Communion
from Death unto Life Part 1
Defilement and Sanctification
1 Corinthians 11:29-31 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you,
and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not
be judged.
In the partaking
of Holy Communion though this passage is widely quoted in most
churches and denominations, it is
not generally believed. When if ever have you heard a Pastor,
Teacher, or Evangelist declare that a person or the people in
their church are sick, infirm and or afflicted because they
have partaken of Holy Communion unworthily? This never happens
because what is the profit or the authority they can take to
themselves over saying that?
Instead they preach relentlessly: It is because you do not have faith and because
of that you are sick
infirm and afflicted, while implying that they are in possession
of all faith. Instead they preach it is because you
have not given enough tithes and offerings
(to them and their cronies) and that because of that you and
your family and your loved ones are sick infirm and afflicted.
In
this first part we will attempt to plumb the depths of the sin
and corruption and corruption that is in us and in the church
that would cause one to eat and drink unworthily and eat and
drink damnation to themselves.
This is not written for the faint of heart who seek comfort
and solace in their sin and corruption. This is written for
those who are seeking concrete answers and desire to find a
way out so that the might live wholly and acceptable unto the
Lord and when they partake of Holy Communion that they might
eat and drink Life, Health, Strength and Sanctification to their
mortal body and their eternal soul and their eternal spirit
Many Bible teachings are “marketed as” the
be all, and cure all, for all the ills that afflict the laity.
They boast of five basic steps to total victory, seven confessions
a day to wealth and healing or three points to enter into perfection.
What I’m going to layout is to help open the eyes of those that
are truly hungry for God. I may speak of some things you may
not have heard before, but in your heart of hearts you will
recognize these as things that God has spoken to you all along.
But for most believers these things have been placed
and forgotten on the backburner of your Spirit. Why? Because
all too many of us are like the Child Samuel and when the Lord
calls out to us in our simplicity because we do not KNOW the
Lord, we run out to Eli. At
least Eli had felt duty bound to introduce young Samuel to the
Lord instead of using that as an opportunity to indoctrinate
the child and bind him with traditions, but that is not so with
the corrupt priesthood of this hour for when we as the child
Samuel have come not discerning the voice of the Lord to our
pastors and teachers they have relegated the voice of the Lord
and leading of the Spirit to this being our imagination or nothing
of value and they have told us to put aside such things, and
even told us that to listen to the voice of the Lord or the
leading of the spirit will cause you to be deceived and our
only safety is to sit at their feet and be spoon fed from the toxic waste dump of fad doctrine and
teaching and doctrine that fills the soul endless information
that leads nowhere, while giving the hearer intoxicating sugar
rushes but leave one’s spirit emaciated and empty.
I do not request that you read this with an
open mind. Instead I
advise that you read all that I write with suspicion – so that
you will read some and then go study the bible to see if these
things be so. I advise that you check every Greek and Hebrew
word I use and define and confirm it yourself. And most of all
I advise you to pray and seek God that what every hairball is
clogging your spirit, what ever scales are over your eyes that
they may be removed and whatever is stopping your ears from
clearly hearing the word that proceedeth from the Father may
be removed also.
My words are merely words and what I say that
God showed me – it has to be verified in scripture, and beyond
that it needs to be scriptural. When I went to bible school
some 24 years ago – there was a saying: “That all good doctrine
points to Christ. I still believe that with all my heart. –
I seek no disciples – I do not seek to have a church, or build
a ministry or even flag my name around for all to see and hail
-- all of those things are nothing. I seek only to bring you
into the deepest, closest, and most personal relationship with
Christ himself. May
the Lord bless you and open your hearts and spirits.
Recently while fasting and praying, God sovereignly
and quite unexpectedly revealed His Divine intent in our partaking
of Holy Communion. I
confess that I was not studying this subject at that time, nor
had I studied the anything about Holy Communion at least as
far back as 1981. Likewise I had never to my knowledge prayed
or sought God for any revelation on Holy Communion. What I’m
saying is that since I came to the Lord in 1972 I had never
even suspected that anything was amiss in the way that any of
the Churches that I attended or knew of conducted their communion
services.
With that said, I will mention that it would
appear that there have been some prerequisites to God opening
up this matter to me. First -- for a period of some months I have
become acutely aware that I am blind, deaf, naked, and wretched
before God.
Revelation
3:16-17 So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I
will spue thee out of my mouth. Because
thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
We see in this passage that the Church of Laodicea
was a Church of pro-active confession.
Because thou sayest.
For with the mouth (lips) confession is made. Why is it that Christ in the book of Revelation is intensely
angry at a Church that is confessing the very things that we
are taught to confess today?
I am rich, God will provide all my needs I am seated
in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, As a believer I have divine
health, I am healed, Christ hath given me all things so I need
nothing . In the Word of Faith Movement, confessing these very
things has become a lifestyle.
How is it that if the Laodiceans were confessing presumably
scripture, and presumably the very words of Christ could Christ
be angry with them? And if so why would anyone want to be pulled
into the very sin that brought about the demise of the Laodicean
Church?
The reason Christ rejected the confession of
the Laodiceans is because their actions had their origin from
their soulish and selfish flesh, not from any love they had
of the Father, and this was a confession that was not generated
from their walking in the Holy Spirit, nor was it generated
from any word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Father.
Instead of these Laodicean servants not being above Christ their
master and taking up Christ’s example, the Laodiceans had come
to believe that they could confess themselves into wealth, they
could confess themselves into prosperity, and they could confess
themselves into believing that God has already provided all
their needs according to His riches in Glory.
From the divine perspective this was and is a Church
of lip service only. And their only success, if you can call
it that; has been their journey of self-deception and embracing
the wealth and riches of the God of this world as the Word of
Faith Movement and its disciples do the world over in this hour.
.
Let us look now at God’s observations of this
Church’s state of spirituality.
God say’s You are naked. – You have regressed from being clothed upon by
Christ to having become naked. You are the proverbial old garment
that has been patched by new pieces of cloth and the rends now
have become so vast that your nakedness has been uncovered all
over. You have become
the proverbial old wineskin with new wine in it and you have
been torn asunder and now both have been ruined.
God Says You are blind. The only thing that is greater than the Laodiceans
capacity for self-deception is the arrogance and pride with
which they confessed their spiritual position and all that they
possess through Him.
God says You are poor. The truth of the matter is that while the Laodiceans
thought they were making themselves rich in the things of this
world while at the same time building up eternal riches, they
in all actuality were bankrupting themselves so much so that
they even squandered the talent that was given them, and now
they have less than when they first believed.
In like manner many in this hour teach their
disciples to count the self-induced spiritual misery and deprivation
of the Laodiceans as the high point of spirituality.
And in so teaching these have caused people to believe
that is these teachers and preachers alone
that possess the keys to all spiritual truth. And that
this truth they possess is beyond all that proceeded them from
the days of the Apostles until now, and these blind deaf and
dumb preachers and teachers possess a greater spiritual understanding
in all manner of teaching, and doctrine.
Zephaniah
1:16-18
A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities,
and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon
men, that they shall walk like blind
men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their
blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver
nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the
LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by
the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance
of all them that dwell in the land.
John
9:40-41 And
some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words,
and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Jesus said unto them, If ye were
blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore
your sin remaineth.
This is not particularly the happiest of revelations
to receive from the Lord, but it is glorious nonetheless. A
deep-seated revelation that you are; naked and unclean before
God, is far more glorious than not being able to hear from God
at all. I would rather lay at the feet of Jesus repenting and
crying out to him day in and day out, than be rich and increased
with goods and in need of nothing, while retaining my blindness,
wretchedness, and nakedness before God.
In our day if one were to speak these sentiments
before their fellow believers, or even their Pastor, these people
would probably feel strongly compelled to correct such a one
as a “misguided soul.” More than likely they would point out that
Jesus had already forgiven all our sins. And I think that we
would all agree that He has. They would then proceed to try
to persuade this “misguided soul” that all was well with them.
I can all too well hear their line of reasoning. Are you not
walking uprightly before the Lord? Are you not doing all that
you know to do? Are you not praying regularly? Are you not reading
the Bible regularly? And
are you not faithfully attending Church and being a good witness
unto others?
These things are considered by many of our
day to be THE MARKS of one who is walking perfect in the sight
of God. Now I beg to differ on this point. One’s spirituality
is not based on externals, but on one’s internal relationship
between them and God. I
might mention that the spirituality we are speaking of or lack
thereof has nothing to do with one’s judicial salvation.
As you may have already observed in your experience,
one can be judicially clean before God and not be spiritual.
Not yet satisfied with my responses these meddling
Christian Pharisees would go still farther and tell this poor
“misguided soul” that is so burdened with his blindess deafness
and nakedness before the Lord that what was actually happening was that these
feelings of conviction and uncleanness are really the devil
condemning him. -- And that what one only needed to do was to
rebuke him, or confess the blood and the devil would then have
to flee from him.
I personally would be terrified to so haphazardly
call the illumination of sin in one’s life by the Holy Spirit
the work of the Devil. I
have heard these very sentiments voiced by Christians, Pastors
and Faith Teachers alike. Maybe I’m exceedingly naïve, but whether
I get convicted by the Holy Spirit or condemned by the enemy
my response would be much the same. If and when a fault is revealed – I don’t hid it or try to rationalize
why I need to keep it, I confess it to Jesus and put it under
His blood. See, my thoughts
on this matter are: That the enemy can only condemn you for
your acts or the lack of certain acts in your life.
So if we fess up and we confess to God and to our brethren
as Christ demands we do rather than conceal our sin like Adam
did, if we confess it and put it under the blood – the enemy
can’t get any traction with that event in our life any more,
and glory be! Another layer of separation between you and the
Father comes down thus bringing you all the more closer to Him.
So let God correct, Let the lord Chastise. Let the devil condemn
– and let us cleanse ourselves of all sin and all unrighteousness.
Now I want to impress upon you conscience that
there is something in the word of God beyond judicial salvation
or the judicial forgiveness of our sins.
The Bible speaks of salvation and it speaks of something
called sanctification. Ideally those who are saved have also
been sanctified, but all too often in our day that is not at
all the case.
