Of the seemingly countless multitudes that received Christ’s touch and teaching during his earthly tour, only 120 pressed through to become the initial recipients and channels of the Fullness He came to give. Again, today, it will be only those of that Upper-Room 120 caliber that will press through to the Fullness of the Real Thing, while many others will only be partakers of its derivatives.
[NOTE: It is with sadness and grief that I write. It surveys some of the historical and current causes of the Church’s spiritual collapse. Given the general focus of these It is hoped that a fuller understanding of today’s realities and their causes will aid the true seeker of ‘Revival’ in directing his efforts fruitfully and thus avoid laboring to accomplish something which God will not bless. It is meant to aid the reader to seek ‘aright’ and avoid seeking amiss. When man’s mechanisms cease to function correctly, one qualified in knowing its assembly, operation and repair must make a component-level (and module-level) appraisal to determine whether the malfunctioning parts (or the entire module) need to be repaired or replaced. So, it is with the Church. God will not refurbish that which requires replacement. An objective and knowledgeable assessment needs to be made regarding the current Wineskins and Garments in use to diagnose what it is that His people need to see ‘repaired’
and what it is that they need to see entirely ‘replaced’. The attachment of His people to their dependable Wineskins and their tattered ‘comfy’ Garments makes them indisposed to relinquish them. Generally, they prefer to mend over exchanging them with the ‘state of the art’ replacement. If they focus their prayers on Religiosity’s reconditioning, when
He is only predisposed to replace it with the presence of Christ Himself, then their intercessory effort will be an exercise in futility. If He rules the former out, then. His people will only hear from Heaven once they tell the ‘Dealer’ that they will go with the replacement option.
Some may regard my critique of Today’s Church as inconsequential. To others this section may prove to be too incisive causing them offense, fully persuaded that full true ‘Revival’ can be brought to bear on that which here is represented as reprobate. Should the reader encounter excessive difficulty with the grim views presented here he is encouraged to continue reading. Once he has studied the remainder of these writings, he may be inclined to re-read.
BETRAYAL BY THE JUDAS ISCARIOT COMPANY – BROTHER
AGAINST BROTHER
Many times, not only is the Enemy successful in orchestrating the downfall of God’s people and luring them into such deception, sin and rebellion that God must eventually forsake them… He later abducts them and forges them into an unwitting but formidable force against those who truly continue to pursue the Lord and His purposes.
Consider ….: Mt. 10: Jn. 15:25-16:3
Earthly Amalgamated Christianity may fall prey to the
Enemy’s manipulations as an instrument against Heavenly Christianity, much the same way that Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord Himself for personal interests. Judaism, whose Pharisaism was forged in Babylon (where the Babylonian
Talmud was written) was used against Christ and the Early Church: and Paganized Christianity’s world-wide clout effectually hampered God’s designed for well over a millennium except in isolated pockets.
SOME EARMARKS OF TODAY’S APOSTASY – A FAMINE OF THE HEARING OF THE FULL AND TRUE QUICKENING WORD OF GOD.
THE AGE OF APOSTASY. Contemporary Christianity constitutes the Last Day’s Apostate Church which Paul prophesied. It comprises the Laodicean Church, which if unrepentant would be spewed out of the Lord’s mouth. This is the era prophesied by Paul.’ when they will not endure sound doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.” (II Tim. 4:3)
RECIPROCITY. Both the flocks for harbouring their lusts and their ministries who indulge them, are to blame. Spiritually prodigal ‘Christians’ and Apostate ministries reciprocally gravitate to each other and reinforce each other’s delusions. Consider … II Tim. 4:3 “Birds of a feather flock together.”
ITCHING EARS- & A FORM OF GODLINESS. The convincing deceptions to which the Lord gives them over bears some relationship to the ruling desires and inclinations of their heart.
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God: having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (1 Tim. 3:1-5)
[NOTE: “The last days perilous times” here includes the above coming “itching ears “times.]
