Edition 150. February 3rd 2013

The right church:

News events and commentary:

My comment begins with ***

● Egypt warns of soon coming collapse of their state. (Jerusalem Post 30 Jan)

●Both Syria and Egypt are descending into increasing chaos. ***I hope you have seen some of the previous editions dealing with these nations in prophecy!

●Iran on high alert after Israel’s bombing of a weapons convoy in Syria.

●Obama gives Israel the go ahead to strike targets in Syria that have Iranian and Hezbollah military links (Debka file 3rd Feb)

The right church:

Introduction:

The true Church has a major, powerful role in these days. The right church will be right on the cutting edge, led by the Spirit of the living God.

When you join a church, to a degree, you come under its spirit, spell and influence. There’s nothing wrong with that if you’re all going the right way.

1 Timothy 3:15 “...The Church of the living God, is the pillar and foundation of truth.”

This verse puts a different light on things doesn’t it? The true Church is to be the foundation and pillar of truth. It is to be the bastion and custodian of truth. This would be God’s truth as revealed in the fullness of the scriptures.

The Church today must have a major central component, which teaches on eschatology (end-time events) simply because this is where we are now and because a major aspect of unfolding end-time events is deception on a massive scale. Much of this deception will take place right in the church!

The power of the true Church:

1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined not to know anything among you except Christ and Him crucified.”

1 Corinthians 1:23-24 “We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks, foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, (Gentiles), Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

The Power of the true Church of the living God is the cross of Christ. All religion, philosophies, rituals and practises outside of the cross are frauds, counterfeits, and deceptions operating in the power of humanism and ultimately Satan.

As believers we must embrace the cross of Christ and also take up our own cross. If you do not take up your cross daily, Yeshua says, “you are not worthy of being My disciple.” Cross - bearing and not Bible study is the qualification for discipleship.

The one single, big, common denominator behind all dead churches, false religion and deception is the rejection of the cross and therefore its power! It’s only as we apply the cross do we receive its power and see things from the point of view of our risen Lord.

The cross of Christ is the biggest obstacle to world peace. You have two choices. You can lay aside the cross and become a friend of the world, or you can embrace it and be God’s true eternal friend! This is why Christians will be hated more and more as we head for a man-made world utopia!

1 Thessalonians 5:3 “When they (the unsaved world) say peace, peace, then sudden destruction comes upon them."

God’s pattern for the church:

1 Corinthians 1:10 “Now I plead with you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that there be no divisions among you , but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment.”

Hebrews 6:1-2 “Leaving the elementary doctrines of Christ, let us go  on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement.”

All the doctrines of Christ are contained in this single verse above!

Acts 20:27 “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole council of God.”

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples among the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you.”

2 John 10 “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your home, nor greet him.”

The verses above all speak of pure doctrine. The doctrine of Christ is the doctrine of the Church.  They are all contained in these verses. The church would be in unity as God commands if they stuck to His requirements.

God’s pattern for the church is vividly spelt out in His own assessment of the church in the Revelation, chapters two and three. These messages to the churches are a shocker indeed. They speak of seven historical churches. They speak to us now and they plot the course of the Church age.

There is only one of the seven (Philadelphia) where God has only commendation. One of the seven (Laodicea) has only condemnation from God. The others are mixed.

The power of the false church:

The power of humanism is deceitful. It operates in the strength of me, myself, I. It is full of pride and ego with worldly materialism as its goal. Of course there is a place for materialism, but most certainly not in the excesses of today.

Many of today’s churches equate success with God in terms of materialism. Too many ministers themselves desire pure physical materialism. Their wives think that the more they look like Barbie the better and the more mascara they wear, the better.

Signs of a church to be avoided:

The verse below is a shocker...how relevant it is to our situation today! If ever there was a verse of scripture warning of the deadly mixture of iron and clay, truth and error right and wrong, light and darkness, this is it! These verses apply to the rape of truth, the church and it’s infiltration by the occult. The Catholic church and other orthodox churches have been leaders in these deceptions. The verses apply to all those that practice Christmas, Easter and other Babylonian occult traditions.

As a believer, have you ever questioned the rituals that you practice? Have you questioned what you teach your children to observe?

2 Kings 17:32-41 “So they feared the Lord and appointed for themselves priests who sacrificed in the shrines of the high places. They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods – according to the rituals of the nations from whom they were carried away...You shall not fear other gods nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them...You shall fear the Lord your God...So these nations feared the Lord yet served their carved images; also their children and children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.”

You see, it’s not okay to get saved and serve the goddess of sex (Ishtar / Easter). You see, it’s not okay to get saved and serve the god of this world! If your minister does and says its okay...he is a grand fraud and liar! Don’t you know the difference between a shepherd and a wolf?

