CHURCH REFORM
CHURCH REFORM
I have been getting the Rory’s Report for some time in my inbox. There is absolutely no doubt that something is seriously wrong with today’s churches, & it would appear, the mega-churches in particular. Julie Rory claims that she has been reporting hundreds of church scandals over the past several years. She rails against these ‘celebrity pastors’ being guilty of sexual scandals. In one way, that is just what any reasonable, ethical, or moral person would do, right?
I have watched several of Julie’s reports & have noticed some things that are of real concern to me. She says that she is, & ought to be, exposing this evil. The first thing that comes to mind with this, is the story of the adulteress woman who was brought to Jesus. The people who brought this woman to Jesus wanted to stone her, according to the Old Testament law. You will remember what Jesus did. He took some time writing in the dust with His finger, then looked up & told these accusers who wanted to stone her, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Then He bent down & started writing in the dust again, as they all began walking away, the older ones first.
I distinctly remember a very forceful dream I had at the time I was searching for God with all my heart. Jer. 29:11-14. I had spent decades in evangelical churches, being appointed to leadership positions in many of them, as we moved about the country, due to my business. During all that time I had been mastered by a filthy sexual addiction that caused me incredible grief, guilt, shame, & eventually self-hatred. Nobody could even guess at how hard I fought that thing, & how many hours I had cried out to God to set me free. Then one night, I dreamed that I was minding my own business one day, when suddenly I was attacked by a group of knife wielding gang members. Having been a gang member myself in my younger years, I knew they were going to kill me. I looked down, & saw an ordinary table knife that one would spread butter on one’s toast with, on the ground. I picked it up & defended myself. The next thing I knew, I was walking away from the scene, & looked back to see police cars with flashing lights, & a number of gang members lying on the ground in their own blood. I turned & went back to inform the police as to what had taken place. I got out of bed & opened my bible to where I had finished the day before, & within seconds I read this: ‘Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will make a stand for me against evildoers? Ps 94:16 I literally shed tears as I told God how gutted I was that I could not answer His call because I was one of them. I truly believe this was a distinct message from God that I could, should, & must stop sinning. I am sure I had ceased all the ‘normal sins’ of humans by that time, but this sexual addiction had me beaten.
Which leads me to the question, ‘Has Julie ever considered, either of these bible teachings?’ In my years of researching ‘American Christianity’ across several states from 1992-2011, I was assured by every ‘Christian’ that they were sinners. I heard from the pulpits in many churches, the preachers assuring the congregants that they were all sinners, like himself. Since I returned to my home country of New Zealand, I have heard the same thing. I do not recall ever hearing that before we moved to America as freelance missionaries. But very sadly that has changed in my country & from all I read & hear from Americans now, it has never changed there.
The interview I most recently listened to on Rory’s Report was with two pastors about the scandals in churches today. One of the men suggested that maybe the church needs some prophets like those of the Old Testament to rebuke those who sinned. WHAT??? This man told us all that ‘he sins every day, as do all Christians.’ He even used Romans seven as confirmation of the ‘normality’ of such a thing. How can any sane person read Romans six & eight & believe that seven was Paul’s testimony of his life in Christ? Paul was using hypothesis, putting himself in the sandals of a Jew living under the Old Law in chapter seven. He used that as an example of how it was before Christ came. Vs 6 leads to his example by proxy of an Old Testament Jew. Verse nine assures us that this was not a testimony of Paul’s new life in Christ, unless you want to call him a liar. He was NOT alive when the ‘commandment came.’
Julie made this statement: "This is the antithesis of Jesus. If He were here today, He would absolutely rail against it.” He cares about the wounded sheep. He cares about the vulnerable. He does not care about your celebrity pastor. In fact, he would probably be the one coming to your church and overturning the tables."
Wow!! Jesus is most concerned that every sinner is a slave to sin & cannot remain in His family Jn. 8:34 He came to take away the sins of mankind. Not the consequences of them!! 1 Jn. 3:5. Paul teaches us in all of his letters that sin is NEVER acceptable for any child of God. Not even any hint of it!! Eph. 5:1-11, 26-27. The wages of sin is death!! He was doing all this teaching well after Jesus had finished His work on the cross & he had been personally trained by Jesus to teach His gospel. He clearly was NOT aware of any automatic forgiveness of sins, with no consequences just because a sinner says some words.
The three of them in this interview all quoted Matt. 18, 1 Cor. 5, & parts of Paul’s letters to Timothy as to how scandals ought to be addressed. When I just looked at Paul’s letters to Timothy as to how Timothy must conduct himself in his role of pastor, I read this:
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription:
“The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” 2 Tim. 2:19
The whole bible speaks repeatedly of the need to ‘turn from sins,’ being the act of repentance. Peter taught us the only way to become a child of God is to repent, so that God can give the repentant sinner His Spirit, for the forgiveness of their sins. VERY obviously, God cannot dwell in the body/heart of a sinner. If you think He can, then you clearly have zero understanding of who & what God is. That simply means you don’t know God, which is essential for salvation. Jn. 17:3, 2 Thes, 1:8-9, 1 Jn. 2:3-6.