THE TRUE FRAME OF REFERENCE. The only things
that can offer effectual protection from persuasive spiritual deceptions are a breadth of revelation-insight given to persistent inquirers by the Holy Spirit’s Sanctification, cleansing, baptism, filling, sealing, adaption.
THE APOSTATE GOSPEL – THE PREACHING OF A
PARAPHRASED VERSION. The focus and emphasis of
Contemporary churches (Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Charismatic included) are considerably divergent from that which Christ came to preach and establish.
TRUE CREDENTIALS. Christ and His apostles preached repentance, faith, obedience, holiness and love, As necessary qualifications and evidence for the possession of eternal life.
FALSE CREDENTIALS- A FORM OF GODLINESS AND SURPRISE ENDING. However, by their practice, modern Christianity’s ministry and membership demonstrate their misplaced confidence in 4 Basic Elements as those necessary for the possession of eternal life. Bringing false hope to their ranks and deceiving multitudes.
Those 4 Basic Elements are: 1. Having- made a ‘decision’ for Christ, Invited Him into one’s heart, responded to a Salvation altar call, Said ‘the sinner’s prayer’ and /or Made a ‘profession of faith’ .. (As if the saying of certain ‘magic’ words were sufficient). 2. ‘Believing’ – (giving mental assent to) the basic orthodox Evangelical Christian doctrines. 3. Conforming to an acceptable standard of outward behavior, free from unseemly demeanor. 4. Attending certain church meetings and activities with some regularity.
These 4 Basic Elements do not conform to the abovementioned N.T standards. The Inner life and heart-condition of Today’s Christians are ignored altogether. BY THE SANTUARY LOAD. The misrepresentation of the true Gospel’s requirements and promises by the 4 Basic Elements are treacherous indeed. Claiming that certain lanes of the ‘wide-gate’ and the ‘broad-way’ are in fact the ‘strait way’ people are to look for, thereby consigning by ‘sanctuary loads, their unwary travelers to a surprise destination –
HELL!!! When they plummet off ‘the end of Life’s Road.’
DOING WHAT IS RIGHT IN THEIR OWN EYES. The
Apostate churches heed various combinations of the 4 following trendsetters in directing their congregations: Traditions (old and new), Celebrity ministries (who can entertain), “Every wind of doctrine” (Itching Ears), Today’s Elders and the Sanhedrin – (Man’s boards, committees, consultants, councils and counsels). Almost no church anywhere corporately seeks to hear and obey “what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” The congregation hears what the pulpiteers say to the churches, and at times even hear God ‘getting a word in edgewise’. However, there is no congregation-level follow through. To hear is not enough. They each do what they think works best.
MAJORING ON MINORS. The ministers preach and promote to the public what is important to them. Christ’s power to heal the body, fix bad circumstances, bless finances, enable for success, heal emotional wounds, answer prayer, give joy and peace, baptize with tongues, and even forgive sins is promoted intensely, as those are the blessings the public is in the market for. However, the means of applying His power to break sin’s chains of, lack of self-control, intemperance, addictions, inner obsessions and compulsions, gluttony, substance abuse, lusts, perversions, fornication, homosexuality, contentions, drunkenness, resentments, hate, greed, materialism, criticism, complaining, murmuring, impatience, foolishness, anger, worldliness, marital estrangement, irreconcilable differences, envy, covetousness, jealousy, pride, vanity, dishonesty, lying, deception, hypocrisy, religiosity, idolatry, occultism, rebellion, ungratefulness, selfishness, degradation of heart, demonic possession. . . etc.. etc.
DECEIVED AND SEDUCED BY THEIR OWN
DESIRES (LUSTS). The public flocks to the Apostate ministers in droves to hear echoed the fleshly values and aspirations of their own selfish hearts. They seek ‘spiritual’ help from them to attain their self-centered goals, while appeasing their conscience.
