The Submerging Church
I look back on some 60 years of being a Christian. In that time, the church has been submerging into a cesspool of worldliness and wickedness, symptoms of its own spiritual weakness. I have seen believer after believer fall away from any profession of faith and some even into open sin of the worst kind. Even those who remain faithful seem to be only clinging to the sinking s...hip, with no strength to aid others who are drowning. THIS SHOULD NOT BE!
This weakness is directly attributable to the preaching and teaching of its leaders. Ignoring or lightly regarding Paul’s teaching concerning all doctrines to do with the believer and the church is to ignore Jesus Christ’s authority in appointing the Apostle to the Gentiles. Resisting Paul or failing to understand his role and revelation has allowed all types of humanism to adulterate the purity of the Word of God.
The current sad state of affairs has given occasion and boldness to the proponents of falsehood. Glitzy personality driven national “ministries”, driven by greed, have made tremendous inroads into true Christian churches. The ignorance of the basics of the Gospel has left the lambs vulnerable before the “roaring lion”, Satan. Believers feeding largely only on the latest Christian music are unable to discern the good from the bad and so are apt to build a tolerance for error in exchange for a spiritual high.
What is needed to strengthen the church is up to date preaching that is in line with the times, according to God’s prophetic clock. The exit of the church is imminent, and as soon as that breath-taking event happens, the Day of the Lord begins for all the unbelievers left on the earth. Jesus said this will be the worst thing that has ever happened on earth to any people. God’s wrath, fueled by His righteous rage against a world that has rejected His Son and His supreme sacrifice, will experience this Divine venting …and who shall stand?
Some, with no biblical basis, are teaching a great end time revival. Such teaching is exactly opposite of what the Word of God clearly states. (See Scripture below.)
Preaching the end time events now, while these cataclysmic things are about to break on an unsuspecting world, is the responsibility of the church! This doctrine preached and believed will clean up believers and result in a repentance commiserate with such powerful truth. This will engender a thirst for the truth of God’s Word in all matters. This thirst satisfied will cause growth in grace leading to the joy of the Lord in the believer.
1 Thessalonians 5 New King James Version (NKJV)The Day of the Lord
5 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
I look back on some 60 years of being a Christian. In that time, the church has been submerging into a cesspool of worldliness and wickedness, symptoms of its own spiritual weakness. I have seen believer after believer fall away from any profession of faith and some even into open sin of the worst kind. Even those who remain faithful seem to be only clinging to the sinking s...hip, with no strength to aid others who are drowning. THIS SHOULD NOT BE!
This weakness is directly attributable to the preaching and teaching of its leaders. Ignoring or lightly regarding Paul’s teaching concerning all doctrines to do with the believer and the church is to ignore Jesus Christ’s authority in appointing the Apostle to the Gentiles. Resisting Paul or failing to understand his role and revelation has allowed all types of humanism to adulterate the purity of the Word of God.
The current sad state of affairs has given occasion and boldness to the proponents of falsehood. Glitzy personality driven national “ministries”, driven by greed, have made tremendous inroads into true Christian churches. The ignorance of the basics of the Gospel has left the lambs vulnerable before the “roaring lion”, Satan. Believers feeding largely only on the latest Christian music are unable to discern the good from the bad and so are apt to build a tolerance for error in exchange for a spiritual high.
What is needed to strengthen the church is up to date preaching that is in line with the times, according to God’s prophetic clock. The exit of the church is imminent, and as soon as that breath-taking event happens, the Day of the Lord begins for all the unbelievers left on the earth. Jesus said this will be the worst thing that has ever happened on earth to any people. God’s wrath, fueled by His righteous rage against a world that has rejected His Son and His supreme sacrifice, will experience this Divine venting …and who shall stand?
Some, with no biblical basis, are teaching a great end time revival. Such teaching is exactly opposite of what the Word of God clearly states. (See Scripture below.)
Preaching the end time events now, while these cataclysmic things are about to break on an unsuspecting world, is the responsibility of the church! This doctrine preached and believed will clean up believers and result in a repentance commiserate with such powerful truth. This will engender a thirst for the truth of God’s Word in all matters. This thirst satisfied will cause growth in grace leading to the joy of the Lord in the believer.
1 Thessalonians 5 New King James Version (NKJV)The Day of the Lord
5 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
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