Walking with Christ in an Apostate Age

A dear sister in the Lord asked me a question about cliques within the church so I answered in this way. Thank you Darla for this question.

Yes, I have seen and experienced it. The whole modern church system is based on some people being, more special than others. Those on "the stage" are treated with greater love and kindness while others are ignored because they are not friends with those on stage, which is a common thing, especially in large gatherings. This modern idea of worship which is not Biblical has caused a "class system" of hierarchy and hierarchy's friends.

James 2:1: "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory".

The hierarchy system fosters pride and has no place in the gathering of believers.

I have been praying about this whole matter of worshiping in "Spirit and in Truth" and God has been answering my questions about it through a man named Dr. Tom Wadsworth. He exposes the entire system of what we call worship as nothing like what Christ instituted in the first-century church.

We are living in an apostate age that promotes self-will and self-exaltation above submission and humility toward God and others.

1 Corinthians 14:26

This verse says that when people come together, they should each bring a hymn, teaching, revelation, tongue, or interpretation, and that everything should be done to build up the church.

Notice in this passage in 1 Corinthians that God tells each person to bring something to the meeting to edify one another, not just one person upfront.

God's intent here was that every believer would participate in the edification of others and no one would be above anyone else. No one was "titled" with "pastor", it was a gift to several and was not a special position or title given, it was a calling and not to only one person.

There was no such thing as a "worship leader" because the Holy Spirit is the leader in all matters of the gathering. No human being was the leader.

I have been in the gatherings that operated this way and it was a beautiful thing to feel the love emanating from those who attended and the dedication that everything is Biblical.

When a question arose about any principle of life matter the Bible was always consulted to find God's meaning without worldly trappings or mindsets.

Today when we challenge people about something that is not Biblical giving them the passage to support our assertions, most people will become angry that we challenged their worldly thinking. They say silly things like; "what does that passage mean to you" instead asking "what did God mean by that passage."

Most church attendees are more interested in feelings-oriented teaching than they are in truth. They are dedicated to personal happiness and praise without regard to God's heart.

2 Timothy 4:3

"3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"

This is where we are today in the last days of the church age, most people will ignore, demean, gossip against and exclude those who wish to seek Christ in all things.

We need not fear these people or desire them for our friends, they will only impede our walk with Christ. God's command in the scriptures for the gathering was that we edify one another in the word so that we grow in holiness. The gatherings today hinder our walk with Christ promoting ideas against the ways of God. We need to get out of those places even if it means being alone.

It is my belief that if we come out from among them we may be alone for a time but eventually, God will bring someone else as we wait on Him, someone else who wants what we want, and that is a closer walk in Truth with Christ. Christ alone and the Bible alone!!!!!

Hallelujah!

Worship in Spirit and Truth

Worship in Spirit and in Truth. Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit and He is the Truth.

We are worshiping inwardly all the time in every place we go. There is no special place a believer must go to worship, there are no special artifacts or receptacles needed to worship, and no gathering formulas for worship.

John 14:6 "6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

The modern apostate church has not been worshiping but rather practicing religion not engaged in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

When Christ said we are set free when we become born again, we have not enjoyed how fully set free we were from all traditions of men and incumbrances of outward practices to satisfy God.

Romans 6:22-23: "But now since you have been set free from sin and have become [willing] slaves to God, you have your benefit, resulting in sanctification [being made holy and set apart for God's purpose], and the outcome [of this] is eternal life".

Ephesians 1:7: "We have been set free because of what Christ has done. Because he bled and died our sins have been forgiven. We have been set free because God's grace is so rich".

We are no longer in bondage to human rituals of this age. We have no obligation to do funerals, memorials, weddings, holidays or any other outward activity to satisfy God. We do not find any commands or described rituals in God's Word that resemble what most Christians practice today, except in rare cases the Lord's Supper as He gave it, not the way the modern church system mandates.

Jesus Christ satisfied everything when He died and rose from the dead. All rituals except the ones He commanded in the Lord's Supper were done away with at the cross. This was the new covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah".

Hebrews 8:13 "13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is [g]about to disappear."

There were rituals added by man after Christ rose from the dead, that are not in God's Word. There have also been those who attempted to add the Old Testament rituals to Christianity that were also done away with at the cross.

Mankind has a problem with adding to God's Word what best fits their desires for "doing something" in the flesh to make themselves feel as if they participated somehow. Mankind feels a need to "do something" but Christ taught "being something", that produced godly actions and entirely opposite mindset from the unsaved predicament. When we trust in Christ we choose it with our mind and then He changes the way we think, all our desires become His desires. The Holy Spirit moves into us and becomes our righteousness for us. He is our Sabbath rest, He is our teacher and guide for everything.

1 Corinthians 1:29-31 "…29so that no one may boast in His presence. 30 It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Romans 3:24

"and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to Me, all [a]who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find [b]rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”

Hebrews 4:9-11 "…9There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience."

Human traditions do not produce godly mindsets, but rather they produce greater degrees of pride and "feelings-oriented" responses to what they call worship.

When we rest entirely in Christ we have no need to practice outward rituals to feel close to God. He lives in born-again believers and He is all we need all the time.

Hallelujah!

Interview with Dr. Tom Wadsworth

Let Them

https://youtube.com/shorts/Njj6Bqs1-sI?si=ERxUlS4vh0vlZB4q

The Essence of the Narcissist

They fear truth, avoid advice and dread change. Until they become born again there is no hope for them to ever be close to anyone authentically. Everything is a competition and everyone who has kindness and empathy will be discarded because of this mentality of superiority. They will discard anyone they think is superior to them. 

Those who love God and have been born again know they are not superior to anyone else, and they know that it is only Christ in them Who is good. 

The fruit of the Spirit of the born-again believer is this:

Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Matthew 7:17-20
"17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit."

No one who follows Christ will consistently act superior or rude to elevate self because they have the love of Christ in them.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 
"4. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

This is how we know if someone has been born again:

John 13:35
"35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

One of the defining character qualities of the born-again believer is their love and concern for brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing His principles and truth with their church family and their compassion for those who are lost causing them to share the gospel with those who are perishing. 

There are many indicators mentioned in the scriptures that tell us who belong to the family of God and who does not. Pay attention to these principles and you will be able to discern who is your brother or sister and who is a pretender, of whom there are many in these last days. Those who are pretenders must be avoided, they will work to undermine what God is doing in you and those who associate with you.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 

4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 

5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

Many believers are leaving the organized church system because they are experiencing the wrath of pretenders who dominate the gatherings now. These pretenders speak scripture passages out of context to fit their desired church culture and intimidate through overt and covert means those who speak the truth to silence them. We cannot remain in gatherings that undermine God's Word as they preach false doctrine and superficial matters. 

May the Lord guide everyone who loves Him to be where He wants them free of the dictates of the apostate organized church system. Pray for wisdom and He will give it freely to anyone who wants to understand.

The Good-O-Meter

Believers are Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise