FLEE IDOLATRY!

So many people idolize things.

Sometimes a house, a car, a career.

And perhaps even worse, a church or a ministry.

So many people identify with a man or woman instead of God.  You have heard them - when they visit a church, they advertise their pastor with extreme pride.  They send insane amounts of money to charlatans who spend it insanely. They listen to people who browbeat them and who demand a cushy lifestyle.  They remortgage their homes so the wolves can live above it all, swooshing here and there in multi-million dollar jets.  They watch and listen and proselytize others into deception, spreading concepts God would laugh at, never checking any facts.  They cherry pick scriptures just as the devil does, and are deceived in all the ways that Paul, Peter, Jude, and Jesus  all warned about. They accept the demagogue comments of others trashing faithful servants of God who preach a pure, undefiled word of God and who warn of hell instead of preaching how to manipulate God out of his riches.   They end up trashing those 'Bible-thumpers"  from their own lips as well.

Not a good place to be in. They accept every lie that is crafted by Satan to appeal to the flesh.  They are told that God is love and that we must accept every perversion around in the name of love.  They believe the chief purpose of man is to live in wealth and serve mammon.  They are scared to tell anyone that Jesus is the ONLY way of salvation, in essence treating the Lord himself as a liar.  They make excuses for portions of the BIble that they find difficult to believe, trading the grand truths of God for the doctrines of demons rather than asking God to increase their faith. They are blinded by those who play them like a violin, who rob them, and who will trash them in the end once they have served their purpose as useful idiots.

You may say that you do not go to such a counterfeit church.  I hope you are right,  However, my experience as a Christian for almost 60 (count-em) years is that MOST churches are compromised is some form or another.  There  may well be n perfect place, but if you are unaware of the deviations, you are in trouble.  Deviations tend to grow and demonic ideas and compromises invite others to join them.  It is a slippery slope, and the "slouching toward Gomorrah" taking place in American churches today into apostasy is ample proof that you should heed my warnings.

Some have legalistic requirements that are of no value against fleshly indulgence (Colossians).  Some forbid beards.  Others certain fashions.  Others inter-ethnic marriages.  Some are partial to the rich (or fill in the blank with any ethnic group, professional status, political party, suburban or urban, hip or square, Gen Y, Millenial, or whatever).   Some allow or even encourage women to exercise spiritual authority over men, which was forbidden from creation, not simply after sin.  Some forbid speaking in tongues which the BIble says expressly NOT to forbid.  The vast majority flagrantly violate I Corinthians 14 and limit who can participate in a service, letting the few chosen do everything while others watch. Paul said the church CANNOT be strong without body ministry, and he has been proven right so many times.   Some have people mindlessly repeat covenants or mantras at every services, often for prosperity, despite the fact Jesus said not to be repetitious. Some even repeat the Lord's prayer a lot despite the fact this prayer was an outline and in the context of NOT be repetitious! Many teach an atonement that includes prosperity, physical healing, etc., which violates both scripture and 2000 years of history, disillusioning many. Ironically, they soft-peddle the atonement for sin.  THey do not even like to use the word sin.  They preach a man-centered gospel - a purpose-driven life and all the other slogans, which when you study what their authors really believe, tells you everything you need to know.  Many also preach a tithing system never required in the New Covenant and ironically not even equal to the Old Covenant (23.3%), and those teaching it have never even evaluated the scriptures, but simply follow others blindly, All too lazy to be Bereans.   

My friends, study the word of God and let the Holy Spirit teach you.  Test everything you hear, and if you are inexperienced in the Word, check out what you hear with seasoned people who have devoted the time and resources to research things.  Above all, never sacrifice the moral and ethical standards of God for ANYBODY.  Rather, let GOD be true, and every man a liar.  May God bless you.

PIGS IN THE PULPIT

(Originally written August, 2012)

The Book of Revelation talks about pigs in the temple. Some literalists think this will be in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. Maybe so, but it also means that we need to run when we see what doesn't belong on the pulpit. On some pulpits it is justification for murdering the preborn. On others it is celebrating homosexuality. On still others it is trying to use God to gain wealth, fame, and a life of ease. For the really egregious, it is flat out calling Christ a liar by allowing for other ways to God than through Jesus Christ.