Don’t you want to be a pure bride without spot and blemish? Or are you happy to think you’re okay as the whore of Babylon?

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according to the traditions of men according to the principles of the world and not according to Christ.”

Tragically, the dead church will always be in the majority while the true Church will always be the remnant.

The dead church:

Revelation 3:1-5 “...I know your works that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead...therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief...you have a few names who have not defiled their garments and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life...”

The dead lie in the fields surrounding many churches. Inside they are just as dead!

2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth...”

Jude 18 “In the last days there will mockers...causing division, not having the Spirit.”

Half the modern church in these days is hopelessly backslidden and in desperate need of restoration and revival into the Truth. Today the church embraces all manner of evil and wickedness in the name of love and tolerance. God does not hear them. Even their prayer is an abomination to Him. Proverbs 28:9

The church has two options before it: It can operate in the energy of the Spirit or the energy of the flesh. The former is the way to go, while the latter is the way of humanism and the world. Those operating in the power and energy of the flesh look just like the real thing. In fact they may even look better.

The minister operating in the power of the flesh will be a friend of the things of the flesh...all in the name of love of course. Their spell of death infiltrates their churches. You will find that their congregations will have an invisible hindrance upon their moving forward into the deeper things of God.

I know many personally with a deep hunger for the things of God who have felt restrained by their ministers.

This image represents the energy of the flesh producing dead bones and the energy of the Spirit coming through the cross leading to glorious life.

You may say, “Well the church down the road is similar to us". Please read what God thinks about that:

2 Corinthians 10:12 “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.”

The professional well-paid ministers of these churches speak about and pray for revival, but by their actions of friendship with the world they have rendered the salvation of the world impossible. Of course they can get compromised half-baked converts just like themselves.

Long gone are the days when sinners would melt in fear before the hell-fire preacher. It was Charles Finney who said 200 years ago, “Today’s preachers are rocking the cradle of a sleeping church!”

Hell is rejoicing and preparing to meet many professing Christians at their coming! Isaiah 14:9 Isaiah 5:14

Perhaps millions of souls will curse their leaders as they descend into hell, said Finny. Today potential Christians come to church and are made to feel loved and comfortable rather than a guilty hell-bound individual in need of radical salvation and conversion of all their ways.

Romans 11:22 “Consider the goodness and severity of God; on those who fell, severity; but towards you goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.”

Killer false teachers:

The verse below is absolutely shocking. It relates and applies so widely to so many in our day.

Lamentations 4:12-14 “The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem. Because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in her midst the blood of the just. They (false prophets) wandered blind in the streets...”

What an incredible thing! It is the priests and prophets (false) that shed the blood of the just! In terms of application this means that the priests and prophets are responsible for leading the just astray by the entrance of great deadly deceptions.

Matthew 24:9-12 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for My sake, then many will be offended and betray one another and will hate one another and many false prophets will rise up and deceive many...The love of many will grow cold.”

Personally I trust those who exhibit great humility before God and stand strong against the world system, the flesh and the demonic. I trust the unpopular preacher who is resented by the world.

Satan has laid many deadly traps out there to catch those who are not diligent. The biggest trap of all is to play down the power of the cross, which then leads to millions of lesser evils and is ultimately the door to hell.

Acts 20:29-31 “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after themselves. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock. Therefore watch and remember that for three years, I did not cease to warn everyone, night and day with tears.”

An address to church leaders: (Wolves can also read this).

Leader please read this:

Light dispels darkness, not the other way around. If the spiritual world is growing darker, Minister, it is your fault.

Job23:11-12 “...I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the word of His lips. I have treasured His words more than my necessary food.”

These times are for those who are the called of God, to be brave and fearless, holy and righteous.

As goes the spiritual, so goes the natural.

Leader, do you know the discipline of regular fasting? What kind of car do you drive and how many do you have? Do you wear flashy jewellery and clothes? Does your wife look like a Barbie doll wearing enough mascara to fill a peanut butter jar? Are you secretly in love with the world’s materialism?

What is your stand on women in pastoral roles? The words “pastor” and “rabbi” are both male words in the original languages. What is your stand on homosexuals? Do you simply go the way of the world and the way of least resistance?

Do you know the three pillars of a nation under God? (Family, God’s way, Government God’s way and church God’s way)

What is your stand on Palestinian rights and what do you think of God’s word on Israel, Jerusalem and the Jews?

Do you know pastor, that many in your flock have a passionate love for our Lord and will soon overtake you? How do you handle people that surpass you in love for our Lord?

