Something about human nature - I'm always learning about us. If you just read God's Word and obey it, there's no reason for secrecy. It's out in the open. However, if you pick and choose what you will and will not obey - you place yourself in a position of having to either defend your position with intimidation (because scripture won't help you) or, you will have to keep your sin a secret from those who love the Lord and love you. Or, there is always the other alternative.....making sure you don't "run in to" those who would question your actions based upon the knowledge that you call yourself a Christian.

Accountability. The Apostles made sure to warn us that we need to be accountable to the Body of Christ.......and, we are not in this modern world - we each have our "own" religion - our "own" relationship with God......but the truth is none of that is found anywhere in scripture.

Matthew 12:36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.Matthew 12:35-37 (in Context) Matthew 12 (Whole Chapter)
Romans 14:12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.Romans 14:11-13 (in Context) Romans 14 (Whole Chapter)
Hebrews 13:17Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.Hebrews 13:16-18 (in Context) Hebrews 13 (Whole Chapter)
Who has the "rule over you"? To whom are you accountable? What's that? You don't answer to anybody? How so? With what authority do you do this? Do you have a special arrangement with God over your salvation which allows you to ignore His counsel and do as you please?

It's really heavy today especially, since we have gotten so far away from how we are supposed to live, and since we feel we are "special" just because we are "Americans" living in this rich land. But, all of that is fixing to dissappear from sight, and we will be in worse conditiion than the 3rd World countries soon. We feel like if we can "afford" it, then it's no one's business what we do or where we go......that's not what God said.

1 Thessalonians 5:10-12 (King James Version)
10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
12And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
I know this sounds foreign to you.....because we don't believe that anyone is over us in the Lord, and can admonish us.....we have our "own" relationships with Jesus, afforded to us by our denominations, and we don't have to follow the rules everyone else follows to get in. But, there it is in the scripture, proof positive that we are under those who are over us in the Lord, and they are qualified and ordered to admonish us when we disobey.....amen. What we do here in this place is, when a preacher or someone from the church comes to us to "admonish" us - we just quit going to that church and ignore that person, or those persons......it's that simple. And, since lightning doesn't strike us, we believe God is allright with it, too.
I pity the souls who preach "once-saved-always-saved" because they cannot back it up, and in the day of adversity, they will be let down, even themselves. They have taken scripture and twisted it and maneuvered it to say what they want it to say, instead doing what God said to do in the first place.
Proverbs 28:13He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
As we start this new week, we must understand that it's what God says that counts, not what we perceive of what He says, or what we accept of what He says, or what we understand of what He says.........because He will gladly come to whomever seeks Him with their whole heart and He will give them His Word with their understanding opened.......He is faithful. No excuses.

In Jesus Name, amen.