Isaiah 6:1-5 In the year
that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne,
high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it
stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered
his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain
he did fly. And one (angel) cried unto another, and said (AMAR), Holy, holy,
holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him (the angel)
that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said (AMAR) I, Woe is me!
for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips:
In Isaiah the we clearly see sanctification,
also called circumcision of the heart, also called by Christ
being converted. The significance is that this experience did
not come in Isaiah chapter 1 verse 1. The significance is that
Isaiah had already been a prophet, he had already been “Saved” for years. He was “Filled
with the Spirit” He
was accepted by God and God was speaking to Him. He was even
a fully functioning prophet – but Isaiah in Chapter 6 has this
visitation from God. And as the prophet was looking at God on
the throne an angel cried out: “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord.”
And at the words of this angel the doors of the posts
were moved and smoke or the Shekina Glory filled the temple.
At this point Isaiah is suddenly struck with an almost unbearable
conviction that was so intense and probably painful to his soul
it caused him to cry out. – We do not see in this context that
Isaiah started immediately confessing that he was a Jew, that
he was of the seed of Abraham, nor did he confess he was blessed,
Nor did he begin confessing all the names of God and claim their
blessings and protection. Nor did he claim that the angel of
the Lord is to camp round about him and most certainly Isaiah
did not say I rebuke thee Satan –thou that condemnest my soul.
Then said (Hebrew - Amar) I, Woe is
me! for I am undone(DAMA) ; because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:
This passage has be a preaching mainstay by a dear friend 40
years. His message is that this passages says that: “it is this
higher realm of worship that opens the doors to the manifest
presence of God.” I
can not have respect of any man when God speaks. 1) Isaiah saw
God on the throne first not after the “Worship” 2) It is the
Angel that cries “holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts “ 3)
This is not worship the word for “said” in the Hebrew
is “Amar” 559 it
means: to say, to tell, or to command. It appears that this
angel duty was to guards the Holy mount of God, as Adam was
to guard or keep the garden. So upon seeing an sinful and corrupt
intruder the angel cries out a warning Holy Holy Holy is the
Lord of hosts. And the posts of the doors are moved --at the command of Holiness.
What doors
and doorposts were moved? The doors and doorposts of the earthly temple in Jerusalem Isaiah was in and the Shekina came
rushing in. – The same Shekina
that filled the temple in Moses and Solomon’s day so that the
priests were incapacitated and could not minister or enter of
leave the temple. – And in Isaiah chapter 6 we see the Shekina
came into the temple at the command of the Angel to incapacitate
or act as a veil to blind this sinful and unclean intruder.
But
a most remarkable thing happens in this passage of scripture,
because Isaiah is somewhat prepared inwardly, he is able to
press through this, he is not caught up in the posts of the
doors moving, he is not caught up in the Shekina – he is instead
cut to the quick. He has a revelation of his personal sin and
uncleanness before God and thus Isaiah is able to cry out: I am DAMA – I am laid waste, I am destroyed,
I am perishing, What
is in Isaiah is suddenly illumined with the Glory of God and
it is killing Isaiah – (“no man shall see the face of God and
live.”) minutes hours
days – Isaiah is in agony and confesses he is a man of unclean
lips – he does not only confess his sin but he becomes a true
intercessor and confesses his people’s sins before the Lord
as well imploring that he might forgive them. This is the sign
of true salvation and true conversion.
And
this moves God. God so loving
Isaiah that He has an angel take a coal of fire from the altar
and touch it to Isaiah’s lips.
Isaiah 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath
touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy
sin purged.
This
is clearly sanctification, circumcision of
the heart, or what Christ called being converted. And after this conversion Isaiah is elevated from Prophet to Apostle
he becomes one that is sent directly from God to Israel.
Isaiah 6:8-10 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send
me. And He said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed,
but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make
the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and
shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with
their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and
be healed.
Isaiah 22:14 And it was
revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity
shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD
of hosts.
While Isaiah finds a place of repentance and sanctification
while Israel wallows in willful sin and can not and will not
find a place of repentance or sanctification before God and
ultimately they are destroyed.
These are serious things. We live in
serious times. We can not play games any longer, we can no longer
live a feel good gospel designed for us to consume upon our
lusts. The ends of the earth have come upon us, and with that
we have a grave responsibility. Not only for the purging of
our own personal sin and iniquity, but dealing with the sin
and iniquity of out fathers, and the sin and iniquity of the
scattered and shattered church of our day.
I want you to consider a few verses about sin spots
and stains. Because I think the Church has created definitions
about sin and forgiveness that may not be true.
Ephesians
5:26-27 That
He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by
the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church
(ek-klesia), not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish.
We see in this passage the value that God and
Christ hold the Ek-Klesia might be without spot or wrinkle.
This verse is referring to Christ who willingly gave himself
to die on the cross. It is referring to the Father who so loved
the children of men, that He willingly gave His son to die for
them, that a new and living way might be opened unto them, that
the children of men could once again commune and fellowship
God.
This act of selfless sacrifice and opening
the way to God is referred to as the New Covenant.
And I think it was depicted in the garden of Eden as
the way to the tree of life not yet being made manifest. Over
the past 1800 years many new meanings and new definitions have
been ascribed to many things in the Bible, in an attempt of
the enemy to forever alter the original meaning, and thereby
making these verses of none effect, or many times making them
non- applicable to the Church. These self-imposed spots and
wrinkles have been very bad for believers and have harmed the
body of Christ in ways that few have suspected.
James
1:27 Pure
religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to
keep himself unspotted from the world.
In James we again read that being without spot
is the goal of all believers. The spots that are being spoken
of here are spots from the world. We could call them spots of
worldliness. Over the years I have repeatedly heard voiced in
private by highly spiritual believers that they are 95% 98%
or 99% committed to the Lord.
And they speak of this 1%. 2% or 5% as an area in their
life that they can let their hair down, they refer to this as
an area in their life that they can relax and be themselves,
they term this as an area that they can recharge their batteries.
In speaking with these people I found that generally speaking
they were referring to reading worldly books, watching worldly
videos, watching a particular TV series like Star Trek, belonging
to a certain club, or going hunting and fishing with “The Guys.”
I want you to consider the implication of doing
something worldly or having fellowship with those of the world
would allow you to let your hair down.
-- Are we not really saying that there is something in
us, that there is a part of us that cannot be fulfilled by God?
By saying that I can totally relax only when
I doing something worldly or having fellowship with those of
the world -- are we not belaying that we do not feel completely
comfortable with God, that our religion is somewhat of a straight
jacket that must be occasionally removed in order for us to
function well under it’s constraints.
By saying we need to recharge our batteries
by doing something worldly or having fellowship with those of
the world. Are we not really saying that it is the world and
the flesh that we operate from, and that in our religious life
or religious mode we are operating only under battery power,
-- which eventually runs out?
Are we not saying that when we are doing something worldly
or having fellowship with those of the world that we are getting
ourselves plugged in to our power source?
“Out
of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
Those are some of the most revealing and most honest
statements I have ever heard regarding the real state of our
spiritual walk with God, and the level of salvation that is
operating in our lives.
It takes great courage and honesty to admit
to ourselves that our walk is not all we would pretend it to
be, and it even takes more courage to confess these things before
the brethren.
Not to long ago I confessed to a pastor that
for decades I had some deep-seated sin in my life. And I would
have the victory for a period of time and then it would be back.
This began in my life at about age 7 long before I was saved,
it continued after I was saved. I told him that I had prayed
for deliverance from it. I had wept in repentance and for cleansing
from it, I had gone time and a again and was prayed for deliverance
from it, and still it persisted. It went on and off in my life
in bible school, It was on and off in my life as I Pastored,
During which time I came one day to a realization that I was
defiled and utterly corrupt and while I could have kept on pretending
I was upright. I was then made aware that the corruption in
me though unseen would affect those who I Pastored and taught
– and at that time I willingly pulled myself out of the ministry
and I have no regrets about that whatsoever.
Then some enormous things occurred, very negative
very hurtful things and I was separated unto God for 19 years.
I now know this was the love of the Father and that this separation
unto the Lord only came about because of my willing response
and obedience. During
those years in the wilderness I prayed wept was prayed for cleansing
and deliverance of this things and other things that I came
to recognize over time. And things went from bad to worse. Things
became darker and darker. And in the last 3 years of this the
sin in my life almost consumed me.
I still prayed, and I still cried out. But I came to a very important place, a place
where I realized for all time that there was no good thing that
dwelled in me. I came to the stark realization that of myself
I could do nothing to save myself, to deliver myself. That there
was nothing I could do to curry favor with God.
That there was nothing I could say, pray or confess that
in fact God would have turned the head of God, nor was they
anything I could offer the Lord to cover or cleanse my sins
and spots on my garments. Regardless of what men may teach God
is a holy and righteous God that can not be bribed or taken
in by flattery and empty promises..
This is the one and only time I could say that
I heard the enemy speak to me. And he said “Curse God and die.” I wept before God and told him I could not. I told the Lord I was
sinful and unclean that I was a useless servant and I prayed
to die this went on for a few weeks. And one night in November
2003 the Lord spoke to me as I wept before him and told me “You
are released.” And I will filled with the peace of God. Thought God had said only
a few words my life turned on a dime and a number of things
happened within a few weeks and one of them is that the sin
that had so easily beset me left me –I was released from bondage.
I have paid a great price, I have been greatly reduced mentally
and physically, but I would never go back to what I once had
or was.
These days the Lord speaks to me so openly
and so frequently it is breathtaking.
And I have told Him and I will tell you that I do not
know why God even talks to me – there are so many people better
suited than me. I have lost so much in being able to speak,
my writing skills have greatly decreased, and I live in the
middle of Alaska on the edge of civilization. And yet God speaks
astonishing things in opening bible passages, in opening events
in Church history, and guiding me to ancient manuscripts and
words in Greek Hebrew and Latin. I can but speak those things that God had shown me.
We definitely have a God area in our lives,
and we definitely have a flesh area in our lives. We give God
great lip service but in our hearts; our uncircumcised hearts
are far from him, and our actions continually show that we are
more in sync with the natural world and our flesh and blood
relations than with Him.
