The Compromise Crisis - Pastor Stacey Shiflett
- Pastor Shiflett
- 5 days ago
- 17 min read
The Compromise Crisis
Proverbs 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
Intro: This message is a passionate plea to return to the Old Paths; a passionate defense of Old Time Religion.
For too long, we have allowed compromisers to control the narrative.
ANCIENT: for ever, always; continuous existence, perpetual; everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity
LANDMARK: border; territory; coast; space; limit
Not once did God say not to MOVE the landmarks.
He said not to REMOVE them.
When we MOVE them we have REMOVED them.
They are no longer where God put them.
And they are not yours alone to remove; they belong to all of us!
And the current trend of removing these landmarks has created a crisis.
When I say, ancient landmarks, we are not talking about style; they are about substance.
I’m not talking about procedures; I’m talking about principles.
I’m not talking about a difference in leadership; we are witnessing a deterioration of lifestyles.
It’s not just a BELIEF SYSTEM; but it is a SYSTEM OF BEHAVIOR.
The ancient landmarks put principles above personalities.
The ancient landmarks reflect the will of God – not the will of the people.
The ancient landmarks were determined by God – not by current culture.
The ancient landmarks are clearly defined by the Word of God – not by Laodeciean church-age Christianity.
When I say ancient landmarks, I’m talking about believing in:
· the preservation of scripture.
· the absolutely vital importance of the local church.
· patriarchy – husbands leading their wives and children.
· doctrinally sound music written by godly men and women.
· the qualifications of the bishop and deacons and their wives.
· distinction between the genders.
· men dressing like men and women dressing like women. (and acting like…)
· holiness and consecration among God’s people.
· separation from the world and the things of the world.
· separation from idolatry and the gods of the world.
· the church’s command to be the light of the world; not the friend of the world
READ EZRA 9:1, 2
1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
The latest catchphrase is “mind your own business.”
This is taken from Paul’s exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 4:11 “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;”
Let me go ahead and get this out of the way: Any preacher that adopts 1 Thessalonians 4:11 as their ministry model needs to find another job!
• Was it Samuel’s business to confront Saul over his sparing Agag?
• Was it Nathan’s business to point a finger in David’s face over his sin with Bathsheba?
• Was it John the Baptist’s business to tell Herod that it was not lawful to have his father’s wife?
• Was it Paul’s business in Acts 27 to warn everybody on the ship not to leave the harbor?
When the actions of others threaten your very existence, it is your business!
Nobody asked Paul to speak, but their actions were going to bring much hurt and damage. He was right!
If you are a God-called preacher, then preaching IS your business.
And so is teaching, warning, reproving, rebuking, exhorting, admonishing, and contending.
Isaiah was commanded in Isaiah 58:1 to “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
Paul didn’t tell Timothy to study to be quiet and mind his own business.
He said in 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Paul didn’t tell Titus to study to be quiet.
He said in Titus 2:
• 1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
• 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Any preacher that can see what is going on in our churches and still be quiet and mind his own business is dangerously close to dereliction of duty.
If you can “live and let live,” I doubt very seriously that you understand your God-given duty as a preacher!
I don’t know how you can look at the mess around us and say, “I’ll do me and you do you.”
How can you, as a soldier of Jesus Christ, publicly announce that you want to be ABOVE the fray.
How can you fight the good fight of faith if you publicly state that you want to be above the fray?
How can you earnestly contend for the faith if you want to be above the fray?
How can you endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ if you are living above the fray?
I cannot and will not attempt to be above the fray.
I want to be right in the middle of it.
I want to be leading the charge into the fray.
I want the sword cleaving to my hand defending this pea patch!!
I cannot remain silent.
I cannot and will not sit idly by and watch the ancient landmarks bulldozed by a generation of compromisers and hirelings.
ILLUSTRATION: I bumped into another pastor a few weeks ago while preaching in Texas. When I introduced myself, his answer was, “I know who you are. You are a very outspoken person. You just can’t keep your mouth shut can you?”
My answer was, “Well, like Jeremiah, I’ve tried multiple times, but there’s a fire burning in my bones and I cannot forbear!”
The ancient landmarks are timeless truths that should be left right where our fathers put them.
We are watching a generation of Christians literally give away the farm.
There is no regard for the hard-fought battles of our forefathers against worldliness and sin.
I. The Definition that is Definite
The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines COMPROMISE as:
COMPROMISE, noun [Latin To give bond to stand to an award, to promise.
1. A mutual promise or contract of two parties in controversy, to refer their differences to the decision of arbitrators.
2. An amicable agreement between parties in controversy, to settle their differences by mutual concessions.
3. Mutual agreement; adjustment.
[This is its usual signification.]
