HolyLeaven.org

After Noah’s flood the Bible says 8 people descended the ramp onto an Earth which now had a total human population of 8. All of them knew about God. They had witnessed both His divine judgment and His divine mercy. From these 8 people came all the people of the world and all their nations.

After the confusion of the languages at Babel, the people of the Earth began to divide into various tribes. Again, all of them were descendants of Noah and thus had received information regarding creation and the Holy God who had created all things. Yet, these newly formed people groups began to drift away from God and to create their own idols and religious beliefs. Soon, even the memory of God and His commandments faded away. In their place pagan practices began to be instituted and practiced. People even went so far as to offer their own children as burnt offerings to their imaginary gods and all of these things seemed perfectly normal.

Today we find cultures around the world where people live in such darkness and such a spiritual vacuum they have no memory of Noah’s God or His commands. In fact, a few months ago CNN displayed pictures of a recently discovered tribe living in a remote part of the Amazon Jungle. The aircraft investigating this tribe flew close to the ground to get a good look and as they did, the natives pointed their bows and arrows toward the aircraft as though they were going to shoot it down. Here was a tribe living in huts, scantily dressed, carrying bows and arrows and knowing nothing of God, His Son, or the ways of godliness. The attached article estimated there are about 100 of these uncontacted tribes still remaining in the world. They are pagan in their actions and living completely ignorant of the Creator. Yet they are descendants of godly ancestors.

The account of Noah teaches us many things not the least of which is the possibility people who know God can forget God and become accustomed to the unholy. In Romans 1 the apostle Paul meticulously describes the descent into paganism. In it he describes how descendants of Noah decided they didn’t want to honor God any longer nor obey His commandments. At varying intervals and in different places people began to ignore God and live lascivious lives. Ungodliness became common and the common became normal. They began to invent new religions which justified their immorality and they ceased to mention the God of Noah any longer. In turn, they never taught their children about God and His ways and before long generations grew up completely ignorant of God and godliness.
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient…” (Rom 1:28 KJV)
Listen to the list of the behaviors practiced by these descendants of the man known as the “preacher of righteousness.”
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful…” (Rom 1:24-27, 29-31 KJV)
The ungodly had become accepted and normal

Every year Christian missionary organizations send missionaries to these people, ignorant of God and His ways, to tell them God loves them and wants to save them. Thousands come to Christ and in fact most of us are descendants of pagan peoples who were turned to Christianity centuries ago.
The missionary understands his calling. He is there to be a light and to declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After their conversion he baptizes them and then he begins the process of teaching them to “observe all things whatsoever Jesus has commanded.” This is a daunting task. Their way of looking at things is so different than what Christ taught. As I said earlier, ungodliness has become so common in their culture they think it is normal or natural. They have to be confronted and their minds renewed with the Word of God (Rom. 12:2).
You see this in the epistles of the Apostle Paul. He was the first missionary to the non-Jewish cultures. The people in Corinth, Rome, Athens, Ephesus, etc. were all idolaters and they were commonly involved in all forms of ungodliness.
God had brought them out of idolatry, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, drunkenness, and thievery (See 1 Cor. 6:9-11). When God saved them, they were commanded to turn away from their sins and to abandon an ungodly way of living life. You see, you have to do that with pagans. You don’t change them or their societies by overlooking their ungodly practices. You have to confront them and tell them what they are doing is sin and must be abandoned. You must challenge them to change the way they look at life. If you don’t, you’ll create a Christianity which accepts and practices ungodliness. You will marry idolatrous practices with the Christian message.
Today, we walk in the ways of Christ because someone preached the Gospel to our ancestors and confronted the ungodly lives they were living. We don’t worship idols, involve ourselves in drunkenness and sexual impurity because a Christian minister taught us the right ways of God. Pagans became Christlike.

What does all this have to do with us today? I believe America is drifting away from God and is rapidly becoming a pagan nation. I know people have a tough time accepting that but it is true. Do you know something I have found out about pagans? Pagans don’t know they’re pagans. They think they are acting appropriately. In fact, they actually consider themselves to be bright. Paul wrote, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools… (Rom. 1:21 KJV) Even though their pagan practices have led them to end up with bones in their noses, wearing grass skirts, sacrificing their children, worshipping animals, planets, pieces of metal and carried away with lusts, they think they are cutting edge thinkers.

As a people drift away from God, ungodliness becomes an accepted and every day practice. It starts as unacceptable, then it is tolerated, slowly it becomes acceptable and finally it’s “no big deal” because everyone is doing it or everyone accepts it. In fact, they lose the memory it was ever wrong. Today I believe America has lost the memory of what is godly and what is ungodly.
We can’t imagine ourselves being a pagan nation. We are wealthy, educated, well dressed, and well spoken. We are the base for worldwide missions and the descendants of the pilgrims but pagan is as pagan does.

Among many today, pre-marital sex is considered normal with nearly 70% of young men and women having sex prior to 20 years of age. We hand out condoms in schools, show it as normal on TV, and look at waiting until you’re married as being unrealistic and ridiculous. Couples live together without being married and I find more and more of them who don’t consider it wrong or immoral. They actually don’t think anything about it. We have lost the knowledge of the right ways of God. In Bible times it was unimaginable that a young woman would not be a virgin when she married. In fact, the word used to describe an unmarried woman was “virgin.” They didn’t have two separate words because the two were synonymous. Look how far we have drifted from the Biblical way of thinking!

Here’s another one. We abort babies by the thousands and many believe it is perfectly normal. It is the right of a woman to abort her baby. We use instruments to extract the fetus from the mother’s womb and then discard it as we would a piece of trash. Yet, if an Amazonian tribe did that while wearing their grass skirts and bones in their noses, we would condemn them as pagans. All you have to do is practice it in the U.S. or Europe, in doctor’s scrubs and in a sterile environment and it all changes. What blindness! Then again, pagans don’t realize they’re pagans. They “profess themselves to be wise.”
Homosexuals and lesbians now marry legally and are ordained as ministers of Jesus Christ and yet this all seems perfectly normal to the majority of our society.
We have lost the memory of the abomination. How would the ancient Christian fathers have viewed this? How would our great grandparents have viewed this? We are smarter than them. They were ignorant but we are enlightened. The truth is, people have become reprobate, desensitized to conviction.

Let’s look at divorce and remarriage. About half of our marriages end in divorce, ten times higher than 100 years ago. Our society remarries and very few think anything about it even though Jesus said, “It is adultery.” It has all become so normal, so commonplace. A whole generation has arisen who thinks marriage is disposable and temporary. They think NOTHING of divorce. Now people want to excuse them. People say, “Let them stay in the relationship they were in when they came to Christ. They didn’t know any better or it happened before they got Saved and no one told them marriage is for life.” What hypocrisy! We will fly to Africa and tell the polygamist to abandon his polygamy regardless of the fact he was ignorant as to his sin and the child of parents who were ignorant to the sin. We don’t excuse them and yet when it comes to America we don’t hold ourselves to the same standard. People are ignorant to the fact divorce and remarriage is sin because 75 years ago churches and Christians began to abandon the right ways of God in favor of acceptance. This generation is ignorant of God’s ways because they have been raised to believe a lie. We must demand repentance just as we would any person who came to Christ in ignorance and paganism.
People say, “We used to say divorce and remarriage was sin and must be abandoned but now we know better. We have come to new light.”
I have to ask myself this question: Is society becoming more godly and that’s why these things are changing or is society becoming more ungodly and that’s why these things are changing? Maybe you should ask yourself that question as well. As the “Truth” song says, “Have we fallen to the bottom of a well while thinking we’ve risen to the top of the mountain?” Mainstream Christianity sees revival and I see apostasy.

Missionaries go to pagan countries and they preach the gospel, baptize, and teach them to “observe all things” that Jesus commanded. They have to teach them God’s Word so their minds are renewed. They have to be confronted with their sinful actions. The drunkenness and debauchery has to cease. It the society is to show the fruit of Christian change, hard choices have to be made and lifestyles altered. Sin must be abandoned no matter the cost or inconvenience. It is a painful process but generations to come will bear the fruit of righteousness and will be possessors of the truth. Our forefathers made the lifestyle changes, leaving paganism and passing Christ to us. If paganism is to stop, people must once again make the hard choices to benefit future generations. They must “pluck out their eyes” to save their souls and the souls of their children. Will we conform to this world or will we be transformed and transform the world around us by the renewal of our minds?

• Read More »