In most believers’ lives even of the most spiritual
among us, God is the proverbial third wheel. We as believers
are two timing God. Spiritually we are dating two men, the man
of our true love and the emergency back-up man.
In the natural when one is in truly in love,
the whole of their affections are on that one person they love.
They mimic them, they pick up their mannerisms, they find comfort
and solace in just being around them. Love does that.
Now what happens with this love relationship when a third
person is involved? The other person, the third wheel, they are
a tag-along, and how do we treat tag-alongs? There is a certain
level of fellowship, there are some good times to be had, but
that friendship or relationship is based on talk. –
Think about what I am suggesting here in regards to how
most of us are courting sin and or the world along with Christ..
Think about that the Bible says” The heart
of man is deceitful and desperately wicked and who can know
it. What does that statement mean?
It means that few believers know their hearts. Few believers
know the deceit with which they worship and walk with God. We
are two timing God, we give him a lot of talk and a whole lot
of lip service when our true affections are actually on this
world and the things of this world.
Matthew
15:7-9 Ye
hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people
draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with
their lips; but their heart is far from me.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men.
Few know how desperately wicked we are in our
prayer and worship. We
draw neigh to God with our lips offering prayer and praise while
in our hearts and actions we continuously grope after the natural
and tangible things of man and of this world –in so doing our
actions continually testify against ourselves that we love the
creation more than the creator. This is a huge spot and blemish
before God. I cannot
make you see this in yourself, only the Holy Spirit can.
2
Peter 3:13-14 Nevertheless
we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things,
be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot,
and blameless.
In this verse we see someone being “heavenly
minded” but for most this is an empty heavenly mindedness in
that they are seeking the rapture to change them. They are seeking
in death some kind of transformation to take place that hither
to they knew nothing of. But
look at the words of the Apostle he is saying that our being
without spot or being blameless before God NOT something we
are going to just come into in the afterlife. Peter is saying
here that being heavenly minded is not the object of our hollow
prayers and our empty lip service, Pater is saying if we are at all to enter into
this promise of new heavens and a new earth wherein the righteous
dwell it is required of us believers that we walk in Christ
with our whole heart, soul, mind, and being and enter into that
state of righteousness here and now..
As unthinkable as it may seem we can also find
these very defilements among believers while the Apostles were
still teaching and preaching to them.
2
Peter 2:12-14 But
these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed,
speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall
utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the
reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to
riot in the day time. Spots they are
and blemishes, sporting themselves
with their own deceiving while they feast with you; Having
eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling
unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices;
cursed children:
It may come, as somewhat of a surprise that
in the early believers in their highly enlightened state, with
their having an open heaven of revelation from the throne, that
any of those people could have had any fellowship with darkness.
It is unthinkable that the early Church would have allowed anyone
that would speak evil things, and was utterly corrupted, to
partake with them in their love feasts. Peter was not as concerned
with the notion of sinners being allowing to come in and eat.
What Peter was put out by was the people in the Churches were
fellowshipping and communing with these corrupted people and
thereby partaking of their corruption. Peter was concerned about
spiritual defilement.
We know that sin in the natural has a corrosive
effect on all those who come in contact with it. In many cases
we can see it, and we can document its progression within communities
and in entire cultures. The spiritual effects of sin are equally
tangible but because it can not be seen by the natural eye,
it is a lot harder to define, even though it is at work before
our very eyes in us, in our church within the Christian community,
or an entire culture.
And because we cannot see these spiritual defilements
or sin with our natural eye and its corrosive effects, believers
often we act as if sin and defilement within ourselves and our
church does not exist. Secretly we know differently and secretly we
hope if we ignore it and that it will just simply get up and
go away – but in our heart of hearts we know that
it does not.
Hebrews
12:14-15 Follow
peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of
the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble
you, and thereby many be defiled;
Consider this: If a man (singular) fails of
the grace of God, and a root of bitterness springs up within
him this will have the effect of defiling many. When a person
is defiled all that the defiled person has to do is come in
contact with someone else and they will be affected.
We “sort of” understand the defilement of individuals.
By “sort of” I mean we have little understanding of the things
that defile, other than the most blatant and blackest of sin.
We have no understanding of the lasting effects of defilement.
Other than the verse just quoted we have little understand as
to the cross contamination when a defiled person comes in contact
with others. And I want to say that all defilement is not the
same. There are different levels of defilement in scripture
Leviticus
11:24
And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase
of them shall be unclean until the even.
In Exodus chapter
11 we have what we could call the law of defilement. In this
chapter God teaches us what defilement is, it’s causes and its
cure. As I mentioned there are different levels of defilement
listed in scripture. In its lowest level, a minor defilement
lasted for a day, this was not a 24-hour period, it ended at
sundown at the time of the evening sacrifice. Other levels of
defilement that are mentioned in scripture range from lasting
for seven days – to lasting for several weeks.
All these were considered common defilements that over
the course of time individuals could come in contact with one
way or another. Even
though these were technically covered by the morning and evening
sacrifices in the temple we see that they in fact required according
to the law separate sacrifices and offerings to promote a deeper
work of cleansing and forgiveness.
There were also levels
of defilement that had more reaching consequences. For example
there were defilements would last indefinitely, that is until
the defiled person made a sacrifice for the sin committed, and
if the person would not make a personal sacrifice or multiple
personal sacrifices on top of the morning and evening sacrifices
that were in place. – this person was to be “Cut off from the
children of Israel.” Because he posed a defilement danger to
all around him. He had become a spot or blemish in Israel that
would not washed away.
Then there were the most pernicious defilements
which when a person committed an act or joined in an act with
others (willful sin) so heinous and so vile that the congregation
of Israel was obliged to stone these people to death and thus
remove it from their midst. . And finally in the most serious
cases of defilement God himself struck the defiled people dead.
Understand that when
Paul the Apostle says we have a “New and Better Covenant”
Paul mentions specific things as to how our covenant with Christ
is better. Primarily it is better because it is not one of the
sacrifices of bulls and goats.
It is better because Christ offered himself for us for
once and for all. He
is our morning and evening sacrifice and he offered himself
as our sin offering, as our peace offering, as our drink offering.
He offered himself for once and for all the levels of defilement
that one could be cleansed from.
When Paul says that
we have a “new and better
covenant” he did not say that
Christ took a black magic marker and blotted out over
half the Bible. Many teach that Christ blotted out the law of
Moses and or the Old Testament. Many call the Old Testament
the Jewish bible and the New Testament the Christian bible.
Paul does say that
we are not under the law but grace, but he also says that the
law is our schoolmaster and the law is our teacher of sin and
righteousness. If it is as Paul suggests, that the law is indeed
our schoolmaster then we as new covenant believers have to read
it, and meditate on it, and as the Holy Spirit opens it up to
us we need to learn from it.
Romans
6:14 For
sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the
law, but under grace. What
then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under
grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are
to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience
unto righteousness?
The question then
begs to be asked how do we know whose servants we are? How do
we know whether we are the servants of sin unto death or the
servants of obedience unto righteousness? Many are the believers
who live in sin unto death and few are they that live in obedience
unto righteousness. Abram’s
justification occurred only after he was fully obedient to his
call in Ur of Chaldees. It took Abram 30 years to come to that
place of obedience. And during that whole time it is recorded
over and over again that Abram builded him an altar. Upon which
he lavished sacrifices (that’s what you did with an altar in
those days) and he commenced to hold a great worship service,
and then he called out unto the Lord
-- that He might appear – what Abram was doing was he
was seeking new revelation but as noted in these passages over
and over again the Lord did not come. The Lord did not hearken
to Abram’s , Abram’s worship nor did the Lord have respect unto
Abrams sacrifices and offerings – And how many of us have
heard something from God, we have received something perhaps
a message, or a call, or commandment of the Lord. And how many
have said “That’s it” and after the novelty wore off we went
back to the Lord and built altars unto him. We cried out, we
worshipped, we offered
great bribes and offerings
as probably described to us in great detail in books,
in tapes, or by our local corrupt priest Eli and his sons. And
none of that seemed to work, God DID NOT come and visit you,
God DID NOT give you more revelation or more calling or more
commandment to toy around with. Is this a faith problem or an
offering problem, as most preachers of this day would say? NO
IT IS NOT! These men lie for they know not the lord nor have
they seen Him or heard his voice at any time.
That’s
a bold statement! How can we know who is right? By examining
scripture and in this case looking at the Life of Abram.
We see in Scripture that none of this worked for Abram
either, and he was “The father of faith” so no preacher in his
right mind is going to say Abram had a faith problem. Abram had an obedience problem and it was not
until he was fully obedient and fully compliant to what God
had commanded Abram do in Ur of Chaldees (in separating from
Lot and the rest of his family) that when Abram built an altar
at the end of that chapter 13 (and this has been hidden for
centuries by the folly of men because no chapter division belongs
there) we see in the opening verses of the following chapter
that the Lord does in fact come and visit Abram. And this is
what is spoken of in James that Luther could not wrap his head
around. The works in James are obedience. And not only James
speaks of this but Paul in the passage cited above concurs with
James and we find Christ in the Gospels in numerous places speaking
of the same thing. This is gone into greater depth in “Abraham
the Father of Faith” and there is also an eye opening word study
on the words “Faith and Hope” that should be of a great benefit
also to those who live in the confusion of the hyper- faith
message and Hyper offering message.
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring
us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Paul says the Law
was the early Church’s schoolmaster – designed to bring them
to Christ that they (Born again, Word of God, Spirit-filled
believers) might be justified by faith – how if we remove the
schoolmaster and use the traditions and teachings of men in
it’s place are we to rightly be brought to Christ and rightly
justified by faith?
1 Timothy 1:8-10 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing
this, that the law is not made for a
righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient,
for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane . .
. and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound
doctrine;
Paul says we know
the law is good – if a man use it lawfully.
Paul never envisioned a generation that would void the
law, and throw it away, and never refer too it. We do so because
we have been told that we have a new and better covenant. We
do so because we do not understand that by men renaming and
redefining terms they have turned the truths of the Gospels
into lies.
Paul says the law
is to teach us what lawlessness is.
