Church

 

I keep feeling like I need to address the subject of church, but I have been dragging my feet in writing this blog.  Whenever I try to ignore a tough subject God has been tugging on my heart to share, the topic just gets louder and louder in my head as if to say, "Quit worrying about your ego (being rejected for what I say) and trying to please man. Write the issues God calls you to write!"  When I said, "Here am I Lord, use me" that means addressing the issues I know will make people uncomfortable and possibly even angry. So I am just going to delve in and say you do not need church.  What you need is a relationship with God.  

Before I get too far into this blog, let me just be clear I am not 100% placing all pastors/churches under the same corrupt banner.  I realize there are a few decent, gospel preaching churches that care about your soul, but they are in the minority.  This blog is referencing the modern day seeker-friendly churches that are there to entertain you, not help you walk down the paths of righteousness.  If you can find a church where the pastor does NOT talk about the movies he is watching, where the women ARE discouraged from dressing provocative, where the music is NOT summoning demons with its satanic beat, where every third sermon is NOT about money, where hell IS mentioned as a very real place and not just a swear word, where you ARE told that the free gift of salvation and True grace includes repentance and a daily choice to live righteously, where you are NOT told you are only human so every sin is acceptable because you can never lose your salvation, where you ARE encouraged to study the Bible on your own, then please stay with this rare church!  Otherwise, my opinion is to attend home groups with like-minded believers and bypass the hypocrisy and apostacy of modern day churches that are social clubs and not houses of God.  In reality, we will eventually be forced into secret home churches in the not too distant future.  You think this pandemic is awful because you have to watch church from the Internet?  Just wait.  In another five to ten years (maybe less) true Christians will be so severely persecuted, churches will not even be an option on-line. 

A lot of pastors will quote to you Hebrews 10:24-25. Do you want to know why they repeat this verse so often? More people in their pews means money in the offering and in their pocket. If they are using the money to help others in need, that is great, but too many keep the majority of your money for their own wants rather than helping the poor, homeless, widows, orphans, or missionaries.

Here is what Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."  However, when I read those words, no where do I see that it says we must go to a building to "assemble together." The main point I see in this passage is the phrase "exhorting [strongly encourage] one another." We can do that wherever we are, home, work, the grocery store, and, as I suggested above, at home Bible studies. Not forsaking assembling is also another way to say we should not get so busy and self-involved that we ignore the needs of our family and friends and to minister to each other and to pray for one another.  Again, this can be done at any time and in any place.  

Notice the above verses say we should, "provoke unto... good works"?  Yet how many church goers encourage each other to abstain from evil, but instead invite each other to movies, dances, and bars?  And those that do choose to obey the rules of the Ten Commandments or Galatians chapter 5, are called judgmental and ostracized by their fellow "brothers and sisters" in Christ.  God wants us to encourage each other in our walks with the Lord and be accountable to each other to keep each other honest and upright (Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17), not make fun of those who love the Lord more than the world. However, the lukewarm church does the opposite as it encourages you to look, act, and talk like the world.  They will make fun of you if you speak out against witchcraft/the occult/yoga, going to bars/clubs, secular music, movies/television, Halloween, miniskirts/low cut tops/skin tight pants, married people being too friendly with the opposite sex, etc.  

So what do you think is better: a church where you will never grow in the Lord but die even more in your sin (For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23)? Or a small home group (even if it is just your own family), where you will please the Lord as you seek His face and strive to grow in your faith?

And by the way, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18-7:1 also refers to unbelievers within the church: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.    

If you have ever read one of my blogs or watched one of my videos, you know I believe we need to study our Bibles. And frankly, this belief adds fuel to my fire against modern day churches.  A lot of the messages behind the pulpit quote zero to just a few scriptures and usually the same ones over and over that twist the grace message (For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude verse 4).  The pastors do not encourage you to bring a Bible to church as you can just read their watered-down versions of the Bible on an overhead projector.  They leave out words and you will never know it if you do not follow along in your Bible. For example, I am certain you pastor quotes Romans 8:1 as, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." But did you know that verse has 10 more words that prove we are not condemned only when we seek after holiness?  Let me finish that verse for you, "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." And that is just one of many examples of lukewarm preaching.

Modern day preachers also do not encourage you to study on your own (Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15) . Know why?  Because once you truly study the Word of God you will start to see all the errors spoken behind the pulpit.  They do not want that.  In fact, I have known several people that questioned their pastors on what the Word of God says versus what the pastor preached, and those people were almost always asked to leave the church or told not to think too hard about such things and just let the pastor tell them how to think.   Apparently they do not believe in allowing their congregation to put 1 John 4:1-6 into practice.

I wrote about some of the false messages putting the church to sleep in my blog titled, "Awake, you sleeping giants!" https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2021/02/awake-you-sleeping-giants.html this blog goes into more detail why I worry about today's churches. However, this post is not about judging the false preachers (Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matthew 7:15 ), but about you, my readers!  I know I can come across as too harsh sometimes, but I promise you, I judge no one, I write out of a passion for you! I care so deeply for your souls and I want to warn you to stay clear of these money-hungry preachers who will never encourage you to compare what they say with what the Bible says.  Who will never encourage you to give up sin and repent and come clean (Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent .Revelation 2:4-5) and be on fire for God and desire holiness  (I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16).

My writings are always based on Biblical principals.  In Revelation 18:4-6, we are warned to leave the dead and dying churches: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her [Babylon, the false church], my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

If your eyes are not opened yet, let me leave you with this excerpt from a powerful writing by my husband titled, "Dreams of the History of the Lukewarm Church" https://swordofthespirit77.blogspot.com/2014/08/dreams-of-history-of-lukewarm-church.html (I encourage you to follow the link and read his full blog.):

"The Lord is very displeased with the unfaithfulness of many within the church today. Our immoral culture is well ingrained within the church and most who profess to know Christ, deny him by their lifestyle. It is hard to see the difference between the world and the church today. Around [February 2012] the Lord gave me two dreams of the moral condition of the church today...

"Then I noticed that I was standing within an Assembly Of God church, very similar to ones that I have attended in the past. The angel walked me down the aisles and pointed to the people sitting in the pews. I noticed that everyone was dressed in wedding garments, the men in tuxes and the women in white wedding dresses with veils. But many were dead rotting corpses still wearing wedding garments, seated next to living people throughout the congregation. I noticed that around sixty percent were dead corpses and around forty percent of the congregation were alive. Since the dead corpses were still wearing wedding garments, this is an indication that they were once born again, but now they were dead in their sins. Those who believe the once saved, always saved doctrine have been deceived by a lie from Satan."