RELIGIOUSLY INCORRECT. It is now improper to call sin by its names. The Religious Incorrectness of addressing the negative issues and traits in the spiritual life of the church, the ministers and of the members for fear of offending the parties, damaging their self-esteem or of, being disparaged by the ‘affirmations’ has neutralized the Gospel’s power. The hue and cry of “lack of love” is raised against it everywhere!! The true Full Gospel is personally meaningless and powerless in the lives where there has been no prior Conviction of Sin. There can be no conviction of sin without the accusatory proclamation of the Moral Law’s immutable standards and the damnation their violation incurs. Good News is not good news unless one has been overwhelmed with the bad which the good has come to remedy (such as cancer and newly discovered, effecting cure). It would merely be one more news item to assimilate. Christ’s New Law is even more stringent than the Mosaic Law. Its habitual violators (Christian and non-Christians will be eternally damned. Consider … Mt. 5:17-48: Heb 2:1-4. It is the Law, aided by the spirit’s Conviction of Sin which has been appointed to be “The schoolmaster to bring us to Christ”. Gal. 3:24.
FATAL MISTAKES. The failure to address the Sin Issue properly results in the grieving of the Spirit of Life and permits Spiritual Death’s cold breath to disable the hearts of most.
A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW. Also, neglected has been Christ’s Full Provision for victory over sin and sinfulness by means of – Denying oneself, being a true disciple of Christ, having one’s carnal, sinful nature replaced with Christ’s nature by the Spirit’s Sanctification filling and an active faith.
FALSIFYING THE GOSPEL. Any Christian doctrine which licenses the adamic carnal nature in the life of a Christian and provides for alternative remedies for its ills is False Gospel. The true Gospel message as taught by Paul and confirmed to him by Peter, James and John includes A thorough dealing with sin and its source in one’s carnal/ adamic nature and … The regrettable consequences of consenting to their ongoing presence and work in the heart. In addition to Paul’s writings, the Epistles of Peter, James, John, Jude and the Letter to the Hebrews each addresses the flesh/ carnality issue from its unique perspective attesting to the same. In God’s eyes, the corollary may be valid as well: The minister which proclaims the Gospel falsely is a False Minister.
THE APOSTATE BELIEF SYSTEM. Based on The
‘Letter That Killeth’ Modern Christianity’s Bible-based beliefs, teaching and giftings are but the skeletal remains of the pulsating realities “IN Christ Jesus” once enjoyed by the Infant Church.
CHERISH HEIRLOOMS- RELICS FROM THE PAST.
The Church today has been left with the mere doctrinal descriptions of what the first believers once experienced. It has the words, but not the realities, or even a revelatory understanding of what they were meant to portray.
BIBLE HOMONYMS. The original meaning of many key scriptural terms and words has mutated from its intended initial usage.
TIDBITS. “But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept: line upon line: here a little and there a little: that they might fall backward and be broken and snared and taken” (Isa. 28:13) Employing a vast variety of divers and sundry minimal dosage biblical truths, the modern church has proven herself to be powerless in bringing her adherents into more than a trivial, consistent possession of those realities portrayed doctrinally. Witness the ‘fruit’ of the (spiritually) pre-school-level sermonettes and Sunday school ‘lessons’, disseminated month after month, year after year and decade after decade in churches everywhere. Today’s preaching is nearly as powerless as the ministry of the law, the ‘type and shadows’, the prophecies and the visions of the O.T. Which provided only verbal and symbolic depictions of vibrant spiritual realities. They did not furnish to their hearers the means to access them or to partake of and enjoy them.
IMAGINARY CHRISTIANITY. Mere words (even anointed at times), and not the realities they were meant to portray, are the essence of Today’s Christianity. The knowledge of the doctrine has been mistaken for possession of its reality and experience. Likewise, the mental endorsement of doctrines has replaced true living faith in the Word they portray.