Do you know that many (not few) in your congregation will go to hell? That’s not necessarily your fault, although it could be, but are you concerned about that? Do you teach and preach on hell?

Do you know that the Bible has one third more verses on hell than heaven and two thirds more on the Second Coming than the First? Do you know that 27% of the Bible is prophecy? Do you teach on these things?

Do you instil the fear of God in the unsaved, by preaching and teaching the judgement of God and the reality of hell.

Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I may not sin against you.”

I don’t need to tell you, church leader, that you have a mighty, important role to play. If most church leaders were fulfilling their call, the church would not be in such a mess.

New converts must be taught the importance of judging self, humility and brokenness before God, which leads to holiness.

New converts must be taught how to fight off Satan’s attacks in and through the world system, the flesh and the demonic.

New converts must be taught that their lives are no longer their own and that they were created for this magnificent wonderful new life that lies before them. They have God’s own call plan and purpose upon their lives.

God’s people must be prepared for presentation, blameless before God.

Many people say they don’t want to get saved, because they don’t want to identify with the modern church.

The Church, Israel, Jerusalem and the Jews:

Israel was once banished to Babylon for 70 years because of her rebellion. The Babylonian invasion of Israel is what she must now beware of. Today much of the church has been infiltrated with Babylonian occult practices. If the Jews are to be saved in large numbers this means that they will repent in large numbers of their rebellion. The Babylonian captivity led to their repentance. Today the church wants to captivate them again with the same Babylonian spirit of paganism.

Thankfully most Jews who become believers today remain outside of the Babylonian style church, which is also rooted in anti-Semitism!

Today the church needs to be particularly concerned from God’s point of view with the Jews, Israel and Jerusalem. All have a dramatic end-time role leading to the appearance of the antichrist and the Second Coming of Yeshua.

Some in the church will work with God following His call. Some in the church will work against God following Satan’s call.

How to find the right church

Today many churches do not even practice the doctrinal foundational basics! Get out of them they are frauds.

The foundation of the true Church of the living God is this:

●The new birth, ●adult water baptism, ●baptism in the spirit, ●embracing the cross, ●being taught the entirety of the gospel, ●being centred in the New Testament epistles, ●developing a love for our future brothers and sisters the Jews, ●being involved in reaching the lost, ●standing against the massive onslaught of evil in this day and many such things.

Many who love our Messiah are leaving churches today because their leaders love the people more than God. The leader is a friend of the world, rather than God’s friend moving along the narrow road.

A church built on the foundational doctrines of Christ in the energy of the Spirit, will stand securely in the dark days that lie ahead. The true Church today will stick out like a sore thumb to the world!

Thankfully today there are many churches that are breaking free from previous hindrances with a new hunger and thirst after our great God.

All you can really do is pray that God leads you to the right place. It may be a church or it may be a small group of believers meeting in a home.

I have a feeling that soon something big is going to happen that will cause many to be shaken to their roots. In these things, be sure that God will be right there moving to feed and protect His body. There are many great things right on the horizon for God’s people.

You do not go to church primarily to support it. Your primary purpose is to get yourself ready for great glory that’s coming soon and will last forever!

When you go to a church, do you have visions and insights into the future of a wonderful eternity? Do you get visions of superior grandeur that will be yours in time to come? Do you get almost lifted up even now?  Do you come away feeling truly empowered to walk in holiness and victory over the world? Do you come away feeling that you have encountered the true living God of all glory and majesty? Does your heart beat and leap with excitement?

Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

Revelation 21:7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be His God and he will be My son.”

What does it mean to “inherit all things?”  According to numerous commentators, it means: To have every possible degree of blessedness! It means to inherit all knowledge, eternal glory and everlasting happiness, divine refreshment and joy. It means to share in the riches and glories of the entire universe as a family member of God forever.

We will encounter the very essence of majesty, wonder and great glory, while at the same time those who sat in many churches operating in the energy of the flesh and good ideas will realise that they have followed Satan himself.

Finally:

God is infinitely greater than we can imagine. He gives to each that meets the requirements, all of Himself. Refuse to be average; don’t learn to be comfortable with the unholiness and wickedness of today’s average believer. Dare to be different, stand out from the crowd.

Recognise that we are facing spiritual storms; be prepared to stand strong and help others to do the same. Above all, set your heart to know our Lord and King more deeply, be watchful and be ready for the soon coming of our Messiah.

Psalm 119:63 “I am a companion of those who fear you and those who keep your precepts.”

 I took this picture in the amazing desert called Namaqualand. For a few weeks every year it turns into a blaze of colour from one horizon to the next with untold millions of wild flowers. This is true abundance!

Shalom and grow in grace!