Practicing an Error from Childhood, Only Christ can Undo it!

When someone has been practicing something their entire lives, from childhood, it is nearly impossible to convince them of the truth. The holidays, the false hierarchy system of the modern church, the acceptance of divorce and remarriage, the adherence to man's rules that God never commanded, and much more permeate the church system of the last days, and yet most people in these systems believe they are the only way.

 
There have been times Christians have exposed the rituals of the modern church system, only to be mocked and demeaned for exposing the truth about these practices.

Galatians 4:16-17 "16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.…"

How many times have we quoted God's Word to someone to show them their error and were met with anger, isolation and ultimately complete rejection? I suggest many if you have been loyal to God's Word.

 
Amos 5:10
"There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity."

1 Thessalonians 2:4
"Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts."

2 Timothy 4:3-4
"For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

The time has come that we live in an age of nearly total apostasy, dependent on the doctrines and practices of men rather than on the leading of Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit.

 
Most "Christians" today give us a look of perplexity and even disapproval when we suggest they seek the Holy Spirit for their answers. They are not familiar with what it feels like to hear from the Holy Spirit. After all, most do not know their Bible,s why would they seek the Holy Spirit?

 
The very people who claim to be Bible believers negate and disobey more of it than they obey because they are dependent on the writings of men and a false church system instead of the Bible.

 
The life of the true follower of Christ and His Word will be a life of isolation and exclusion.

 
Matthew 5:11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me."

1 John 3:13
"So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you."

Psalm 38:20
"Those who repay my good with evil attack me for pursuing the good."

It is better to be acceptable to Christ and rejected by men than to be loved by men.
John 14:42-44 "42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.…"

Those who are modern-day Pharisees are no different in our day than they were in the days when Christ walked the earth.

 
Matthew 23 describes the mentality of the Pharisees!

When We Gather Together

When we gather in a group, God calls us to "edify one another", the word worship in the original language is not used because we come together to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and edify one another with His Word.

 
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "…10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. 11 Therefore, encourage and build one another up (edify), just as you are already doing."

Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."

 
This is why God said; Romans 14:4-6 "…4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.…"

Our life is the worship because Christ lives in us.

 
Colossians 2:16-17
"Therefore, let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ."

2 Corinthians 3:2-3
"2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart."

The modern church system of the pews facing forward, the paid pastor on a pedestal above the people, one person choosing the songs and no one else who is not on the podium is allowed to speak without permission, is a model of the Catholic system that God never commanded. These places are not led by the Holy Spirit but by men.

 
There is no hierarchy in God's commands to meet together. There are leaders who lead by example and teaching but are not an authority over the congregation. Only the Holy Spirit is the Authority over the people. All those who attend are allowed to participate and everything should be done to edify one another.

 
These apostate churches choose "worship leaders" rather than being led by the Holy Spirit. Man is the center of these gatherings not Jesus Christ.

 
1 Corinthians 14:26
"What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."

Many pagan practices have been added to the modern churches; the Catholic and Protestant churches have added them. Protestants think they are different; they are not, they are less obvious, as they retain the pagan practices that were added centuries ago that they love and cannot let go of to this day.

Philippians 2:1-4
"Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, / then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. / Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves."

1 Peter 4:10
"As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another."

2 Corinthians 13:11
"Finally, brothers, rejoice! Aim for perfect harmony, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."

Ephesians 5:19-20
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

No One Can Undo What God Does

Nothing that God does can be undone. When God makes someone into a new creation because they have trusted in Him and desire to be changed by Him, they can never undo that.

Ephesians 1:12-14 "…12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. 13 And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth— the gospel of your salvation— you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.…"

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 "Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come."

There are many examples of this in nature. The butterfly begins as a worm. When it emerges from the cocoon, it can never return to being a worm again.

When the seed from a redwood tree falls into the ground, mixed with the soil, becomes a 200-foot-tall tree, it can never return to the seed again.

 
When God makes two people one in marriage, they are no longer one but two; no one can undo this because it is a work of God. Only death ends the oneness of marriage.

God gave us these examples in nature to show us that no one can alter what God does; we can never undo what God performs.

 
Isaiah 43:13 "13 Even from eternity I am He, and none can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”

Job 9:12
"If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’"

Revelation 3:7
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open."

Proverbs Explained: 40 Powerful Lessons to Live By Every Day

Times and People Have Not Changed

Times have not changed, and people have not changed. I do not see people responding to correction, nor do I see shame in those who love their sin, even in the church gatherings today.