SUBSTITUTION NOT ACCEPTED. The Lord indicted His own people of Jeremiah’s day for the same substitutionary practices that prevail today. Consider … Jer. 7:22-26 : 2:13 (to walk in the counsel of your own heart).
APOSTATE INFIDELITY- Harlotry with the Golden Calf of their IMAGINE GOD.
HISTORIANS NOT EYEWITNESSES. Almost none in
ministry today has had a true revelation of Jesus Christ. They have not had an up-close encounter with Him, much less known Him face to face. Accepting His forgiveness, hearing His call, receiving His commissioning, and having insights into the scriptures are not to be confused with a revelation of His Person and heart (Salvation). Consequently, today’s ministers are powerless to be channels through whom He can revealed to those under their charge. Today’s people’ ‘faith’ is founded more on their leader’s doctrinal eloquence, than on the “power of God” by “ the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit”. Consider … 1 Cor. 2:1-5.
MORE HOMONYMS- HAZARDOUS FOUNDATION,
UNIVERSALLY, the terminologies to receive Christ and to know Christ are used inappropriately as synonyms for one’s initial (though largely ineffectual) invocation of Christ into his heart and for. His ongoing commitment to the Christian persuasion, via a fancied devotion to its head, his doctrines, his behavioral requirements and regular attendance of church meetings. Very, very few have truly received Christ or really know Jesus Christ in the true and full sense of the terms as used in the Scriptures, because of not yet having thoroughly dealt with sin, (repent). They do not appropriated the death of their Old Man in Christ after which. they would be empowered to “abide in Him” 2 Cor. 5:17 To their eternal detriment, knowing the Father and the Son with the evidence expressed in John’s First Epistle is not the experience of most of today’s Christians knowing Christ. Very few display John’s proof of possessing true eternal life!!
To their IMAGINARY WORD they project their prayers, knowing no real commandments that would hold them in its grip for hours at a time. They have deluded themselves into thinking that they know Him.
WORD GAME. They have substituted the theological and intuitive definitions of their reprobate human mind and authorities, for true experiential knowledge and revelation of the Godhead.
ANGELS OF LIGHT. The God the Christ and the Holy
Spirit that many serve today are not the members of the Godhead they imagine them to be, but master Imposters.
They serve an invisible, abstract, ‘Golden Calf’ that is a ‘Father’, a ‘Savior’ and a “Holy Spirit’ fashioned in their own likeness, to whom they ascribe the names of the Godhead. Theirs is not an Idolatry of statutes or icons. It is an Idolatry of mental images or concepts to which they ascribe the names of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, when in fact they are not, much as a painting (an icon) or a statue is a representation of the idolater’s object of worship. One’s idea of who God is has supplanted the place of God Himself!
GRAVEN IMAGES. In direct violation of the First and Second Commandments, representative images of the Godhead of various types are Prominently displayed most everywhere in Christendom. The dove depicting the Holy Spirit is used universally. It happens to be a pre-Christian symbol of the pagan version of the Holy Spirit. It also represents a pre-Catholic incarnation of the Madonna (later, Mary, Guadalupe and others). Also, images of the Lamb, the Lion, the Fish a Tongue of Fire (and now the Horse of Revelation), and. Others are found throughout Christendom.
Coincidentally, these are also part of the religious derived from Nimrod’s Tower. Christendom justifies this violation of His First Two Commandments and other practices with the arguments that the Enemy counterfeits that which is God’s. The same symbols were employed by Christians of the first centuries, everybody today, except fanatics uses them.
THE APOSTATE WORSHIP-SOUNDING BRASS AND TINKLING CYMBALS. Today’s worship is well orchestrated, but empty: and deprived of true anointing. FLESH’S WORSHIP. Today’s worshippers ‘worship the worship experience… Not the Lord Himself. HUMAN ORCHESTRATION. ‘Whipped Up’ praise and worship…
with the song leader’s adept motivation techniques, and the musicians rehearsed, orchestrated, crescendos sometimes brings an air of excitement to the proceedings, assumed to be the Holy Spirit’s presence (finally) descending. Regardless of how long the Holy Spirit might have been present blessing the ‘worshippers’ at the prescribed time, He is summarily cut off, that the proceedings may continue as scheduled.