Things sure have changed since I was a child. The church service is just one example. Many of you can well remember as I do how we did things. We used to sing from hymnals and every pew had at least one. There was the standard blue book which consisted mostly of hymns in the southern gospel tradition while some churches had the Brown Book which consisted mostly of the more traditional hymns by Charles Wesley and the songwriters of the 1700’s. During song service everyone stood and turned to a certain page and song service was led by one person who stood behind the pulpit. We had very few choruses and there was little talk of praise and its importance.
Somewhere around 1980 things began to change. A single song leader was replaced by a “Praise Team.” The hymnal was replaced by overhead projectors and eventually by computers and video projectors. The songs changed both in content and style. Seminars were held which encouraged us to sing songs directly to God speaking of His glory and majesty. Praise became synonymous with worship. You weren’t worshipping unless you were praising and praise was advanced as the true and principle means of worship.
Today, many if not most churches follow this format. Praise teams lead worship songs while in some churches dance teams worship God with choreographed movements practiced for hours. In other churches young people enthusiastically jump while others freestyle dance with frenzied excitement as a way to express their joy in the Lord. Every song must speak of God’s majesty accompanied by large bands filled with musicians playing enthusiastically. Old hymns (whether traditional or southern gospel) and songs of evangelism (Come Unto Jesus, Now is the Time, Reach Out and Touch the Lord, the Lighthouse, etc) have faded away in place of songs of praise.
Many wars have been fought, mainly between the young and the old, over which style of songs were going to be sung in the church services. Everyone seems to have their preferences. My kids think I’m crazy because I like the old Gaither style of music but I also love “Shout to the Lord, Amazing Love, Blessed Be the Name of the Lord, and just about anything by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.”
Some of you may have assumed by what I have written so far that I am against dancing in church, praise teams, or contemporary songs. None of that is true.
I do believe everything that is done in church ought to be done decently and in order. I do believe some of the “dancing” done in churches is irreverent and more concerned with having fun than glorifying God. However, I have seen some new and beautiful expressions of praise which enhance the church service.
My concern is not with styles or hymns versus choruses but with the shift in what constitutes worship.
Praise is wonderful and Biblical. The largest book in the Bible is a book of praise. Praise and thanksgiving are legitimate ways of expressing love toward God. They are offerings which can be acceptable and well pleasing to God. However, praise at its very best, is not the principle means of worship. Worship is best expressed by a life of purity and consecration to God. The Psalmist said it best when he encouraged us to “Worship the Lord IN THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS.” (Ps. 29:2)
It seems strange to me that today’s “Christianity” does more talking about worship than ever before while at the same time living as unholy as anytime in Christian history.
I find it amazing and alarming that people will go to church and sing all kinds of praise songs, kick off their shoes and dance all over the building then leave service and have sex with their boyfriend or girlfriend, cuss like a sailor, get drunk with their buddies, talk bad about their fellowman, commit adultery with someone else’s spouse and violate God’s commandments in a variety of ways. Brethren, these things ought not so to be.
“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” I believe the Psalmist was inspired to encourage worship of God by purity and the consecration of our lives. In fact, I don’t think God is impressed or blessed by praise which is offered by people who willingly ignore His commandments. People sing “He is Lord” and think God is moved but Jesus said, “Why call ye Me Lord, Lord and do not the things that I say?” (Luke 6:46)
One of the great scriptures used to support the “Praise & Worship Movement” is “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Heb 13:15 KJV) This is indeed a wonderful scriptural admonition to be obeyed, however we must be careful to offer this sacrifice in the manner God has designed for all sacrifices.
In 1 Samuel 15 Saul was sent to destroy the Amorites who had oppressed and murdered their Jewish ancestors as they passed by them on their wilderness journey to the promised land. Saul was told to totally destroy them and their livestock as a judgment from God. You know the story how Saul was rejected by God from being king because Saul disobeyed and returned with the Amorites’ flocks, herds, and their king in tow. The prophet Samuel confronted him upon his return and asked why he had not obeyed God and destroyed the livestock. Saul’s response was that he had brought the animals back to offer as a sacrifice to God. Surely Samuel would see the goodness of his deed. Samuel’s response was very different than Saul had expected and is very telling about how God views sacrifices. “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Sam 15:22 KJV)
Today people bring God the sacrifice of praise. They dance, play, sing, shout and more but they don’t live in obedience to God’s commandments. People need to understand “God would have obedience not sacrifice.” If you’re not going to obey God then don’t think your offerings and sacrifices of praise are any more acceptable to God than Saul’s nor do they impress God.
Jeremiah the prophet lived at a time when his nation was backslid. They were serving various idols, living lascivious lives, and yet they still visited the House of God to bring an occasional offering. Finally God told Jeremiah to go stand at the door of the Temple and wait for the people to bring their offerings. When they arrived Jeremiah told them, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” (Jer 7:21-23 KJV).
In other words, God told them, “Go home and have a barbecue. Eat your offerings and sacrifices yourselves. I don’t want your sacrifices. When I spoke to your forefathers, the essence of My conversation was not about what offerings to bring. I told them to OBEY MY VOICE and then they would be my people.” If the people of Israel were not going to obey God’s commandments then God didn’t want them to bother bringing sacrifices.
I have little doubt God sees it the same way today. If people aren’t going to obey the commandments of God then their sacrifices of dancing, shouting, songs of love and adoration mean nothing to God! Jesus said, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matt 15:7-8 KJV)
How many people gather in churches every Sunday and honor God with their lips while living a life of sin which issues from a heart far from God?
Isaiah had a similar response to Jeremiah’s about service offered without holiness. The people of Israel were suffering for their rebellion. Their country was desolate. Their harvests were small. Their enemies threatened them on every side. In response they set themselves to pray and fast and yet there was still no relief from God. How could God not respond? Didn’t God see them praying and fasting? Surely God would be impressed by their 24 hour prayer chains and 30 day corporate fasts. These are noble practices indeed. Yet God didn’t respond. God didn’t send relief. Isaiah explained why in Isa 58:5-7. “Is it such a fast that I have chosen ? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”
In other words, “If you really want Me to hear you then DO RIGHT, TREAT YOUR BROTHER RIGHT, OBEY MY COMMANDMENTS. If you are not going to do right, then don’t even bother praying and fasting.” Even prayer and fasting are unacceptable if a person does not choose to repent and live right!
Jesus clearly taught this principle in Matthew 23 when He condemned the Pharisees for their long prayers which were offered at the same time they were oppressing widows. Don’t you see the heart and priorities of God. GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED BY WORDS IF OUR LIVES REFLECT REBELLION.
Several years ago, there was a famous television show called “Leave It To Beaver.” One of the characters was a teenage boy named “Eddie Haskel.” Eddie was an expert at flattery. He would do all kinds of bad things and instigate his friends to do the same. Yet, when Mrs. Cleaver came around, he would change his attitude. “You sure do look lovely today Mrs. Cleaver.” His statements were filled with flattery which masked his true intentions and his true behavior. Flattery is insincere and it is used to deceive the recipient. You flatter someone to get what you want. The words don’t come close to conveying your true feelings. Flattery only conveys what you think the person you are speaking to wants to hear. It’s like the husband who wants to go golfing but he is afraid his wife might not approve. He starts out his conversation by saying, “You sure are a good wife.” Any statement like that is usually a signal to the wife that her husband wants something. “What are you after” or “What have you done this time?” Everyone likes to receive praise but flattery can be insulting. It’s almost as though you are questioning my intelligence. “Do you really think I don’t know what you’re really after or what your true intentions are?” I’m afraid praise is nothing more than flattery if it isn’t accompanied by a sincere heart evidenced by pure actions. Do you really think God can’t see through your words of “Praise?” Do you really think He’ll change His mind about sin if you flatter Him enough?
I am tired (and many others with me) of a Christianity which confuses the unbeliever. I’m tired of fraudulent “Christians” who shout their shoes off on Sunday and then live like the devil the rest of the week. They confuse the potential believer and drive them away from God and their lifestyles, done in His name are insulting to God. I am tired of lying, cheating, fornicating, adulterous, immoral, people who attend church and shout their shoes off with no intention of living and walking like Christ. I believe people want to see the real thing!
Why is that people want to give God everything but what He wants? We have lost the principle of worship. He is “worth” more than a few words which are shown to be insincere by the conduct of the one which is speaking them.
It’s easy to praise but worship demands sacrifice. Someone has said, “Talk is cheap.” Another person has said, “Actions speak louder than words.” If you’re sincere about worshipping God do it by offering your life. Live praise and worship. Live in such a way that your words have clout.
Let’s praise Him with music and songs. Let’s praise Him enthusiastically with all our might but let’s praise Him in the beauty of holiness.

• Read More »