The law is to teach us what disobedience is. The Law
is to teach us what ungodliness is. The law is to teach us what
sin and sinners are. The Law is to teach us what is unholy and
profane. And the law is to teach us what is contrary to sound
doctrine. So if we disregard the law as has been popularly done
for the last 500 years, and we as well disregard the entire
so-called Old Testament – we have gutted the basis for our learning
of righteousness and of sound doctrine.
Romans 2:18 And knowest His will, and approvest the things
that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
Paul again says God’s
will and things that are more excellent are instructed to us
out of the law.
Romans
3:18-20 There
is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that
what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
2
Timothy 3:16 All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness
So what did Paul the Apostle mean by all scripture
is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction
in righteousness? Can we arbitrarily remove the law of Moses
as a source for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction
in righteousness? The
answer is no. Neither you nor I nor any other bible teacher,
nor any denomination nor anyone has the authority to remove
the law of Moses from it’s position as our being our schoolmaster.
Romans
7:7-8 What shall we say
then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by
the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had
said, Thou shalt not covet.
But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought
in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
This is one of the key questions of our
day; Is the Law of Mosses sin unto us? We have been taught that
Christ death on the cross nulled out not just the law, but the
entire Old Testament. And can we with clear conscience follow
after those who would pervert the word of God, and therefore
the Gospel of Christ as well? You will have to decide yourself
whom you will follow, and you yourself will have to answer one
day before the throne of God and give an account of who you
followed and why. And you will either be justified or condemned
by your own words. This
is not some light thing. Truth requires action.
Now if this was really truly so about Chrit’s
death on the cross nulling out the law of Moses and the entire
Old Testament don’t you think that Paul the Apostle would have
said so? Instead Paul the Apostle makes this statement without
the law sin is dead. From the verses above we can see that if
the schoolmaster of law is dead then who or what is to teach
the church what is lawlessness and disobedience, ungodliness,
sin, unholy, profane unto the Lord and anything that is contrary
to sound doctrine?
The Spirit of the Lord spoke in my ear if
you want to be able to speak the teaching and the doctrines
of Paul the Apostle you must read the Bible of Paul the Apostle.
And if you want to speak the teachings and
doctrines of Christ came from you must read the Bible of Jesus
Christ.
Read now with understanding the words of
David.
Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel
of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful. But
his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night. And (because of this delight and meditation) he shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth
his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psalm 19:7-11 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the
soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the
commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The
fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments
of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired
are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than
honey and the honeycomb. Moreover
by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there
is great reward.
So if Paul the Apostle didn’t teach that where
did this concept come from? In the early 1500’s Menno Simons
created the Protestant concept of the Old Covenant. Menno Simons
is the father of Fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, and the Evangelicalism.
This ex-Roman Catholic Priest single-handedly has done more
to destroy the word of God and the Church than any man that
can be named in Church history. His voluminous teachings and
traditions have been universally taught for almost 500 years
and pervade almost all Christian thought in our day. He is the
source for untold defilement in the Church today.
Leviticus
11:25
And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash
his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
Note here that merely touching an unclean
object makes the person unclean. In this chapter we find that
casual contact with unclean objects, and having unknowing contact
with unclean objects defiles people, their clothes and other
inanimate objects. And once those people and objects have become
unclean they in can defile other objects.
Numbers
19:13-15 Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth
not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul
shall be cut off from Israel (read this as forever): because the water of separation was not sprinkled
upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.
This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into
the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall
be unclean seven days. And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is
unclean (Until it is cleansed).
Defilement and contamination was very serious
stuff in the law of Moses and though we are not under the Law
– defilement exists in the new covenant, and many in this day
are defiled, and cross contamination occurs through contact
with other defiled believers occurs on a daily basis and it
has at times far reaching effects.
I will also comment on the defilement of the
contact with the dead. In
Roman Catholicism and the Greek Orthodox Church the practice
“Christian Necromancy” or as they like to call it “the veneration
of the dead.” Their ancient monasteries and temples are filled
with “Holy Relics” which in scripture are all called unclean
and defiled. They have on display bones, fingers, locks of hair,
dried out rotted corpses, rotted grave cloths and objects these
dead people may or may not have used during life. People for
over a thousand years have come to see these objects, touch
these objects, kiss these objects, pray to these objects, and
their graves, give offerings to these objects and seek miracles
or the “mantles” of these objects.
Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth
not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul
shall be cut off from Israel (read this as forever)
Now this sounds kind of iron clad to me. In
my naive reading of this passage I see that those who would
do such things are all in hell, from those who display, promote
and profit from this to those who visit give and pray to these.
But hey, this may just be me.
But the question then
comes: This is the Catholics, and I’m a Protestant and Protestants
they don’t do any of this, right? And to that I would say unto
you be not deceived for the Protestants do practice the veneration
of the dead as well but they are more subtle about it. As the Catholics deify their dead and call
them Saints so likewise to the protestants to their dead. However
they do not venerate their bodies, their bones, but they put
on display their clothing objects that they had in life and
more particularly their words and their writings become sacred
and holy. And as part
of this veneration of the dead they write biographies, doctrinal
books and testimonials proclaiming and exalting their words
and their deeds.
The Protestants then commit Christian necromancy
with these writings as they consult the dead for answers to
current problems. Much as Saul went to consult the witch at
Endor to speak with the dead prophet Samuel. And in the protestant church of this hour the
dead yet live and rule and judge over their churches and denominations.
John Calvin doctrinally rules in most Presbyterian, and Baptist
and Fundamentalist churches in this day.
Martin Luther rules over Lutheran and some evangelical
Churches. Menno Simons laws and writings yet govern all of fundamentalist,
all of evangelicalism all of Pentecostalism and all of the Charismatic
Church.
Not a single Roman Catholic pope has the power
of any dead venerated protestant preacher. Luther hold far more
power in death and is revered wrongly so by all of Protestantism.
Calvin who persecuted and killed the Baptists of his day is
held in the esteem of the Apostles and his words are above scripture.
As is Menno Simons and hundreds of “Great Preachers” Finny Moody
Spurgeon, Whitfield, Wesley, and we could go on and on.
The facts are that at very least these dead
men are spots on the church’s garments. How so?
Is not the church in fact commanded to be clothed upon
by Christ and Christ alone? Did Paul say I have given the Church
Paul’s shield of Faith and Peter has given the Church the sandals
of the Gospel and John has given the church the breast plate
of righteousness etc. Part of this veneration of the dead is
to identify what they “For all time” have given the church –
that is their spiritual legacy as if it did not come from Christ
and this man or woman was able to create and do something that
God could not do and impart something that God himself is unable
to impart. The tradition
of this abomination traces all the way back to the second century
to the death of Polycarp and corrupt writings of one of his
fawning greedy-eyed disciples after his death.
Today even in death Kenneth Hagin yet speaks
on radio, TV, and in all his books. And now that he is dead
his words carry all the more weight for the idolatrous masses
of believers then when this corrupt preacher yet lived. The
cottage industry built around his death and veneration will
in time be worth more than a billion dollars.
Smith Wigglesworth never read any ones books,
never read a newspaper while he lived to keep himself undefiled.
But before his body was even cold the Christian necromancers
were out in force writing books, memoirs, and articles that
lifted up and exalted the name of Wigglesworth. The name recognition books and money-making
things built around this dead man have been worth millions.
E.W. Kenyon his defiled and corrupt words live
on in books and in every disciple of Kenneth Hagin, and every
graduate of Rhema
And I am sad to say that these vultures are
waiting in the wings and counting the days if not hours until
Wade Taylor’s death. So that they can venerate him and hail
him as an Apostle and use “His Apostleship” in death for what
they could not do while he yet lives. Wade has told me on several
occasions of his steadfastly denying and rebuffing these perverse
people’s attempts on more than one occasion.
And even very recently they attempted once more to try
to name him as an Apostle, with the express desire to use his
name to promote their own false apostleships. But once Wade
dies (hopefully not too soon in the near future) there will
be no stopping them, and their desire to use Wade Taylor’s name
to justify themselves and their ministries will come to pass.
I am equally sorry to report that in the perverted money driven
church of this hour Wade’s name is virtually worth millions
as is the head of any nationally renowned ministry.
In Protestantism it is only after a competing
minister dies that his fellow preachers and those of competing
sects, those that while he or she yet lived fought tooth and
nail against them and railed loudly against them, suddenly upon
their death will not only speak well of them, but speak in hushed
tones of their “great contributions” to the church, and start
quoting them, and even preaching bits and pieces of their messages.
And they do this all in the vain hope to receive some of this
dead preacher’s recognition, receiving some part of this dead
preacher’s mantle, and / or being able to vacuum up some of
their local fans and disciples.
The most graphic picture in the word of God
concerning defilement spreading among god’s people is in:
Numbers
16:41-49
But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed
the people of the LORD. And
it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against
Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle
of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and
the glory of the LORD appeared.
And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the
congregation. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45 Get you up from among this congregation,
that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their
faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and
put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and
go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for
them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague
is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into
the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun
among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement
for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living;
and the plague was stayed.
Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand
and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of
Korah.
This passage is cited several times in the
writings of the Apostles. If they cite this event than it has
new covenant significance even if we cannot fully comprehend
its application. And if they use this passage repeatedly to
give us warnings – we should at the very least be concerned -- perhaps even extremely concerned.
Now look at this passage regarding sin – forgiven
sin – atoning for one’s sin
-- sin that was covered with the blood of the sacrifice.
Exodus
34:6-9 And
the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The
LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant
in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the
children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and
worshipped.
I want you to consider that God said he had
forgiven the Israelites of “iniquity, transgression and sin.”
But this forgiveness did not make it completely go away. For
the Last 1800 years men and demons have written a lot of doctrines.
They have renamed things, and given things new definitions so
that it would be hard for us at the end of the age to find our
way. I think we have a faulty understanding of both
sin and of forgiveness. And this false understanding of sin
and forgiveness only serves to further defile us and separate
us from God.
Exodus
32:33-35 And
the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever
hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I
have spoken unto thee: behold, mine
Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit
I will visit their sin upon them. And the LORD plagued
the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
Note that God said that he had forgiven the
Israelites, but there remained something of their sin after
that forgiveness. And God says they were to be visited by that
forgiven sin and they were to be plagued by that forgiven sin.
