Saturday, July 29, 2017, 6:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “The Letters.” Speak, Lord, your words
to my heart. I read various scriptures (in the ESV) related to Revelation 2-3,
in subject matter.
Readily Enough
(2 Corinthians 11:1-4)
I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness.
Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to
one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as
the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from
a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims
another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit
from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you
accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
I empathize with Paul’s
sentiments here. I feel that same divine jealousy for God’s people, i.e. for
those who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives,
i.e. his church, his body. I have witnessed how masqueraders of righteousness
have crept into the church, largely unnoticed, and how these false shepherds of
the people have led them astray from their pure devotion to Jesus Christ. And,
I have read how this has been happening all across America and in other parts
of the world.
Many of these false shepherds
of the people are teaching a Jesus and a gospel other than what Jesus and his
NT apostles taught. Yet, it is done in such a way so that it looks right and
feels right to many naïve people. For, they use the Word of God, but they twist
it to their advantage. They pick and choose the scriptures which fit with their
theology, though, while they ignore the bulk of teaching in the NT with regard
to our salvation and eternal security. So, what they teach is a half-truth
gospel, which then makes it a lie because they purposefully leave out the parts
of the gospel which are an affront to the flesh (sin) nature, because they want
to appease the flesh.
The danger here is that even
many seasoned Christians are buying into this half-truth gospel and this false
(half-truth) image of Jesus Christ, too. For, he is presented as a do-gooder
who just went around loving on everyone and making everyone feel good about themselves,
even in their sins. If that was true, though, why did they kill him? They
killed him because they hated him, because he told them that what they were
doing was sinful. Jesus spoke the truth, he confronted sin in sinful humans, he
called for repentance and obedience, and he warned of judgment and against
hypocritical liars. He didn’t immerse himself in the culture or blend in to be
accepted. He stood out like a sore thumb. And, they resented him for it.
Lip Service (Matt.
15:8-9)
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their
heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as
doctrines the commandments of men.’”
There are many people who
call themselves Christians or followers of Christ who give lip service only.
They know how to talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk. Many of them have
been a part of church gatherings for years, or for all their lives, but they
have never committed their lives to Jesus Christ. They are still living to
please their sinful flesh, while they put on a mask (a false persona) of
righteousness, and while they claim heaven as their eternal destiny. They have
heard the Word of God preached, and some of them have even studied the
scriptures themselves, but it is more of an intellectual exercise for them
rather than having it impact and change their lives. They want to hold on to
their sin, but they want others to think they are good Christians, so they fake
their relationships with Christ to look good on the outside, while inside they
are full of wickedness.
Perverted Grace
(Jude 1:3-4)
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you
about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to
contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For
certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this
condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality
and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
More of us need to be
contending for the faith because there are hundreds of people out there, maybe
thousands, who are perverting the grace of God and are turning it into a license
for lasciviousness. They teach that all we have to do is acknowledge the
existence of Jesus, or that he died on a cross to take our punishment for sin,
and that all we have to do to secure our eternal life is to accept God’s
forgiveness of our sins. And, then they tell us that heaven is guaranteed us,
and that there is not anything we can do to lose our salvation. So, according
to them, we can basically live however we want, since Jesus already took our
punishment. Oh, how wrong!
Jesus didn’t die on that
cross to take our punishment for sin so we can now live in sin without guilt
and without remorse. He died that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness. He gave his life up for us that we might no longer live for
ourselves, but for him who died for us. His grace to us is not a free license
to continue in sin. His grace instructs (commands) us to say “NO!” to
ungodliness and worldly passions (lusts) and to live self-controlled, upright
and godly lives while we await Christ’s return. If we continue in sin, in
practice, in lifestyle, we will die in our sins, not live in heaven with Christ
eternally. This is what the Bible teaches!
[See: Luke 9:23-25; John 6:35-66;
Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6:1-23; 8:1-14; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Gal. 2:20; Gal. 5:19-21: Eph.
2:8-10; Eph. 4:17-24; Eph. 5:3-6; Col. 1:13-14; Col. 1:21-23; Tit. 2:11-14; 1
Pet. 2:24-25; & 1 Jn. 1:5-9.]
Most Holy Faith
(Jude 1:17-23)
“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of
the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last time
there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who
cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved,
building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save
others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear,
hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”
Many of these false shepherds
of the people are all receiving the same (or similar) training on how to grow
their “churches,” i.e. their businesses, and in how to market the church to the
world. One of the main subjects they are being taught to impress upon their
people is unity (solidarity), but it is not unity with Christ or with his
gospel, but with the goals, objectives and mission statements of the “churches,”
i.e. their businesses. And, they push this idea that anyone not unifying with
these businesses called “churches” are dividers of the people and that they are
to be avoided or kicked out.
They tell them something like
this: “If you can’t unify with us, then you should go someplace else, and we
will even help you find another place where you will be a better fit.” Some of
them are even being taught who to avoid and who they don’t want in their
churches, and who to use to get up and running, and then who to discard once
they are on their way to success. So, in reality, these who are telling others
that they are dividers and that they need to leave the church are the ones who
are not unifying with Christ and with his word, and they are the ones causing
division in the church by leading their people toward worldliness and away from
holiness.
So, we need to be discerning
of their errors so that we do not get caught up in them ourselves. We need to
stand strong on the Word of Truth, even if it gets us kicked (or invited) out
of local fellowships. And, we need to keep growing and maturing in our faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ and walking in the Spirit in righteousness and holiness,
even if sometimes we may feel as though we are standing alone. As well, we need
to be those who are proclaiming the truth of the gospel so that we can snatch
people out of the fire so that they will be saved from their sins and have the
hope of eternal life with God. Yet, we must guard our own hearts and minds
against all that is corrupt and worldly and fleshly so that we don’t go astray
ourselves.
The Letters
/ An Original Work / December 17, 2013
Based off Revelation 2-3
To the angels of all the
churches write:
These are the words of your
Lord and your God.
I know all your deeds, and
your witness, too,
And who holds to My words and
tells what’s true.
I know all your hard work and
your perseverance,
Yet I hold against you:
you’ve forsaken Me.
Listen to what I say to you.
You have people there who
deny My name,
And who put the cross of
Christ up to shame.
They entice the people to Me,
profane,
And their worship of Me is
all in vain.
They are so adult’rous as
they chase their idols,
And you put up with them
easily enough.
Listen to what I say to you.
You give off an image of
godliness,
But what you present is so
fraudulent,
Or else you lack passion for
Jesus Christ,
So you look to others to tell
what’s right.
I say turn from your sin, or
you will face judgment.
He who overcomes will have
eternal life.
Listen to what I say to you.
I know your afflictions and
poverty;
How you suffer for your Lord
patiently.
Do not fear the devil and
company.
You be faithful to your Lord
endlessly.
I know all your weakness and
your dedication.
You have kept My Word and not
denied your Lord.
I will write on you My new
name.
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