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 Today
Nov. 13
UNITY
Paul's great desire for the saints was unity in the faith of Christ (1Cor. 1:10). Where believers are one in Christ, Satan has no place to work. Jesus' last prayer for those who believed in him was that they would be united in the faith (Jn. 17). Every man of God who has ever been sent by God has also longed for the saints to be united in the faith because those godly men had experienced the beauty, liberty, and power that is in God's truth. They knew God's truth would heal the divided body of Christ, and they wanted to see that happen.On the other hand, some men who claim to be sent from God are officially satisfied with the divisions that afflict the saints. One of the first things I was taught in the seminary I attended was that it is a very bad thing for everybody to believe the same doctrine. When I mentioned this in my sermon long ago, Uncle Joe spoke up and said, "It is a bad thing, if it's false doctrine." I guess he had a point. If everybody believed the same wrong doctrine, that would be pretty bad. But Paul and Jesus and other true men of God were speaking of truth, not error.
In a morning chapel program at Oral Roberts University in the fall of 1977, an elder in the Methodist faith was speaking to the students. In an adamant and defiant tone, the foolish man said, "If God were to come down out of heaven and get rid of denominations today, we'd start them back up tomorrow!" He was scoffing at the idea that divisions are evil. He would have agreed with my professor that it is a bad thing for everyone to believe alike.
The reason that Jesus and Paul and other true men of God longed for God's family to have no divisions is that they themselves had fellowship with God. They desired unity among the children of God because God, their Father, wanted it. They knew the truth, and they wanted all others to know it. They were that much like God. The reason that my seminary professor and the Methodist elder spoke highly of division is that their hearts were divided against God. They approved of division among God's saints because Satan, their father, approved of it. They did not know the truth, and so, doctrinal unity did not seem to them to be particularly desirable. They were that much like the devil.
When a man defends division within the body of Christ, he is not speaking on God's behalf. Any time that a man defends sin or any of its effects on the saints, it can only be because there is secret sin living in him. God's men do not talk that way. They exhort God's precious children to embrace holiness and truth, together. They know that Jesus is coming back for a congregation "without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." He would be ashamed to present the saints in their present condition to his Father. That may be why he has not yet returned.
Unity among the saints is the will of God. If Jesus prayed for it, then it must be God's will. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, believe that unity is attainable in this life, and pray for it as Jesus our Lord did. It can happen for us! Satan fears the day when God's children are made one in Christ. But that day will never come so long as Christian ministers are telling the saints that it can't happen in this life, or that God doesn't much care whether it happens or not.
Many have said to God's people that it doesn't matter what doctrine we believe. But the only people who ever say that are those who do not know the truth. When a man tells God's people that it doesn't matter what they believe, he is confessing that what he believes is worthless. Go somewhere else. He has nothing worthwhile to say to anyone about God.
And know this, too. Jesus' prayer that his people be made one will never be answered as long as they remain within the religion of Christianity. Perfect harmony will never be known by God's people inside the white-washed walls of the Christian religion. We must come out if we hope to ever be united. The children of God who truly love God and His family are going to come out of Christianity so that they can be made one. The children of God who refuse His call to come out, preferring the honors and praise of men rather than the honor and praise of God, will suffer great loss. It is the heart-melting love of God that moves Him to call to us all, "Come out of her, My people, that ye partake not of her sins and receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18). He wants to make us one, and He wants that with all His heart!
To remain inside Christianity, the Mother of all Divisions, is sin. Thankfully, our heavenly Father is patient and good to us all. Sometimes, it takes us a long time to understand what He is saying to His children. But as soon as you understand what He is saying, obey His voice! Ask Him to let you know whether or not He wants you to come out of Christianity and be made one with all His children. Ask Him to help you to understand His voice and to give you the courage to obey it. Outside the walls of Christianity are the answers to a thousand of the prayers and hopes of God's children. Outside the walls is Jesus, waiting for you to come.