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
Today’s ‘Jesus Freaking’ Christians love to quote 1 Jn. 1:9 which tells us to confess our sins so that we can be forgiven for them. When one studies the whole bible, it is very clear that there is ZERO forgiveness in the absence of repentance, 2 Chron. 7:14, Mk. 1:4, Lk. 3:3, 24:46-47, Acts 2:38, 3:19, so John was clearly speaking of the confession that obviously occurs in the event of repentance. Repentance occurs when one gets to know God by searching for Him passionately in His autobiography with all their heart. When that one understands just how much God hates sin, & that He really means what He says about it resulting in death, one knows that to live a life pleasing to Him, or to agape [choose for His highest good] Him, sin has to go! For me, that happened like that, & I assuredly made up my mind right there & then, I would NEVER allow that sexual sin to beat me again. But within a short period of time, it did! I find it hard to explain just how I felt at that time. I was SO gutted, ashamed, devastated, emotionally pained, like never before. From that time on, if I was ever tempted to fall back into that filthy state, I remembered what I experienced as a result of the last time I did, & I simply refused to go there. It was an experience I NEVER wish to repeat. James alluded to it in Ch. 4:7-10. Paul actually tells us that it cannot be repeated:
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age
and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Heb. 6:4-6
The pastor who confessed to being a sinner, said something about having to ‘own the blood of Jesus’ as a result of his daily sins. Whatever that means I have ZERO clue, but it’s not surprising that new phrases keep popping up to excuse or ignore sin in today’s churches. That’s been happening since the Garden of Eden, I am sure. I am sadly aware that today’s ‘Christians’ all believe their sins were all paid for, atoned for, washed away & forgiven by the blood of Jesus. The bible NEVER teaches us that!! Everything Jesus did on the cross is totally irrelevant for any unrepentant sinner. It’s when one repents & receives the Holy Spirit, that one moves from darkness to light, becomes that new creation in Christ, with sins forgiven, & all the old garbage gone. 2 Cor. 5:17. Repentance allows God to apply everything Jesus did on the cross, to that one’s life. John made that clear in his fist letter:
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 Jn. 1:5-7
The promise of having our sins purified has a condition attached, like every one of God’s promises. This one is that we walk in the light, as God is in the light. That simply means being free from sin, because sin is ALWAYS spoken of as being ‘darkness’ through the bible. So, it is clear that sinners are not benefited by what Jesus did on the cross, until they repent [stop sinning].
The three in this interview spoke of a move of God’s Spirit being in progress, or a ‘move of God in the Church.’ I can tell you with absolute confidence that there is no Church today. The Church, as described in the bible, is the resurrected Body of Christ, the radiant bride, without stain, wrinkle, or any other blemish, holy & blameless. Heb. 5:26-27 We all know that means, without sin. Julie spoke about being brought up in the holiness doctrine, & still believes she is part of that now. We all know that ‘holy’ simply means, without sin. Paul tells us that we must be holy, for in the absence of holiness, nobody will see God. Heb. 12:14, after telling us that God disciplines us so that we may ‘share in His holiness,’ Vs 10. Peter agreed with Paul:
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Pet. 1:15-16
Paul also makes it clear that holiness is essential for salvation, & it means, without sin:
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.
What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Rom 6:20-22
Did you notice that Paul assumes that Christians are ashamed of sins that they used to be guilty of? There is ZERO SHAME in any ’Christians’ today who all unashamedly confess to being sinners, currently!! Holiness is the result of the absence of sin! I would love to ask Julie if she sins. But this is common in ‘Christians’ of today, who love to state that they are righteous & holy, because of ‘the blood of Jesus.’ Satan has scored a massive blockbuster in his ‘Jesus Freaking’ cult. Peter tells us that our faith & hope must be in God, as a result of what Jesus did on that cross.
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Pet. 1:17-23
Please note that Peter tells us these Christians ‘call on a Father,’ rather than on Jesus. He goes on to remind them that it was through Jesus that they ‘believed in God,’ so their faith & hope is in God….not Jesus!! He also tells them that they were born again ‘by the word of God.’ Not by believing in, or having faith in, or trusting Jesus. The living & enduring word of God is what was spoken to the Israelites by the likes of Isaiah. Is. 40:1-8. Please understand that ‘love’ is not an emotional love but an active love where one makes an active choice with one’s will, to choose for the highest good of the other, regardless of personal cost. That is simply impossible in the flesh. It is only possible through the Holy Spirit’s power in a child of God.
I very strongly recommend that you get a copy of my book, not to give me royalties, because that was NOT why I wrote the book at all. I wrote it because I was, & still am passionately concerned for your eternal destiny. I want to share heaven with y’all. I have promised God that any money I make over & above what my wife & I need for comfortable living, will go to His kingdom.
I have changed publishers, but the book is ready to be shipped from Amazon Books again, now.