What are we saying here – the things we do, the choices
we make can have terrible ramifications. When Christ died on
the cross he did not die to give you a pass on sin that now
being saved you could get away with whatever sin you want, and
when you want to sin, and however much as you want to sin. And
this is plainly preached in a dozen or more forms in most denominations.
God in this passage plainly says as he does
elsewhere That there are consequences after forgiveness of sin
in this life, and even greater consequences in the next life.
This is not some game we are playing. This is a matter of life and death – yours.
Don’t treat God lightly, and don’t take is goodness for granted.
It would seem that God no longer has the authority
to rebuke, chasten, or correct his children. – It would seem
that the Christian Social Services (CSS) people have taken over
the Kingdom of God. And that by CSS decree if God will repent
of his old ways and speak only in kind even tones that CSS will
allow him occasional visitation rights.
Deuteronomy
8:5
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth
his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
Job
5:17
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise
not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
Hebrews
12:5-6 And ye have forgotten the exhortation
which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not
thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked
of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
This enlightenment of sin in my life was not
what we would call a salvation matter. This was a matter of
spiritual defilement, a spiritual defilement that has come from
what has been termed original sin. I would like to define that
as the sin that was in your life prior to salvation. At issue
is also the taint from the doctrines and traditions of men.
I have only recently come to the understanding
that my sins being forgiven and being cast into the sea of God’s
forgetfulness is not exactly the end of the sin question in
my life. I feel compelled to repeat what I said before: “That your sin that
is under the blood of Jesus is not what is at all what is at
issue here.” There is a defilement, there is a pollution, there
is a smell of smoke on believers that is offensive to God, which
still is in your being after salvation and God aims to get that
stain and stench removed.
Hosea
9:4 They
shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, neither shall they
be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as
the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall
be polluted: for their bread for their soul
shall not come into the house of the LORD.
The word for “Mourners”
in the Hebrew is “Aven”
the word Aven simply means Idols. So the Phrase should probably
read “Bread of Idols.” The word “Soul” in the Hebrew is Nephesh it means: our carnal flesh, our lusts, or our desires. So
the phrase “Bread for their soul”
might better read “The bread or our
carnal desires.” So in this verse we can clearly
see God rejecting people partaking of Holy Communion due to
a polluted state of being.
Polluted as opposed to having committed sin or a trespass.
Matthew 23:37-38 O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
The
worst possible thing that could happen to a believer, or to a ministry or to a denomination
is for God to abandon them, and leave them desolate – that is
leaving them to their own devices without Him, without His signs,
without His wonders, and without His gifts. Church history is
filled with Churches of desolation, ministries of desolation
and ministers of desolation – many of which started out on the
path of righteousness that God later had to cut off so that
the entire body of Christ was not defiled by them.
Deuteronomy
32:20-21 And
he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their
end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children
in whom is no faith.
The phrase “Hide my face from them” in the
Law and the Prophets this means that God has removed his visible
manifestations from these, or to use another phrase, the hiding
of God’s face means the removal of the power of God form a church
a people or a ministry. Consider now that the Lord has hid his
face from the Church for almost 1800 years. During which time
we have had dozens of brief outpourings of the Spirit but nothing
on par with what Christ and the Apostles routinely operated
under for almost 60 years or two entire generations.
One would think that sometime during this 1800 year lull
that someone would have been able to put their finger on the
exact cause of this continuing rift between the Church and God.
One would think that Martin Luther, John Calvin, Menno Simons,
John Wesley, Charles Finney, DL Moody or one of the other greats
would have figured out thr problem long ago and led the Church
back to the faith that was one delivered unto the saints. But
that didn’t happen. For whatever reason this has eluded our
so-called greatest preachers and greatest teachers over the
centuries. And this is all the more reason that one should not
engross one’s self in their writings and teachings.
I of myself can not exactly explain this taint
of sin after forgiveness from specific verses of scripture at
this time. But I can tell you that the former habits in
ours lives have worn grooves into our beings.
And that all too many when they are tempted stumble into
these grooves of their former lifestyle even years after coming
to God.
I can also tell you that we also bare memories
of our lives both good and bad from before we met Christ.
And more or less those memories live on in us. I have maybe half a dozen things that when they come up make me
wince even after being in Christ for 30 years
-- Long ago they were put under the blood, they have
been confessed to God many times.
I know that I have absolutely been forgiven by God for
these offenses, but in my heart and soul there still remains
an imprint of these sins. They
can and must be cleansed if I am at all to come into a sanctified
relationship with the Lord.
I am convinced that we can do this. Is this an end in
itself – not at all. What I see is that this cleansing and sanctification
is only the starting line of any true ministry.
It is the baseline from which
our being is able to truly experience for the first time
what it means to have Christ in you, to have the Father in you
and to have the Holy Spirit in you. This, is what I’m striving for. This is the prize of the high calling.
Not some gift or ministry to be seen of men.
Psalm
27:8-9 When
thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face,
LORD, will I seek. Hide
not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger:
thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O
God of my salvation.
I fear also that for the last few generations
we have had no clear understanding of what has befouled our
beings. And because of this, none have realized the cost we
have had to pay while bearing about these defilements in our
bodies. This latent sin has greatly impaired in our ability
to walk with God and our ability to minister before Him.
Psalm
51:1-13 Have
mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according
unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and
cleanse me from my sin. For
I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and
done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified
when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother
conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones, which
thou hast broken, may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within
me. Cast me not away
from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy
free spirit. Then will
I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted
unto thee.
I want you to be mindful that David wrote this
Psalm. A man who had one of the most profound walks with God
in the Bible. God loved David and considered him His friend
and yet David with this kind of relationship with God writes
this Psalm speaking of a real depth of cleansing – a cleansing
that goes well beyond the cleansing with hyssop as mentioned
in the Law of Mosses.
For all to many there is the all too real matter
of “ongoing defilements” in our beings, particularly with the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and a love for the
things of this world.
First I should mention that of the lust of
the flesh is a lot more than lewd desires. The lust of the flesh
is an all-encompassing lust. It is a lust that puts one’s personal
wants and personal desires above God and above our neighbor.
This lust of the flesh is diametrically opposed to the first
and great commandment “Loving the Lord your God with all your
heart with all your soul, with all your mind and all your strength.”
And the second great commandment: ”Loving your neighbor as yourself.”
The lust of the eyes is an extension of the
lust of the flesh. The only difference is that it is visual,
as opposed to being only a mental exercise or one’s gut level
feeling. Our eyes are ever searching for anything that can be
perceived to have a real or imaginary advantage. – By nature
the lust of the eyes is almost always something that we believe
we have been somehow been deprived of. The lust of the eyes
plays on the notion that somehow “If only we had this object
of our lust, that we would be made whole.”
Mark
14:19
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches,
and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and
it becometh unfruitful.
If you want to really see the lust of the eyes
in action go to a supermarket and follow within earshot of some
small children shopping with their mother or father.
And you will invariably see them ask for something --
anything. It will become plain to you after only a few minutes
that the object of their lust is many times something nonsensical
– it is just something to get. And as soon as the object of
lust is put in the shopping cart the child without even taking
a breath moves on to another object with equal, if not greater
lust. You see the lust of the eyes has little or anything to
do with having a particular object. Instead it as everything
to do with getting the object, and the partaking of the ether
of it’s prestige however brief that lasts after having received
said object in one’s hot little hand..
The lust of the eyes it the fixation on a particular
object. This fixation in turn creates fantasies in our mind’s
eye, much like what we have all seen on TV commercials. One
of the most common complaints by parents groups regarding TV
commercials and small children is that commercials are far better
crafted than the object they are pitching. I have read reports of children complaining loudly with one of these
cheap plastic non-moving object in their hands, that that toy
was not at all what they had wanted, they instead wanted the
talking, flying, action packed, item they had seen on the TV
commercial.
Likewise for adults, all too often the lust
or fantasy that they had regarding the acquisition of said object
is far more intoxicating than the receiving of the actual object
itself, especially when the object of desire is an animal or
a person. All to frequently in these cases when the object of
one’s lust does not to act the way you had supposed they would
in your fantasy, – the spell is broken, and the winner of the
object becomes quickly disillusioned, and like the child in
the supermarket within mere moments of acquisition the adult
then moves on to another lusted object of visual fixation.
This is the reason we have so many divorces
because from the point of being little girls and little boys
both are trained and reared up in selfish narcissistic fantasies
that are utterly incompatible with each other.
This is the reason there are so many church
splits
This is the reason that most people spiritual
walks are so screwed up, and why they are never truly able to
enter into a personal relationship with Christ
And this is the reason people so love the prosperity
Gospel because it allows them to mainline all their most narcissistic
fantasies.
Romans 1:23–25 And changed the glory
of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own
bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God
into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than
the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
What are these people really doing? They are
feeding or fellowshipping with the corrupt emotions of their
fantasies. I have known believers who have had no joy in themselves.
I have known believers that have no peace in themselves. I have
known believers that have little in the way of personal emotions.
And these are the types of people who would seem to be
most susceptible to the fantasy fixation of the Lust of the
eyes. These are on a continual search for anything from the
Church or the world, that would grant them a few moments of
the feelings and emotions that they so crave.
I have sadly watched these people who are so inclined,
reap destruction level by level in their personal lives, in
their marital lives and in their family lives. Like drug addicts, these crave greater and
greater fixes, and in time they will come to accept the lusted
for feelings and emotions from even the most depraved and abominable
sources in order to receive just one more daily fix. These truly
have become slaves to their sin. And God has truly given these
wretched, tormented beings, up and over to their lusts. These
truly and willingly kill and drive out whatever there was of
God within them, for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the love of the things of the world.
No wonder the writer
of Hebrews says:
Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened,
and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers
of the Holy Ghost. And
have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world
to come. If they shall fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of
God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
We have actually been discussing the subject
of partaking and communing of things.