Recently I overheard two women having a conversation in which one woman told the other, “You know, she’s the only normal person in that family.” (I was hoping she wasn’t talking about my wife or daughter or mother). It caught my attention because I had been thinking lately about what constituted “normal” human behavior and who decides what normal is? We know there are certain physical traits which constitute “normal.” If you go to the doctor, he will determine whether you are sick by determining whether you meet certain standards of normalcy. For instance, a temperature of 98.6 is normal and if your temperature varies from that number then you are sick. In today’s world of relativity it’s a wonder people haven’t objected and stated, “Don’t tell me I’m sick. What is normal for you may not be normal for me.” When it comes to behavior it definitely happens that way. What is normal for you may not be considered normal by someone else but who defines what constitutes normal human behavior?
When you think about it, Christians should have a ready answer to that question. To Christians the Creator, the manufacturer of human beings, is the one best suited to tell man His intention for His creation and God did just that. He wrote a book dictating it to man by moving on them to record His instructions. He then supernaturally preserved those instructions through the centuries until we have them available to us in the 21st century. We call that book the Bible and it is the “Owner’s manual” or “Instruction Manual” for the humans God created. In it He describes how man was created, His purpose for creating man, and the history of His dealings with man. He even describes how human history will end and His final plans for mankind. Also contained in its pages is God’s description of His design for how man should conduct himself both as an individual and as part of society. God tells us what is normal and He has established what is harmful and healthy. Just as any manufacturer, He puts the following disclaimer – “Any use of this product (human) in a way not intended by the manufacturer will cause serious damage, bodily injury, or death and will result in a voiding of the eternal life warranty.” I’m paraphrasing of course. He said it like this:
“For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom 6:23a ), “…be sure your sin will find you out.” (Num 32:23b), “The soul that sinneth , it shall die.” (Ezek 18:20b) and “You reap what you sow.” (Gal. 6:7). God knows what is best for man and therefore He has set guidelines for man’s behavior. He placed these guidelines in the Bible and established them as the standard of truth, of right and wrong, of normal and abnormal.
You have probably seen one of those old westerns where an old prospector brings in a bag of gold he has panned on his claim. When he takes it into the surveyor’s office, he dumps his bag in one side of a balance. The surveyor then places a weight on the other side of the scale. He may not know what the gold weighs but he knows what the “weight” weighs because it is his standard and when the gold becomes balanced with his weight, he then knows what the gold weighs. He knows this because he has measured it up against his “standard weight.” The Bible is our standard of truth. It is the device Christians use to determine whether something is right or wrong, moral or immoral, normal or abnormal. It is not man’s job to scrutinize the Bible. It is the Bible’s job to scrutinize man. The Bible isn’t right or wrong because man says so. Man is right or wrong because the Bible says so. It is THE truth.
We are a country which was founded on a common understanding of right and wrong based on this “Bible Standard.” It is still commonly referred to as the “Judeo/Christian Ethic.” We were founded with the Bible as our standard of morality and right and wrong but recently we have seen a shift in our country. The Bible is being rejected and replaced as the standard of morality and normalcy. The evidence is all around us.
For example, a few years ago there was a court case which gained national attention because a group successfully sued to have the “Ten Commandments,” which were written on the wall of the local courthouse, taken down. The group alleged that it violated the U.S. Constitution which demanded the “separation of church and state.” However, many recognized the true reason why the 10 Commandments were placed in the courthouse. They were placed there as a reminder of the basis for our moral code of conduct. This explains why many Christians became deeply concerned by their removal. It was seen as a sign of the country’s rejection of God, a rejection of the Bible as our standard of truth, and a change in our standard of ethics. It seems the powers that be have decided to reject the Bible and redefine right and wrong, morality, and normalcy. They have decided to establish a new standard of truth.
What is normal? What is moral? What is right and wrong? Where do we find the answer to that if one doesn’t accept the Bible as the Creator’s Word and instructions? Who’s to say what normal is? I believe a fair portrayal of the world’s new standard of morality can be stated this way: “Every man may do that which is right in his own eyes as long as it is consensual and it doesn’t cause harm to oneself or to others.” There are some “holdover laws or morals” from the old way (the Bible way) of looking at morality but they are gradually being phased out because they don’t fit this new standard. When Christians object to these changes society simply says, “Don’t try to hold us to YOUR sense of morality” or “Don’t judge me!” If we say, “That’s wrong” they simply reply, “Who says?” By the standard of the Bible they are wrong, immoral, and abnormal but by the world’s new standard they are right, moral, and normal.
The church must be prepared and prepare its children to deal with this changing environment and changing standard. Our children and grandchildren are becoming so indoctrinated and accustomed to this new normalcy they can’t understand why mom and dad or the church would think it wasn’t right.
They don’t understand that what seems normal today would have been vulgar to past generations. Behavior which used to be universally condemned is now accepted. Has truth and morality changed? Were past generations wrong for believing these things were immoral and abnormal or were they right and our present society wrong?
In Bible times it was unthinkable to be sexually active before marriage and it was just a few decades ago that sex before marriage was strongly condemned. To become pregnant before marriage was a source of shame. I recently read statistics which said children born to single mothers has increased 700% in the last 45 years. Nearly 40% of all children born in the U.S. today are born to a single mother. These numbers are even more astounding when you consider how many babies of single mothers were aborted during that time period. It is common to have children without being married today but is it normal? I mentioned single parenting but that isn’t the sin. The sin, according to the Bible, is having sex without being married (Fornication). It doesn’t matter whether the woman becomes pregnant or not. The numbers are astounding. Statistics recently released estimate 63% of young people between the ages of 14 & 21 are sexually active. Our children are becoming confused by government sponsored organizations handing out condoms in schools and by Hollywood productions which tell them abstinence is unrealistic. “Pre-marital sex is normal behavior,” they say. Our young people don’t realize society has never viewed things as people today view them. They don’t realize 95% of their grandparents never had sex before marriage. What is normal, what we do today or what our grandparents did during their lifetime?
Divorce and remarriage is common today. People don’t realize Divorce rates were below 5% during the 1800’s. Divorce rates have risen 500% in the last 100 years. Divorce and remarriage is common today as children struggle to adjust to blended families and single parent homes. Divorce and the subsequent remarriage is common but is it normal? They ignore the fact the Bible sets a standard that “…What God hath joined together let not man put asunder.” (Matt. 19:6b)
Today, homosexuality is promoted as an alternate lifestyle but it hasn’t been viewed that way in western culture in all the centuries since the introduction of Christianity. Can you imagine the reaction of U.S. society 100 years ago if you would have told them homosexuals in 2008 would now be getting legally married, adopting children, joining churches and filling pulpits? They would have thought you had lost your mind or they would have said, “The end of the world is come.” It was uncommon then but it is common today. The real question is, “Is it normal?”
Our children, our churches, our families and our friends must all come to understand, “BECAUSE SOMETHING IS COMMON DOESN’T MEAN IT IS NORMAL.” Society is convincing the next generation that if it is commonly accepted and practiced then it must be right. Has normal changed or have we become an abnormal society.
It is even more confusing because many churches refuse to stand up for the right. They simply bend with society and change to meet “today’s world.” False churches and false ministers have adopted the world’s standard as the Bible of their new Christianity. They redefine the teachings of Christ to fit this standard. Out of their evil imaginations they have constructed a new Jesus for their idolatrous Christianity.
God has never run His Kingdom as a democracy. He doesn’t take votes and then change His laws. There can be no bill introduced, petition circulated, or amendment made to His constitution. His is a MONARCHY and what the King decrees is the law we must all live by. If you don’t want to be a part of His kingdom, then live as you please but don’t claim to be a part of His kingdom while refusing to embrace His laws and, by all means, don’t put words in God’s mouth.
I said earlier that the world’s standard for morality can best be described this way: “Every man may do that which is right in his own eyes as long as it is consensual and it doesn’t cause harm to oneself or others.”
They say this but Harm is hard to define. Harm is sometimes more difficult to see because it may be mental and emotional or it may not manifest itself for many years. God didn’t make up His laws to restrict the good times of man but because He knew what damage these behaviors could have on the man He had created. Man can only see the present, they can only see the physical but God can see the future and God can see the soul. Some behavior may not have physical consequences but they can damage the emotions, the soul, and the spirit of the man. Who can see the scars of the abandoned wife, husband, or child? Who can see the scars of the sexually promiscuous? They are there and we see people victimized all the time. God saw these consequences and condemned the actions that caused such heartache as sinful or illegal.
God set a standard for behavior and you can’t take away one without it damaging the whole. God set a standard for family and sexuality and when these standards are ignored it does temporal and eternal damage to those involved. For example - God designed marriage to be between 1 man and 1 woman for life. The world has tried to tamper with God’s design and the results continue to be devastating. They started out by ignoring the fact marriage is for life and divorce has scarred the lives of many. Couples go into marriage thinking it is a trial period. “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just get rid of this one and get me another.” Divorce and remarriage is now the new normal. They don’t consider the consequences to them, their children, or generations to come. There is no commitment, no submission to each other, and no communicating to work things out. There is a loss of the trust and security designed for marriage. There is the loss of security and parental nurturing for the children. In the end it passes a pattern on to future generations to view marriage as temporary and so it becomes self-perpetuating.
Having established this change, someone else came along and decided, “Well if it isn’t 1 man and 1 woman FOR LIFE, then maybe it doesn’t have to be a MAN and a WOMAN. Maybe it can be a MAN and a MAN or a WOMAN and a WOMAN.” With that in mind the new normal is homosexuality. “It isn’t wrong, it is an alternate lifestyle. It isn’t abnormal. It is simply another form of normal.” Now the Supreme Court of California has decided it is illegal to prevent homosexuals from marrying. Others propose making it a hate crime to call it abnormal or sinful. Has normal changed? Why did the generations of the last several centuries condemn such lifestyles as immoral but today’s society calls it normal? Are we smarter and wiser or have we become an immoral society?
I have been both amused and saddened by the events taking place in Texas with the Polygamist sect. I have been saddened by the evidence it gives to the dire straits our society is in and I have been amused as I watch the promoters of the “New Normal” trying to deal with polygamy. You can tell they want to say, “Those people are wrong and they need to be stopped” but they also see how they have boxed themselves in with their doctrine of the “New Normal.” How can they say those people are wrong? If the women consent to being one of many wives, then how can they tell them it is wrong based on their STANDARD OF THE NEW NORMAL? Remember the standard is “Every man may do that which is right in his own eyes as long as it is consensual and it doesn’t cause harm to oneself or others.”
If the women consent to being one of many then how can the supporters of the new morality tell them they are wrong? If they do tell them they are wrong, what is the standard they are basing that on? How can you say they are immoral but say gay marriage is moral? If they say polygamy does emotional harm to them or their children then those who hold to the old standard of truth (the Bible) can say homosexual unions cause emotional harm to them and their children. Thus, they have to be silent.
The “New Normal” crowd has even tried to say these polygamists have broken the U.S. law forbidding polygamy (They conveniently want to use a holdover law from the days when the Bible was the standard of right and wrong). However, the Texans have an answer to that law which shows the depths of our moral breakdown. They simply have replied, “We’re not married according to the law and we know it. According to the laws of the United States we are simply living together and there is no law against living together.” Think about it. If a man convinced 10 women to cohabitate with him, there is no law against that. There is only a law against him being married to more than one woman at a time. Now what do you tell them? If a man wants to live with 5 women, if he wants to have children with them, etc then he can do that as long as he doesn’t legally marry more than one of them. The lax view of pre-marital sex makes it inevitable that the laws against polygamy will come tumbling down. They will have to change the law on polygamy in order to be faithful to their new standard of truth and to defend the “New Normal.” Mark my word it will not be long before polygamy is legalized.
Recently, I thought I had come up with a full proof way of confronting the “New Normal” crowd. I recently told a minister friend I was going to ask them why incest is against the law. Let’s say it is consensual, they’re of age, and does no apparent harm any more than these other things. Why is it illegal? Surely they would see the error of their ways when confronted with such an unnatural possibility. However, my friend shocked me when he responded, “You’re wrong. You think pointing out that inconsistency will cause them to change? They won’t change. They will simply legalize incest.” Brothers and sisters will marry. Fathers and daughters, mothers and sons will be free to marry. You say, “Now you’re being ridiculous!” Am I? Incest has already been legalized in Argentina, Brazil, France, Japan, and more. Consider also this petition now circulating in the USA:
We, the undersigned, call on the USA to remove the umbrella law forbidding interfamily unions
The Law should be changed regarding the “consensual” relations of related persons. Any person 18 or older should be able to choose whom they want a relationship with, without fear of prosecution. Brother-Sister, Cousins, etc. (1/2, full, or by marriage.) sexual relations should be permitted as long as both parties consent to it and are of legal age. Other peoples morals should not be allowed to dictate law. (Source - http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/change-the-incest-sexual-assault-law-ii.html)
Imagine what it will be like for a child to say “This is my daddy-uncle” or “This is my mommy-aunt” or this is my grandpa-daddy.” How are those who hold to this new standard of morality going to say it is wrong? THERE IS NO WAY FOR THEM TO SAY IT IS WRONG? They condemn Christians for saying homosexuality is abnormal and immoral. How could they condemn incest as unnatural and immoral without appearing hypocritical? Will they try to condemn it for being physically risky or based on the physical restraints of breeding? How could they do that without being hypocritical when the same arguments could be made about homosexuality which they condone?
And onward we spiral. You pull out one thread from the tapestry of God’s laws and watch society morally breakdown. Instead of correcting their mistake, they let it progress to the next mistake and the next and the next.
My concern is not with U.S. law. My desire is to clearly convey the Gospel of Jesus Christ and part of that message has to do with defining sin so the sinful know to flee to the source of Salvation. If people choose to live in a way that is “Non-Christian” that is their choice. I’m not going to protest them or hate them in any way. I simply want people to know, “If you’re going to become a Christian, then you must acknowledge your sins.” If you try to redefine them and cling to them you cannot find forgiveness from God or enjoy everlasting life. As much as God loves you, He will judge you and you will be lost forever.” People need to hear, my children need to hear, the clear Gospel message of Salvation. They need to know what sin is, the “wages of sin,” and the gift of God to those who will repent.
The great sin of today’s society is not adultery, fornication, homosexuality or other illicit sexual behaviors. The great sin of today’s society is the redefining of sin and the redefining of Jesus which leads people away from doing what is necessary to be Saved. It is one thing to refuse Salvation and it is another to pervert the right ways of God and hinder others from Repentance.
The church must be prepared and prepare its children to deal with this changing environment and changing standard. They must be taught we are living in a pagan society. We need to assure them that people in the U.S. didn’t always act this way. Society has changed but the truth has not changed. They must learn not to base their belief system on what is common but on what the Bible says. Rom 13:11-12 says, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”
2 Cor 6:17-18 says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