Jeremiah 6:14-16 "…14 They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all. 15 Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD. 16This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’…"

Sometimes we think there must have been better times than now. The more we read the Bible and grow in wisdom, the more we realize nothing has changed, and the church has always been a remnant of authentically born-again believers swimming upstream from the culture around us.

 
Matthew 23:13-15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are."

The modern church system thinks it is more godly and has more wisdom than in the past, but just the opposite is true. Many have more knowledge than they have had in the past, but less wisdom, as well as more misinterpretation of truth based on their present culture.

 
People in this generation are seeking truth based on their own desires and pleasure, not what God actually said in His Word.

Proverbs 29:1-2 "1 A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery. 2 When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan."

Many "conservatives" are spending more time on saving a wicked and dying country than they are on loving Christ. I rarely hear the name of Christ coming from their mouths, but I constantly hear about the latest evil the government is doing.

 
What we speak about the most is our focus in life.

 
My prayer is that many will begin to ask God to show them truth to be able to discard every false thing they have learned over their lifetime to embrace God's truth.

 
My other prayer is that those who are born again would no longer walk according to their culture!

Galatians 5:16-17 "16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want."

Romans 8:4-5
"so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!"

Ezekiel 36:27 "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances."

Proverbs 4:23
"Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life."

The Scriptures will Undo all the Wrong Thinking

God Expects Obedience and there will be Lost Rewards for Disobedience

Baptism is an expression of our desire to be cleansed by Christ; it does not save anyone. Just as the Lord's supper is an expression of our belief in what Christ did for us on the cross and the head covering for the woman is an expression of the church, and the lack of a head covering for the man is an expression of Christ. Husbands and wives are expressions of Christ and His church. They are symbols that tell a story, not means of salvation.

 
Christians are disobedient all the time, even though they are saved. All we have to look at is the disobedience in divorce and remarriage. We don't say all divorced and remarried people are unsaved, but we know at the very least they have been disobedient, ignoring the commands to not divorce and doubling down on the disobedience by remarrying.

 
My point is that disobedience to God's Word does not lose one their salvation. However, it may be an indicator that someone was never born again. This is why believers have an advocate with the Father, because we are not sinless, but we should be sinning less as we confess our sins throughout our lifetime to grow in holiness.

 
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"

There will be those who are very disobedient to Christ and still make it into heaven; we know this because of the following Scripture.

1 Corinthians 3:14-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?"

1 Corinthians 3:13-14
"His workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward."

All born-again believers will make it to heaven. We are judged not on salvation but according to what will be our rewards.

 
When God places His Holy Spirit in us as a guarantee of our inheritance, it is finished, we are transformed and no one or nothing can de-transform us.

 
2 Corinthians 5:16-18 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:"

Those who have appeared to have walked away from Christ were never changed into a new creation; they came under their own efforts, never having trusted Christ. They were pretenders wanting to feel good about themselves without any change in their hearts.

 
If Christ has not changed someone, then they are not saved. No one can change themselves to gain heaven. It would be like a person who is desperately wicked changing his desperate wickedness; it is impossible. A desperately wicked unsaved person must be transformed, not reformed, and only Christ can transform someone and only if they want to be changed by Him.

Jeremiah 17:9
"9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Ephesians 2:9-11 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. 11Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—"

Many unsaved people can be very clever at pretending. They learn the verbiage of the church, sing the songs, do good deeds, but they are doing it all in their own power and full of pride, never having trusted Christ. They can be very convincing until they are challenged to ask God if they have been changed, then is when you see the real them emerge, the disgust, contempt, and serious rejection of the truth. God speaks of these types in the word and gives a warning in Matthew 7.

Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

No harm can come from asking someone to evaluate themselves according to the Bible to see if they are saved by Christ. If there is anger, then that might be the answer that they are not born again. Those who are born again will want to know why you might think that. If we have misinterpreted them and they are saved, they will not be intimidated but confident of their salvation.

 
We are to continually challenge one another to walk in holiness.

 
1 Timothy 4:1-3 "1 Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth."

Matthew 15:8-9
"‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Titus 1:15-16
" To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled. / They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed."

1 John 4:1
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world."

There are those who will chastise us for questioning the salvation of one who walks consistently disobediant. Those who chastise for confronting to correct are themselves ignoring much of scripture that guides us to help those in the gathering learn if they are saved or help grow those who have been changed by Christ.

 
May we all grow stronger and bolder in these last days, never deviating from the love of Christ to be accepted by the culture.