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.