Virtually every facet of life seems to have fallen off the shelf of sincerity, respect, seriousness and approval of decency. This includes the Christian segments as well. Even worse, the clergy Ä the pulpiteers Ä the leaders and examples if you will Ä are caught up in this "don't get too serious about the theological plagues."

Everyone knows of the Apostle Peter's claim to loyalty to Christ and his same night shameful denying of even knowing Him or who He was. But those nearly two months of spiritual drought taught him the greatest lesson of his life.

Listen to the voice of experience as he writes in I Peter 5:7: "Be sober (serious), be vigilant, for YOUR adversary, the Devil, walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

Though some may choose to ignore this warning, evidence all round us is proof that not one of us is immune from his attack.

SATAN HAS A NUMBER ONE TARGET

Quite naturally then the man of God is Satan's first choice. The preachers (priests) of the Old Testament fall into Satan's "Designed Trap." God's rod of chastisement fell heavily upon them when the Divine indictment charged them with neglect of duty and fraudulent representation of the Almighty One. Note Ezek. 22:25 & 26 for a conspiracy (agreement) with the Devil.

"There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof LIKE A ROARING LION ravening his prey. They have devoured souls . . . her priests have violated my law and profaned my holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and the profane. Neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean and have HID THEIR EYES from my sabbaths and I am profaned among them."

Verse 28: "Her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath no spoken."

PEER PRESSURE DESTRUCTION

We have all seen many clean-cut and upstanding young people whose lives become shambles. In most cases, this can be traced to peer pressure. They succumbed to that thinking that to be more popular they hide their eyes from God's holiness and "marry the daughter of a strange god."

"Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god." (Malachi 2:11)

Preachers today are being "killed" by peer pressure too. The "peers" philosophy of the ministry is "BIGGER IS BETTER." Regardless of how unscriptural or unethical a "program" may be, some once-sound preachers take out after it. Little by little compromise sets in and before they realize it some even come to disdain the name "Baptist" and remove it from their property, as well as from their hearts.

The Saviour called these "peers" as posing to represent God's true preachers (dressed in sheep's clothing but INWARDLY are ravening (killer) wolves.

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matt. 7:13-15)

Notwithstanding, their leanings toward false doctrines, their social and financial orbit lures lesser achievers to commence to copy their new "progressive" doctrines and policies, even without full consideration of whether or not it is or is not scriptural.

Here is an extremely picturesque Biblical proof of such drifting from the Word of God and its consequences.

This strict, honest and fundamentally sound man of God was instructed by God to go to Bethel and take his stand AGAINST King Jereboam's false altar on which he burnt incense. His instruction was followed.

"And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee." (1 Kings 13:2)

He did what God's word told him to do. That's what all true fundamentalists do. His instructions also included a curse upon Jereboam and the land. Did the King like it? Of course not and he showed his gross dislike by attempting physical revenge Ä which back-fired.

So also today, none of the progressive liberals like anyone's undaunted stand for the fullness of truth.

Furthermore, this man of God was told that he would be invited out to eat and drink. The progressive liberal King promised the man of God a reward. That was "peer pressure."

That is the magnet which is meant to draw, to allure men of God away from Paul's stand.

"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." (Romans 3:4)

What difference does it make to God which way the man of God goes home? Hasn't he done what he was told? Only partially.

"Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway". (Deuteronomy 11:1)

God's word says: "always." God told him not to return home on the same road he came on. You can easily see that he is a sound fundamentalist.

He has rebuked the King as God said. He has cursed the altar as God said. He has refused to dine with the King. He has turned down the big promised reward and now he is going home a different road as God said. How pleased God must be with him! No wonder he calls him a "man of God" which simply means, "God's man always."

Peter's denial of our Lord in the time of crisis is adequate proof that "once a fundamentalist does not mean always one." Otherwise, what is the meaning of the great "falling away", or "men will not endure sound doctrine", or "certain men will creep in unawares." (Jude, 4).

Therefore, yesterday's stand for the truth is not a guarantee that you will stand today or tomorrow.

