“Last Days: Confusion in the Church”
“I AM not concerned with the name of a church, you have set yourself in high places and collaborate among yourselves what you are willing to hear. I AM God and I identify My people. You have given false identity to some that I did not, and to others you have stripped away the identity that I have given them.”
This word was given to me out of the blue during a prophetic worship service in 2004. I have not shared this publically and as with many of the things I feel the impression of the Holy Spirit I wait on them. The Lord has instructed for me to write them down and save them. Many of them I even forget about until the Holy Spirit reminds me of them….they have a time to be spoken.
Habukkak 2:2 Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. 3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.
This was the word the Lord reminded me of the other night as I was crying with a heavy heart. I feel like I am watching apostasy of the church unfold before my very eyes. There has always been a compromise in the Church but before Jesus returns the Bible says the Church will be apostate; turning away from the faith. Why does this happen? Jesus explains to His disciples (Matthew 24:3-13) 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
* 1 Corinthians 15:46 shows us a spiritual principle that shows us that we can see things in the natural that occur and then also then see those things take place in the spiritual, "The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual." We can also know that in 1 Peter 4:17 it says, "For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" We have watched our nation become more and more "lawless", in fact entire articles have been written about the "Lawlessness" of our current administration. This is a natural picture of the condition of our nation. When we see this as a sign in a nation we can look at the condition of the church as well and see there is a spirit of lawlessness (acting without restraint/approval) that has completely infiltrated and this is the spiritual picture.
All of Jeremiah 5 is timely word for the church, but all week these verses have been on my heart as I pray about the condition of the Church.
Jeremiah 5: 23‘But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and departed. 24‘They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest.” 25‘your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have withheld good from you. 26‘For wicked men are found among My people, They watch like fowlers lying in wait; They set a trap, They catch men. 27‘Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit; Therefore they have become great and rich. 28‘They are fat, they are sleek, They also excel in deeds of wickedness; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; And they do not defend the rights of the poor. 29‘Shall I not punish these people?’ declares the LORD, ‘On a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself?’ 30“An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so. But what will you do at the end of it?
Can you see this? There is now a generally accepted council of “apostles and prophets” that have set themselves up in this nation that promote "Holy Spirit experiences". They preach on wealth and prosperity and blessings, blessings, blessings. They have "signs and wonders"- gold falling from the ceiling, people laughing uncontrollably, They have taken it upon themselves to make schools and leadership training to recognize and promote people rather than seeing an anointing of the Spirit. God doesn't need leadership trained people (not saying being trained in how to lead is wrong), He wants Spirit led people, but that often tears down man-made agendas and ways! They have become rich and tickle the ears of their followers promising nothing but blessing and forget about the reverence and holiness of our Lord. They have “heaven on earth”, “international invasion”, “unlimited anointing”, "glory river" conferences that all promote how Christians will become rich or have "experiences"; they sale their ministry for profit (read here Spirit of Balaam). Where is God in this?? I have watched over the years their ever changing "prophecies" because when they were saying "peace peace, blessings and prosperity", the true prophetic word was "Repent", and then the economy plunges. They cater to their ego and instead of repenting keep going forward in their agenda. They "prophecy" all will be well, America will come back, some even falsely prophesying the last election. Only to be dismayed and have to change their prophecies again. All along God has been shaking them to cause them to repent and turn back to Him. They promote their man-made agenda by saying things like, “creating an environment where the Kingdom of God can flourish.” They are full of mixture but speak enough truth to ensnare and trap, because of their arrogance and pride, they themselves are ensnared and trapped. They prophesy in His name, people are performing miracles in His name; healings and deliverance…how can this be if they are working in a compromised or deceived manner?
Could this be why Jesus says In Matthew 7: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
First, can you recognize that Jesus is naming here 3 "power gifts"; prophecy, deliverance and healing, these are people from the Spirit-baptized church realm (in regards to relation of the tabernacle this is not the "outer court " (salvation) experience, but rather a "holy place" (Spirit baptism) experience.
Let’s recall what happened to the Levite priests. They had gone astray and profaned the holy things of God. When the Lord spoke to Ezekiel He was explaining how He would restore the temple. These compromised Levitcal priests were not thrown out (Romans 11:29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable) they were allowed to minister to the people and in the house of God BUT were not to minister unto God Himself or His holy things. What a sad trade for compromise. But notice, they will still minister, God will still use them for the people, services and work but they are not permitted to serve unto HIM.
Ezekiel 44: 10 But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, shall bear the punishment for their iniquity. 11 Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house and ministering in the house; they shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn against them,” declares the Lord God, “that they shall bear the punishment for their iniquity. 13 And they shall not come near to Me to serve as a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. 14 Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the house, of all its service and of all that shall be done in it. 15 “But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood,” declares the Lord God. 16 “They shall enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My table to minister to Me and keep My charge.
In these 6 very revealing verses we can see the Lord has made a point in saying “Me or My” 16 times! There is a point to be made here. There is a distinction being made. We must also remember this is not simply a story. This is a type and shadow, a picture for us now. In Romans 15:4 it says, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Again we read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” What is the lesson here? The Levites, whom God appointed had compromised and profaned the holy things of God, they led the people astray and did it all “in service” to God. Can you see this happening now? Do we see that God still allows His people to be ministered to because He is sovereign? He can use a donkey to speak, surely He can use any compromised preacher, yet there is a punishment for that preacher. They prophesy in His name, perform miracles, cast out demons but they DID NOT DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER! They are without restraint or “lawless”.