1
Corinthians 10: 19 - 21 What say I then? that the idol
is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols
is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they
sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye
should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup
of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of
the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
I am going to categorically state that TV,
Videos, Film, Books, Video Games, Online gaming, and the Internet,
are the cup and table of devils. Ye cannot be partake of these
things and expect then to receive anything of God when you then
go to partake of the Lord’s table. These two are contrary, the
Spirit lusteth against the flesh and the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit.
Over
the years I have also known a class of Christians that read
worldly books / watch worldly movies and videos / watch TV /
play video games / use online gaming/ or surf the net. It really
doesn’t matter whether they hunger for mysteries, romance novels,
adventures stories, sports, humor, or even pornography; the
action is all the same. When you partake of sin and carnality
you are communing with it – you are receiving an impartation
on levels that few Christians understand.
Not too many years ago people regularly used
to complain, that they couldn’t go to a public restaurant without
getting the smell of cigarette smoke all over themselves.
Romans
6:12-13 Let
not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should
obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness
unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive
from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness
unto God.
When you partake of the things of the world
you are fellowshipping with sin.
You are fellowshipping with the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes and the love of the world. Any of the above
will stain and pollute your soul and spirit. – Even if you can’t
tell that anything happened, God smells that ashtray smell in
your prayers and in your worship, and you have been defiled.
You have polluted your being while at the same time you were
willingly participating in letting the enemy and world continue
to build that bridgehead in your life. You need to know that sin breeds more sin.
You need to know that out of the heart the mouth speaketh. – You need to know that you will get more and
stronger corrupt desires as you feed and water that root of
sin you planted within your heart. And that in time you will
be consumed with seemingly uncontrollable lusts clamoring from
within for greater and greater fixes. And you need to know that
when you fellowship and partake of corruption even in smallest,
most minute levels that you are building up a level of stench
and gunk in your heart soul that the Spirit of God cannot look
upon.
1
Corinthians 10:1-6 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how
that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud
and in the sea; (Paul
says they were baptized in water and the spirit) And did all
eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual
drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them:
and that Rock was Christ. (Paul is saying they all took communion
every day) But with many of them God was not well pleased: for
they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should
not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
Ephesians 5:1-3 Be ye therefore followers of God,
as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet
smelling savour. (Christ on the Cross was the burnt offering – which he is
in communion – that we are to partake of like the priests.
Colossians
2:11-12 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the
circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein
also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation
of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Circumcision
is water Baptism in the Church. Christ disciples were baptized
in water but their point of conversion was over three and a
half years later and they were in the most ideal circumstances
walking daily in the flesh with Christ. Hence there is still
an event in each believer after they follow the Lord for some
time. One of the circumcision of heart as what happened to Isaiah
the Prophet in Isaiah chapter 6
If you still have problems believing that sin
like what I’ve been suggesting can exist in the life of a believer
try reading the following passage of scripture in Hebrews Chapter
12.
Hebrews
12:1-4 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with
so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you
as unto children, My son, despise not
thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked
of him: For whom the
Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons;
for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers,
then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had
fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened
us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that
we might be partakers of His holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous,
but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble
knees; And make straight paths for your
feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but
let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Fortunately God in his faithfulness has also
shown me that there is a cure for the stench of iniquity that
is a blight on our souls and spirits.
In the word of God it is called sanctification, or the
circumcision of the heart, or holiness. Sanctification is a
process that largely takes place privately in your prayer closet.
Once upon a time there were Fundamentalist
Churches that preached sanctification.
In the 1700’s the 1800’s and even in the very early 1900’s
sanctification was called: “The Second Definite Work of Grace.”
And in those days people would lay on the floor and be bent
over the pews and altars of these Churches for days and even
weeks until God cleansed them.
Deuteronomy
30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise
thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and
with all thy soul, that thou mayest
live.
In the Garden God told Adam that in the day
thou eatest of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil thou shalt die – the cure is circumcision of the heart
– that thou mayest live. Circumcision of heart is the cutting
off if you will of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil,
and all the lusts thereof.
Jeremiah
6:10 To
whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot
hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach;
they have no delight in it.
This is the problem! We cannot hear because
we have uncircumcised ears, we cannot see because we have uncircumcised
eyes, we have also an uncircumcised heart, an uncircumcised
mind, and an uncircumcised spirit.
The modern powerless, and meaningless altar
call has replaced all of that.
When I speak of people seeking sanctification, I am not
referring to Pentecostal tarrying meetings. Nor am I referring
to the pharisaical “Teachings of the Cross” from Jesse Penn
Lewis or Madame
Guyon where we beat ourselves about, and try to feel
holy in so doing. I am speaking of seeking God for a specific
work of cleansing in our hearts and lives that we can have a
deeper, and more vital walk with God.
Incidentally when the Azusa street revival
began, it began with congregation members of a Second Baptist
Church. The Church called itself Second Baptist not because
all the names with the word “First” were already taken. They
selected the name because the central emphasis of that particular
denomination was inner sanctification.
The chose the name “Second” because they believed in
the Second Definite Work of Grace. Understand that before Azusa
Street those who believed in an inner work of sanctification
sought God for days and weeks at a time, and what were they
seeking God for? They were seeking God for himself alone. They
were seeking that they might walk righteously before him. As
soon as Azusa Street the outpouring came that was all changed
forever. For carnal men slipped into the movement unawares.
And these turned the pursuit of God alone, into a carnal pursuit
for the Baptism of the Spirit, Gifts and Ministries. The pool
had been poisoned, and it wasn’t long after that, that the tarrying
meetings then began, with corrupt vessels seeking to be filled
with the incorruptible Holy Spirit selfish for self-seeking
motives.
2
Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the excellency of the power may be of God, and NOT of us.
1
Thessalonians 4:3-4 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should
abstain from fornication: That
every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification
and honor;
In contrast to the tarrying meetings, in scripture
we see that Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness
for 40 days to fast and pray and be tempted of the devil.
Note that this was a largely private event – there was
no fan fair. No disciples were there. There were no special meetings with special
speakers and special music. There was no altar and pews for
Jesus to lie on. If
the Bible says the servant is not above the master, and you
can rest assured it does, then if Christ needed this experience
to enter into the power of the Spirit then how can we possibly
believe that we can get by without such an experience?
Consider also The Apostles.
John
20:21-22 Then
said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath
sent me, even so send I you.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them,
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
This particular passage in the Gospel of John
has puzzled Spirit filled believers. We know that the Holy Spirit
wasn’t given to the disciples and Apostles until Pentecost.
John 7:38-39 He that believeth on me, as
the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they
that believe on him should receive: for
the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not
yet glorified.
So in the same Gospel it is flatly said that
the Holy Spirit could not be given until he was glorified. Being
glorified refers to Christ ascending to the Father and being
seated at his right hand.
John
12:16 These things understood not his
disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were
written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
This verse specifies that the disciples did
not understand until after Christ had gone and Christ was glorified.
This brings up some interesting points like another familiar
passage after the resurrection “Then opened He their understanding . . .” In this passage John say’s even with
Christ breathing upon them, and opening their understanding
they still did not understand. – John says it wasn’t until later
after Jesus was long gone and had been glorified that they finally
understood.
So what really happened in John 20:21-22 When Christ breathed upon
the disciples and said receive ye the Holy Ghost? Christ breathed on the disciples the same breath that was breathed
on Mary’s egg when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. It is
the same breath that was breathed on the pile of dirt that became
the first Adam. So when the Holy Spirit breathed on Mary’s
egg Paul says Christ became the second and last Adam. And when
Christ breathed on the disciples they were brought into the
same state that Adam was in before the fall, the same state
that Christ was born in. But you see in that state Adam had
full fellowship with God and was given dominion but he still
had to walk in it. He had to flesh it out. Christ also had full
fellowship with God and was given dominion
but He had to walk in it, and flesh it out. So when it
Christ breathed on the disciples they really received something
but . . . had to walk
in, they had to flesh it out. So John flat tells us after He
breathed and opened their understanding they understood precious
little, and that it was only after they fasted and prayed for
a while, roughly 50 days that the sanctification of Christ was
able finally able to take hold and then everything suddenly
became different.
Before the day of Pentecost arrived, I believe
that the Apostles had little idea what was going to take place.
And they did what they did out of obedience to the Lord. And
probably because this cleansing process took so long, that quite
a fair amount of disciples packed it in and gave up,
Luke
24:49-51
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power
from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany,
and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted
from them, and carried up into heaven.
Acts 1:8, 12, 14
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost
is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part of the earth. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the
mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's
journey. These all continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary
the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
They were
there to pray and make supplication.
I think we can make a good case that during this period
they prayed and fasted oft.
Christ replied
to the disciples of John why his disciples did not fast in the
manner of the t disciples of John and the Pharisees. When
the bridegroom shall be taken from them, then they shall fast.
It was during
this time that sanctification gradually pushed away their desire
to lead, a rule the church as the gentiles rule and to strive
one against another be the greatest. In other words all their
personal pride and vanity died here, and the lusts thereof were
taken from them. – I can see this clearly in large part to the
deep seated sin and the lusts thereof when the Lord on that
dark Alaskan night said unto me: “You are Released.”
And as a result
of their release they finally came to the place where they able
then to seek God for himself for the first time. And further
see that their very supplications that they made that at one
time has centered around themselves and their changed and they
joined with Christ in interceding for the sins of the children
of Israel and that by some means the gospel and the light of
Christ might dawn upon this darkened hard hearted and stiff
necked people.
During this
time also they lost sight or their own damnation as they testified
that after the resurrection they were filled with fear, a fear
no doubt that centered around the Father’s wrath over their
having abandoned Christ and handing him over to sinful men to
be crucified. But during these 50 days of fasting and prayer
in time God took over and their fears were relived. And then
and only then the disciple’s supplications were transformed,
moving off themselves, and they took on with Christ their priestly
function of offering supplication and prayers for the entire
house of Israel. And seeking cleansing for their nation and
people. We see this is Moses, We see this in David when he had
sinned, We see this in Isaiah chapter 6, and we see this in
Daniel. This is not something that in and of ourselves we can
take on and by the power of our sinful corrupt and stench-ridden
flesh can offer God a pure and utterly selfless prayer of repentance
and cleansing for the Church. – This is the willingness, the
fruit of obedience to follow Christ at personal loss that ultimately
justified Abram. And it came with the revelation to these eleven
men that in them dwelled no good thing. That in and of themselves
they could not say or do anything to curry favor with God.