This morning, I went to a local church where the people were going nuts worshiping God. Then the pastor got into politics. It may surprise you to know that I don't like pastors talking politics even those that I might agree with! I do love politics and have been writing about the subject since a teenager. Further, I believe our politics really DO matter. I devote a fair about of time to assist people in Avoiding Political Deception.  Many Christians are in political deception, but I must say that I have met NOT ONE PERSON who is deceived politically who was not FIRST deceived spiritually!  So it is not for lack of passion on the subject!

However,  the church is God's house and is reserved for worshiping HIM. It is not campaign headquarters for either side. The IRS agrees. After stating that one should not vote for president because of the color of his skin, but only because of VALUES, he went on celebrating the policies of the incumbent and praising welfare as a great blessing, and then taking an ill advised stand on voter  ID laws and ignoring all the other issues that God and thankfully many Christians do find abhorent. Obviously, welfare is needed for those who cannot provide for themselves, but the Bible has a set of rules about even SENIORS receiving it that would make the most conservative politician today look like a flaming liberal. If someone WON"T work, they must not eat is God's position. Bill Clinton courageously reformed welfare and the rolls were cut in half. There was no disaster that the Chicken Little folks always predict. Instead, people got jobs, self-respect, and a far better life. They got homes and cars, and crime dropped precipitously. Now some of those folks have slipped back because of insane economic policies attacking the very job creators that blessed these folks. The current administration is actually encouraging people to get food stamps and get welfare without ever having to look for work, all in the name of getting votes. 

When Christian leaders talk about politics, they had better be in agreement with the Word. However, even if they ARE, church is not the place to electioneer. And in case you think I am just picking on liberals, I wrote a bruising letter to TRUTH IN ACTION, a conservative group as well. They were blindly supporting David Barton, a self-styled historian whom I never thought was very accurate.  Many Christians have swallowed a number of his mythologies. We should no more rewrite history than the people more hostile to America should. 

We really need to be informed, and we really need to reserve the church as a place where people of all political persuasions can come together to worship God. Church is not a cheerleader organization for politicians who really do not share our faith. It is a holy place, and I believe if Christ had been there this morning, he would have taken his whip out.

FALSE GOSPELS

The church is awash with false gospels as far as the ear can hear.  Every way to Christ is presented except the ONLY WAY that will actually save people!

Then, after all that, people are told that Jesus Christ is the way for THEM, and that there are other ways. After all, God is "just". (And by sad, perhaps even unintentional innuendo, they are calling a liar because he said "I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life - NO MAN cometh to the Father except through me!").   Biblical ignorance is huge, just like historical, economic, and political ignorance is the rule in our nation.

My friends, there is other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.  Everything else is a pretense.  WIDE is the way that leads to damnation, but NARROW is the way that leads to eternal life.

There are people who call themselves Christians who refuse to oppose= abortion, who refuse to preach against homosexuality, fornication, adultery, and divorce for any and all reasons.  They will defend using bad language and going to R movies.  They will justify spending 30% or more of their time on the job surfing the net or making phone calls for personal projects (grand theft any way you look at that - thousands every year). They will scream at you if you oppose evil leaders.  They will call you names.  In quieter times, they will mock what you know God has spoken to you.

I heard Saturday night a nice Christian man state that all the churches would be coming together in the end time for the glory of God.  I wish, and I am sure you wish as well.  I have been working toward this for much of my life.  However, my goal is in facilitating the removal through Christ of all artificial barriers in the church - ethnicity, economics, politics, preferences, etc.  MY desire for unity, however, does  NOT extend to ignoring the fundamental doctrines of the faith.  Can two walk together except they be agreed?  Not in marriage, not in business, and not in the Church.

What that man said IS happening in a way - but it is happening in a different way from what he hoped.  Churches are increasingly spouting universalist rhetoric. They are dropping God's requirements for living a holy and sanctified life. They arr believing the ever-changing fallible ideas of fallen man instead of the eternal unchanging truths of a holy God!  They are trashing the gifts of the Holy Spirit, EVEN in Pentecostal circles "for the sake of growth" no less! What hogwash!

In these last and evil days, what we see in our nation and in other nations is mirrored in the church. A time of purging is at hand.  A time of separation is here- those who are loyal to Christ vs. those whose loyalties are first to personalities and organizations.

Where are YOU in all of this?  Are You Truly in Christ?   Find out by listening to my preaching message of the same name at www.kingdomgospelministries.org.   May God lead you into all truth.