Lamenting A Wayward Church

Today I am lamenting, with a deeper foreboding than yesterday, the apostasy unfolding exponentially before our very eyes. A come-one-come-all carnalval of self replicating delirium. I am of course referring to the in your face, storm this place, sheer disgrace charismania coming to a mega church near you.

Please, take a generous moment to consider the damage this whorish impostor is doing, not merely to the Church, but to our Father's Holy Name. Preaching a 'gospel' so far removed from that of the authentic Christian faith, it would be laughable in its application if it were not so grave in its consequence. Luring not with Gospel but gimmick,  and with a cooing carnality befitting the Fowler who sounds it, they embrace by the flattery's of men, a myriad of false converts who will, each and every one, stand with a trembling throng on that great and terrible Day of the Lord, only to hear that most awful command... "Depart from me, I never knew you".

Surely there can be no more despicable an act as to deceive another with regard to their eternal soul. To lead one to believe he is redeemed when he is not is beyond cruel. Does the Lord hold accountable those who deceive unknowingly in this great crime? How can a child of God be counted among the deceivers? Those who belong to the Lord hear His voice and they follow Him alone. They will not follow another. (John 10: 1-5)

Deceived and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13) is a term concerning the unredeemed, among whom are this great throng believing themselves to be of the household of faith when in fact, having ascribed to a false gospel they have received a Jesus made in their own image to their own condemnation. Please consider that deeply. Imagine it were you. Perhaps it is. Pray it isn't.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)

This truly is a serious matter. Our Messiah demonstrated His passion toward His Father's House when He cleansed His temple. The Church is to be a house of prayer, not a self aggrandising, self indulgent, revenue raking, celebrity worshipping, politically neutral sack of jiggling jello. We are right to be likewise indignant with these wolves who are doing just as their fore fathers have done. There are souls at stake, but this should not be our highest concern. The Father will bring who He will bring, that is His promise. Our highest focus then should be upon our Father whose bride is being ridiculed and more importantly whose Name is being sullied, ridiculed, mocked, made a laughing stock and relentlessly blasphemed by those who hate Him. His Name is being blasphemed! and by the very ones who claim to love Him. Satan must surely be beside himself at what humanity will believe and follow. Think about that some.

And what of those snared already by the Fowler? And what of those being attracted by his tribal drums and artificial light? Perhaps in the first instance there are some merely deceived who require the truth by our collective voice. Perhaps for others this is their judgement for not having loved the truth so as to be saved.

"Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,  not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,  who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.  Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?  And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.  The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,  and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (ESV)

In the second instance we must earnestly contend for the faith once delivered for the saints. This truth we proclaim, this Gospel, is for the saints, the children of the Kingdom. We must preach it high and low even in the midst of this present night, allowing the Holy Spirit to do and save as He wills - leaving to Him the headcount and the Glory. We must expose works of darkness to the light of God's truth for the sake of the elect and for the glory of our great King. That truth is found between the pages of the Holy Bible. It is not anywhere contained in a thousand renditions of Your Best Life Now. I agree with John MacArthur, that for all those who believe THIS is their best life now, it probably will be!

If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19 (ESV)

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,  and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (ESV)

Warn the sheep, preach the authentic Gospel to all men, the hour is way late!

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