Churchianity
Christianity as such has no voice of itself or any earthly
executive board that is able to make any calls for the Church
at large. They
however do have a few dead and living popes. Martin Luther,
John Calvin and Menno Simons being examples of a few dead
ones and pope Benedict IV, Pat Robertson, Dr. James Dobson,
the arch bishop of the Anglican church, being examples of
some of the living ones. Between all the living and dead popes
they actually do have quite a few things in common. That neither
an angel of God, nor God with an audible voice set them in
place as God did with Moses, Christ, or even Paul the Apostle.
None of these men have had any combinations of the
signs, wonders, diverse miracles, or healings that Christ
said would follow His believers. And none of these men obey
the commands of Christ when Jesus said His disciples were
to be servants of all. When
Jesus said His disciples were not to rule secularly or over
the people of God much less the unsaved as those in the world
do. And that neither were Christ’s disciples to have any regard for
wealth, or seek wealth, or seek the riches of the world. Instead
Christ clearly taught that those believers that would seek
such, would be rejected as his disciples.
These
men further ignore that Christ said His disciples were not
to come in their own name. And yet these self-anointed ones
call themselves by their own names, by their own ministry’s
name, or their own denomination’s name. Further Jesus said
His disciples could not give witness of themselves as He could
not himself. Christ
said that His disciples could they accept the witness of each
other – or even from the greatest of Prophets.
Christ said that his disciple’s witness was to come
from the Holy Spirit, and the witness of the Father. Jesus
said His disciples were not to be called Rabbi – Master, and
that His disciples were called not to be served by personal
attendants, but that they were sent to serve as other’s personal
attendants.
But
why should we even consider such minor biblical discrepancies
-- when we can make ourselves willing offerings and serve
such wonderful bunch of little horns running around the world,
filled with eyes and boasting their great things against God
and the His people?
And if we should turn away from such as it says we should in the word
of God, then to whom would we then
turn to, to teach us? And to whom would we then look to guide
us in the paths of truth and righteousness?
I will attempt to the best of my ability answer these questions
and give those who want to go on in the
:Lord enough of a foundation to do so.
First
what we need to see is that there are two churches in the
word of God. There is a natural physical visible church, which
we all are I fear all too well acquainted
with. And then there
is an invisible, spiritual church, which is not made with
hands unfortunately due to the level of corruption in the
natural physical church many in this day are not familiar
with the notion that there could even exist an invisible spiritual church on the earth today that
defies borders languages and denominations.
Since
what will be speaking of what is explicitly spoken of in the
word of God we need lightly address a few subjects regarding
what we call the bible. While many believers know that the
New Testament was originally written in Greek, most seem unaware
that all English versions of the bible even the King James
Version are only approximate translations. Being that I am
not a Hebrew or Greek linguist, I do not have the ability
to give you an accuracy rating on translations. What I can
tell you is that there are an increasing number of words that
I have identified that are untranslated Greek and Latin words
that are in all these translations – and that many of these
words carry meanings that have been altered. And it appears
that some of this was done in order to shape doctrine.
A short-list of some of the untranslated
words I have identified are: Angel,
Apostle, Baptism, Prophet, Prophecy, Prophesy, Evangelist,
Gospel, Anti-Christ, Communion, Saint, Mystery, Synagogue,
and the focus of this study -- Church,
Most
people are not aware that the word Church does not exist in
the Greek. The word Church is an inaccurate interpretation
rather than a translation. The Greek word Ekklesia is
what has been rendered church in English. Ek-Klesia is actually two Greek words. Ek
which means; "out from" or "away from" and klesia
which means
“the
called.”. So the English word Church should read
the "Out-called of the called."
We
will now attempt to make sense of the word "Ekklesia." The call of the salvation of Christ goes
out to all, and of those who hear Christ’s call and gather
together these are what we would term “the klesia” or the called. But
from “the klesia” there are those who sell out for God,
and become Christ’s disciples, these
are called “the
ek-klesia” or
The out-called of the called.
In
Churches people are discipled to specific denominations, and
those denominations swear their followers to an oath of allegiance
to them and to no other. This
is done in flat disobedience to Christ’s commands that his
disciples swear not nor make oaths. Thousands of Christian’s
in the first and second centuries gave their lives refusing
to give oath or swear allegiance to Caesar and renounce Christ.
These were beheaded, crucified, torn asunder, and burned to
death. They understood something we do not. And they feared
God more than men who can only hurt the body, but sadly we
do not.