EXCELLENCE IN SIMULATION- ‘FILLING IN FOR
THE HOLY SPIRIT’ A full, intense, true presence and anointing of the Lord are absent from nearly all ‘worship’, both in meetings and on recordings. Substituting for the Holy Spirit is human Excellence in, gifted song service leaders, talented vocalists, master musicians, Inspired biblical lyrics and last but not the least superb sound and recording systems. So proficient is the Excellence that most people do not seem to mind (or notice) the Holy Spirit’s absence.
HYPOCRISY. Though each participant frequently feels his expression of worship to be empty, he exerts himself with simulated joy and fulfillment, thinking that he is the only one that is having difficulty, when in fact, nearly the entire congregation feels the same emptiness.
TRUE AND FALSE WORSHIP. True worship is love’s spontaneous response to the Revealed Lord. True worship requires: A revelation of the Lord, of His holiness of His worthiness and of His love etc., and a heart that highly values those traits. Without the above, it is false worship. It is merely a hollow exercise of “Honoring Him with their lips, but their heart is far from Him.” The worship is false because of Singing and saying things that have no bearing on the realities held in the hearts of the ‘worshippers’, Employing “vain repetitions” ascribing to the Lord holiness or worthiness, without even having a small realistic notion of what they may be, singing hypocrisies and lies, expressing one’s love for Him, when the daily lifestyle, values and choices exhibit a love for one’s self.
THE APOSTATE WITNESS. The ministries of the ‘anointed word’ and the ‘flowing gifts’ do not imply God’s approval either of the instrument He uses or of the recipients of the ministry. They are not tokens of His mercy and power as testimony to His Name and to His loving heart, by which He rescues a few from among the many to participate in His true purposes. Many misconstrue these tokens to be signs of His approval and favor as they do a liberal cash flow.
Consider: During the 40-year sojourn of the rebellious Israelites in the dessert. God’s blessings, supernatural provision and miracles were showered on them (but were also mingled with severe judgements and a ‘thinning of the ranks’)
THE APOSTATE ANOINTING ON GOD’S WORD.
Not uncommonly, bearing faithful witness to Himself. He provides anointing and inspiration for the preaching of His word in pulpits everywhere (and some places He blesses with certain ‘supernatural’ giftings). However, the Word is perennially infantile in its spiritual content precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line: here a little and there a little. Neither in the hearts of the hearers, nor many times in the heart of the speakers is it accompanied by the work of the “Spirit of Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ Jesus, to illumine their understanding. Also His Conviction of Sin, and the Fear of the Lord. The
Word’s effect on the hearer’s is not unlike the hearing of the O.T. Law. It imparts some knowledge of the Divine Standard and promises, while neither removing ‘the veil’ placed over their understanding, nor providing the enablement to attain them.
BURIED TREASURES. The Lord generally keeps
certain ingredients, necessary for the full appropriation of His provision IN Christ, hidden those that make the N.T. standard and promises attainable… (Though they remain there in His Word). Consider … Mt. 13:11-15. They remain undisclosed because of the permissive attitude among His people towards sin and sinfulness and its corresponding lukewarmness. The missing ingredients are: An understanding of the full provisions of Christ’s Gospel and grace that bring the Spirit’s true fullness power and enablement into the church and into one’s life. The capability to exercise a focused, applied faith therein; They have been displaced by belief in a Partial Gospel that produces only a powerless Babylonian/Roman ‘form of godliness’. Multiplied preaching, teaching, seminars and conventions will not remedy the deficiencies of the hidden Missing Ingredients.
GOD’S TRUE SERVANTS AMONG THE APOSTATE.
