What is a prop? What is a
stage prop? And, what is the purpose of props or stage props? And, what about the
stage (or staged)?
Prop: “To support by placing
something under or against —often used with up (to prop up); sustain,
strengthen; something used in creating or enhancing a desired effect” (M-W
Dictionary).
Staged: “Contrived for a
desired impression” (dictionary.com).
Stage prop: “A property
(commonly shortened to prop) is an item used on screen or stage to help enhance
a performance. It can make a scene feel more authentic or help actors play
their role more adequately” (Source: spurcreative.co.uk).
So, this is something which
is used to support, sustain or to strengthen a desired impression; something or
an item used in a performance for creating or for enhancing a desired effect,
i.e. this is something used to enhance the act to make it appear more authentic
(true), or to help actors (pretenders; deceivers) to play their roles (their
performances) more effectively.
Enhancing a Performance
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” Rev. 3:1 ESV
What the Lord is showing me
here about this church, which represents a large portion of the church here in
the USA, I believe, is that it is “propped up” to make it look like it is
spiritually alive when truly it is destroyed, fallen away, declined
spiritually, degenerate, and ruined; a failure, disgraceful, defeated and a
wreck; immoral, wicked, worldly, and fleshly.
They circumvent the truth in
order to sustain and to strengthen the lie. And, the lie is the desired
impression they want to leave, that they want in the forefront. So, they use “props”
to help them keep this lie going.
So, what kind of props? Advertising
is certainly one of them. Marketing schemes is another. Even the Bible can be a
prop to make it look like they are spiritual when they are not. Stage
productions in themselves are props. Anything which would make them appear as
though they are spiritual when they are not is a prop. The gospel they preach
is a prop, too, for what they put out at the forefront is the first half of the
gospel message only, giving the impression that they are telling the whole
truth, when they are not. A half-truth is still a lie if it is told in order to
deceive naïve minds.
This church lives as though
they have never been freed from their sins. They live as though the natural
man, the sin nature, is still the one in control. They are double-minded,
deceitful, dishonest, and unfaithful to the one who saved them from their sins.
Their leaders, too, are often wolves in sheep’s clothing who are out to kill and
to destroy the church, not to save her.
They teach this half-truth
gospel which excludes repentance and obedience to Christ and which gives a
false impression that one can be saved and going to heaven and still live
according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit. But, scripture says
the opposite. Scripture says if we walk (in lifestyle, in practice) according
to the flesh (fulfilling our lustful desires) that we will die in our sins, not
live with Christ for eternity (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Ac.
26:16-18; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21).
Wake Up!
Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Rev. 3:2-3 ESV
So, the Lord Jesus is calling
out to this “propped up” fallen church to wake up spiritually, and to
strengthen what little bit of spiritual life might still be there but is about
to die. Their works are incomplete because so much of them are works of the
flesh, to gratify the cravings of the sinful flesh. Included in this is
man-made religion, and I am not speaking just of legalism, either, for today’s
modern church movement is very driven by the flesh of man and not by the Spirit
of God.
They have united themselves
with a “false love,” a mistress, which is this false gospel which promises them
a false hope of salvation based on a lie (a half-truth). It gives them carte
blanche to continue in their sinful addictions without guilt and without
remorse, but it is still a lie. And, it will kill them if they do not repent!
So, this fallen “propped up”
church, which gives a false impression of being spiritually alive but is
actually mostly dead, needs to remember what the scriptures teach, and not just
the ones which support this “feel good” watered-down gospel, but all the
scriptures in the New Testament which teach about salvation, forgiveness of
sins, and eternal life with God, etc. We can’t build our doctrine of salvation
off of just a few verses, though many do, because they take them out of context
and apply them wrongfully.
So, we need to know what the
Word of God teaches, and read what Jesus and his NT apostles taught with regard
to why Jesus died on that cross, and as to the meaning of God’s grace and faith
and salvation. And, then we need to obey the truth which says we must repent of
our sins, and we must walk in the Spirit and not according to the flesh, if we
want to have eternal life… and which teaches us that God’s grace instructs us
to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions (lusts), and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s return.
If this “propped up” fallen
church does not turn away from her sins, and if she does not reject (throw off)
this false grace gospel and the old man (sinful flesh), the Lord is saying he
will come against her in judgment.
Walk in White
Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Rev. 3:4-6 ESV
Yet, not every individual
believer in Jesus Christ has fallen prey to deception and captivated by clever
deceivers and enchanters, nor has every congregation of the saints of God
followed after the ways of man and of the flesh. There are many, though they
may be the minority, at least here in the USA, who are walking in the Spirit,
being led by the Spirit, who are not walking (not living) according to (in agreement
with) the flesh (sin nature).
They are clothed with the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, for they are worthy, not because of anything
they have done in the flesh, but because they have yielded their lives over to
the Lordship of Jesus Christ and they have allowed him to purify their hearts
and to conform them to his likeness. They have separated themselves from what
is worldly so that they can be made into the likeness (the image) of their Lord
Jesus, yet they are still a work in progress. God will be refining our hearts
until the day he takes us home.
So, hear what the Spirit is
saying to the churches. If we walk according to the flesh, we will die in our
sins. But if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we
will live with Christ for eternity (Rom. 8:1-17).
As the Deer
/ Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the
water
So my soul longeth after You…
You alone are my strength, my
shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Sunday, January 28, 2018,
7:17 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from your word. Bring it home
to our hearts, I pray, in Jesus’ name.
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