I
remember in my youth hearing sermons that were dedicated to
the secret sins of belonging to fraternal orders, secret orders,
and secret societies. And how in those days these
things were forcibly denounced from the pulpit. It was preached in that day that any believer
who engaged in such practices was going straight to hell.
Why? Because as members of these secret societies they had to swear oaths
and allegiance to their orders. They had be
initiated in a series of initiations in order to demonstrate
their loyalty. And they had to partake of
a series sacred rites as well.
What
needs to be asked is: how is what we do when we join ourselves
to our local so-called churches and denominations any different?
Churches have visitors and guests and they have members. The
visitors and guests are the great unwashed, and as such are
allowed only limited access and services within a given church
or denomination. But
it is from the influx of these unwashed that the Churches
and denominations derive their all-important new members.
Or if we were to term things more truthfully, we would call
these new members – disciples.
Membership
entails filling out an application. Membership entails followings
a specified list of Church or Denomination’s rules. These
consist of a combination of doctrinal, spiritual and social
laws. In some cases these can be spoken or unspoken – I have
typically seen them printed out and have personally had to
undersign more than one of them over the years in order to
apply to join a given Church. And this was in churches that
did not teach the discipleship or shepherdship message.
What
I am saying is that this act of verbally or non-verbally taking
an oath, of swearing of allegiance, of actually having to
sign a document in attestation to your joining a church fellowship,
denomination, or a ministry, is no different in Christ’s eyes
than your joining The Masons, the International Order of the
Odd Fellows, The Shriners or whatever.
There is an exception that Christ stated 4 –5 times Rendering
unto Caesar what is Caesars. Military service and Governmental
service those oaths and swearing are legal and just.
But
to His disciples Jesus said you can not serve two masters.
This may be very hard for many to understand because I am
not just talking about pastors and Churches in general but
I am talking about their specific Pastors, Churches and denominations.
In
being able to say these things I have had to face the same
questions. It is naïve to on the face of it blindly accept
that when your church makes claims as being one of the seeming
10.000 denominations that they “have all truth.” Realize that
everyone of those proverbial 10,000 denominations are all
making that same claim and that 9,999 denominations are saying
at this very moment that your church and denominations are
deceived no matter to which one you have sworn you allegiance
to.
Further
all these churches and denominations also claim to be walking
on the one true path of life. We need to see that there is
definitely something wrong here. We have to seek God and find
the grace to come to grips with where we are today. No matter
what has been preached to you, we are not living in the first
century with either Peter, James,
John, or Paul, as our beloved Pastor.
No
matter where we go to church our church is not the mirror
image of anything we see in the gospels or epistles.
If we are indeed seeking the truth this should give
some pause. And further when our pastor and teacher speak,
they in no way sound like Christ teaching in the Gospels or
Paul teaching in the Epistles. And perhaps importantly they
have a lot also in common with the living and dead popes cited
at the beginning of this study.
Be not deceived even though they will categorically
claim to hear from God and even though they will claim to
have all scriptural and spiritual knowledge the fact remains
that neither an angel, nor God with an audible voice nor with
the attestation of great signs and wonders and diverse miracles
have these men been set in the body.
So
in fact if they teach some other Gospel (That would be the
Gospel that Christ taught in the Gospels and or the Gospel
that Paul and the apostles set forth in the epistles) that
puts this preacher or teacher or their church or denomination
as the one we need to swear allegiance to, the one we need
to disciple ourselves to in the place of Christ – they are
Anti-Christ. The word Anti is one of those untranslated Greek words
we listed above. Anti
in the
Greek
means “In
place of”
it does not mean the same thing as the enlish
word anti which means “against.” So
in the Greek an Anti-Christ is “One who puts themselves in place of Christ”
or claims as most do in this day that they are: Jesus’ earthly
representative – that is an Anti-Christ as opposed to The
Anti-Christ which is prophesied of in Daniel and Revelation
and other places.
1 John 2:18 Little
children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist
shall come, even now are there many antichrists;
We
have been oriented to look for the final antichrist which
I will discus a later in this study but we need to see here
that the Apostle John in 90 AD is telling us that upon his
return from his banishment to the Isle of Patmos and return
to Ephesus that he has found that there were many antichrists
on the prowl.
As
I indicated above our understanding of what exactly the Apostle
is talking about has been somewhat obscured. The word anti in the Greek means “In Place of” but now we have to discus the word Christ in the Greek because
it is also an untranslated word. We have been taught that
Christ is the Greek word for Messiah and that is true but
the word Messiah is also an untranslated word.
