world. King Jesus teaching always has a strong element of sin conviction delivered, as promised, by the Holy Spirit. In the presence of the true Jesus we are humbled in Spirit as the Apostles were, not self-justified. Remember that continual sin is the result of a broken relationship with Jesus, who removes sin. Sin has no power to condemn, but shows the true self-serving spirit in a person.

1 John 2:3-6English Standard Version (ESV)

³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴ Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

               Best test to avoid getting run over by the Ice Cream Jesus truck, is the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation. Don’t trust pulling a single verse or two. Truths run as threads from the old through the new testament. Yes, old testament. Jesus and the Apostles refer to the Old Testament as THE SCRIPTURES. If all of this has you freaking out, then you have been eating ice cream every Sunday Morning. Get your Bible out and google a subject …. Study and learn. God said that we perish from lack of knowledge!

               Calling the Word false and ‘just stories’, is the only way that a person can justify trusting feelings and redefining sin. Andy, unfortunately, has also done this publicly, as have many other ice cream teachers. If the Word of God is not true, then you have NO savior. If you can’t believe that the God who created the universe and you, could put together a book that is true, then you don’t believe in the Sovereign Creator Father. I had a bible study member ask me once if I thought a donkey could really talk! (Numbers 22:28) “Yes, I believe that my Father, who created everything, setting the sun in place, the universe in motion, hung the moon, designed birds feathers to fly, who made the donkey itself, who creates babies from two separate people, would have no problem making a donkey speak!! That would be a simple thing for Him.” It would be funny, if it were not so pitiful, how arrogant we humans are in our ineptness. We uphold science and man’s ‘discoveries’, yet we cannot cure the common cold, much less change the course of the weather or create true life from nothing. So, the question becomes, what do you truly believe?

               I am not judging or condemning anyone. That is God’s job, thankfully not mine! There is going to be a judgement. My desire is that through the Truth in God’s Word, we will all pass into the arms of Jesus and not be rejected because we lived a life led by the false teachings of an Ice Cream Jesus. We want our God to be what we want Him to be, unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Thankfully God is steadfast, loving, unchanging and Holy. God told Moses, “I am who I am.” Because of man’s sins, Jesus had to be sacrificed so that we MAY be able to approach our Holy Father. Ice Cream Jesus says we can be nice, smile and stay positive, your sins are forgiven with no changes or repentance from sin. My King Jesus warns us sternly to be obedient or He will not grant us passage into the Kingdom of God. Jesus warns us sternly at the end of one of His greatest teachings …..

Matthew 7:21-23English Standard Version (ESV)

I Never Knew You

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

        ‘Lawlessness’, yes, it is translated from the original greek writings correctly. Ice Cream Jesus and his false teachers tell you that God’s law doesn’t matter anymore. That is a lie, a deception. We need to learn to pray for God to show us our sins, so that we may repent of them. I have been amazed at the pride and self-serving heart I fight. I have been amazed at the anger and unforgiveness in me, much of it from my far past. I am not a stiff neck legalist. I just love God and His powerful Word. I ride a motorcycle, drink the occasional beer, and laugh with friends as much as possible. I won’t beat you over the head with the Bible, you are free to believe or not believe. I simply do not want us to be deceived and fall into satan’s many traps. Jesus requires all of our being, for we are bought with a price, a very high price. Jesus sets us free in Him to love and be forgiven.

          May God bless you, Kenton

PS.     The Church is not a civic club or community fun group. The Church is the Body of Christ dedicated to bringing glory to our Father and the good news of the Gospel to the many nations. He does not obey us, we obey Him.