Church and Christianity
To virtually all the world the words "Church" and "Christianity" are synonymous with the people that profess to believe in and follow Christ. Amazingly, the word "church" does not occur in the Greek of the New Testament but is a mistranslation.
At the end of this age, in the book of Revelation, we find God calling to His people to come out of a place he calls Babylon and the Great Whore to avoid the plagues she will receive for her sins. Where is this place that God's people find themselves that is a "habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit" (Rev. 18:2).
The apostle Paul told us that "such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." (2Cor 11:13-15). Where are these false, deceitful ministers who claim to be sent by Christ? Where is Satan's influence to be found posing to be a source of light to those seeking God?
They can only be in places that claim to be of Christ! Christian denominations! As you read these articles prepare to be surprised and shocked. Satan deceives the whole world. He is hiding in a place that seems to be above suspicion but Paul also wrote that the one who "as God sitteth in the temple of God" will "be revealed in his time" (1Thess 2:4,6). As we draw nearer to the events that will herald the return of Christ the truth about the antichrist spirit and where it is hiding will be revealed.
New Birth Teaching Series
"You must be born again"
Three hours of audio teaching (transcript available) from Pastor John Clark, Sr. on the subject of the "New Birth".
When is a person born again and how do you know? The Bible contains clear revelation from God about when a person is born again. Learn what had to occur before the new birth was available to man. Listen as Pastor John covers these topics and more:This is perhaps the most important issue for a person to understand.
Have you been born again?
Thought for the Evening
8-17
A Testimony Of Coming Out
From a conversation with Brother Tom Traughber
Since I obeyed the call of Jesus and came out of Christianity, I have desired to have a reputation for being a non-Christian. Brother Tom Traughber helped me understand more perfectly why I felt that way.
Brother Tom has a dear relative named Benny. After many years of showing no interest in God, Benny began to feel a sincere conviction to seek Him. He began attending worship services at a Christian sect, which is what almost every one of God's children does when they feel a call from Jesus. Benny had always told himself that if he ever became a Christian, he wanted to be a Christian like Tom. So, Benny came to visit Tom and his wife Suzi to talk to them about the things of God and to let them know that he was now trying to serve God. Since he felt that Tom was the best example of being a Christian that he knew, he wanted to share his new-found Christian faith with Tom. One can only imagine his surprise when Tom frankly told Benny that he was not a Christian at all.
This bluntness was not typical of how Tom spoke to people about coming out of Christianity (Xty), but he felt led by the Spirit of Christ to do so on this occasion. He loved Benny and did not want him to become another victim of the deceitful spirit of Christianity. Benny left Tom's house that evening convinced that Tom was suffering some form of mental illness and told his wife as much. So, instead of returning to talk more with Tom about repenting and serving God, Benny threw himself whole-heartedly into the local Christian Church he had joined. As with all who have a zeal for God, Benny was quickly given offices to hold, responsibilities to meet, and titles to enjoy.
It was a wonderful choice Tom made that evening to obey Christ and confess the truth to Benny. It actually may have saved Benny and his wife from a long life of hypocrisy and frustration. In just a matter of months, Benny became disappointed with Christianity, just as Tom had suspected he would. Whenever any person who is truly hungry for righteousness becomes a part of Christianity, disappointment must follow, for only the holy Ghost can satisfy genuine hunger for God. No claims of "getting saved" or flattering titles and positions can quench genuine thirst for the waters of life.
But the beauty of Tom's confession of the truth was that when Benny became disillusioned with Christianity, he was not facing a dead-end, for he knew a man, Brother Tom, who served Christ without being a part of Christianity. Most of God's children cannot make the "disconnect" between Jesus and Christianity; they think that to serve Jesus, they must remain within the whitewashed walls of that religion. The Lord is calling for them to come out of that religion, but they have not been taught how to recognize His loving voice. Christian ministers cannot train God's children to hear that voice because they themselves do not recognize it.
Tom blessed Benny the night he told Benny that he was not a Christian. Tom wondered for months why the Lord Jesus led him to speak so plainly about his exodus out of that religion. Now, it is clear why. Benny belonged to God, and God knew that Benny would be disappointed in his search for God within the walls of a religion that is contrary to the Spirit and truth of Christ. And God wanted Benny not to be discouraged about seeking Him when he became discouraged with Christianity. God was wise to know that, and Tom was wise to obey the leading of God's Spirit. It is never wrong!
By the time Benny and his wife came to a prayer meeting with Tom, their hunger for God had grown tremendously, and the first night they came, both were filled with the holy Ghost and fire. It was a beautiful thing to witness. But isn't that, after all, what Jesus promised when he said, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled?"