• Read More »

Recently our local church experienced a small fire in one of the Sunday school rooms. Fortunately it was caught before it could do a lot of damage. Because the local fire department had to come out, there was an investigation to see what caused the fire. This is typical. When a building burns to the ground a “Fire Inspector” will be called in to determine the cause of the fire. He will want to know whether it was accidental or intentional and then he will want to know the catalyst or what caused the fire to erupt. He may do this to assign blame or he may do it so that preventive measures can be enacted to make sure such a disaster doesn’t occur again. One of the first priorities of the investigator is to find the “flashpoint.” The “flashpoint” is the place at which the fire erupted or where it began. He can determine a lot about the fire by finding where it started. Christianity today is in trouble. A devastating fire of heresy and apostasy is destroying organization after organization. Sadly, even the church to which I belong is in trouble. Where did it all begin? What was the flashpoint for this fire now devouring western Christianity? I think it is imperative we investigate and find it.
Some people have questioned why many of us in the Church of God of Prophecy have been so caught up with the doctrine of “Divorce and Remarriage.” After all, they say, “There are lots of other sins for you to speak about.” Clearly, it is not because we believe it is the biggest sin or the only sin. Actually, there are other sins I personally find more distasteful and disgusting like child molestation and rape (All sin should be disgusting to the child of God). I don’t see myself as calloused or uncaring toward those involved in Divorce and Remarriage. In fact, my heart goes out to them. No, it’s not because we see it as worse than other sins but I believe we focus on “Divorce and Remarriage” because we believe it is the flashpoint from which this devastating fire of apostasy has spread.
Of course I believe there were problems leading up to this change but I believe they were all leading us down the dark road to this one devastating misstep. For example, in a fire, the flashpoint may be in the attic where a broken wire arced and caught paper on fire. Yet, there may have been months or years of friction against that wire that caused it to snap. Even so, it was the actual snapping of the wire which caused the fire. No doubt, there have been shifts in our attitudes toward success and a spirit of compromise which have brought us to the flashpoint but I believe the fire actually started when we, as well as other organizations, decided to change this doctrine. (Before you write me off, call me a legalist, and stop reading, hear me out).
One of the major rationales for changing the doctrine on Divorce and Remarriage was that God forgives a person when they get Saved. He remembers there sins no more. No one can logically argue that point but they stop there. Instead of seeing abandonment of the sin as a prerequisite for forgiveness they rationalize a way for them to continue in the sin for which they are being forgiven. In other words, they go from God simply forgiving their sin to God now signing off on their continuation in that sin. In fact, one dare not say they have to leave that situation. You can’t even bring it up because it is now forgiven.
Some have said, “You treat Divorce and Remarriage like it is an unpardonable sin but the Bible says blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the only unpardonable sin.” This is true in the right context. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the only sin for which you can do nothing to secure forgiveness. There’s no prayer you can pray (I personally believe the blasphemer rarely if ever seeks forgiveness but is reprobate), and ceasing it doesn’t secure forgiveness. That being said, there are many sins which are unpardonable. For instance, God won’t pardon someone who refuses to accept Christ as his Saviour and He won’t forgive anyone who doesn’t repent. IN THE SAME MANNER, ANY SIN WHICH A PERSON REFUSES TO FORSAKE REMAINS UNPARDONED (Pro. 28:13). We’re not singling out Divorce and remarriage. We’re just holding it to the same standard as all other sins.
You see our recent change regarding Divorce and Remarriage wasn’t simply a change in our teachings regarding marriage but it was a change in our doctrine concerning Salvation. By accepting the Salvation of those in Divorce and Remarriage without their decision to leave that sin, we must (for the sake of consistency) accept a Salvation which does not require a person to abandon any sin. Our intent may have only been to allow those in a Divorce and Remarriage situations to become members of the organization but by accepting them, even when they don’t choose to abandon their sins, we have started a fire which is destroying our organization and distorting and rendering impotent the gospel message itself.
We aren’t singling out Divorce and Remarriage as a sin above all others. The truth is those on the opposite side of the issue are singling it out. They wouldn’t dream of telling the child molester, rapist, the man cheating on his spouse, etc that they could continue in their sin after Salvation but when it comes to Divorce and Remarriage, they change the rules. Why do they single out Divorce and Remarriage? Such inconsistency gives evidence of bad theology
I first noticed this change in our view of Salvation in 2004. During a Pre-Assembly meeting we were discussing the removal of all pre-requisites for membership except that a person was a Christian. This made sense but when we began to discuss it a MAJOR problem began to surface. Noticing this, I came to the microphone to voice my concerns. I said, “Brothers, it seems our difference is not ‘What are the pre-requisites for membership?’ but we have a much more serious problem. We don’t seem to agree on what constitutes Salvation. We don’t agree on the pre-requisites for Salvation itself.” While I agree with the committee in stating Salvation is the only pre-requisite for membership, I don’t agree with them that someone can be Saved without agreeing to abandon all sin. Although one may not know every detail about how to live when they get Saved, I do believe their decision to become a Christian must include a rejection and detestation of ALL sin and an agreement to walk away from their sin. This is not only a pre-requisite but an evidence of Salvation.
Some have justified our change by saying “Well we all have things God is working with us on to do better. How can we single out those in Divorce and Remarriage and say we are not going to accept them until they agree to abandon that sin.” Others have said, “We have had backbiters and gossips in the church for years and now we’re going to stop those in Divorce and Remarriage from becoming members?” Can you believe any Christian would defend their position by saying, “Don’t keep out any sin because we all have some sin?” Do you understand the implications of such a position? In their zeal to open the doors of the church to those in Divorce and Remarriage they have adopted a position which, in order to be consistent, must allow all sin. We can no longer refuse membership to the homosexual, the polygamist, etc because we have set a standard that rejection of sin is not a requirement for justification. We can say Divorce and Remarriage is not a sin (I don’t agree) therefore you don’t have to abandon it but you can’t say it is a sin but you don’t have to abandon it without setting a dangerous precedent.
“Well, you have people in your church who are backbiters and gossips.” That may be true but I have never had someone stand in front of me and say, “Pastor I’m a backbiter and a gossip. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with being a backbiter and gossip and furthermore I don’t intend to stop backbiting and gossiping but I still want you to take me in as a member of the church.” If they would have, I would have obviously refused. Yet, this is exactly what some are proposing and practicing in regards to Divorce and Remarriage. Here are people who say, “I’m an adulterer. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with adultery and furthermore I don’t intend to stop committing adultery. Make me a member.” As absurd as it sounds, ministers agree to this and take them into the local church as members. This sets a precedent and redefines Salvation. There is a VAST difference between sinners creeping into the church “unawares” and sinners being openly commended and accepted as children of God.
Some will say, “I would never take in people who are sinners. I just feel Divorce and Remarriage is different.” How is it different? It is either sin or it isn’t. If it is, then hold it to the same standard as other sins.
I have confronted some with this inconsistency and instead of repenting of an unreasonable and absurd stand they continue to support their stand to the point of saying, “Well maybe we shouldn’t oppose any sin. Who says you have to abandon sin in order to be Saved anyway?” So the fire begins and so it rages out of control. One simple change in the definition and a whole standard of Repentance falls to the ground. Instead of stubbornly defending an obviously false teaching, doesn’t it make more sense to reject it as incorrect?
Perhaps the devil used this issue as the flashpoint because he knew the delicate nature of a person’s emotional attachments would make it difficult to confront. Perhaps he reasoned, “They’ll have trouble with this one because it involves people’s most intimate feelings.” Perhaps Satan thought, “They won’t fight this change because it is so prevalent and it will damage their ability to be successful numerically and everyone hungers for success.” Perhaps it was a combination of all of these things. No matter his reasoning he used it and many have fallen into his snare. One by one organizations have taken the bait and now general Christianity is filled with all kinds of sin. We can no longer tell the difference between the sinners and the saints. The floodgate is open and Heaven only knows where it will end.
You think this is all fanciful imaginations that won’t come true? On June 15, 2006 Larry King did a show discussing the battle within the Episcopalian church regarding the ordination of homosexuals. (The transcript is available online at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/lkl.html) Along with Episcopalian ministers which agreed with the change, Mr. King had invited some of their ministers who did not agree with the changes. In addition there was a reporter by the name of Andrew Sullivan. At one point Mr. Sullivan pointed out an inconsistency in the argument of those who opposed the sin of homosexuality. His argument centered on the Episcopal Church’s acceptance of divorce while rejecting homosexuality. He said, “It’s not that Jesus said little about homosexuality, he said nothing about homosexuality. The only thing he did say was that divorce was impossible and, of course, without a divorce, the Episcopalian church would not exist at all.” I believe his point was that the church could not reject homosexuality while at the same time accepting the legitimacy of divorce when Jesus specifically taught against divorce (specifically its inability to dissolve a marriage) and yet He said nothing about homosexuality. In fact, he seemed to be saying it was hypocritical to accept the legitimacy of divorce while rejecting homosexuality. Unwittingly he had identified the flashpoint of the fire destroying the Christian message in America. While his conclusion was that the Episcopal Church should accept homosexuals in order to be consistent, I believe the opposite conclusion is true. I believe we should reject Divorce and Remarriage in order to be consistent.
A minister told me recently of a conversation he had had with the member of an organization who was bemoaning their fall into apostasy. The man told him, “Our fall began with the change we made on Divorce and Remarriage.” He realized their rationale for accepting Divorce and Remarriage became the rationale for accepting all sin. It became the flashpoint for the fire which was destroying their organization.
Even now the fire rages. I have no unrealistic dreams of extinguishing the fire. I only want to awaken as many as I can before they and their families are devoured. Stand fast for truth. Don’t be fooled and if you already have been fooled, re-examine your beliefs.

• Read More »

“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump…”( 1 Cor 5:6-7 KJV)

Some of you may be wondering why I chose “Holy Leaven” as the title for my newsletter. Throughout scripture leaven was used to describe something that had a contagious affect. If you put leaven in a lump of dough, before long it will affect the whole lump. In scripture leaven represented the spread of something evil, corrupting the good or it could represent something good, healing all that had been corrupted.