COMPROMISE, verb transitive
1. To adjust and settle a difference by mutual agreement, with concessions of claims by the parties; to compound.
2. To agree; to accord.
3. To commit; to put to hazard; to pledge by some act or declaration.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines COMPROMISE as:
noun - com·pro·mise
· : settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions
· : something intermediate between or blending qualities of two different things
· : a concession to something derogatory or prejudicial
· : to come to agreement by mutual concession
· : to find or follow a way between extremes
· : to make a shameful or disreputable concession
Question: What has the world given up? What have they conceded??
ChatGPT – What is the definition of COMPROMISE in the religious realm?
Answer: In the religious realm, compromise refers to the act of weakening, surrendering, or altering biblical truth, doctrinal convictions, or moral standards in order to accommodate pressure, gain acceptance, avoid conflict, or achieve perceived advantage.
More specifically:
A. Doctrinal Compromise
The softening, redefining, or abandoning of clear biblical teachings in order to align with cultural trends, public opinion, or institutional pressure.
Example: Reinterpreting clear Scriptural commands to avoid being labeled intolerant.
B. Moral Compromise
Lowering personal or corporate standards of holiness in conduct, speech, worship, or lifestyle.
Example: Justifying sinful behavior because “times have changed.”
• Titus 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
KEY PHRASE: in this present world
C. Convictional Compromise
Acting contrary to one’s stated beliefs for convenience, popularity, financial gain, or fear of rejection.
Example: Remaining silent on truth to preserve influence.
Biblical Perspective
In Scripture, compromise is often associated with:
• Leaven (Galatians 5:9)
• Unequal yoking (2 Corinthians 6:14)
• Halting between two opinions (1 Kings 18:21)
Compromise is not the same as:
• Being gracious
• Being patient
• Showing wisdom in timing
• Exercising diplomacy
True biblical love does not require surrendering truth (Ephesians 4:15 — “speaking the truth in love”).
You might define it this way: Compromise is the deliberate adjustment of truth or conviction in order to reduce tension, avoid opposition, or gain approval.
Or more pointedly: Compromise is when conviction bows to convenience.
(end of ChatGPT definition)
II. The Decline that is Disheartening
This year, I will be saved 50 years.
This year, I will have been preaching for 33 years.
Unlike some people, I grew up in the home of an independent, Baptist preacher.
I was going to revivals, Camp meetings and Bible Conferences when I was a baby.
I fell asleep underneath a church pew many times.
I was not just saved at an early age, but I fell in love with Jesus and with my Bible as a child.
I memorized entire chapters before I was 10 and can still quote them today.
I said all of that to say this – Never before have I seen the amount of compromise that I am seeing today.
The attack on the Old Paths is unprecedented.
The attack on Old Time Religion is unmistakable.
III. The Defiance that is Displayed
The decline and deterioration of Old Time Religion is demoralizing.
But the arrogance and defiance in which it is being done is incomprehensible.
The defiance is multi-faceted.
A. The Dismantling that Activates Compromise
The Old Paths are being dismantled and disregarded with proud, boastful enthusiasm.
B. The Denial that Accompanies Compromise
Not one time in my life have I ever met a compromiser that admitted it.
They adamantly deny that they have compromised.
They get angry when anyone dares insinuate that they have radically changed their beliefs or positions.
They attended a fundamental, independent Baptist church and Bible college.
They have thrown half of what they learned in the garbage, but they have not compromised.
C. The Defiance that Accelerates Compromise
The spiral downward is only completed when compromisers actually brag about their “growth.”
They are now more spiritual than all us Pharisees and legalists because they tolerate diversity.
One of the first signs that a person has compromised is they start demeaning those that haven’t.
Those of us that haven’t changed are now suddenly legalists, Pharisees, internet police, popes, etc.
IV. The Division that is Demanded
NOTE: The entire definition of compromise is based around AGREEMENT.
2 Corinthians 6
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
If you don’t separate from compromisers, you will eventually compromise.
They will force you to.
The lie that is being spread is that those of us holding the line are pressuring people.
The fact has always been – the ones compromising are the ones applying the pressure.
The peer pressure to change is far greater than the pressure to hold the line.
The list of reasons why you should compromise is endless.
The compromisers of our day have made it appealing and attractive.
• It’s cool to be a compromiser.
• It’s cool to trade the old King James in for the ESV.
• It’s cool to preach in your ripped-up jeans and T-shirt.
• It’s cool to replace the piano and organ with the rock band.
• It’s cool to turn the lights off and paint everything black.
• It’s cool to post on your social media that pastors and their wives can sip bourbon.