The
word Christ in
the Greek means anointed
one not THE ANNOINTED ONE – The word Christ is somewhat of a neutral word in the sense
that Aaron and his sons were anointed, and certain of the
prophets went and anointed some of the kings and all of these
in the real sense were anointed ones. And further some of
these came in at specific junctures and were saviors. And
the bible tells us that these were figures of the coming one
that was Christ the Lord. With this in mind we will move to
the next verse where John is going to talk a little more about
this appearance of all these antichrists in the Church at
Ephesus
and other churches.
1
John 2:19 They (The antichrists)
went out from us, (the apostles) but they were not of us;
for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued
with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest
that they were not all of us.
John
the Apostle admits knowing some of these antichrists. These
are not pretenders that came wandering in from the desert
suffering from heat stroke and a messianic complex.
These specific antichrists were men and women that
had been hand taught at the feet of the Apostles. They had
been saved, they had been baptized in water, and they had
the Apostles lay hands on them and received the Holy Spirit,
they then for a period of time
Served
God and excelled in God’s grace and then the Apostles laid
hands on them and sent them forth. John says they went out
from us that is that they were sent forth -- this is different
than what Paul the Apostle says of Demos: Demos hath forsaken
me, loving this present world.
The point is that only after they had been sent forth
to preach did they begin to manifest something other than
the foundation of Jesus Christ that had been laid.
Matthew
24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many.
We have been taught to view these verses
that they read many shall come and say I am Jesus Christ or
I am the second coming of Jesus Christ and these shall deceive
many.
In the 1900 years between 100
AD and the year 2000 there have not been many people who have
came wandering in from the desert suffering from heat stroke
and a messianic complex. And we can say with fair certainty
that there has not been any notable false Christ’s in Church
history that have put all of Christendom to the wall with
their deception or lying signs and wonders.
So how is it
that John said there were many antichrists in his day operating
in and around the church and yet we have no records of even
one of them? It is because we have been are looking for these
antichrist’s through the jaded lens of man-made theology based
on it would seem the intentional misinterpretation of the
words anti and Christ
See when instead we look for people
who say I am Christ’s representative on earth. I am God’s
anointed representative on the earth. This church or denomination
is the way to God. You can’t get saved unless you belong to
my church or my denomination. Or even the church at large
is God’s representative on the earth suddenly the field is
full and we see in Church history that in fact many have come
and have deceived many and that all of Christendom has been
put to the wall by there man made churches and denominations
who all claim the authority of Christ.
Mark 13:5-7 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest
any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying,
I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:22-24 And except those days should be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall
be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe
it not. For there shall arise false Christs,
and false prophets, and shall shew great
signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect.
When the
Church fell from Grace between 200 –230 AD contrary to popular
belief the devil did not say” “Well they’ve fallen and they
can’t get up. So I’m going to be a nice guy and I’m going
to wait for them to rise and then fight them in a fair fight.”
The reality is that during the interim period of 1800 odd
years the devil has been hard at work with theologians, and
influential church leaders he has literally left no stone
unturned. So that in these last days we would be so adrift
in corrupt doctrines and traditions that we would never be
able to return to the glory of the former house.
Let
me tell you that things are so bad that the devil no longer
has to lift a finger he just sits on his throne twiddling
his fingers waiting for the rise of the man of sin because
every church every denomination and every preacher and ministry
are out there carrying his water for him.
And
what did Jesus say: You can not serve two masters. It doesn’t matter who or what your second
master is, when you chose a second you automatically lose
the first. It doesn’t matter that you may have 4-5 masters
amassing to yourself the greatest teachers and ministries
you can find. Christ
and Kenneth Copeland and Smith Wigglesworth, and Walter Beuttler
and Bob Mumford.
Jesus
like the Father is a jealous God and He will not have any
other God, and most certainly no other master no other teacher
no other person or organization that you disciple yourself
to before him. I, you and everyone that you see around you
in the 10,000 visible earthly man-made church denominations
have all been greatly deceived. We have been greatly lied
to about a great many things in the word of God and sadly
this has been accomplished by men mostly dead men that redefined
words and terms in the bible to suit their personal unbelief.
And their words were then been passed down through time to
us by their disciples. If
things remain the same without a major intervention of God
we too shall perpetuate the sins of our fathers and pass these
same corrupt doctrines and traditions on again to another
generation to vex them as they has vexed us.
So
when we are taking an oath, and swearing allegiance to be
faithful to Christ in a given denomination or church we are
in fact really taking an oath and swearing ourselves to that
man-made church or denominations’ rules and bylaws and we
are also thereby swearing allegiance to obey the “sacred”
order these people have set in place. That is blindly obey
a pastor, the church council, the elders, and or the Church
board.