False doctrine or a false attitude concerning sin was described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 as a leaven which, if not removed, could soon affect the whole church. In that chapter he speaks of a young man in the Corinthian church who had taken his father’s wife and married her. Most Bible scholars believe it was his step mother because of the way it is stated (father’s wife). This was unimaginable even among pagan societies. To steal another man’s wife was considered appalling but this young man had stolen his father’s wife and that was unimaginable. The implication is that the young man had continued to pass himself off as a “brother in Christ” a fellow believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly the Corinthian church had accepted this illegitimate relationship or at least they had done nothing to confront its impropriety. Sure Paul was concerned for the spiritual well being of this man and woman. His call to action had, as its goal, the Salvation of their souls. However, it was even more important to Paul that the Corinthians deal with their attitudes toward sin. If the church at Corinth began to look at sin as being harmless, or treat it as harmless, then sin and this unholy attitude would soon infect the whole church. For instance, if the church treated this sin as acceptable, it would soon be accepted by others in the congregation and they would question the sanctity of marriage. They may even question the seriousness of sin itself. This was an assault on the doctrines of holiness, godliness, and purity. It wasn’t just this particular sin but their attitude toward sin in general which concerned Paul. There needed to be clear-cut boundaries of appropriate Christian behavior or soon others would be emboldened to live sinfully and holiness or purity of life would soon disappear from the personality and teachings of the church. Let it go without dealing with it and it will spread until it has corrupted the whole church. The sin of this couple threatened their souls but the attitude of the church toward their sins threatened the entire church and the integrity of the Gospel. Soon there would be no need for forgiveness because nothing would be sin. There would be no need to preach purity or holiness because nothing would be impure and nothing would be unholy. There would be no need to preach Salvation for there would be nothing from which to be saved.
Today it is not sin in the church that is the major problem but the church’s attitude toward sin. Sin destroys individuals. An acceptance of sin is the unholy leaven which destroys whole churches.
Like a cancer left untreated, false doctrine and tolerance for sin will spread until it kills the body or at least whole sections of the body. Paul warned of this in 2 Tim 2:17a, “And their word will eat as doth a canker (gangrene)…” Once false doctrine and unholy attitudes enter a congregation it will spell the doom of the whole if it isn’t removed. I’m sure the church at Corinth thought they were being patient. I’m sure their tolerance expressed a desire on their part not to offend. Whatever the reasons, sin was continuing to be practiced and this needed to change before the whole local church was destroyed.
First Corinthians, chapter 5 is despised by the Pseudo-Christians of today. The idea of church discipline and dealing with sin is unpalatable to them. Whenever this scripture is brought up they have no answer but to say, “Here we go again” or to hurl some insult. The fact is, it is there and it goes against modern Christianity because modern Christianity is wrong. Pseudo-Christianity tolerates sin but true Christianity demands repentance. Pseudo-Christianity continues t call them brothers but real Christianity says, “Their attitude toward sin displays the characteristics of another father.”
Paul goes on to say in this chapter, “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.” (I Cor 5:11 KJV) Paul believed those who called themselves a brother should conduct themselves as a child of God and if they refused, fellowship should be withdrawn. Today, sinners are welcomed, not simply to come and hear the gospel (That’s wonderful and Biblical), but as fellow Christians. They’re just “sinning Christians” who need to be worked with. In reality they are sinners who need to be worked with. We take them into our fellowships but Paul was putting them out. I wonder who is wrong. Can you imagine someone going to a church today and telling them to withdraw fellowship from homosexuals who claim to be Christians? Can you imagine someone telling an organization to withdraw fellowship from wife stealers who claim to be Christians? Can you imagine the reaction to someone who implies withdrawing fellowship from any professing Christian who is still sinning? You’d be run out of town on a rail. You would be ridiculed as a legalist, as judgmental, as intolerant and unloving. Yet, this was the New Testament practice. Again I wonder, “Who is wrong?” “Well we have all kinds of sin in church and we don’t deal with it. Why are we singling out adulterers, fornicators, etc?” I don’t know. Why did Paul? (“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 idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one know not to eat.” (I Cor 5:11 KJV) You see it sounds good to say “Well, we all have things we’re dealing with so we shouldn’t judge” but Paul did and he told the Corinthians to do the same. I could go into detail to explain why this is so but there is no need. The fact is it happened. If we are going to follow the instructions of scripture then we have to say this Pseudo-sympathy and Pseudo-humility is incorrect. If anyone should be explaining themselves it should be the ones who refuse to follow the Biblical pattern. “How does your practice of receiving the unrepentant fit into the context of 1 Corinthians 5?”
These Pseudo-Christians promote unity among churches but they do it at the expense of doctrine and truth. We can reject someone for membership in our organization and they can join a local church in another organization. WE then hold hands with the people of that organization and sing “Bind us Together” or “You’re my brother, You’re my sister to Take Me by the Hand.” What nonsense! Can you imagine this man from 1 Corinthians 5 leaving the church there and going to Ephesus and being welcomed as a member with his illegitimate spouse? Do you really believe Paul would have accepted such an arrangement? “Well, I know I told the people at Corinth to withdraw fellowship from you but now that you’re in Ephesus you’re okay and they can do what they want.” What utter nonsense! Let the Bible speak and yield to its truth. If our practices don’t match the scripture then we are wrong.
We tolerate sin and it spreads. We refuse to judge false doctrine and it gets worse. The “Don’t Judge” misinterpretation of scripture has been so damaging to the church I can scarce express it. The church is the “pillar and ground of the truth” (I Tim 3:15) but these attitudes have chipped away at the pillars threatening the integrity of the structure. We call for unity at the cost of truth and few seem to notice. Just exactly like the times leading up to the judgment of the Jews in the OT “Truth is fallen in the street” (Isa 59:14). Truth has become a casualty of war. When the pursuit of the truth disappears false doctrine spreads and fills the void like an unholy leaven.
Unholy leaven is corrupting the whole church and it must be confronted. That’s where Holy Leaven comes in. Good can spread as easily as evil. Truth can spread as easily as a lie. Jesus uses leaven to express the spread of His Kingdom. “Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Matt 13:33 KJV) Jesus gave the gospel to a few and they took it to others and eventually it spread to the “uttermost parts of the earth”. Everywhere the kingdom of God went it pushed away the kingdom of darkness. Like the invading allied forces landing at Normandy, Christ and His apostles established a beachhead which eventually became a full scale invasion spreading throughout enemy territories and liberating the oppressed. It is my desire that God would rally the forces of good for an assault against Satan’s kingdom. Let light confront the darkness. Let holy leaven counteract the leaven of false doctrine.
Somehow we must rally together to confront this threat. This mentality, this false doctrine, this pseudo-Christianity is threatening our families and friends. Many of them have already succumbed to its influence. Our young ministers have gone to seminaries and have been infected. They have returned and infected leaders and in some cases have become leaders. They have become cupbearers for the harlot church distributing her poison. They are infected and contagious. Confront them. WE must confront them.
We must inject the body with the antidote of truth. Paul warned Timothy of the coming rise of false Christianity, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.” However, Paul didn’t leave him with the antidote, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Tim 4:2 KJV)
The Word of God is the Holy Leaven and we must share it with the world and confront false doctrine with the true doctrine. We must return to preaching holiness, purity, and godliness. We must hold up the Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God. We are the “salt of the earth” but if we lose our savor we are good for nothing. If we don’t hold forth the truth we have lost what we were created and placed here for. Shine the light of truth. This is no time to hide under a bushel. AS Longfellow wrote, “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail…” Unholy leaven can never stand before the holy leaven of God’s truth.
I am looking for Gideon’s 300 who will hear the call of the trumpet and rally to confront the bulging forces of darkness. Spread the truth. Talk to those who are teetering on the brink. Share the Holy leaven of God’s Word.

• Read More »

