The Heart of Man --> Full of deceit even in worship of the true God

^{ACTS 14:8-20}
In Lystra and Derbe

<sup>Man worship many things and many gods and whatever that can give them things that they want in this life. Fishermen will worship the sea gods, farmers will worship the sun gods land gods, gamblers will worship the gambler gods, greedy people will worship the god of wealth etc etc.
All these forms of worship are clearly evident in our daily lives. Just look at the tabloid newspapers of 联合晚报 and 新明日报. Filled with all kinds of Sins that Men so love.

When the crowd in Lystra and Derbe saw what Paul had done (the miracle of healing the crippled), they shouted that the gods have come down to us in human form! Barnabas they called Zues, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

So today, we see similar things of paganism, idol worshipers, mysticism, sorcery, etc etc for what purpose? To fill the greed and wants of man who threw away their souls for the desires and wants of this world-A temporal place that will eventually be done away with together with all things perishable. Worse of all, there are people who worship the true God as if it were an idol. Just look at the idols of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, the Cross, etc. How about those worshiping Jesus Christ and God in order to get the desires of their heart?

How is it that the gospel and teachings taught from the same Bible are so different among churches? Didn't we use the same Bible? How about those so called Christians who prayed to strike toto, win lottery, greater wealth and better health? Did Jesus Christ come to save our souls or to heal our earthly shell and satisfy our earthly wants?

Clearly, the Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17</sup>

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

¹⁷The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

¹⁸Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.

¹⁹They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

²⁰But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

²¹I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

²²Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

²³Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

²⁴As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

Apparently, deceitful people like to read and practice only what they like. Worse, they claim that what they are doing comes from the authority of God's Word in the Bible. Many have eyes but they are clearly blind to their folly.

^{WARNING FROM GOD}

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Matt 7:21

^{Be careful of what you believe in and do not deceive yourself.}
Belief in the full Gospel can save you but if you want to pick cherries, then I am sorry to say that you can be sincerely doing something and yet sincerely doing it wrong :(

^{Salvation by grace without repentance of Sin will not bring you pass the gates of Heaven.}