That despite all that had been said and done during their
walk with Christ for three and a half years that they in their
own sinful and corrupt flesh had utterly failed God and that
not one of them loved God more than their own flesh and so they
all fled and left Christ to die and suffer alone. And further
when he was raised from the dead not one of them at first believed.
This is made abundantly clear in the Gospels – So that all eleven
of them stood neck deep in sin, un belief and stood utterly
corrupt and contemptible before God and that was after three
and a half years of their having personally walked with Christ.
And this is what I write unto you, that this
is the lively hope that we have in Christ that like the Apostles
themselves and Isaiah that after three years, five years ten
years or even fifty years of following after Christ in the flesh
– we too can come to the place that we can personally see that
we in our own sinful and corrupt flesh have utterly failed God
and that not one of us love God more than our own flesh. That
we like the disciples have all all fled and left Christ to die
and suffer alone. That we like the disciples have to come to
the place that we see that we are neck deep in sin, unbelief
and stand utterly corrupt and utterly contemptible before God.
And if we will pray in earnest, and seek God’s
face that god will speak to us also that we have been released.
And then the chains of sin and death shall fall free from us
and we can rise and walk in newness of life.
I think
that we can agree that the Apostles would have had a whole lot
less to pray through in regards to the taint of personal sin
than we do today. I think we can also agree with a certain degree
of confidence that the sanctification process of which I’ve
been writing will not be relegated to some easy five step program
as the sinful ministries of this hour would transform these
words into. This is not and can not be an overnight event, the
proverbial celebration of the flesh in a weekend retreat, or
even in a weeklong marathon.
If it took Jesus 40 days, and it took the Apostles 50
days, how can anyone legitimately think they have entered into
this experience by going through some fleshly gyrations as a
weekend spiritual warrior? This is a day in and day out thing,. This is a series of lifestyle
changes in obedience to Christ and His call and commands to
you. And until you become wholly obedient you will compass around
that mountain – and if need be you will never enter in and die
out in the wilderness like your fathers before you.
We have testified here that Abram compassed
around his call for 30 years before he found the grace to forsake
father, mother, houses, lands, and family, for the excellency
of Christ. We see that Isaiah though a prophet with an established ministry
for untold years when brought before God found himself up to
his neck in sin and iniquity and found that
In the old holiness movement people used to
pray through for months, and with some it took several years.
Yet no one in that day was staggered by the time it took to
get pure and clean before God. I would exhort you that whatever the cost to
you to pray through to sanctification, it is well worth your
time. The effect on your soul and spirit will be worth far more
than it’s weight in gold, silver, and precious stones.
Revelation
3:16-18 So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I
will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel
thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes
with eye salve, that thou mayest see.
Likewise, I have become convinced that the
entire Church of our day is as thoroughly polluted as the Church
of Laodicea in the book of Revelation. In my study of Church
history I had identified a very troubling anomaly.
It seems that every Church or group that I have read
about, has always taken the conceit that they held all truth,
and that all the other Churches around them were deceived to
some degree. It is highly likely that this same high-minded
malady afflicted the kingdom of Israel and Judah in the Old
Testament, right up until the day they were slaughtered and
carried off in captivity. This revelation has become very troubling
to my Spirit.
Isaiah
65:3-5 A
people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that
sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which
eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their
vessels; Which say, Stand by thyself,
come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These
are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
Isaiah
30:1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD,
that take counsel, but not of me; and that
cover with a covering, but NOT
of my Spirit, (And because of this)
that they may add sin to sin:
The word cover
and coverings in the Hebrew is “to pour out” or more specifically “to pour out the anointing oil”. (as in to anoint
a king or a priest and this would be in our day the ordination
of men, this would be the corrupt anointing and prayer for the
sick in the power and strength of the flesh as opposed to the
anointing that comes from the spirit of God – of which the prophet
declares they by the anointing of the Spirit the yolk shall
be broken.) And in this scripture the counsel of God is the
word that proceedeth from the mouth of the Father.
So here we have the Prophet speaking of a rebellious
people, a people that will not receive the word that proceedeth
from the mouth of the Father, a people that anoint priests and
kings over them with a man made anointing that is not of the
Spirit of God and because of this instead of receiving true
ministry of true teachers preachers evangelsist prophets and
apostles – they receive lying empty words that cause them to
sin even further, instead of healing and deliverance and forgiveness
of sins – they receive the greater sin and damnation because
though they are told they are forgiven healed and delivered
their sin yet remains but because of these corrupt falsely anointed
men these people now take comfort that all is well with their
soul and ignore the word that proceedeth that would strive with
them and correct and reprove – taking the word instead of their
blind guides that all is well.
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear (from the Father), I judge: and
my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the
will of the Father which hath sent me.
This
is the counsel of God spoken of above in Isaiah 30:1.
And people wonder where the power of God is?
And people wonder why the church has no resemblance of what
we read in the gospels and the book of Acts. And people wonder
why the church is filled with the sick the infirm and the afflicted?
1 Corinthians 11:29-31 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you,
and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not
be judged.
Matthew 4:4 But
Jesus answered and said, It is written, Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God.
The counsel that
men use instead of the counsel of God is the sand of the doctrines
and traditions of men or the word that proceedeth from men –
Christian men, scholarly Christian men, “anointed Christian
men, and even “the greatest of prophets” like John the Baptist
of which Christ said he could not accept his counsel or witness.
So as His disciples we can not accept their council and witness
either regardless of however great we feel their ministry is.
Now lets look at this same verse as it is written
in the Greek Septuagint.
Isaiah 30:1 Woe unto the apostate
children saith the Lord. Ye have framed counsel not by me. And
covenants not by my Spirit to add sin to sins.
I think we can see that this is scripture speaking
directly to us today. Woe unto the apostate children of the
Church. For ye have framed doctrines and teachings but not by
me, and ye have anointed unto yourself kings and priests to
reign over you and to minister unto me in place of yourselves
(who are called to be kings and priests) but not by
my Spirit. -- And therefore
your false kings and false priests instead of cleansing and
purifying you before me as they minister and teach their man-made
counsels and corrupt you so that you might add sin unto your
sin.
Isn’t this verse interesting that just thirty
years ago the apostate church came up with a “New” doctrine
called Discipleship, Shepherdship, or “The Covering” These teachings
stated that Christians could not walk with God themselves, but
they needed a covering, and that covering was the man “anointed”
by men to be over then as their Pastor or Teacher.
We need to fully realize that the early Church
with its cadre of leaders that were hand picked and anointed
by Jesus and the Apostles fell completely away in less than
one hundred and one hundred and fifty years. In less than one
hundred and twenty years after the death of the Apostle John,
the bride that Christ and the Apostles delivered up without
spot or wrinkle had become the great whore of the book of Revelation.
And if God was so disposed to let the early
Church fall away into complete apostasy within three generations
of Christ dying on the Cross and making the New Covenant with
them – how safe are we from His wrath for the multiplied sin
and defilements of our day?
Know of a truth that God is going to cleanse this fruitless
vineyard and give it to another unless there is some serious
repentance from the current property holders.
Hebrews
2:1-3 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which
we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by
angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompense of reward; How
shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which
at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed
unto us by them that heard him;
Isaiah
3:14-16
The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people,
and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard;
the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind
the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion
are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton
eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling
with their feet:
Isaiah
5:1-6
Now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching
his vineyard. My well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful
hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof,
and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in
the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked
that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild
grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah,
judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What
could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done
in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring
forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I
will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away
the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down
the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor
digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns:
What
more Could Christ and God have done for the early Church? God
sent his only beloved Son, He gave unto our fathers unparalleled
signs and wonders, Christ died on the cross and rose and showed
himself for forty days to many witnesses. He then gave the Apostles
and believers the same Holy Spirit that had dwelled in Him.
He gave them gifts of the Spirit whereby for all time
we would have their words of ive witness attesting to the love
of the Father and His gifts of the Spirit, Christ then also
gave our fathers Holy Communion where all believers for all
time would be able to receive the direct impartation of the
fountain of God, that is the flow from Christ the tree of life..
– and yet within a few scant generations all of this was lost
and since has been trodden underfoot. For 1800 long years we
have been without Apostle and Prophet, and we have been a sheep
scattered without a shepherd. And because of this great sin
the church has been devoid the visitation of Angels, there has
been no open vision and the Church has been bereft the power
of God of the Gospel of Jesus and the Apostles. How could God
and Jesus have done anything more for the early Church than
He did?
In our love for the truth, seeking the word
of truth has to become a personal matter. If we desire at all
that the word to be made flesh in us, there must be a personal
seeking, there must be a personal study. We can not afford to
take the luxury any more of accepting every corrupt word that
comes out a preacher, teacher or evangelists mouth is the Gospel
truth. We need to start asking questions to all this stuff that
does not line up with the word of God. And if they get mad at
your questions, then so be it. And if they refuse to answer
and tell you that you need to take all their have said by faith
– you’ll know they haven’t a shred of scripture to stand on.
And if they call you a troublemaker and disfellowship you for
asking simple questions, then so be it.
I need to ask how far are you willing to go
to find the truth. Spending a few minutes looking over a few
familiar pages in the Bible?
Spending an hour poring through a Strongs’ or online
concordance to find something more substantive? Spending an
hour or two looking up the original Greek and Hebrew the word
of God was written in to get a sharper picture of what was being
said? Spending hours even days researching in Church History
to find out when a specific doctrine was first suggested, by
whom, and examining the circumstances that provoked that new
doctrine or tradition, and then following that doctrines history
upon acceptance.
If you are a lover (Agapeo) of the truth you
will leave no stone unturned till you resolve the matter. If
your are a lover (Phileo) of the truth you will seek with only
that is readily available to you. And if you are a hireling
you will seek only what you are compelled to.
Consider these scriptures in light of the effort
you put in to find the truth.
Luke
6:38 Give,
and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your
bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall
be measured to you again.