“Repent ye therefore and be converted…” (Acts 3:19)
Repentance has been a doctrine of the church since its inception 2000 years ago. When John the Baptist, the culmination of the law and the prophets, stepped out on the banks of the Jordan River to introduce the arriving Christ, his message was “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2) As Christ began His earthly ministry His message was the same, “Repent ye for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17) It was Peter’s message on Pentecost (Acts 2:38). It was Paul’s message to the Athenians where he goes so far as to say God “COMMANDETH all men everywhere to REPENT.” (Acts 17:30) The writer of Hebrews names it first on his list of the “Principle doctrines of Christ.” (Heb. 6:1) Yet today Repentance is under assault. This vital doctrine has been distorted and left impotent by the ministers of “Psuedo-Christianity.”
Its presence as a principle New Testament doctrine is undeniable, so it would be impossible for these deceivers to say there is no doctrine of repentance. That being the case, the enemy has sought to redefine repentance in an effort to take away its power and lead the ignorant and lascivious to their doom.
In all the years I have been serving Christ (40 years) and in all my years as a minister (27 years) I have never heard repentance taught as it is being taught today. Repentance has always meant to “do an about face.” It is the decision of the sinner to turn from his sins and rebellion and unto Christ as Saviour and Lord. This is no longer the meaning today. Today it has nothing to do with one’s attitude toward sin but only their attitude toward Christ. This modern “Psuedo-repentance” calls only for the sinner to accept Christ’s sacrifice for their sins. The sinner is simply to turn from not accepting Christ as Saviour to accepting Christ as Saviour. “Behavior”, these peddlers of lasciviousness claim, “is not related to one’s Salvation.”
It should first be noted the defense of such a definition implodes upon itself with little scrutiny. How can one turn to Christ as Lord and yet not agree to do what He has said? I absolutely reject the idea one can turn to Christ and confess Him as Lord without agreeing to obey His commandments. Jesus said, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord and do not the things that I say.” (Luke 6:46) Jesus points out the inconsistency of calling Him or anyone else, “Lord” or “Master” while at the same time refusing to obey them. Lordship is about rulership and to call someone your ruler without allowing them to rule is absurd. Jesus said again, “Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in Heaven.” (Matt. 7:21) Why? Because it is not calling Him Lord that matters but receiving Him as Lord that matters. God judges not just what is said by an individual but it is their heart and their accompanying actions that matter.
How can turning to Christ not involve the decision to turn from the life of sin and disobedience to an embracing of holiness and submission? “Oh they’ve turned to Christ. They just haven’t agreed to stop sinning yet but we’re working with them on that.” Listen, if they haven’t agreed to stop sinning they haven’t turned to Christ! Today ministers claim people have repented who refuse to cease their sins. The homosexual is a child of God who just hasn’t decided yet to give up his homosexuality. People have sex outside of marriage, cheat on their spouse, drink, curse, etc and yet they’re called a child of God. “We’re working with them to stop these things.”
It started in the COGOP when we were discussing the Divorce and Remarriage issue. In an attempt to gain acceptance of those who have been divorced and remarried as members of the church people had to redefine Repentance. “How can we say they have repented if they’re still with someone who is not their spouse?” The old traditional interpretation of Repentance would suggest they had to abandon the sin for which they were asking forgiveness. Since that wouldn’t work, there were those who promoted a new definition of repentance which didn’t require a decision to turn from one’s sins but to only turn to Christ as Saviour.
I’ve noticed another strange thing. Repentance is no longer taught as a definitive act on the part of a sinner but as a progressive work. I’ve heard of the doctrine of “Progressive Sanctification” but now people are teaching the new doctrine of “Progressive Repentance.” Progressive Sanctification seems to teach a person grows into the image of Christ over a period of time as they learn about all that Christ is and taught. Others use different terminology calling it “Perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Progressive Repentance, on the other hand, says a person DECIDES over a period of time to turn from their sin. In other words they say, “I’ve decided to abandon these sins right now but there are a few I’ll decide about later.” They don’t definitively decide to reject all sin just some of sins. In other words, they progressively repent. Because people have come to measure success by the number of people who join their churches, many have begun to accept this progressive repentance. Oh I know a person may be ignorant of some things when they get Saved but the decision has already been made in the heart of the true convert that they are abandoning all sin and will abandon anything they may learn is sinful in the future. Knowledge is progressive but not Repentance.
Another fact that should be pointed out is that a truly regenerate person doesn’t have to be talked into living right. It is in their regenerate heart to live right. How can we say a person has been “Born Again” by the Holy Spirit while at the same time they say, “I have no intention of changing?” I’ve heard people say, “Well, I know what they’re doing is sin but I believe they’re Saved and we’re going to work with them.” Oh I absolutely think they should work with them. However, they are mistaken to say they are Saved. The person they’re working with is not a convert. They’re working with someone to become a convert. They’re not working with a repentant person but with an unrepentant person to get them to repent! Repentance hasn’t occurred until a person decides to reject the old life completely. We used to have altar calls and the singers would sing “I Surrender All.” I guess now we’re going to have altar calls and sing “I Surrender Some.” “Now Bro. Sullivan, God doesn’t demand us to be perfect to be Saved.” That’s true but He does demand that everyone commit to turning from ALL sin. In other words, I may not know everything God demands from me but I do agree to walk in the light of God’s Word to the best of my knowledge and ability.” (Incidentally, that is not just a requirement for membership. It is a requirement for Salvation.) How can I receive Christ as Lord without saying that in my heart? Some will say, “That’s true but these people don’t believe what they’re doing is sin.” So what? That’s what the church is for. Churches say “Sin is bad.” “You are a sinner.” “The wage of sin is death.” In response people say, “What is sin?” Pseudo-Christianity responds, “Well, you’ll have to figure that out on your own.” Where are the churches that have enough backbone to say, “The Bible says what you are doing is sin and if you refuse to abandon that sin then you are refusing the Lordship of Jesus Christ and you cannot be a Christian until you accept His Lordship and decide to live in obedience to Him.”
People love sin yet they want eternal life. “Let me continue my sin and I’ll become a Christian.” In response “Pseudo-Christianity” has dispatched heaps of ministers to scratch their ears. “You can have eternal life without abandoning your sins. Live as your sinful flesh pleases and just accept Jesus as your Saviour. Call Jesus Lord but don’t worry about actually making Him your Lord.” People buy into their lies. They mistakenly believe this redefined repentance is acceptable to God. The lascivious invest their souls in the promises of this false gospel. The promoters of this new repentance promise them Heaven but they sentence them to Hell.
Scripture is clear, God is “ready to pardon” but He won’t pardon those who don’t confess their sins and agree to repent of their sins. I’ve never known of a government anywhere which offered a criminal a pardon for a crime he refused to abandon. “Governor I want you to pardon me for robbing banks. Now I’m not going to stop robbing banks. In fact, when I leave your office I’m going down the street and rob your bank. I don’t want to stop robbing I just want you to pardon me for it.” “God I want you to pardon me for my sins but I intend to keep sinning. In fact, when I get up from this altar or finish shaking the preacher’s hand I’m going to go out and continue sinning.” I’ve come to the conclusion many people don’t actually want a pardon for their sins. What they want is God to redefine His law and say what they’re dong is no longer a sin. They don’t want God to forgive them. They want God to redefine His law to say they don’t need forgiveness.
What has happened to Repentance? 2 Tim 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal , The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” Wow! Paul must have been a heretic. How dare he call on people to depart from iniquity!
1 John 3:7-8a says, “Little children, let no man deceive you : he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil…” Today, he that committeth sin is a child of God who is being worked with. In the NT times they used to repeat things for emphasis so let me emphasize what John says in the NT fashion. “LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU! LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU! LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU! Don’t be fooled folks! If someone refuses to abandon their sin it is because they are a sinner. We need to tell the world, “God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to REPENTANCE.” (2 Pet. 3:9b) Notice it doesn’t say God wants everyone to be Saved. Instead it says, God wants everyone to come to Repentance.” God won’t save the unrepentant that’s why he wants them all to come to repentance. God will only save those who come willing to abandon all sin.
One of the great revival scriptures of the OT states, “If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.” Today, it’s unnecessary for people to turn from your wicked ways. Isa 55:7 repeats this requirement, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Do you see how God attaches turning from sin to a Divine pardon?
I have tried with little success to get people to see the error in this new definition of Repentance. If one does not have to abandon their sins to be forgiven then the homosexual, the cheating spouse, the prostitute, etc don’t have to agree to cease their sins in order to be Saved. Is this really the position you are ready to take and defend? As amazing as it sounds there are churches all over America who gladly receive sinners as members acknowledging them as a brother or sister in Christ. In the past they had to creep in unaware but now we open the door and they are welcomed as members, brothers and sisters in Christ, children of God. I’m not talking about working with sinners. I want sinners to come to my church. I’m going to love them, work with them, hang out with them like Jesus did but I’m not going to tell them they’re a child of God or imply such by receiving them into the church as a member. Let’s work with those who refuse to turn from their life of rebellion and sin but let’s not call them a child of God until they actually make that turn.
Don’t water it down. Let Repentance take its rightful place in the declaration of the Gospel. Let’s get back to our roots and shout to the world as Peter shouted,
“Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19)

• Read More »

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication…” (Rev 17:4 KJV)
There are many interpretations as to the identity of this harlot of Revelation. One such theory states she represents a coming apostate church. I am certainly not a world class theologian and I am far from being an expert on this last book of the Bible but I am a believer in the emergence of a pseudo-Christian movement before the coming of Christ. There are several scriptures which point to its existence. There are Jesus’ warnings of the coming of false prophets and false christs. There is Paul’s warning to Timothy of the perilous last days when men would “not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.” (2Tim. 4:3) Paul’s use of the word “heap” would imply a large number of false teachers leading a large number of deceived followers. In that same letter to Timothy he warns of the last days when men would have “a form of godliness but (who) deny the power thereof.” (2Tim. 3:5) Paul doesn’t say they will be ungodly but that they would have the appearance of godliness. It will be “kinda” “sorta” like true godliness but it would be vastly different. All of these scriptures and more seem to leave little doubt a false Christianity is coming. Are we ready? Are we stable enough not to be deceived by the false promoters of a false church?
The problem with prophecy is that people sometimes have trouble recognizing when it is fulfilled. For instance, the Jews read the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah every Sabbath day and yet when He finally came and prophecy started unfolding all around them they didn’t recognize it. We don’t have trouble believing something prophesied will occur in the future. We just have trouble believing we are living the fulfillment of prophecy. We just can’t quite accept we are the generation that was prophesied about. I believe the false church prophesied about in the New Testament is emerging all around us and people are missing what is happening while gazing into the future. Open your eyes the spirit of anti-Christ is appearing all around us! I believe we are in the midst of a great falling away and an emerging false church. Some see revival and I see apostasy. It has happened so slowly and so covertly it has gone almost undetected. I believe the harlot church is even now passing her cup of poisonous false doctrine, slowly infecting and spreading throughout 21st century Christianity. It no longer infects a small segment of Christianity but its tentacles now spread through every major Christian organization. In fact, I believe the majority of Christianity is rapidly being swallowed up by a new “Pseudo-Christianity leaving only a remnant of the elect to carry on the true work of Christ.
Be aware of this Hell organized Pseudo-Christian movement. Its promoters have infiltrated Christianity wearing many disguises. They have become denominational leaders, seminar instructors, preachers, television personalities, seminary professors, and pastors. They have promoted a concoction of all sorts of false and misleading doctrines. Naturally, it doesn’t promote itself as a false church teaching false doctrine. In fact, it is advertised as cutting edge Christianity teaching new light. False Christianity is now being presented by the media and others as the face of Christianity, while the true gospel, true doctrines and the true “pillar and ground of the truth, have been relegated to the background. They are ridiculed as out of step, old fashioned, and even much harsher things.
I have seen so many who have drunk from the Harlot’s cup. They have been blinded by the educational pedigree of false teachers. “They must be right! Don’t you know where they went to school? Don’t you know what degrees they hold?” They have been blinded by a false belief that numbers represents anointing and Divine approval “Don’t you see how big their church is?” They are much like the Pharisees the early church faced who ridiculed the apostles as unlearned and ignorant men. After all, the Pharisees had scribes who spent their lives studying the Scripture. Many of them were doctors of the law. How could they be wrong? But we now know they were wrong! Paul said they were “ever learning and not able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 3:7) “They professed themselves to be wise and they became fools (forever).” (Rom.1:22)
Christians, even ministers (or especially ministers), seem to swallow everything the “Religious superstars” of our day are handing out. People are mesmerized by their large churches, seminary degrees, and television fame. But what if these superstars are wrong? What if they’re “blind leaders” who people are following blindly? What if these leaders are deceived deceivers spreading poison to all who follow them. Just for a moment indulge me with the possibility that all this new fangled rhetoric so many take for granted isn’t right at all.
What if numbers has nothing to do with success? What if “Don’t judge” is an unbiblical concept passed off as a spiritual truth? What if the contemporary, so-called, “Grace” emphasis is instead the ancient false doctrine of “Lasciviousness” (See Jude 4)? What if the new definition of “Repentance” isn’t Repentance at all? What if forgiveness requires one to abandon the sin for which they are being forgiven? What if the new compassion is nothing more than tolerance for sin? What if modern unity is simply ancient compromise? What if church discipline is Biblical and necessary for the protection of souls and the message? What if Salvation means there is a Hell you need to be rescued from and it is “a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God?” (Heb. 10:31) What if we should be building walls between true believers and false believers instead of tearing them down? Just questioning these doctrines makes you a radical in today’s Christian world – an outsider looking in. Maybe that’s because the majority of people in the U.S. have taken a huge gulp of the harlot’s cup.
Several years ago cult leader Jim Jones led a large group of followers to Guyana in South America. His followers (for the most part) were extremely loyal and obeyed him unquestioningly. After a run in with U.S. authorities which led to the death of a U.S. senator, Jones called his followers together for one last meeting. On November 18, 1978, with the law closing in, he ordered his people to take Kool-Aid that was laced with poison. It is unclear if they knew it was poisoned or not but whatever the case they obeyed and over 900 people committed mass suicide. Unfortunately, this is the fate of those who follow others without examining their teachings. Be careful of those who pass the Harlot’s cup!
It is imperative we know the truth and pursue the truth. Our eternal souls are at stake and we must not trust our eternal fate to others. As the words of the old hymn state: “I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name.” The Jewish leaders were quick to condemn Christ as a deceiver. The Jews who became Christians were men and women who didn’t take their word for it but “Searched the scriptures daily to see whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11) If they would have blindly followed the lead of the rulers of their synagogues, they would have lost their souls forever. Don’t blindly follow leaders who themselves could be blind. If you do, you’ll follow them straight into the pit.
Today we must follow the Biblical admonitions to be “wise as serpents,” “to be sober,” “to be vigilant,” etc. We cannot be gullible. We cannot be “carried away with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” (Eph. 4:14) We must keep our eyes open, our minds renewed with the Word of God, and be determined to follow Christ no matter what the rest of the world does. We must find the true path, led by the Holy Spirit and confident the Bible is the Word of God.
We’ve warned people for years to get into the Word and know it for themselves but people were lazy and decided they would put their confidence in another. They would sit at the foot of Sinai and let their spiritual Moses bring word from God. The great privilege of Christianity, indeed the great responsibility of Christianity, is that we all are invited inside the veil or to the top of Sinai to meet with God. We are commanded to hear God for ourselves. We all have the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us. It is imperative we know the truth for ourselves. Now multitudes of gullible Christians have sipped the proverbial “snake (that old serpent) oil.” They’ve drank from the harlot’s cup handed to them by those already poisoned. “Take a sip and pass it along.”
In the OT there were false teachers and prophets but here is the fact so many overlook. They weren’t recognized as false teachers by the majority of their contemporaries. In fact, the majority of the people in their day thought they were enlightened messengers from God. The true prophets were seen as out of step. The Jeremiahs were seen as the false prophets with very, very few followers. Today we seem to expect things to be different. It would seem to me the false prophets of the last days will be seen as cutting edge, in tune with God, and enlightened. Even Jim Jones was seen by his followers to be enlightened as he passed the cyanide laced Kool Aid to his naïve victims.
The thing about a deceiver is that they rarely know they are a deceiver. Someone has said the most convincing liar is the one who believes they are telling the truth. You don’t have to know what you are saying is untrue for it to be untrue. I am convinced the false prophets in Jeremiah’s day believed they were true prophets. They believed they were right and Jeremiah was wrong but the opposite was the case. Paul warned us of these deceived deceivers
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Tim 3:13 KJV)
These modern deceivers are convincing. They are experts in the absurd. They know it backward and forward. “By good words and fair speeches (they) deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Rom. 16:18) They are unbelievably convincing because they passionately believe a lie. Debating them is almost an exercise in futility. These deceivers have concocted a Kool Aid laced with false teachings and they’re passing it out in churches across America. The only way to navigate through their sea of lies is to make every doctrine measure up to the Bible.
Like the prophets of old those who see the false church emerging weep for the slain of the daughters of their people (Jer. 9:1). They have heard the Master’s warning and they echo it to the masses held sway by the slick words of the deceived. They cry aloud, “The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:8 KJV)
We must call out to those who have been brainwashed, programmed by the leaders of this cult of “Pseudo-Christianity.” Somehow we have to get them to see. We cry, “You’ve been fooled. You’ve been hypnotized. God open their ears that they can hear! God open their eyes that they can see! Cast aside the harlot’s cup and come back to the light!