SATAN Ä THE MASTER TRAP-SETTER

Watch it unfold. The trap is being set! Whom will Satan use to derail and destroy this so-sound man of God? It was another preacher Ä back-slidden and mad at God. Shocked? Don't be. Even today, there are hundreds of them. They have been put on the shelf by God.

"And I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 2:1-4)

So they despise and seek revenge against those who believe that the measuring or testing ought to be "let God be true and every man a liar."

"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged". (Romans 3:4)

That preacher had two sons who heard the man of God rebuke Jereboam and forthrightly turn down both his invitations to dine at the palace and his promised reward. The sons also heard him say what road he was going home on.

When they told their father, he did not thank God that He had sent a man of the truth to rebuke the wickedness of the King. To the contrary, he has only a desire to de-rail the man of God from the straight track of "thus saith the LORD," which is gain-saying.

His sons saddled his beast of burden for him and he goes after the man of God. Sure enough, he finds the man of God resting himself and probably his horse or mule also. The preacher of "renown" dismounts and greets the man of God. No doubt, it was a most congenial meeting. (Man of God. Beware Ä the trap is set.)

Don't worry about this man of God! Isn't he solidly fundamental? Hasn't he proved it? He went as commanded. He went where he was told of God to go. He rebuked the King as he was told.

He stedfastly refused the King's invitation to eat and drink (fellowship) with him as instructed. He has rejected the King's offered rewards (bribes) as God would have him to do.

He is even headed home on another road as God had instructed him. Who can say that he is not a sound fundamental man of God?

Man of God Ä beware! The trap is set! We bemoan the fact that some very good church young people go astray and depart from all their training because of what is termed "peer pressure." There is much truth in that.

They get sucked into the "dream-world" of someone more popular, has more friends, more money and appears to have less restraints than they do. Envy, covetousness and pride are the three words that weave the rope which pulls youth into error. The very same thing is true when it comes to preachers, pastors, professors, evangelists and authors.

UNSUSPECTED TRAP

This wonderful story and effective fundamentalist is soon to become a "used to", a "has been", but he does not realize it! He is invited back to the other "preacher's" house to eat and drink (fellowship) with him and his family. Once again he displays his loyalty to God's word, and even quotes it to this new "friend", telling him that God told him not to dine with anybody, no matter whom.

But then this new acquaintance gives him the language of a "peer" (superior one). "I am a prophet also, as thou art and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord saying, Bring him back to thine house that he might eat bread and drink water." (1 Kings 13:18)

BUT HE LIED unto him. SO HE WENT BACK with him. Any walk contrary to the word of God is going backward. "But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward." (Jeremiah 7:24)

This is sad, so sad, but it furnished uncontested proof that one's claim to be a rock-solid fundamentalist does not make him or her immune free from "contrary winds of doctrine" .

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Ephesians 4:14)

Absolutely not! Man of God Ä beware Ä the trap is set. It only took one time for this ardent, dependable, fundamental man of God to become the laughing-stock of the whole demon world!

Had the man of God simply remembered what I am certain he knew Ä that God already said, "I am God and there is none other and I change not." (Isa. 46:9; Mal. 3:6)

Satan's business is not occupied in seducing and entrapping liberals. He already has these helping his cause. The song writer put it this way: "See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on; mighty men around us falling, courage almost gone."

That is why the Holy Spirit had Peter to write: "Be sober, (serious minded) be vigilant (constantly on the lookout) because YOUR ADVERSARY, the Devil, as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may DEVOUR."

ONE DOCTRINAL LACK

This instruction and exhortation therefore remains as it has been since Moses told God's people to obey God always and to "take heed to OURSELVES lest YOUR HEART be deceived and you TURN ASIDE to serve OTHER gods and to worship them." (Deut. 1:1, 16)

That dear man of God, of whom we are writing, lacked one doctrinal ingredient in his otherwise sound stature for his fundamental life style. That was the ingredient of "DISCERNMENT."

When the liberal preacher told him that an angel brought him a special word from God, that is different from what you are believing, discernment would have preserved his ministry.