These
ruling powers of this church body then reviews
the candidates applications and I have seen them accept and
reject people for membership into their “sacred order,” their
“fraternal brotherhood,” their “church society.”
It
is high time for us to arise from our slumber and ask questions
like: Where in the New Testament is any of this stuff? The
answer to this question is a bad one.
This stuff is spoken of by the Apostles as schisms and divisions,
and Paul and the other Apostles had some very hard things
to say about those who engaged in that practice which I will
let you look up on your own.
In
the New Testament when one comes to salvation – we are required
to confess it before God and men this is not optional as many
suppose in this day. In the bible after we believe we are then to
be baptized in water. And according to the word we are then
supposed to have hands laid upon them to be filled with the
Holy Spirit. A practice that seems to have fallen out of favor
in some denominations for 100, 200, 300, 500 and 1800 years
depending where you go.
From
that point these new believers are supposed to learn of Christ,
and from that learning of Christ we are supposed to come to
a place that we are able to personally walk with Christ. A
practice has also seemed to have fallen out of favor in virtually
all churches since the time of the Apostolic Fathers, or since
the year 200 A.D.
What
I have to say is that there has been a complete and utter
breakdown for all members of any church,
ministry or denomination.
Instead of being taken to the feet of Christ and learning
that he is the door and the way the truth and the life that
he is our one and only high priest and that no one comes to
the father but by Christ everyone is taught instead to swear
allegiance to their earthly savior -- and to swear off membership
or allegiance to any other church, denomination pastor, or
secret order is not peculiar to us, to the generation before
us, or the generation before them. Some of these teachings
that we consider rock solid go back as far as the Year 200
A.D. But most are more recent, far more recent but when no
one reads church history, and everyone believes their preacher
is in fact the mouth piece of God on earth when the man can
hardly utter a sentence without modifying or teaching his
disciples to ignore a scripture – you get what you deserve.
It doesn’t matter how many people say its so. Their word does
not make it so. Because we want to believe it does not make
it so either. Belief of faith does not make a lie truth. Belief
and faith do not bribe God. There are many things written
in the bible the words of prophets Christ and apostles the
words of men, Pharisees, lawyers, scribes, angels and devils.
Since the time of the Pharisees men have claimed that
by their natural mind and understanding they can inerrantly
align scriptures and create perfect doctrine. We see the results
of this in our 100,000 pharisaical denominations. None are
flawless. All are equally deceived. All are equally taken
in their own conceits. All are equally taken in their own
snares.
But
the deceit does not stop when we swear allegiance to this
pastor and this church, there is another layer to this – one
of outward servitude, one that you need to be seen of men
to prove to them with your actions that you are indeed worthy
of the great gift of “life” that this Church or denomination,
ministry or pastor has bestowed upon you. You have to demonstrate
to their satisfaction your ownership and your subservience
to them and their message because if you don’t you will not
receive their earthly tokens and rewards.
And
so you become discipled or submitted to the pastor(s), the
teacher(s) the elder(s) that ministry or that denomination
and possibly to the occasional pope along the way. And you
prove your worthiness to this pastor or ministry by adhering
to his words, reverencing them and making yourself available
to be the pastor’s ministries or denomination’s hands and
feet. And you prove your worthiness to this pastor or ministry
by reverencing their words, by visibly giving tithes and offerings,
offering spiritual sounding prayers, by worshipping with gusto,
by formulating questions in bible studies that make your preachers
and teachers look good, by greeting the preachers and elders
publicly, and by publicly taking up for your preacher the
ministry you belong to, the Church you hold membership in,
or the denomination you belong to you will receive their tokens
and rewards..
I will not waste
the time to cite articles that show that membership and being
baptized into that denomination is a core belief of all denominations
but here a quote.
The Principal Defense Chaplain Julian Wagg (Anglican) admits
that the Unknown Warrior may not have gone to heaven. In a
telephone interview on Feb. 8, the principal defense chaplain
Julian Wagg reluctantly admitted that the Unknown Soldier
may not have gone to heaven at all if he had not been baptized
and affiliated with a church.
(The Unknown Warrior May Be In Hell
[http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0502/S00078.htm [New Zealand’s news service])
Once
again we need to ask where in the New Testament is any of
this stuff? The answer to this is also a bad one. First off Jesus
taught that we couldn’t be His disciple and sit under another. Neither can we be His disciples and bear the
teachings of another even if he of she is the greatest of
teachers or the greatest of prophets. In the Gospels we find
that it is the Pharisees that fast, pray, teach, greet, and
tithe to be seen of men NOT the disciples of Christ. In the Gospels we find that it is the
Pharisees that teach their disciples to fast, pray, teach,
greet, and tithe to be seen of men. And that it is the Pharisees
that teach their disciples that they are to receive their
rewards from them, and from men for
their fasting, praying, teaching, greeting, and tithing, and
that my friend can only happen when these things are properly
done to be seen of men.