• Read More »

October 18, 2007
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Last week former Vice President, Al Gore, won a Nobel Prize for his work on saving the environment. Last year he won an Academy Award for his documentary on global warming entitled, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Mr. Gore’s title was intriguing. It was based on the idea that global warming is truly happening and even though it may inconvenience us to think about it and even though it may inconvenience us to fix the problem we must not bury our heads in the sand but we must deal with this uncomfortable truth that the world is warming. I’m not writing this article to speak about whether global warming is actually occurring or whether it is manmade or natural. I’ll leave that to the politicians and scientists. Instead I am writing because of the truth contained within Mr. Gore’s chosen title “An INCONVENIENT TRUTH.” The fact is there are truths that are inconvenient. These truths are not comfortable to think about. The implications of some truths may inconvenience us or the steps which must be taken to deal with truth may inconvenience us. However, if it is truth, no matter how inconvenient it may be we must accept it and deal with it.
The Bible is called the “Word of Truth” (2 Tim. 2:15) The Bible is our standard of truth by which we measure all truth. If something from politics, science, education, etc agrees with the Bible then it is true. If it does not, then it is not true.
Many of the truths in the Bible are inconvenient. Many of its truths are unpleasant to think about. For instance, Hell is an inconvenient truth. We don’t like to think about it. The implications of its existence are heart wrenching and terrifying. To avoid it, people have to take steps which may alter their lives drastically and it may even cost them their lives to stand for it but there it is anyway. It doesn’t go away by closing our eyes or ignoring it. We can’t bury our heads in the sand. We must deal with it because it is the truth inconvenient though it may be.
The truth is what it is. “For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” (2 Cor 13:8 KJV) You can’t change the truth. Voting against the truth doesn’t change the truth. The number of people who oppose the truth doesn’t change the truth. Calling the truth - false doesn’t make it any less the truth. Time doesn’t change the truth. His “truth endureth to all generations.” (Psa. 100:5b) Time may pass but truth remains the same.
Gravity is a truth. You can say, “I don’t believe in gravity” but that doesn’t change the fact gravity exists. You can take a vote and say, “Gravity no longer exists” but it doesn’t affect the existence of gravity. There may be more people who deny gravity than accept its presence but it doesn’t affect the truth of its existence. You can jump off a building all the while defying gravity but the splat at the end will testify the truth was not compromised.
For centuries the general population, educators, and scientists all believed the world was flat and that if you sailed too far you would fall off the edge. It didn’t matter that it was generally accepted to be true that the world was flat. Their belief never once changed the truth the world was round. Later scientist found and taught the world was round. It didn’t become true when they discovered it. It was true all the while they thought it was flat. Truth isn’t affected by man’s belief or disbelief.
Hell is real whether people like it or not. Sin is sin whether people like it or not. Denominations can take official stands against these subjects but they still remain as inconvenient truths. The general population may deny Hell’s existence or sin may gain general acceptance but it doesn’t make it true, right, or acceptable to God. The inclusive world of today doesn’t like the fact Christ is the only way to escape Hell and make it to Heaven but it is the truth nonetheless. Politicians, activists, educators, and even religious leaders can try all they want to teach or preach an all inclusive religion but it doesn’t change the truth, “No man cometh to the Father but by Me” (John 4:4). People can get angry at the truth. They can say, “Well if that’s the way it is I’m not going to subscribe to Christianity. I’ll choose another religion.” However, that doesn’t change the facts, it doesn’t change the truth.
Recent years have seen people turn away from the truth because of a desire to live a life of lust. It has seen church leaders so hungry for their idea of personal success that they ignore the truths of holiness, purity, and godliness to gain the crowds. We have seen the rise of false teachers and false doctrines which turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. Paul prophesied of these days, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim 4:3-4 KJV)
Notice carefully what Paul says here. They will turn from sound (solid, healthy) doctrine or teaching. They won’t stand for it any longer. They want to follow their own lusts (strong, fleshly desires) and because of this they will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. In other words, there won’t be a few false teachers. “Heap” implies there will be masses of false teachers willing to tell people what their itching ears long to hear. “Live as you please and God will accept you just the same.” “Lifestyle has no affect on your relationship with God.” “Grace will license your sinful actions.” We all see the fulfillment of this scripture all around us. For every minister bearing the standard of truth, there are heaps of ministers scratching the itching ears of sinners. They make them comfortable with the very sins they should be fleeing. This is the great sin, not that men are rejecting the truth, but that there are those who are turning other people away from the truth with their false doctrine of lasciviousness. Note what Paul says in verse 4, “…they shall turn away their ears from the truth…” Why, because its implications are inconvenient. It will cause a person to have to deal with the uncomfortable issue of judgment and Hell and it may cause them to make changes which rein in their lustful actions. Not only does Paul say they turn from listening to the truth but they are turned unto fables. A fable is a nice story but it isn’t true. It is a work of fiction, a fairy tale. Paul says, “They won’t turn from the truth to another truth but they will turn from the truth to a fairy tale which sounds good but it isn’t the truth.”
Listen closely! A lie may make someone feel better but only “the truth shall set (men) free.” A fairy tale has no transforming power. Believing a lie doesn’t make it the truth. The comfort of a lie doesn’t make it the truth. Masses voting that a lie is the truth, doesn’t make it the truth. Multitudes living as though a lie is true, doesn’t make it true. Think of India where millions follow idols. Does the fact there are multitudes who subscribe to their religion make it the truth? Some people seem to think a person believing something makes it true. “Leave those people alone. If they want to believe those ideas as their religion then that is their truth.” However, something is either true or false and man can’t make true-false or false-true.
You can’t change the truth. All you can do is deal with the truth and act accordingly. A doctor may run tests on you and find you have treatable cancer. He may not want to be the “bad guy” who has to break the news to you but if it’s the truth, it’s the truth. The doctor may think, “Well, I don’t want to ruin their day so I’m not going to tell them they have cancer. I don’t want to inconvenience them with radiation or chemo therapy so I think I’ll just tell them they’re fine.” He may have made them feel better with his lie but it has sealed their doom. On the other hand, a patient may try to ignore the diagnosis of his doctor and go into denial but if he doesn’t deal with the inconvenient truth of his condition, he will seal his own fate. Here is the sad part, it was curable! All the doctor had to do was give them the bad news and then give them the good news. All the patient had to do was accept the truth of his diagnosis (no matter how inconvenient) and then he could have dealt with it properly thus securing his recovery. How sad our country is filled with spiritual quacks which refuse to inconvenience their spiritual patients with a truthful diagnosis. How sad our country is filled with spiritually sick people who choose denial over dealing with the inconvenience of the Gospel of Christ.
The Bible warns us that one day a false Messiah will appear. He is known as the Anti-Christ. Paul refers to him as the “man of sin.” (2 Thes. 2:3) Multitudes will follow him to their own destruction. I believe our country’s attitude toward the truth is setting the stage for the deception of millions. If one rejects the truth, then they are opening themselves up for the deception of the Anti-Christ. “The mystery of iniquity doth already work.” (2 Thes. 2:7) The spirit of Anti-Christ is already swaying the minds of men and setting the stage for the ultimate deception. Listen to what Paul says will be the attitudes of the last generation which will usher in the coming of the Anti-Christ. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thess 2:7-12 KJV) Note the passages I have emboldened. Folks, when people decide the truth is not important, when people begin to seek comfort and convenience rather than the truth, they set themselves up to be deceived. Notice also that believing a lie didn’t save them. They believed a lie and were damned. BELIEVING SOMETHING DOESN”T MAKE IT THE TRUTH!!!
I am very concerned about people’s attitude toward the truth in the church today. With our inclusive and open minded policies, the truth seems to get buried. With our ravenous hunger for numerical success and acceptance by the world leaders of religion, I fear we have compromised the truth. Agree with me or disagree with me I suppose that is up to you. However, heed my warning! If you are not a seeker of the truth at all costs, you will be deceived! Jesus warned that in the last days deception would be so strong that if it were possible even the very elect would be deceived (Matt. 24:24). Don’t sell the truth for any price!!!
We must be lovers of the truth. We must “buy the truth and sell it not” (Pro. 23:23a). We must “hold forth the word of truth.” Please don’t follow what makes you feel the most comfortable. I beg you not to follow the crowd. The crowd is walking the wide road that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13). Follow the truth and the truth will set you free!!!