Yet there were a group of Levitical priest, the sons of Zadok (who are also a picture of the remnant church, the "man-child",overcomers, etc. who did not compromise. They minister to the Lord Himself! Praise God.
In the verse that Jesus says in Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” We need to also understand the word /phrase “kingdom of heaven”. This word is translated: royal power, kingship, dominion, rule a) NOT to be confused with an actual kingdom BUT RATHER the right or authority to rule over a kingdom. b) of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah c) of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah's kingdom (copy/pasted from concordance)
I do not see this as a salvation issue, rather a ruling and reigning issue. Will all Christians “rule and reign” (not talking about salvation here...but the inherited promises/rewards) with Christ? The fast, but hard answer I believe is, no, (Ouch! Did I just step on some toes, maybe a lifetime of beliefs...please hear me out.) The promises made in the Bible are “if…then” statements or conditions; there are way too many scriptures to list here but I urge you to search this out. We have 2 inheritances in the Lord. First we have our salvation that cannot be earned. It’s a free gift of salvation, by the blood atonement Jesus made for us. Any who believe on this shall be saved. (Acts 16:30-31, Mark 16:16, Romans 10:9-10, John 11:25-26, etc) In understanding that it is our belief of the Jesus’s work on the cross, His bloodshed, death and resurrection that took our place, is our redemption, then it CANNOT also be a work-based requirement as well. Scripture will not negate itself.
In light of Matthew 7:21 where these people are saying “Lord, Lord” to Jesus, proclaiming all that they have done in His name, let’s see what other scriptures make this possible. 1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.” So for anyone to even be able to say “Jesus is Lord”, they can only do so through the Holy Spirit. Another passage says in 1 John 4:2-3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” If I could sum up the central point of this writing in this: It is possible for saved people who God has called can become deceived and STILL prophesy, STILL preach, STILL be used in healings, STILL evangelize and STILL proclaim the name of Jesus and call Him Lord. BUT they can do so without restraint. They can be so full of mixture that they speak some truths of God mixed in with a lot of self-glorifying doctrines. Oh how incredibly sad on the day these face Jesus. They have received their reward in full on earth; they opted for notoriety, riches, fame, and prosperity in the earthly age. They did not lose their salvation…they didn’t even lose their gifts and callings. But they did not allow Jesus to be LORD in their lives. Meaning they were saved by the blood of Jesus, baptized with an anointing of Christ but did not surrender their lives to have Him be LORD. Jesus, Christ, Lord shows a beautiful progression of our Christian walk. This is a trap anyone can fall into, that’s why we must finish the race well. I think some have surrendered their lives down and one point and ministered in Truth…maybe for most of their ministry, but deception can come in and they pick back up the control and they become “lord” of their lives again.
Jesus asked (Luke 6:46) "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" It’s an interesting thing to point out that when we read in the Bible when it speaks of “works or actions” Jesus as “Lord” is named, but when it speaks about our faith in Him, Jesus as“Christ” is named. We know we must all confess Him as Lord to be saved, but walking in obedience (sanctification) as Him Lord in your heart is different than salvation.
The second inheritance is our position in the Lord, or the promises we receive in the Kingdom. These promises are however “if…then” statements. In other words there is an action on our part, which is simple. It’s the obedience to act in faith on the things the Lord puts His finger on in your life. It’s the walk of that is spoken of in 1 Peter 1: 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” 17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
I heard a great saying once: “Everyone’s cup in heaven will be full, but not everyone will have the same size cup.” Again, this is not speaking of salvation (justification) but moreover about our sanctification. So the question I pose today is, does it matter what we buy into as Christians in this relatively short time we have on earth, will our decisions echo in eternity? Are all the popular ministers, prophets, apostles who claim “Thus sayeth the Lord”, really representing the will of the Father, or are they “without restraint” or as Jesus says who practice “Lawlessness”. Is there a price to pay by buying into and supporting these ministries?
Psalm 69:9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
Jesus disciples remembered that verse as Jesus cleared the temple and overturned the money tables. He drove out those buying AND selling! They had made the house of God into a marketplace…can we, as His disciples, recognize the same spirit at work today?
Let us remember the sobering words written in God’s word: 2 Timothy 4: 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
In short, sound doctrine will not be listened to, instead the things people WANT TO HEAR (blessings, riches, prosperity, power, experiences, etc) in comparison to what people DON’T WANT TO HEAR (repentance, trials, tribulations, judgment (yet the Lord will be with us!). So many preach on the love of God but forget His holiness, they have devalued God into a giant, gift giving, and wish granting god. MYTHS. But the instruction we are left with is to endure the hardships, opposite of the blessings and prosperity messages, and continue to evangelize. Simple.
We are promised several things in this life by Jesus, here are a few: we will have problems in this world BUT be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
So I pose to you today: Is it possible to be doing "good and godly" things in His name, that God never approved, but instead have done so "without restraint" (lawlessness/iniquity)? Can there be a rebellious self will that God desires to put His finger on? Is it possible to be a born-again, Spirit-filled, baptized believer that God still uses for His glory and yet still unyielding to the instruction and discipline of the Lord?
Be careful to allow God to search you and show you your own heart, if there is a "self" way in what you "do unto the Lord". To me, as a Christian, there is no more sobering picture than to stand before Jesus with nothing but wood, hay and stubble; thinking all along you had gold, silver and precious stones. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 "Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
And do not be fooled/blinded with self- righteousness...Deut 9:4-6 "Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, 'Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you. 5 "It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 "Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people"....God still uses rebellious/stubborn/self-willed Christians in His Kingdom...
Let this be the prayer of our heart: Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
No comments:
Post a Comment