| 
|  |
PLEASE NOTE: I DO NOT ENDORSE THE CONTENT OF ANY AD BANNERS (ABOVE) OR POP-UP ADS |
DEFENDING THE CHURCHES WHILE
This article has been written in response to an email I received in which erroneous assumptions were made by an individual who had recently visited my web page. Because of what little the individual actually read of the many articles posted at my site, the individual "took up an offense" on behalf of the churches based upon the false assumption that I am against the churches.
This article is taken from the actual text of my written reply to that email I received. It is a rebuttal to those who feel compelled to write to me with their defense of the churches; this is written to those who think it is necessary to educate me regarding what they feel is my lack of appreciation or respect for the good works being done in the churches by God's people. This text is a written reply to those who feel it is necessary to correct what they themselves have determined is "my low opinion of the churches"
1. What is written about the error in the churches in the articles posted at my site is not based upon my own opinion or personal assessment of the churches either in part or as a whole, but rather what is written in those articles concerns what it has pleased the LORD Himself to reveal, i.e., make known to me regarding His Testimony against us. It is neither my intention nor purpose to attack the churches. The articles were written according to His purposes, in order to: call all the churches (even the ones you perceive to be right and good) to repent.
For instance, in 1986 it was the Lord who gave me a vision of the 7 churches in modern times and it was the LORD who said (not me, HE said:) "the churches are all becoming one, but not in Me"
Therefore, you can write to me to defend the churches and you can argue with me about what I am telling you the Lord has made known to me --or instead of trying to argue and debate with me, you could ask the Lord.
In your own understanding of scripture, you can try to show me how wrong you think I am, and you can use your understanding of scripture to show me how you know the LORD could not possibly have told me these things... and you can even insist that HE could not have meant "all" the churches etc. --or you could humble yourself and ask Him what He is saying in these things. Simply ask Him to take you to His word and show you how in His Sight these things are true; but be sure to ask Him, and not your idol -your own mind!
You have the choice go by what you see and what you know or to inquire of the Lord, asking Him to show you what He means by what He said. (The choice is yours, -please choose wisely. And give Him the time to show you!)
2. The vision the Lord gave me of the seven churches was only one of many visions and dreams it has pleased the Lord to give since He first called me at the age of 10 --at which time He gave me an open vision concerning the Last Days, and concerning things that relate to what you see written in the articles at my web site. And all that it has pleased the Lord to make known to me whether through visions or dreams etc. He has also taken me to His word and by His Spirit has confirmed these things in His word from the Book of Genesis through to the Book of the Revelation of the Lord.
3. What was given to me concerning these things was shown to me at a young age, LONG before I had any knowledge of God -so that I could not say "my idol" -my mind, learned, earned or contrived it.
4. The things discussed on my web pages were revealed to me LONG before I had the opportunity to form any "opinions" regarding any of the churches, either of the churches as a whole or concerning any denomination or parts of the Church.
5. Although I can appreciate your need to defend the churches in response to what you perceive to be an attack, -as you said, in response to my "going after" the churches but
(a) I am not against the churches.
(b) It would be wise to reconsider your defensive position regarding what you believe is "right about the churches" long enough to ask the LORD what He is saying in the articles posted regarding "His testimony against the churches"
(c) It would be wise to ask the LORD to show you how what He is saying in those articles, -if heeded, can be used to bring His people to repentance and to restore the churches "in Spirit and in Truth"
6. I was not sent to tell the churches what is "right about the churches"
Neither was I sent to give my personal opinion about what I may think is right or wrong with the churches, -of any one church or denomination.
7. I was sent with a "Last Call" to all the churches to repent.
I have been sent with the "word of the Lord" to His people regarding His testimony against the churches.
8. It is up to those who hear what He has sent me to say,
(a) to go to Him with those things and
(b) to find out from Him what He wants them to know concerning those things and
(c) to learn from Him how He wants it applied in the churches and in your own life.
9. It is important that my personal denominational affiliation not become an issue; that information has deliberately been left out. It will suffice to say: I'm a born-again, Spirit-filled, fully dunked :-) non-denominational Christian who believes "in the assembling of ourselves together" in the truest sense of the word.
10. From what the Lord has taught me, I do believe that the spiritual order of the word of God supersedes the literal order of man's understanding of the letter of the word.
I do not mean there is no literal fulfillment, but man's "application of the letter of the word" must never be in contradiction of "the Spirit of the word".