• Read More »

“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus , whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. (2 Cor 11:4 KJV).
Recently I watched a Democratic Presidential debate in which one candidate was asked if he believed in Evolution or Creationism. His response was Evolution. He then went on to explain how he was a Christian but he did not believe in the Biblical account of the creation of man. He explained his theology this way, “I believe God had his hand on every stage of human development.” This sounds enlightened and to the uninformed it may sound like a reasonable compromise. In reality, the man was saying, “I believe in Christ but I don’t believe the Bible is accurate or dependable.” I have written before of the danger of renouncing the Bible as the “Infallible and Inspired” Word of God. If the Bible cannot be completely believed or trusted then it cannot be trusted at all. As C.S. Lewis said, “The Bible is either totally reliable or it is totally unreliable.” This democratic candidate (It wouldn’t matter if he were a Democrat or Republican) was expressing the new wave of “Christian thought” sweeping Europe and North America. It is a new Christianity which conforms to fit science, modern thoughts, and modern morality.
However, the Bible is the Christians’ EXCLUSIVE instruction manual for establishing doctrine. We must never believe what we believe based upon our opinions, feelings, or other sources of information or philosophy. As Christians we must always base our teachings on what the Bible reveals.
In the past we have had denominational rifts based upon varying interpretations of scriptures but now something new has appeared. We now have Christians who base their beliefs on something besides the scripture instead of an interpretation of scripture. THIS IS IDOLATRY. When one comes to Christ they have to come to the Christ revealed in scripture not one made up out of thin air. People now use the name “Christian” and attach to it whatever belief system they desire. They have designed their own Jesus. Their Jesus was a good man but not the Son of God. Their Jesus did not rise from the dead, did not perform miracles, did not ascend into Heaven, is not coming back again. He is simply a philosopher who gave some good teachings regarding how to treat your fellow man. Their Jesus may even promise eternal life but it is to everyone who lives reasonably well. Hell doesn’t exist to them or at least it isn’t something most people have to worry about. They are the living fulfillment of Paul’s warning concerning the last days. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come (men will have) a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Tim. 3:1, 5 KJV)
Jesus is whatever you want him to be. It is Christianity a la carte. It is relativity. It is IDOLATRY. Have you ever been to an “A La Carte” buffet? You take your plate and you have a variety of items from which to choose. You may have 5 meat dishes, 5 vegetables, 5 starches, etc. You then begin to pick and choose what you want and don’t want. “I’ll take the chicken, hold the steak. I’ll take the Green Beans, hold the corn and spinach.” Many treat the doctrines of Christ the same way. They say, “I’ll take Heaven, hold the Hell. “I’ll take mercy, hold the judgment. I’ll take grace, hold the holiness.” They customize their own version of Christianity. This new wave of Christian thought takes away the Bible’s place of inerrancy and allows every man to customize their beliefs based upon their own feelings, experiences, understanding, etc. However, if we take away the Bible we become a nation of idolaters.
Recently, a friend of mine took his daughter to a store called “Build a Bear.” Here you were allowed to pick out the covering for your teddy bear, the clothing, the name, etc. You built it just the way you wanted it. There are many who are building their own Jesus. They simply take the name “Jesus Christ” and they stuff it with the beliefs which suit them. This is textbook idolatry!
When Paul encountered the idolaters in Athens (Acts 17) he said the idol makers created the idols and the belief systems surrounding the idols from their own imaginations. When you think about it, all idolatry comes from the imagination. After all, the idol never spoke to tell them what he liked for offerings and what he didn’t like. He never told them what his laws were or what sacrifices they would have to make. He never appeared to them to show his likeness. They were simply inanimate objects made of wood or precious metals. Since they were not alive and had never spoken, the idol makers and worshippers were free to create the idol and their elaborate belief system out of their own imaginations. As Christians we are not idol worshippers! We don’t serve an inanimate God who has never spoken or revealed His will. Jehovah is the living God and not a “dumb” idol. He has revealed Himself in His Word and when we begin to ignore or discount His word then we have to create a belief system from our own imaginations. Many are doing this today.
America has become a nation filled with idol worshippers! They have renounced Jehovah and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ in favor of another god. However, here is the diabolical catch. Although they are idol worshippers, they have named their idol JESUS CHRIST. That’s right! The idol many Americans and Europeans serve has the same name as the JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE. Although our Jesus and the idol Jesus bear the same name, they are nothing alike. The new Jesus accepts homosexuality as an alternate lifestyle, condones pre-marital sex as an inevitability of youth, turns commandments into suggestions, renounces the Bible as inaccurate, turns the grace of God into a license to live loosely, doesn’t renounce sin, doesn’t send men to Hell, and doesn’t judge. The new Jesus accepts all other religions, sends everyone (or almost everyone) to Heaven, condemns holiness as legalism, and much more. Let me give you an example. Have you ever met someone who had the same name as someone you knew but they weren’t the same person. Can you imagine someone saying, “Hey, do you know Bruce Sullivan?” You may initially be excited to find someone who has a common acquaintance. “O yes, I know Bruce.” “Yeah,” they say, “You know he is the funniest looking guy. I have never known a 400 pound Asian with the name Sullivan.” Well, immediately you would realize they are not speaking of the same Bruce Sullivan. The description they give makes it evident they are not speaking of your friend. It is the same way with Jesus. There are many who profess to know Jesus Christ but when they begin to describe their Jesus, you soon realize they are not speaking of your Jesus Christ.
The danger is that many Christians don’t realize this “New Jesus” has arrived. They think everyone who mentions Jesus is talking about the same Jesus they are talking about. Even more frightening, there are many who are pushing for a unity with all those who worship or call on the name of Jesus Christ not realizing there are many who are serving “Another Jesus,” an idol Jesus.
Christians have been duped into believing everyone who professes JESUS as Lord is a true Christian without understanding that there are many who profess Jesus alright but it is ANOTHER JESUS! We now have these idolaters mixing into the congregations of the true worshippers of Christ. Satan has set the table by convincing Christians to be tolerant of all who profess Christ. We have been conditioned not to judge and therefore these idol worshippers are accepted and freely partake of the Lord’s table.
We cannot accept idolaters even if their idol bears the same name as our Jesus. What if the Buddhists voted tomorrow to change Buddah’s name to Jesus? There belief system would stay the same but the name would change. Would we then accept Buddhists as our fellow Christians because of the name? Of course not! It’s not simply the name but the teachings of Jesus and the teachings about Jesus which makes Christianity, Christianity. Someone may call their religion Christianity but it is not Christianity unless it embraces the Jesus Christ of the BIBLE and His teachings!
Someone may come to me claiming to be a Christian but as they describe their version of Christianity. It is not another avenue, style, or sect of Christianity. IT IS ANOTHER RELIGION ALTOGETHER! This is what people don’t realize.
Gal 1:6-8 states, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
Fellow Christians listen closely! I am not speaking of denominational differences based upon varying understandings of the Bible. This presidential candidate did not even believe in creation. He accepted evolution. This is clearly an extra-biblical belief. Yet many Christians, conditioned to be tolerant and non-judgmental, have refused to reject this man’s new religion and he is not alone. Now we not only accept those who have varying interpretations of the Bible, we now accept people who don’t even believe the Bible, as long as they call themselves Christians!
The Bible clearly commands us not to mix Christianity with the worship of idols and that includes any idol which happens to share the same name as our Jesus. Yet today there is a unity movement seeking the unity of all those who profess Jesus. There are many church leaders who believe they are enlightened while pushing for this unity. These blind leaders don’t realize that all those who profess Christ are not all speaking of the same Jesus Christ. By promoting unity among all those who profess Jesus they are actually no different from those who seek to combine Christianity with other world religions. While these leaders push for this unification of Christianity and idolatry, the pew dwellers blindly consent to their “wisdom” and applaud their “cutting edge theology.” Because of their ignorance of the last days, they have fulfilled the prophecies concerning the last days by unwittingly accepting the very “false Christs” Jesus warned about. Although I believe there will be more Jim Jones and David Koreshs, I believe we can overlook a much more subtle false Christ while looking for these more obvious examples. We are now bombarded with a multitude of false Christs created in homes around the country and condoned by tolerant, politically correct “Christian” leaders. There are many Jesus Christs being presented to the world today but only one of them is the true Jesus Christ. The true Jesus Christ is the one revealed in the Bible. People must be encouraged to search the scriptures to make sure they are following the real Jesus Christ.
We must take clear and deliberate steps to right the ship. At some point we have no choice but to cast out the idolaters. While the main wave of Christianity is moving toward unity, the true children of God must recognize the influx of these false Christs and separate from these idol worshippers. By promoting unity with them, denominational leaders are actually doing the opposite of the commandment of God’s Word. Paul said, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you…” (2 Cor 6:14-17) It is time