The
corruption of the church in this hour is so great, the prayers
that are given, the worship that is given, the tithes the
offerings that are given are utterly contemptible to God because
it is all done for show and to be seen of men.
It
is a terrible thing in our day when in Churches men and women
are taught to give to get., to pray
to get, to worship to get, and to do to get.
None do any of these things out of a pure heart, or
just for the love of God. Instead of Faith and Love Churches
instead are filled with works, the works of programs, the
works of teaching and preaching, the works of prayer, the
works of worship, the works of tithes and offerings and the
works of the faith of men. All of this is regarded in our
day as spiritual but it is manufactured by the flesh and the
will of men and therefore it is corrupt and completely unacceptable
to God.
Isaiah
1:13-15 Bring no more vain oblations (offerings.) (Your) incense
is an abomination unto me. The new moons and Sabbaths, the
calling of assemblies, I cannot (bear them) away with (them);
it is iniquity, even (your) the solemn meeting(s) (of fasting
and prayer). Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul
hateth: they are a trouble unto me. I am weary to bear them.
And when ye spread forth your hands,
(lift up your hands) I will hide mine eyes from you: yea,
when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: (For) your hands
are full of blood.
So how is it that that God says that
every ones’ hands are full of blood? Is God saying that Jerusalem was filled with murderers? It would
not seem likely that all the men women and children are murders.
Others have suggested that this is in reference to their animal
sacrifices – and that what they have sacrificed has somehow
come now upon their heads. Interestingly this phenomenon is
not cited concerning the people of Israel in the Old Testament, but it
is found concerning believers in the New Testament.
1
Corinthians 11:29 For he that eateth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth
and drinketh damnation to himself,
not discerning the Lord's body.
In our eating and drinking the body
and the blood of the Lord, Paul warns us that in doing so
unworthily the blood of Christ’s sacrifice is upon him in
condemnation instead upon him as an atonement.
The derivation of this is from the
Old Testament where the high priest makes atonement during
the process he partakes of the offering (Communion eating
of its flesh and drinking of the drink offering) and then
goes into the Holy of Holies and would go and minister before
God on the Day of Atonement. If the priest was found unworthy
then he was struck dead and he would be dragged out by a rope
around his ankles and there would be no atonement for the
Children of Israel that year.
Jeremiah 2:33-35 Why trimmest
thou thy way to seek love? therefore
hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways. 34Also in thy skirts
is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found
it by secret search, but upon all these. 35Yet
thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely
his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee,
because thou sayest, I have not
sinned.
Isaiah 59:2-3
But your iniquities have separated between you and
your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he
will not hear. For your hands are
defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
Ezekiel
23:37 That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands,
and with their idols have they committed adultery,
Ezekiel 23:45-46 And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner
of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood;
because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon
them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled.
God is saying that the judgment of his
people have been corrupted by their adulteries. He is saying
that their adulteries with idolatry have put blood on their
hands. And God is saying
that by this corrupt judgment that they not only those who
persist in sin with them but they judge the righteous as well
according to their adulteries and the blood on their hand.
This is talking about that the priests the prophets and the
teachers in Israel were all corrupt and they were
teaching the righteous to partake with them in their adulteries. In a picture we can see Eve coming to Adam,
her spirit is now filled with darkness, inside
she has become a ravening wolf. It is not enough that Eve
has partaken of sin and iniquity. It is not enough that in
her selfish act she has cursed all her seed. In her sin enflamed
mind she has to go for Adam the beloved of the Lord. She has
to corrupt him and get him to sacrifice his innocence. She
has to get him to partake with her in and of her sin. And
to do so she has to muster all manner of deceit, she bribed,
she lied, she threatened and little by little she won Adam’s
heart over until he relented.
(Hebrew)
Job 31:33 If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding
in my bosom my iniquity : then let
me fear a great multitude, and the contempt of the families
frighten that I kept silent and go not out of the door?
Job starts
talking her about Adam that Adam covered his iniquities in
his bosom. One might say that that is he hid in the garden.
But “hiding his iniquities in his bosom” is not the same.
The words imply that Adam secreted his iniquities in his heart.