• It’s cool to be tolerant and inclusive and non-judgmental – except to old time religion.
• It’s cool to invite in non-denominational pastors and women preachers.
• It’s cool. It slaps. It’s fresh. It drips. It’s dope, Bro!
Let me be clear – I gladly and deliberately apply pressure NOT to compromise.
I want to be known as an outspoken critic of dropping all your standards.
I want to be known as adamantly defending the King James Bible for as the inspired, infallible and inerrant Word of God for the English-speaking people.
I want people to know about the dangers of CCM, Hillsong, Bethel and Elevation music in their churches.
I am not ashamed of what I believe, and I am not ashamed of warning God’s people of leaven in the lump.
In fact, that is what I was called to do.
That is my God-given mission in life – to stand! And having done all to stand, STAND!
I want to be remembered as that guy that wouldn’t go down without a fight.
And for the record…
Warning God’s people of ungodly and unbiblical trends is not depriving a saint of God of their sole liberty.
One pastor said recently that he didn’t want his people knowing about all the division and opinions and squabbles among independent Baptist.
Well, thanks to the internet, and social media, they do know about it.
They see the compromise – and they hear your silence.
They see the battle raging over lost ground and the removing of ancient landmarks, and they see you sitting on the bench - studying to be quiet and mind your own business.
The liberals and the compromisers are wrecking havoc in our churches, and you’re trying to remain neutral.
You can’t stay quiet. If you do, you’ve already lost.
If we don’t speak out against the sin and apostasy, who will?
If we don’t push back against this wave of compromise, who will?
If we as men of God don’t hold the line, WHO WILL??
Naming sin and protesting compromise is not pastoring another man’s church.
WHY – is it pastoring another man’s church to name sin and protest compromise, but its NOT pastoring another man’s church to invite his entire youth group to your conference?
Who’s trying to be a pope – the preacher that condemns sin, or the man that has 5 – 7K young people from other churches at his youth conference?
Did it ever occur to you that pushing back against compromise is EXACTLY how you pastor your church!
If our people don’t see us engaged, why should they be engaged?
If they don’t see us protesting this crushing wave of worldliness, why should they?
Alerting pastors to potential threats to their church is not “biting and devouring one another.”
Was Paul “biting and devouring one another” when he told the church of Galatia the details about his confronting Peter in Antioch?
TO BE BLAMED: to find fault with, blame; to accuse, condemn
I have discovered that it’s perfectly OK to call out anybody but Independent Baptists.
That is immoral, divisive, unbiblical, unChristlike, unloving, meddling, etc.
Calling out blatantly destructive behavior and teaching is not robbing a pastor of his pastoral authority.
I’m not pastoring the Catholic church across town when I preach against Mariolatry and sacraments.
I’m not pastoring the Charismatic church when I denounce their tongue talking and healing crusades.
And I’m not pastoring another Baptist church when I condemn their use of heretical music and bringing in inferior, corrupt Bible translations.
· You’re not pastoring another man’s church when you insist on integrity and morality in the pulpit.
· You’re not pastoring another man’s church when you criticize him hiring staff members with crimes and abuse on their record.
· You’re not the internet police just because you caution other pastors to vet who they have preaching to their young people.
· You’re not a Pope for sharing church services on social media of a well-known preacher that gets him cancelled because he’s a two-faced, lying hypocrite that preaches one thing at your church and another at his.
· You’re not “stirring the pot” for publicly calling out compromise that is posted publicly for the whole world to see and hear.
And if you only condemn the “internet police” but never condemn the “internet criminals”, then you’re not better than the protesters in Minneapolis.
It’s called biblical separation.
It’s called marking and avoiding.
It’s called warning the flock day and night with tears of grievous wolves because “…of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”
It’s called being a watchman on the wall and blowing the trumpet to warn the people of wickedness.
It’s called earnestly contending for the faith.
It’s called fighting the good fight of faith.
It’s called being a soldier of Jesus Christ.
It’s called trying the spirits, whether they be of God.
It’s called purging out the old leaven.
It’s called being a preacher of righteousness – which is what Noah was doing WHILE he built the ark.
Compromisers that have no idea what their job is do not get to tell me what my job is.
Men that have dropped every standard they ever had do not get to tell me my standards are out of date.
Men that have replaced their Bible with a cheap knockoff do not get to tell me what Bible to use.
Men that have no idea what they are talking about do not get to tell me what I can talk about.
I’m not one of the kids in your youth group.
I’m not a new convert listening to your podcast.
I’m not one of the impressionable preacher boys in your college.
I’m not a weak, insecure, spineless preacher buddy at your dinner table.
I’m not a novice. I’m not a rookie.