The Lord does not leave the Apostates without a message. As He sent His true prophets as a witness to each generation of Apostate Israel. So Today, He sends forth His True Preachers of True Righteousness. The instrumentalities used to proclaim the missing ingredients to the wayward Christians frequently come wrapped in offensive packaging. Obscuring the very message, they proclaim from those of a reprobate mind, which include – the self-righteous, the willful, the proud, the insincere and the content in their carnality. Those content with a religious Christian placebo reprobate church will not receive the message of the former because of certain offensive peculiarities present in their ministries. Those with a heart after righteousness and after God are given a capability of spiritual perception to see through the offensive packaging and discern the heart of the true message and of the true messenger. Consider: Mt. 13:11-12.16
THE TOWER OF BABEL AND THE APOSTATE
CHURCH- A KINGDOM DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF.
Because of being Outside of Christ (of not being experientially IN Christ), the tower of Babel’s curse reaches even into the heart of the church.
THE PRODIGAL CHURCH-FROM THE BANQUET
TO THE TROUGH. Leaving the Lord and striking it out on her own. Christianity dissipates her inheritance and misplaces her affection on worldly values.
MISPLACED CONFIDENCE IN LAODICEAN
RICHES. Abundant skills and talents, ministry of the word doctrines, material resources, real estate have blinded the church to true riches. Testimonies to widespread conversions, financial blessings, healings, visions, supernatural signs and wonders, ad infinitum, only serve to reinforce the simulation of abundant life among the many that stalk the candlestick-less assemblies. Her ministers enjoy the lavish luxuries of five-star hotels as they minister from placebo place, but have no eternal weight of glory occasioned by light momentary afflictions of tribulations, persecutions, jails etc.
THOU HAST A NAME THAT THOU LIVES AND
ART DEAD. The church’s appearance of life, ministry and fruitfulness offers something for everyone but is of minimal spiritual consequence in their daily lives. She caters to people’s emotional, mental and religious needs. But provides them with no spiritual impact. Symptomatic are the church your groups. Providing many attractive activates to aid your spiritually and to protect them from worldly alternatives but with little fruit. Most of their your people are only sightless worldly than the North American unchurched pagan youth. Only few continue in the church as married adults. The majority is absorbed back into the world.
BABYLON’S USE OF CONCRETE AND STEAL. The
larger her followers the more successful and fulfilled today’s churches feel, mistaking volume for character. The aspect of one anothering is altogether rough shod. The adherents are lost in wave of emotional glory but when the music stops the emptiness is still there. Repentance and holiness are replaced by cheap simulations. The church becomes a place of spiritual death not life. Concrete and steel is a veritable millstone around the neck of wood, hay, and stubble, whose weight sets her plummeting on a collision course with the sea’s bottom.
THE WHITEWASH BRIGADE. With most churches,
care is given primarily to the outward appearance of the member while within lurks some of the most putrid forms of rottenness and dead men’s bones. Ignoring and or covering up the loathsome sight, the ministry applies general amounts of whitewash. Sunday morning platform performance, aggressive evangelism, good works. Consider Matt. 23. Matt.7:21-23
ECCLESIASTIC DELIQUENCY. PRODIGAL AND
ADULTEROUS. Much as children without the discipline of firm standards and the rod from wise caring and discerning parents, will become willful, rebellious, and delinquent. The local assembly becomes a spiritually prodigal church without absolute holiness, faith, and doctrinal standards, enforced by prayer, counsel, and church discipline. She is given to indulging in her lusts. Having willfully strayed from the Lord to struck out on her own. She wantonly dissipates her spiritual inheritance and now subsists on a starvation diet.