Take an example from the email I was sent, regarding what men say is the "assembling of ourselves together":
(a) The assembling of the Body must be in Spirit and in Truth: we are a spiritual building not made with hands. As a spiritual building the individual members must be allowed to function as the Spirit of God wills.
(b) If the eye refuses to see, if the perception of God's people is deceived by those who are "deceived and deceiving many" or if the ear only hears what it wants to hear, or the hand will not move, or if we refuse to be restrained by the Holy Spirit from moving and/or if we will not act according to the purposes of God, then those members are neglecting the assembling of ourselves together.
(c) If because of the stubbornness (idolatry of mind) of the body, men control or resist the moving of the Holy Spirit, then they have become an obstacle to carrying out the ministry "of the Body to the Body" through the members of the Body as HE wills.
That is the true forsaking of the assembling of the Body, --no matter how obedient or submissive we are to our pastor, no matter how much "church" we have or how many people attend our services, we have forsaking the assembling of the members of His Body in the unity of the Spirit.
(d) Conversely, the church is more than "good works". The Spirit of the Word and the Truth of the word must not be forsaken or compromised in the name of tolerance!
11. False teachings of men, oppositions of sciences falsely so-called by which men err in the faith, lead people to self destruction in the name of Gospel Truth.
(a) No matter how many good deeds are done in or by the churches, and even
though these seemingly good or godly things are done in His Name, men are
calling good evil evil good and are altogether occupied in evil even in the midst of
the congregation! Teaching error disguised as truth is the ultimate "forsaking of
the assembling of ourselves together" no matter how many people fill the pews!
(b) If the hand will not move as God intends, -if man does what he wants to do, --even though he may call it God's will and even though man uses fractured scripture to justify himself, and even though men who teach such things may have a stack of credentials to validate their ministries -no matter how nice, kind, gentle and compassionate, no matter how dedicated and sincere, self-willed pastors and false teachers are still in rebellion to God. Through their false teachings many are actually teaching rebellion to the people of God, though they know it not!.
12. If the people follow men in false teachings or in practices that are not of God, and if the people refuse hear correction, -showing loyalty to their church and/or to their pastor and his "anointed" teachings, -if by these things men refuse to hear what the Spirit saith to the churches, -if we refuse to see &/or to be corrected by the Chief Shepherd, then those sheep are forsaking the assembling of ourselves together in the UNITY of the Spirit, --one Body, one Spirit, one Lord.
13. When the ears of God's people hear only what they want to hear and/or when they choose to believe what they are doing is right (a way of a man is right in his own sight) and so refuse to hear then our gathering together to do this is a farce and is a mockery.
(a.) If the people of God refuse to hear with their ears, if having eyes to see, we stubbornly refuse to see, if we refuse to hear any thing that seems negative to us or if we simply reject whatever offends our flesh and/or if we reject the truth by calling it an attack against us, if we choose to interpret what we hear according to our own pre-conceived understanding, instead of humbling ourselves to inquire of the Lord in order to get understanding from Him, -and, if men choose to see things only the way they want to see them, then we are truly honoring Him with our lips only and we are truly forsaking the assembling of the Body even while making a great show of obeying the letter of His word.
14. When the mouth speaks that which man wants to hear ...or is not allowed to speak what God has purposed to speak ...then we have forsaken the assembling of ourselves together as the Spirit wills; and the "Body of Christ" is prevented from being "fitly framed together"...
15. If because of the gospel of self, -if because of the traditions of men or the doctrines of men, the Lord is prevented or hindered from ministering to the body through the members of His Body as He wills, then every joint is not supplying what is most needful to the other joints.
16. If the members of the Body are prevented from fulfilling the ministry to which they are called because of those who are usurping those ministries to themselves... and if the members of the Body are not being allowed to function according to the leading of the Spirit as HE wills, then regardless of how many spaces are filled in the pews, where is the edifying of the Body of itself "in love"?
According to 1John 3:16 the "giving up of self" -is the giving up of our own will and our own ways for the will and ways of the Lord, doing so one for another on "behalf of the brethren" -which allows the true assembling of ourselves together by the Lord, in the Lord, both "in Spirit" and "in Truth" -not just meeting together in buildings according to the letter of the word only.
P.S. Have you read the article posted on my web page regarding true "Holiness Unto the Lord" ?
|
|
| |
This page posted May 31, 1998
Updated April 10, 2003
|