He should have immediately relied on everlasting stability for any and all of God's people, namely, 'LET GOD BE TRUE and every man a liar." In reality, the man of God embraced a "new version of God's word." The same type program today is sucking otherwise good men down the drain of liberalism.

No doubt, he was a bit bothered by the thought, "what if God has got a new message for this hour Ä I sure want in on it." Discernment would have given him the reason and the boldness to have rebuked his "peer", just as he had the King himself. Hence, the lack of discernment often renders oneself intimidated or fearful. The result Ä "the fear of man bringeth a snare." (Prov. 29:25)

No doubt, as he traveled BACK by his preacher "friend's" house, he felt he was displaying love and the ecumenical spirit of cooperation. But compliance is too often compromise, whether you sense it or not! Remember, it is not "the way that SEEMS RIGHT" but the way that "IS RIGHT" Ä in full harmony with God's word.

However enjoyable the fellowship in the man's house may have been, the man of God could not help but wonder in his heart Ä "which version is right?"

On the other side of the table, his so-nice "friend" is snickering in his heart, knowing he has de-railed a once true servant of God and put a stop to his honest service to God. You see the preacher Ä the "peer" himself was back-slidden. He knew full well that disobedience has a price tag. How he had gotten off track is not given, but he knew that God does not let spiritual treason get by unpunished.

THE "COULDN'T HAPPEN" DID

As you can well see, the set-trap has gotten its victim. A sound man of God has violated the Divine principle: "Ye cannot drink the Lord's cup and the cup of devils." (I Cor. 10:21) He is now informed, since he is already entrapped, that "heavy, heavy hangs over thy head," meaning that the chastising rod of God will befall him and he will not get home alive. So sad! It is the end of what was a beautiful, God-pleasing ministry, but it will be no more.

As I prepare this message of warning, I am thinking back over my 66 years in the ministry and I cannot count the number of good brethren who have also sold out, having taken man's word over God's, or at first succumbed to "peer" pressure. For all practical and biblical purposes, their effective, Christ-honoring ministry has ended.

Even some of their good churches of the past will not have them back to preach! Hopefully this message might preserve another from "the trap."

Let's examine the situation prevalent at the time the man of God "fell" into the trap. To his ministry, it was like stepping on a land mine in a war zone Ä you are immediately dead or crippled for life. He was riding the crest of victory. He was a solid and sound fundamentalist. Here's the proof:

(1) He followed God's instruction to go.

(2) He went where God told him to go.

(3) He rebuked the King exactly as he was told.

(4) He put the Divine curse upon the false altar.

(5) He prayed God to lift the judgment off and heal the King's (his enemy) arm.

(6) He obeyed God's word not to dine with (the King) anybody.

(7) Like God told him, he was going home on a different road.

DEFINING A FUNDAMENTALIST

That is what a fundamental person is Ä obedient! The word "fundamental" comes from the Latin, the definition of which is, "foundation", or "basis for all things." Anyone who is a true man of God is fundamental for "to obey is better than sacrifice." (I Sam. 15:22)

All of us know the extreme joy of spiritual victories as: the highest attendance, the largest offering, the full altar, the enthusiastic "amens" and the multiple compliments of the people as they leave. All these things can put you on cloud nine.

They are certainly cause for much praise and thanksgiving but these are also times that require strong discipline. Enjoy it fully. Guard it soberly. Otherwise you are open prey Ä "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (I Cor. 10:12)

The joyous feeling of triumph (no small matter over a king Ä possessed the man of God. He is happy! The song is right! "Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

Although no time-out for resting is mentioned on his going out to serve, he now stops to rest on his way home. While his beast of burden grazes and drinks from the nearby water hole, he is re-living his great victories and is so pleased with himself that he had wholly followed God's orders.

But his discernment failed at the sight and sound of a "peer" Ä "I am a man of God too and God has changed His word; now you can come home and eat and drink (fellowship) with me."

He arose and went with him. That is when he CEASED being a fundamentalist for the foundation for all things is the word of God. "Let God be TRUE and every man a LIAR." (Romans 3:4)

Like King Saul of old who also went out fundamental, his assignment was a single one and to be a success (God pleasing) all he had to do was "hearken unto the voice of the Lord."

"Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD." (1 Samuel 15:1)

He went out sound and solid. But instead of destroying everything and everybody of the Amalekites, as God had said, he spared Agog the King and the best of the sheep and oxen. He brought them back with hm. He bragged to Samuel, "I have kept the commandments of the Lord, I am still a fundamentalist." But the company he kept exposed his lying and hypocrisy.

As a result, Samuel had to tell him, "Because thou has REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, the Lord HATH REJECTED THEE from being King over Israel." All the hopes and confidence that people had in him were dashed to pieces in a single event because he said he was afraid of the people. Rejected alike by people and God, his life was so desolate, he ended it in a suicide.

Think of how many preachers and Christian workers and leaders have committed spiritual suicide. The Apostle Paul feared such a "castaway" category of life.

Christ, our Redeemer and head of all things to the church, gave us an itemized list of 13 things that ultimately lead to spiritual suicide (sometimes physical also). To start down any one of those roads you have to do two things:

One, reject God's word on the matter. Two, convince yourself that you are somebody special and important enough to God and man that you can get by with it.

But "be sure your sins will find you out." (Numbers 32:23) Even socially, the penitentiaries are full of those who said, "they won't catch me." It is true, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies do NOT catch every violator, but the world's greatest detective never fails. His name is SIN.

Judah is another classic example of a sound, deeply devoted servant of the Lord who "bit the dust" of shame and uselessness to God because of "peer pressure." Listen to the scriptures speak:

"Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 2:11,12)

He dropped the ball of trust. He neglected to apply the rule of security, "Let God be TRUE and every man a LIAR."

TRAGEDIES NEED EXTRA SERIOUS WARNINGS

In Sedgwick County, Kansas where I lived and pastored for 31 years, one year there were multiple deaths on streets, road and highways. It brought about great concern to all. How to prevent such a waste of human lives was the big question. More patrol cars, stop signs and extra traffic lights had not stopped it, so what would help?

From scores of helpful suggestions, the commissioners chose one, submitted by an ordinary citizen who had lost a good neighbor in one of the accidents. The suggestion was this: Whenever a death or deaths occur, erect along the roadside at the spot Ä not a sign per se, but a life-sized skull. I recall seeing five at one spot.

Underneath the skull were the words, "Who's Next?" While some complained that seeing those skulls made them nervous, nevertheless they cut down the traffic deaths greatly.

Let's visit the 13 "intersections" where Jesus said most of the "fatalities" in the Christian's ministry and life take place. As we do, I am sure you will think of some you personally have known. I can recall far more than I would like to. Remember these death- trap areas Jesus mentioned are in Mark 7:21-23:

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."

How many "skulls" do you know that could be put up at spot one Ä "Evil Thoughts?" How many at spot two Ä "Adultery?" Spot three Ä "Fornication?" Spot four Ä "Murder?" Spot five Ä "Theft?" Spot six Ä "Covetousness?" Spot seven Ä "Wickedness?" Spot eight Ä "Deceit?" Spot nine Ä "Lasciviousness?" Spot ten Ä "An evil eye?" Spot eleven Ä "Blasphemy?" Spot twelve Ä "Pride?" Spot thirteen Ä "Foolishness?"

Then Jesus said: "All these EVIL THINGS come from within and DEFILE the man." Both horribly and shamefully true is the fact that "skull" reminders are being put up daily as a result of some preacher or Christian worker stepping into the Devil's trap. Yet all of these death-for-sure intersections are clearly marked with God's warnings.

Only utter disregard of God's word will cause another skull to be erected for you. But far surpassing those increasing numbers of fatalities are those ensnared by the words and deeds of so-called leaders or "peers."

Remember, Satan "blinds the mind" and "transforms himself into an angel of light." Hence the false preachers Ä that come to you in sheep's clothing are INWARDLY "RAVENING WOLVES." What should you do? Find a "secret closet" to pray this prayer: "Keep thy servant from presumptuous sin."

"Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." (Psalms 19:13)

While doing so, expect the result spoken of in I John 1:19: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Also Psalm 145:19: "He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them."

May God richly bless you is my prayer.