I believe that this is speaking of that which sprang forth
from Adam’s bosom -- Eve. I believe that Job is still talking about Adam
and Eve in verses 32 and 33.
I see that Job is suggesting that Adam was frightened
by the contempt of his family -- Eve. I see that the Family
--Eve demanded Adam submit in silence and not go out from
her. I have a sense that Job greatly laments that Adam did
not walk away from Eve that day. But in the way Job words
this we see that he does not bring an accusation against Adam
for his current troubles Further by implication
Job is saying that If Adam had but walked away from Eve that
day that Job would not be in current the trouble he is in.
For by one man sin entered into the world sin entered the
world not by Eve herself, Adam had to have been corrupted.
For those who
may say that Job is not talking here about Adam and Eve, remember
that Job’s family was killed, and the only one of them that
remained was his wife that said “Curse God and die.” Jobs
servants and shepherds were all slain or were taken captive
and so there is only Job’s wife and Job’s three friends. So
in this passage the contempt of the families does not seem
to apply to Job –because he has no family and as to relatives
the scripture does not tell us that they came or that they
treated him with contempt. Neither does the fear of the multitudes
apply Job either. In
the book he is sitting alone in ashes in an open field or
the ruins of his house. So the words of Job’s keeping silent
and going out of the door does not apply to him either, because
his house was destroyed. So these verses would then seem to
fall back to the last person identified in them – Adam and
that which issued from his bosom --Eve.
Ezekiel 3:19-21 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not
from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die
in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and
commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he
shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall
die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall
not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous
sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he
is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
Hosea 2:10-12
And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of
her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. I
will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her
new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. And
I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath
said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will
make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat
them.
This is the destruction of the tares.
This is the destruction of the false Christs. This is the
destruction of the false Apostles. This is the destruction
of the false teachers. Paul warned in the sternest words that if any
foundation shall be built on the Ek-klessia
other than Jesus Christ it would be burned with fire.
Jesus spoke of the same thing when he said the tares
would be destroyed (burned) with unquenchable fire.
1
Corinthians 3:11
But let every man take heed how
he buildeth thereupon.For
other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ.
I
Corinthians 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the
temple
of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy; for the temple
of God
is holy, which temple ye are.
Concerning “the foundations other than
Jesus Christ” – men have pontificated for centuries that these
are only errors or minor mistakes in doctrine and that is
what Paul was speaking of that would be burned up. And they
use as the proof text that it is no big deal -- that Paul says there that their works
shall be burned up, he shall suffer loss but he himself shall
be saved.
In Bible school we were taught
in regards to this passage that people in the ministry try
over and over again with failed work after failed work until
they finally get it right and their Church flourishes. What
I would suggest to you is that this supposition is utterly
false from the context above, from the words of Christ in
the Gospel and neither does Paul advise Timothy to try and
try again to do the work of the ministry until you get it
right. So what is really happening is that a young Bible School
preacher goes out and experiments on congregations and after
failing he moves on to another group and another group – the
root of this is not his inexperience or poor speaking skills
as men would suppose. What is really happening is that this
preacher compromising and building over and over again a better
mousetrap until he finds a “winning” combination of flesh
enticing teachings, music, and church atmosphere that entertain
and tickle the ears of his hearers and make their natural
experience something that is greater than the time and money
they are required to put in belonging to that Church.
What they have really learned
from the God of this world is how to conduct a successful
business in the entertainment field. – The best are Christian
entertainment professionals.
The best style themselves Christian
comedians. The best are Christian celebrities with
a gaggle of star struck groupies that follow their every engagement
and hang on their every word.. These
are Christian pop idols they are promotional machines that
build up and boast their own names and their ministry’s name.
Since image is everything (Bible thumpers read that as: They
are beholden by the lust of the eyes) these ministries spare
no expense to create the right atmosphere of the church, the
finest seating, the finest altar and podium, super sound systems
with real time technicians running the sound boards, Hollywood
stage lighting, Hollywood chorography in the choir and other
staged events.
An example of this is the Robert
Schuler’s Crystal Cathedral – he unabashedly admits that he
preaches the Power of Positive Thinking – Another Pastor that
spoke that message with great success was Norman Vincent Peale.
This message was not unique to these two preachers, it was
penned by several unsaved businessmen in the late 1800’s and
early 1900’s, I am speaking of Dale
Carnegie, and Napoleon Hill.
In the late 1980’s I was a
hardcore salesman for a national marketing corporation and
attended marketing training seminars. We were required to
read books, listen to tapes, and watch motivational videos.
