Spiritual Anarchy in the Remnant

             

Many have recognized that the "church" has conformed to the world, and is indeed in the fallen state that is prophesied in 2 Th 2:3, and have wisely left it in obedience to Rev 18:4. That is the first step toward entering into the Remnant of these end times. However, what we find too often is an undisciplined grouping of people who gather together into cliques based upon agreement of their interpretation of the Word of God. A natural urge to belong to a group, pride and ambition to be seen as more spiritual than others spur them on to ever more condemnation of those seen as less spiritual than themselves. A form of spiritual anarchy ensues, groups aren't anchored by the Word of God any longer, it is used out of context to prove their latest proclamation, but those who stand on the Word to demonstrate the error of their beliefs are at first dismissed with sayings such as "if you can receive it", or "your argument is with God, not me", or generally condescending attitudes. If that doesn't work then more hostile methods are used. Attacking the delusions of these self-proclaimed end time prophets isn't for the faint of heart. Some who see the treatment the dissenter gets from the group will keep their mouths shut and go along to get along. Those who truly wish to be in the end times remnant have to find a proper amount of humility and submit all so-called new revelations to our anchor in this mendacious world: The Holy Bible.

Having left the conformed to the world "church" there is a natural desire to leave behind all its trappings. This is an area where you need not only Holy Spirit discernment, but the Bible, the Word of God as well. The "church" has of course turned the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ upside down. Those that they still actually follow have been turned into opportunities to make merchandise (2 Pe 2:3) of those who remain inside. Water baptism and remembering the Lord's body and blood sacrifice are commanded in the New Covenant, but many will say these things are old covenant, or under the law type things, and want to throw the baby out with the bath water. These self righteous "spiritual" giants will search high and low for perceived "evil", from the story of Jack and Jill to Santa Claus, but ignore the weightier issue of denying the Word of God as the final arbiter in all matters pertaining to the Lord's commandments. For example, if the Word says:

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

or:

Act 10:47  Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Act 10:48  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Then no one should say "water baptism is a lie, or false doctrine", "or of the Law or Old Covenant." And again regarding what is generally known as communion, many of these same regard it too as old Covenant. But the Word of God says:

Luk 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

or:

1Co 11:23 - 26 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

If we are commanded, as the original disciples were, then we do it, we don't spiritualize it away.

Another thing we hear a lot is "it's all spiritual, not physical." The Kingdom of God, is at this present time spiritual, but the believers are physical bodies, flesh. We cannot say to the needy "I'll pray for you and lift you up in my spiritual communion with God" and leave them empty-handed. If we desire to be obedient to the Word of GOD we cannot say to the Lord, "I obeyed you in my spirit," or "I fulfilled it spiritually." Indeed many who have left the worldly "church" can be even more hard-hearted than those still in it. What I see way too much of is the formation of little cyber buildings with love and fellowship for those who agree with them, and mocking and distancing for those that don't.

To amplify the message I'm trying to get across, many of us get what we believe are revelations from God. And many of us have been proven to be wrong about some of the things we used to believe (of course whether we admit it to ourselves is another matter). Does that mean we shouldn't study the Bible? We shouldn't fellowship with others, listen to voices in our heads, or share these revelations? No, it means we must have a firm foundation, a rock to build our faith and beliefs on, and that MUST be the Word of GOD! Not sister Susie or brother Billy, not our long-time friends, or the latest members of our "spiritually superior to you" clique, but again, the Word of GOD! Many who read this may simply dismiss this post and its author as simply spiritually, or even completely ignorant. That's OK with me, when you attack the delusions of a spiritually proud person you can expect a harsh response, but it must be done, regardless whether we offend some, lose friends, or our place in their group. No matter, we defend the Word of God without regard to the personal cost.

Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Water Baptism: a False Doctrine?

Recently water baptism was declared to be "False Doctrine" on a Facebook post. I post the following scriptures not to say that water baptism is superior to baptism by the Holy Spirit, nor do I contend that you can't be saved without receiving it, or to condone the practices of the fallen "church". Regardless of whether what is done in the conformed to the world institutions is Biblical or not, because of their fallen nature all who stay inside of them will eventually be lost.

Water baptism was commanded by the Lord after He'd risen from the dead, and either performed or commanded by His apostles before and after the day of Pentecost. To declare it "False Doctrine" is wrong, and the scriptures below should prove to anyone that it is not Biblically correct to believe so.

Mat 28:18 - 20  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Act 8:12  But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Act 8:36 - 39  And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

Act 10:47 - 48 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

 Act 16:14  And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

Act 16:15  And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

Act 16:32  And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

Act 16:33  And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Act 18:8  And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. 

Act 19:4  Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
Act 19:5  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Act 19:6  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

 

1Co 1:14 - 17  I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Politics and Religion - Don't Judge Me!

There is a brand of religion that's infused with what passes for conservativism in these end days, I refer to it as Fox news Christianity. Followers of this religion tend to twist scriptures to mold them to their political and or personal beliefs. Some examples are a hatred of entitlement programs, like food stamps. Devotees of this mixture of scripture and politics throw out scriptures like if you don't work, you don't eat (2Th 3:10). Most recipients of the food stamp program do work, they just don't earn enough to buy food and pay for all the other inflated bills they have to pay every month. There are many tenets to this religion, too numerous to go into in great detail, suffice it to say followers besides detesting entitlement programs, generally believe that people who don't agree with them are liberals. And to them liberals are socialists, perhaps even communists, worse, they hate their country and most likely God as well.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who mix politics and the Bible from the left or liberal point of view. They can be as opinionated and hostile as the right wingers, except their causes are more like tolerance of homosexuals, more social programs to help the poor, more regulation to protect "us", more political correctness. They too use scriptures to support their line of thinking.

A left/right paradigm exists, the examples above are extremes, but it's all designed to obfuscate the truth and important issues. The truth is usually found somewhere between two extremes. The problem being, when you take up one side or the other, you tend to go the extreme and end up having to support the extreme positions of each side. Thus creating opposition and strife and distraction from the real truth. Divide and conquer, hate, not love, conformity to the world and not to scriptural truths. The truth of the Bible, which instead of being used as God's lamp to our path, is used to justify opinions to harm the other side. Not edification, but self-justification.

We often hear that we should not be judging others and that to point out other's trespasses is hurtful. Use the words of Jesus as your guide:

Mat 18:15 - 17  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Read this post from Junia Mark for more on the "Don't Judge Me" false doctrine so popular today:

“Only God Can Judge Me!”
Have you heard anyone say this lately? A quaint saying made popular by Tupac Shakur back in the day, has now permeated the psyche of those who call themselves “the church.” Holding onto a (false) belief that “freedom in Christ” means “doing whatever I want” without judgment from others within the Body.
This is a lie.
The Scriptures make it clear that “only God can judge” the non-believers, but the Body of Christ is commanded to judge, reprove, and “put away from among” us those within the Church who are living in blatant sin.
“11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” - 1 Corinthians 5:11-13
“3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” - Ephesians 5: 3-12

Well said sister J!

Daniel Mark