In like manner If we seek the truth with all
our heart – it shall be given unto you; in good measure, pressed
down shaken together shall God give it into your bosom. For
with the same measure that ye seek the truth shall it be measured
unto you again.
Proverbs
14:6 A
scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is
easy (to find) unto him that understandeth.
This
verse speaks of our level of desire – Are we a hireling, a Phileo
seeker of truth, or an Agapeo seeker of truth?
Proverbs
2:1-6 My
son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments
with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply
thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge,
and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her
as for hid treasures; Then
shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge
of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and
understanding.
This speaks of a yearning for truth and how
far we should be willing to go to find it. Note that truth is
hid treasures – Jesus spoke of the truth in parables, proverbs,
and darks sayings. Paul says it takes the revelation of the
Spirit to open God’s mysteries up to us. Do we so hunger? Do we so yearn? If we don’t this scripture says that the truth
shall remain hid as it has for the last 1800 years. And that this generation shall also pass into
dust as those before us, having not attained much less having
see or heard of the high calling that is in Christ Jesus.
Proverbs
18:1 Through
desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth
with all wisdom.
This verse speaks of a love and personal relationship
with wisdom or truth. The
truth has become interdisbursed or intermingled within his being. I in He, and He in Me. This is a full integration of the word of
life within.
Jeremiah
29:13-14 And
ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with
all your heart. I will be found of
you, saith the LORD:
Again if we seek half-heartedly, if we seek
according to our personal comfort rather than respond to God’s
beck and call, if we would be those who only seek him in Church
– Then we will not find him – We will never come to a solid
experience in him and we will die much the way we have lived
since we first believed empty, hungry, and naked before God.
As I mentioned before. it is not enough to
say that I have read a particular Bible translation or even
that I have read two Bible translations, our search for the
truth must take us down to bedrock. We need to get past the doctrines and traditions
of even the Bible Translators. – Yes, I am suggesting that all
has not been properly translated.
There are words that have far more meaning than what
the translator chose. If we are lovers of the truth there should
be a yearning to want to learn of the languages that the Bible
was written in. So we
could better understand the words of our God.
In the world when a man or woman falls in love
they naturally without any prodding want to learn all that they
can of their love of life.
This includes their love’s background and if their love
speaks a foreign language they would want to learn to be able
to converse intimately in their love in their own tongue.
So it should be with us we should earnestly
desire to learn at least enough Greek and Hebrew, and that would
include word tenses and the individual usage of important words
that we might be able to intimately communicate his word, or
as the Scripture says “Rightly dividing the word of truth.”
It is not enough to use Strongs Concordance and select
at random a word that you think is interesting or cute and teach
and base doctrine from it. -- Those that do this are selecting
words to fit their agenda’s – And this is an abomination before
God – this is called holding the truth in unrighteousness.
Deuteronomy
4:1-2 Now
therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the
judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live,
and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers
giveth you.
Ye shall not add unto the word which
I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it,
that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which
I command you.
Proverbs
30:6
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou
be found a liar.
Revelation 22:18
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy
of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall
add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
We are commanded
not to add or take away from the word of God – there are curses
ascribed to such. And as crazy as it may sound, all too many
in our day feel free to add and take away from the word of God
whatever they like or don’t like. These same feel free also
to embroider into the word of God their own corrupt teachings
and doctrines. And no
one in this day dares raise their voice in opposition to this
rebellion and lawlessness among the corrupt Preachers, Teachers
and Evangelists that we have anointed unto ourselves.
God
asks, Shall the words and foolish imaginations of men be made
equal with or be held above the word of God?
Shall the Lord reward such rebellious and lawless behavior?
This is an adulterous and idolatrous generation, with their
lips they come near and worship me but their hearts are far
from me. They worship the letter above the one who spoke it.
They worship and idolize the works of their hands. This star-struck
generation pays homage and worships their Pastors, their Teachers,
their Evangelists, and their endless host of Christian celebrities,
they worship them far above all that is called God. Therefore
I will lay waste to this evil and idolatrous people, which are
not my people. They shall surely be given over to a fierce king
even Anti-Christ. And he shall make war with them and utterly
waste all that have corrupted themselves and worshipped these
self-anointed ministers and the host who have come in their
own name. And what remains of these apostate people I shall
then make war with them myself
I will gather up the tares and burn them with unquenchable
fire. I will utterly purge my vineyard. Behold my Holy indignation
comes, I shall have a bride without spot or wrinkle, all else
shall be purged from my house.
2
Corinthians 2:16-17 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the
savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many,
which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but
as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
Paul says that in his day that there were many
who corrupted the word of God. It needs to be understood that
Paul was speaking of ministries with corrupt teachings or other
Gospels as opposed to a few individuals with corrupt opinions.
If that was so in Paul’s day, then how 1800 years after the
Church fell into corruption, and all during that period and
still in this day we have had no Apostles of Prophets to lead
us and say this is the way walk ye in it – how can we have such
a naïve view that our church and all its doctrines completely
uncorrupted and wholly true ?
Do we naïvely suppose that Satan slept during
those last 1800 years, that when the church fell he suspended
all operations. No Satan the corruptor of the brethren has had
an absolute field day for the last 1800 years, twisting, distorting,
and poisoning all that God said in his word. He has had all
power to try to make the word of none effect. -- I am not arguing
that we have no truth. We all have a measure of truth – you
are saved and you understand something about it. You may be
baptized in the Spirit and understand something about it, but
you don’t have or understand the fullness thereof. Likewise
the
Evangelists and Faith preaches of our day privately
will admit that they do not have all faith – that they are operating
in a part realm – but they do not understand why.
So they give themselves to patterns, confessions
and other things that we cannot find elaborated as they use
them in the Gospels and the Epistles.
These readily and willing incorporate things, foreign
things into the Gospel to increase it’s effect – therefore it
is corrupt. Should we then shun them? This answer may surprise
you, No. For we are all corrupt. We have all drank of the same
cup. We all need to pray and seek the truth that we might be
enlightened.
Acts
17:11-13 These were more noble
than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with
all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether
those things were so.
Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women
which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that
the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither
also, and stirred up the people.
Where are these lovers of the truth in our
day searching the scriptures daily to see if the messages that
they have been taught are so? And need I remind you these were
searching for the Gospel that Paul preached and verifying it
with Old Testament Scripture. Many of our day call the Old Testament
“Old Covenant” and so demote what the entire New Testament calls
“Scripture.” They have
turned the Old Testament into the Church’s crazy aunt that we
keep out of sight and locked way. The writer of Acts said the
Berean’s were more honorable, for not only searching the Old
Testament; but also not accepting any words of Paul the Apostle
unless they could be verified in Scripture. These people put
Paul’s words under a microscope and any ineffective words that
he spoke were cast aside. Today
any preacher would curse an audience like this as having a critical
Spirit. The Preacher would brazenly declare his listeners should
accept his words on face value because he has come in his own
name or a denomination’s name. But the writer of the books of
Acts calls this behavior not believing without verification
more honorable. Today we stick a huge funnel in the side of
our head and pour every wind of doctrine into out souls, and
we marvel at the concept that we might be corrupted?
See, Jesus wants us to Agapeo the truth, but
those of our day are only willing to Phileo the truth
I am ashamed that not one major teaching intensive
ministry of our day is a student of Church history.
For all of the historic events that I mentioned above
are available for all to read.
To date none have cried out an alarm to the Church of
its impending destruction. Instead everyone is preaching the
coming revival, and that all is well in God, and that things
in our day couldn’t be more peachy.
Isaiah
30:9-11 That
this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will
not hear the law of the LORD:
Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets,
Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things,
prophesy deceits: Get
you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy
One of Israel to cease from before us.
In the phrase “Lying
children” the Hebrew for lying is “Kechash”
and can be translated faithless or lying. In the Greek Septuagint
word for “Lying” is “Apeithes”
or Apathy in English. The Greek word Apeithes can
be translated: obstinate, refuse to
conform, or to refuse belief and obedience.
These lying children
are not called because of the tall tales or falsehoods they
tell, rather they are called liars because 1) They refuse to
believe -- we could say that they have not seen the light. 2)
They refuse to be changed – we could say they have not been
clothed upon. 3) They refuse to hear God’s word –we could
say that they are can not hear.
So these faithless children are called liars because
their lives do not match their calling in God. They are a utter
contradiction they are like the Church of Sardis “Thou hast
a name that thou livest, but are dead. And just as the Church
of Laodicea they blind, naked, and deaf. And if their state is not deplorable enough they ask the seers and
prophets to participate with them in their blind, deaf and naked
state, and to use their gifts to make them feel good about their
being corrupted.
2
Corinthians 2:16-17 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the
savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many,
which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but
as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
These corrupters of the word of God speak things
that tickle their hearer’s ears – they are willing to compromise
to any level as long as they get results. Recently I was told
that
Hosea 5:12- 15
Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as
a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. When
Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went
Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he
not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. For I will
be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house
of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away,
and none shall rescue him.
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their
offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek
me early.
There is a rottenness and defilement in the
house of God. The Church has become a festering corpse unto
God. The Church can see its sickness and wounds. But instead of turning
to the Lord to heal them, they have turned to the Assyrian,
part of the Babylonian priesthood. They have turned themselves
to King Jareb – he who contends.
He contends with God with his mixed teachings his polluted
sacraments his doctrines and teachings of men and even though
he can not heal their sickness or corruption or heal their festering
wound. The Church takes great comfort in this their special
friend -- he who contents. He is rich in tradition, and has
great meaning in his multitude of ceremony. He is a showman
that always gives a good performance.
He always leaves the masses standing on their feet applauding
wildly and shouting his adoration and throw down their tithes
and offerings. And yet
after this great meeting, after the Church finally returns home,
and they find their sickness and wound remains, what do these
blind and wretched people say in their heart? King Jareb is
false? – No! They say we will go to more meetings; we must give
him greater offerings. We must buy his books and tapes and videos.
We must follow all the more after his doctrines and precepts.
We must study and learn of his traditions and then we will gain
of his full experience. And
these feel so fortunate, so comforted that they have one as
King Jareb in their midst.
1 Corinthians 11:29-31 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you,
and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not
be judged.
Can we afford to play games any more?