The materials recounted hundreds of testimonies of the unsaved
and how by following these principles they came into great
wealth. The testimonies were breathtaking as the people
whose stories were told were the names of stars and captains
of industry that everyone would know.
Many of these were rags to riches stories that directly
hinged on these motivational teachings, acts of confession,
and shall we say faith in that they would succeed. Among their
most successful were ungodly men, atheists, and humanists.
An example of one of them would be Ted Turner.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale of
the Marble Collegiate Church a Dutch Reformed Church located
in New York City
wrote in 1952 “The Power of Positive Thinking” which sold
20 million copies. On a 1984 Phil Donahue Show, Peale revealed
he was a 33rd degree Mason, and said, "It's not necessary
for salvation to be born again.”
He later said “You have your way to God, I have mine.
I found eternal peace in a Shinto shrine".
This non-gospel worldly message of Peale’s became a
force to be reckoned with when he transformed a dying Dutch
Reformed Church built in New
York City back in the 1600’s into a
5000-member church. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale predated the
tele-evangelists by decades with a national television following,
and a magazine with 750,000 subscribers.
In like manner Dr. Robert Schuler
is another example of Preacher of a dying breed old line denominational
church that with an apparent strong influence of Dale Carnegie’s
teachings becoming a highly successful national ministry.
In 1954 Dr. Schuler had a church built in the liberal haven
of Orange County California.
Later on the same grounds Robert Schuler built the
Crystal Cathedral a monument to his success and influence.
In my youth I used to listen to both men preach with some
regularity so.
These men demonstrated that
working within dying evangelical denominations that they could
build super-churches with memberships of thousands in some
of the hardest most liberal grounds in the U.S. And likewise the disciples of Norman Peale and
Robert Schuler have prospered by preaching this same humanist
wealth building message, consisting of stories of human hope,
stories of worldly success, and stories of the triumph of
the human spirit.
With that said it should be
clear that this is not preaching Christ nor is this at all
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a Gospel of humanism. It is the Gospel
of faith in the faith of man’s soul It
is the Gospel of earthly prosperity. Whether there is a direct
connection between these evangelical preachers and Oral Roberts
in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s or that Roberts got his
ideas of what eventually became the prosperity Gospel from
Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill it really doesn’t matter.
What matters is that somewhere someone saw the success and
power of the God of this world and the lust of the eyes and
the love for the things of this world caused a melding of
the power of positive thinking, think and grow rich and the
Gospel of Christ a blasphemous mixture that is like crack
to believers and non-believers alike.
Since the 1970’s Fundamentalists,
Pentecostals, and Charismatics, have made a concerted effort
to remove the Hollywood stigma
that Christians were wimps, squares, and no fun.
In the 1980’s a cultural revolution
of sorts occurred with the rise of the dot-coms
and the rise of the Internet – for the first time Geeks suddenly
became cool as they became multi-millionaires overnight and
they were the guys with all the cool stuff that everyone else
wanted to have.
In an odd way Geeks were sort
of brothers in arms with Christians because both were treated
with equal disdain. And another reason is that a high number
of Christians at least in the US are PC users and comprise at least
peripherally computer geeks. Anyway with the coming of the
1980’s and the rise of Geeks as a cultural Icon there has
been a concerted effort from Young Fundamentalists, Young
Pentecostals and Charismatics in general to remove the Hollywood
Stigma that Christians are wimps, squares, and no fun. So on the wimp front this has given way to Christian activists
with a feisty in your face attitude both in politics and in
the local community. And
on the square and no fun front this same generation has increasingly
are tried to show the world that it is “Hip to Be Saved.”
So like the children of Israel
that railed and cried for Egypt
in the wilderness these have created their own Idols. Christian
Rock Idols, Christian Sports Idols, Christian TV Idols, Christian
Movie Idols, Christian Business Idols, and Christian
Ministry
Idols.
In America
our national idolatry is the “Goddess of Success.” And
nothing breeds the lust for success more than seeing or hearing
of success in others.. – Enter the
leaven of the Power of Positive Thinking, enter the leaven
of Think and Grow Rich enter the leaven of the Prosperity
Gospel. So out went
the old morality, and in came the old immorality and surprise,
surprise; in the American Church for only a taste of the pottage
of success, and for only a taste of the forbidden fruit of
the love of the things of this world the Fundamentalists Pentecostals
and Charismatics have stripped down naked and are dancing
before the golden calf.
