LOVING GOD AND HATING HIS MESSAGE?
When I watch Fox News daily, I hear any number of opinions as to what has gone wrong and how to fix it. Mark Levin is absolutely convinced that it has been a political war going on over the past century. I respect Mark highly, and absolutely believe his heart is in the right place. He loves this country and is willing to ’fight’ for it as hard as he can. He has written many books about this over many years. It’s ‘funny’ that I have never heard a single person accuse him of trying to profit from America’s demise. But when I encourage others to read my one single book that is on the market now, due to the truth within its covers that will show how America can climb out of this evil cess-pit, and never return to it, many folks accuse me of trying to get rich off this current crisis. They say they really believe that is my only motive for having people read my book. I can tell you without any doubt, why that is so. I offer God’s true gospel message straight from His life instruction manual. And that goes against what has been taught in churches for more than a century. Just as Jesus was hated by the religious folks of His day because of the message He offered, the prophets of old all experienced the same aggression from the populace. Man has not changed. When I offer God’s message [as is what prophets do] I am totally ostracized and called a heretic and fool etc. The religious folks hate it.
The so-called ‘Church’ of today is a mirror image of the radical left today. If you are sane, you will know that the radical left is absolutely disinterested in truth or facts. They create ideology and narratives that will, if implemented, hopefully result in their fanciful illusions of some euphoric utopia. They totally ignore all truth and logic and common sense that stand against their ideology. We all see this happening every day. They lie repeatedly and recklessly over and over again with zero shame or embarrassment. It can be described in this way: they are addicted to power and control over others. The modern ‘church’ absolutely believes in some ideology and narrative that the believe, if adhered to, will hopefully get them past those pearly gates one day [or when there are no more days]. Preachers rely on pew-warmers to pay their salaries, and pay for all the maintenance and management of programs and activities of their church. That makes it imperative that a good many folks keep coming to their church to put money in the plate each week. That’s just economy 101. Nothing wrong with that. But Satan knows that as well, and he has subtly turned the hearts and minds of pastors and priests over the past century to get their priorities all out of whack. The most important thing to most of them today is to get more people to come to their churches, which has led to a very ‘watered down’ gospel where it is just a mind-game. That is not, and has never been their role, in God’s economy. And that is exactly why there has been a rapid decline in numbers of Americans claiming any religious affiliation in the census for the past decade. Modern ‘Christianity’ has simply not worked. Paul told us what God’s purpose for them should be. He gave us that in Ephesians chapter four.
The gospel I have been teaching for many years now has made me a pariah to the modern church. That is incredibly sad, because all I have done is teach God’s word without my opinions or translations. Most of God’s word needs no special translations or interpretations. It is as clear as crystal to any open mind. Let me just give you a small part of Paul’s teaching from his letter to the Ephesian saints.
For this reason, I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Eph. 3:14-21
Let me remind you that God [or Jesus or the Holy Spirit] cannot dwell with any person who sins. Please understand that all sin is evil. wickedness and wrongdoing. It is also frequently described as ‘darkness’ in God’s word. Sinners cannot dwell with God and God cannot dwell with sinners. Darkness cannot coexist with light.
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people cannot dwell. Ps. 5:4.
Do you experience life immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine? Are you filled to the measure of all the fullness of God?
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Eph. 4:11-16
Do you really believe that we all have reached unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ? If you are honest, you would not be able to answer that in the affirmative. We all know that there are many denominations that aggressively argue over doctrine in major ways. The Calvinists have teaching that describes Armenians as creatures that emit a terrible stench. Pentecostals are often referred to by other branches of protestants as out of control emotional lunatics: even Satanic, by some. And on it goes. How are we doing with speaking the truth in love, as we grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ? Or,
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work?
Break-awayfaith groups and new churches have been popping up all over the USA for decades, most of them due to power struggles in an existing church, where some member cannot submit to the authority of the leadership.
We all know very well that this teaching from Paul is obviously not adhered to by preachers today. Many of them choose to go to Eph 2:8-9 and attempt to tell us that we are all saved by grace, and cannot possibly do a single thing toward earning that salvation. But Paul did NOT teach us that. He assured us that we are saved through faith, as a result of God’s grace, which does include works/actions/conduct/behavior etc. See James 2:14-26 Paul continues in his letter to the saints at Ephesus with:
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
Therefore, do not be partners with them.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.
This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Eph. 5:1-14
The writers of the bible frequently assured us that Christians must be godly people. Paul offers us that same message in a different manner. Be imitators of God. Then Paul describes what a child of God must be like, as imitators of God, and assures us that if we do not meet that standard we do NOT go to heaven. That obviously negates any suggestion that he believed we are all saved by grace and cannot do anything toward that salvation. In every church I have been involved with over decades, I have got to know members and leaders who use foul language frequently, and even blasphemy. Not to even mention all the church leaders who have been found guilty of sexual crimes and sent to prison. And sexual immorality includes masturbation, sexual fantasies of the mind, and men lusting after female flesh/nakedness. He includes greed, foolish talk or course joking. He could have gone on and listed any number of other obvious sins that absolutely displease God. Without having to go to any other scriptures, we get the truth from Paul’s teaching here that sin will keep us out of heaven. And yet, when I teach this truth, I am attacked, called a heretic and fool etc. I have been excommunicated from churches and cell groups and even had a restraining order from the local police assuring me that if I stepped into that church again, I would be arrested for trespassing. These self-professing righteous children of God have no shame for what they do. The religious leaders hated the message Jesus offered them so much that they arranged for His execution, so I ought not complain, huh? Paul taught very clearly that if we obeyed God, we would be pleasing in His sight, and accepted into His kingdom. He told the saints in Corinth that if they did not hold fast to his gospel they would have believed in vain. Then in the same chapter he told them, ‘Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning.’ He was absolutely aware that Christians must not sin. The major theme of the bible is this: Obey God and live, or don’t and don’t.
My book ‘A Nation Broken’ explains all of God’s message of salvation and right living in clear logical terms, just as God has done so throughout His life manual. Amazon or B & N have it.