I am a veteran.
I’ve got battle scars on top of battle scars.
Being popular or liked is the least of my concerns.
Fear of confrontation and rejection is a foreign concept to me.
If every preacher I know changes, I’m not changing.
If every meeting I’ve got scheduled gets cancelled, I don’t care.
If I never sell another book, that’s OK with me.
If every friend I have turns and walks away, I’m not compromising my principles.
I’m immune to labels, names, peer pressure and mockery.
It has zero effect on me. None.
When it comes to compromisers and apostates, I am unmovable. And you should be too!
Not because I am a great Christian.
It is because I know whom I have believed, and I am fully persuaded in my own mind.
I read Proverbs 4 and I believed every word of it when it said…
• 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
• 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
• 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
• 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
• 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
• 20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
• 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
• 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
• 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
• 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
• 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
• 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
• 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
We are watching everything I was taught as a child mocked, scoffed, ridiculed and forsaken by men that grew up just like I did.
We’ve witnessed 2nd and 3rd generation pastors hijack fundamentalism and it makes us sick.
We’ve watched these showboating, high-stepping compromisers influence an entire generation of young people away from their godly, anointed, faithful pastors.
We’ve watched these hirelings lead young people into a world of ungodly music, ungodly dress, ungodly influences – all while thumbing their noses at everything they were taught as a child.
If you think I am going to run with that crowd, you’re horribly mistaken.
If you think I’m going to preach with them or for them, you are bad wrong.
We are told – Just preach Jesus. Just preach the Gospel.
Part of preaching Jesus is warning about the “other Jesus’” that are out there.
Part of me preaching the Gospel is shining the light on the “false Gospels” that are circulating.
· Part of me pastoring my church is warning the flock of ungodly and unbiblical trends that pollute and corrupt and defile and destroy the flock of God.
V. The Dividends that are Devastating
The title of this message is “The Compromise Crisis.”
The church of the living God as we know it is in the midst of a crisis.
Old Time Religion as we knew it and loved it growing up is becoming an archaic relic of the past.
Being an Independent, Fundamental Baptist used to mean something; now it tells you nothing.
The church is losing its influence with the world because it has become impossible to tell them apart.
There is an entire generation of children growing up that have NO IDEA what Old Time Religion looks like.
Their concept of revival is a bunch of people jumping up and down at the foot of the platform.
Their idea of God moving is an emotional stirring on a college campus for a few weeks.
The lines have been blurred so radically that they cannot discern truth from error.
Sound doctrine has been drowned out by sound systems.
Conviction has been replaced with convenience.
Anything resembling sanctification has been reclassified as sanctimonious.
Holy living and holy attire has been swapped out for ripped up, clothes full of holes.
Preachers are no longer respected for their piety, but for their popularity.
Men of God are more concerned about crowds than they are about crowns.
The ministry has become a marketing scheme where influence is more esteemed than integrity.
Older men of God that have died and gone on are given token and obligatory regard for their life’s work by a generation of preachers working overtime to completely overhaul everything they stood for.
The church has been reinvented, and most people say nothing.
The Bible has been revised and rewritten, and most Christians think is a good idea.
The music we grew up listening to has been rejected for the world’s music, and the church swallows it whole.
The ministry philosophies of the church have been reworked to appeal to unbelievers and carnal church members, while God-called preachers are told to retreat.
The ancient landmarks have been torn down.
· The Gospel has been watered down.
· Separation is played down.
· Discipleship has been dumbed down.
· Preaching has been toned down.
· Evangelism has been scaled down.
· Prayer meetings have been cut down.
· Bible college options have been narrowed down.
· Standards of any kind have been let down.
· Any mention of modesty is shot down.
· Men of God still preaching hard are knocked down, torn down or gunned down.
· Christians using their platforms to name sin have been shut down, chased down and put down.
· Old-time saints of God are worn down.
Don’t tell me that the compromise of our day has not resulted in a crisis!
Repentance has either been redefined or completely omitted.
Salvation professions are superficial, mass-generated and fruitless.
Change in new Christians is unnecessary and consecration is unpopular.
Bragging rights are more important than being right.
Being liked by the crowds is more important than being like Christ.
The world has become so churchy and the church has become so worldly that you can’t tell them apart.
Conclusion: So, what are you supposed to do with this message?
Fighting compromise starts with you as an individual.
It starts in the home - with the dads and moms.
It starts with every young person determining they will not get swallowed up by the compromise.
You will not yield one inch to the devil.
You will not agree with the world about anything.
You will not concede any ground you have gained just to maintain friendships and make your life easier.
Preachers cannot be the only ones standing against compromise.
We all have to do it.