GOD’S RESPONSE TO THE APOSTATE CHURCH
DIVORCE AGANDONMENT AND BANISHMENT TO
CAPTIVITY. Spiritual infidelity leads to an estrangement of heart from the Lord. His word communion with Him in intimate prayer and His abiding presence once held by the church in the highest esteem and affection are compromised with other lovers admitted to her heart, causing her to lose her forever. James 4:4 Col.3:5 LK.16:13-15. TESTIMONY FROM THE PAST O.T. & N. T. Scriptures and history demonstrate that the Lord eventually abandons those who persist in abandoning His full word and turns them over to increasingly severe judgments. Neh.9:26-31; Judges 2:11-23; Ezra 8:22.
WITH NO REPECT OF PERSONS Neither lineage,
heritage, or even a history blessed by God, spiritually or naturally provide and assurance of God’s ongoing favor,
blessing or election. Jn. 8:33-47: 1 Cor. 9:23-27. HIS
COVENANT PEOPLE NOT EXCLUDED.
He not only allowed Judaism to die for not having in the way He had established but fully rejected Abraham’s descendants as His people and repudiated His covenant with them. Deut. 29:18-29 Hos. 2:1 Ezra 5:12 Jer.3:8 Isa.50:1
Romans 9:6-8
EVEN HIS HABITATION PEOPLE. He withdrew his
grace and blessing from infant Christianity as the early church abandoned the Gospel fundamentals and evolved into
Catholicism, giving it over to the forces of Babylonian darkness. He threatened to withdraw His Holy Spirit from the Ephesian church, just for allowing her love for Him to cool down. Rev.2:4-5. He threatened to come against the Sardis church like a thief in the night unless she repented of her deadness. Rev. 3:1-3. He found himself locked outside of the Laodicean church and would not come inside, unless they truly heard Him and obeyed in the matters that would lead then into intimacy with him. Otherwise, He would spew them out of His mouth Rev. 3:16-17,20. Paul warned and pronounced “if any man loves not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema. 1 Cor.16:22
ICABOD CHURCH STATUS REVOKED &
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS SEVERED. Upon forsaking
his people Ichabod occurs. The presence of His active leadership and participation is withdrawn from His church. Without the Holy Spirit’s active leadership and participation in Christ’s eye church ceases to be a church, and lapses into being merely a religious fraternity. With the withdrawal of the candlestick the local church forfeits heaven’s recognition of it as Ekklesia. Consider …. II Peter 2:4-10, Jude 5,
Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges and Jeremiah.
THE VAST ARRAY OF APPOSTATE MINISTRIES COPING WITH THE ABSENCE OF HIS GLORY- ‘MAKING DO’ WITH WHAT’S AT HAND- UNSKILLED LABORERS DOING IT THEIR WAY.
‘ICABOD’- YESTERDAY & TODAY. The departure of the Lord’s Glory and of His participating presence does not occur merely because of incidental presence does not occur merely because of incidental provocations against the Lord and His standards.
SLOW TO ANGER. The Curse of Ichabod comes over
His people in the face of persistent rebellion only after many calls to repentance and numerous warnings though usually undiscerned and or unheeded.
SERIOUS ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT. As in ancient
times when the people and their leaders misplaced their confidence in that which once housed His presence… – (i.e the Ark of the Covenant of Eli’s day; the Temple of
Jeremiah’s day, etc.) Rather than in the terms of the Covenant by which His presence is committed to the people. So today, Christians unwittingly put their trust in the Institutional Incarnation of what was once a true ‘Move of God’ as well as in its ceremonies, activities and doctrines, rather than in the ‘secrets’ that led up to its ‘coming down’… 1 Sam. 4: Jer. 7
COLLAPSE. Once implemented, Ichabod generally remains undetected until the consequent destruction occurs. The major ongoing crises for those of the abandoned infrastructure, created by the Lord’s absence, generally do not divulge their cause to the unwary leadership.
MANAGING TO GET BY WITHOUT THE HOLY
SPIRIT – COMPENSATING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT’S
ABSENCE. The Apostate ministries attempt to continue as previously but now having to buttress that which had been self-sustaining. They do not stop even long enough to discern the withdrawal of God’s glory and presence much less to inquire as to the cause of His departed blessing or how to recover it. They substitute significant human effort, resources, management skills, promotional and marketing techniques, and other mechanisms, to bolster what the Lord now refrains from doing and seems to get along quite well without Him. The Religiosity which it must employ, to maintain a pretense of vitality, is as much of an abomination to God as that which occasioned His absence. Consider … Isa. 1:10-15.
UNSKILLED LABOR DOMINANT THE MARKET- GOLD & GEM ‘SMITHING’ OBSOLETE. One of
Ichabod’s effects is that Christ’s Master Artisans, His Competent Ministries of the Spirit and of the Full Gospel, skilled in working with the “gold, silver and precious stones”, seem to be near extinction. They have been replaced by unskilled laborers- unrestrained and inexperience in Heaven’s crafts.
THE MASON’S GUILD TO THE RESCUE!!! – TODAY’S INCARNATION OF FALSE APOSTLES.
Denominational Powers-That -Be, Empire Builders.
Congregation Collectors, Charismatic Bishops, Convention King-Maker, Movement Manipulators and those commissioned and recognized to be Apostles, but not by the Lord Jesus Christ… Have placed themselves as leaders in front of the meandering parades of Christendom.
NO APOSTOLIC CREDENTIALS. They are without a revelation of Jesus Christ by which they could make Him known to the converted, aid in their being fashioned into His image and truthfully say, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”. – Have placed themselves as leaders in front of the meandering parades of Christendom. 1 Cor. 9:1, Gal. 1: 1516. They are inept in holiness, love, Abrahamic faith, spiritual wisdom, power (other than the miracle variety) and true authority over the enemy’s strongholds. They are unable to bring the Church into heaven’s graces. They are ineffectual in molding the churches, or even some of their membership, into Christ’s likeness (which is what ministry is all about). (Perhaps the primary requirement for early church apostleship was that of having had a revelation of Jesus, from which the early apostles derived their power, authority, understanding and their apostolic grace.)
UNDER QUALIFIED. With a breadth of experience and success, management skills, doctrinal expertise, giftings, charisma, social dexterity, friends in high places, popularity ratings, financial supporters and commissioning visions, these leaders of leaders offer their services to the fragmenting Church.
SHORT TERM RESULTS. Many are temporarily
successful in reversing several negative trends in the Church (as gauged by Religiosity’s not Heaven’s standards)
THE GREED-BREED & THEIR GREED-CREED-
BABYLON’S ECONOMICS AT WORK. Ministering for
profit, the Balaamite Hirelings adulterate the Word, prostitute their gifting and market their ministry to gain the following and support of their Consumer- Disciples.
MINISTRY- FOR- RENUMERATION. Employing one’s
expertise in the Lord’s work, his gifting and talents etc, with a view to the compensations derived, is practiced by countless ministers of the Word. Salaries, honorariums, offering commissions or percentages, ‘road money’, outright fees, royalties, travel expenses and hotel accommodations and meals play a determining role in many ministries’ verbal and contractual speaking engagement agreements.
LOOKING OUT FOR ‘NUMBER ONE’. Many ministers
subscribe to the Greed-Creed for ‘justifiable’ reasons: To receive what are they entitled to, to avoid unfairness and corrupt money management which result in many places, if financial renumerations are not agreed upon with the hosting churches, to ‘make a living’, to broaden their financial base for increased ministry, because everybody else (who is successful) is doing it.
WOLF PACKS, some ministers are brazen con artists. To gain a following, power base, and the financial resources necessary for a fulfilling career in Christianity. Wolves from within and from without, teach, preach, and prophecy whatever the market will bear, to produce their objectives. They roam freely unchecked and do much damage. Acts 20:29. 2 Peter 3:15-17. The pulpit promotes shearing of the sheep. Their project-plugged performances are scheduled throughout the churches, for the promotion of fund raising. How often have you seen this yourselves?