It kills me to hear that the
music and television of the 1960’s that led to the breakdown
of society and immorality and rebellion of the 1970’s was
declared as wholesome entertainment by none other than Pope
Pat Robertson. – Long before Bill Clinton had his infamous
tryst with a white house intern and his even more infamous
declaration that Oral sex was not sex, Fundamentalists Pentecostals
and Charismatics had been sold out to the devil by their carnal
leadership in their quest for the Goddess of success. Oh to have a church f thousands, oh to have
a grandiose building program. Oh to have a televised national
ministry. Oh to have a Christian television or radio network.
You might laugh but here at
the edge of the world in North Pole, Alaska a “City” of less
than 5,000 where I attend a Church with 12-18 people in the
last 6 months I have heard all the “Ohs” listed above by the
pastor the assistant pastor and a guest Evangelist that was
formerly a member of that Church.
Because of this God has given
these groups up and over their personal vanity and lusts.
Just as God gave up and over the tent evangelists in
the 1950’s to their own personal vanity and their own lusts.
Today 40 years after that revival there is not a trace of
those people. And of a truth within 20 years of the end of
that revival God destroyed almost everyone of them that had
sinned against him and his people and used the power of the
holy ghost to make themselves multi-millionaires.
So is this the end of the Church.
No. Is this the end of the world? No. Is this the end of Western
Civilization? Maybe, the Lord only knows.
I
Corinthians 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned,
he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the
temple
of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy; for the temple
of God
is holy, which temple ye are.
It means that when the Church can no longer
police itself, God shall send in other policemen to cleanse
it and purge her of her sins. And after that purging and cleaning
comes – then shall the end come.
How is it that Paul says over
and over again that he had great fear for himself and his
hearers – by current though Paul was just being Paul he was
only exaggerating, Paul was only pretending that by lying
he could gain a deeper effect upon his hearers. These are
evil things that blaspheme the way of truth and I have heard
these inferred again and again regardless of Church or denomination.
Acts 9:31 Then
had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and
Samaria,
and were edified; walking in the fear
of the Lord, and in the (Manifold) comfort of the Holy Ghost..
How can this be that someone could be
edified walking in the fear of the Lord and the manifold comfort
of the Holy Spirit at the same time?
Romans 11:19-21
Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that
I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were
broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded,
but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take
heed lest he also spare not thee.
If
we stand by faith are we then saved by that faith? Is faith
the key that opens all doors and God must bow to it? Look
at this verse; Paul tells us that God will reject those that
stand by faith, and are high-minded. If God speared not the
natural branches he will not spare even those who confess
that they have been justification by faith if it is not mixed
with fear. Scripture said God hateth the proud and God hateth
the forward look and neither faith, or the word of their confession
shall save either of them.
2
Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent
beguiled Eve through his subtilty,
so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that
is in Christ.
2 Corinthians 12:20 For
I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I
would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye
would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:
1 Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring
it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached
to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Philippians 2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in
my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Hebrews
4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a
promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you
should seem to come short of it.
Hebrews
11:7
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet,
moved with fear, --
and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
There
is a true call in the Spirit for discipleship and submission
– but it is a call of submission unto Jesus Christ and Him
alone. You cannot be the disciple of two masters and most
in the church today are the disciples of 5-10 masters.
John 12:26
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I
am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him
will my Father honour. The truth is carnal Christians do not want to
follow Christ because and follow him where He is because they
don’t want to live like Christ and they don’t want to die
like Christ. And because of this they are not His disciples,
they do not serve Christ but instead they serve men and denominations
and that is not enough they shop for the ones that are most
pleasing to them that allow then all the carnal privileges
and options that they desire. And therefore the Father honours
none of them. But to keep up the from
they honour themselves and honour
one another.
So also all
that do those things listed above cannot be accepted
as Ek-kelsia.
And
for your servitude and devotion you will be rewarded with
tokens of authority that of course are only good within that
church ministry or denomination. It could be a coveted Sunday
school teacher position. It could be the coveted song leader
position. It could be the coveted youth pastor position. It
could be a coveted bus driver position. It could be a coveted
offering taker position. It
could be an usher or greeter, it could be to speak from the
podium for a few minutes, it could be a sanctioned home prayer
meeting, or a sanctioned home bible study.
But
Jesus said you can't be my disciple and sit under another
or bear their teachings so all who do so are not accepted as ekkelsia.
Now
the Earthly church is spoken of and prophesied of in the Old
Testament as for my "names sake"
and “those who are called by my name.” -- that is the
earthly church and the Lord can not allow his earthly witness
to perish because man is so orientated to the tangible. and
secondly if their was not clessia
there could be no ecclessia chosen from it.
WITHOUT A CLESSIA – The Called THERE CAN
NOT BE AN ECCLESSIA – The Out-call
of the Called.