Pretenders have Taken Over the Church!

There are many pretenders in the world who have never been changed into a new creation by Christ. They decided to be a Christian in that club that made them feel safe, but they never confessed their sinfulness and they never trusted in Christ.

Matthew 7:21-23

I Never Knew You

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.’"

Matthew 13:20-22

"20 The one sowed with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

21 yet he has no firm root in himself but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away.

22 And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

23 But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”

Many if not most people now who are entering the church building doors are not dedicated to Christ, only to a system that will make them feel happy and safe.

We know this by their angst when confronted with Scripture to obey Christ. They even have "Christianese" but mostly out of context and in favor of their own desires.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Difficult (ragingly insane) Times Will Come

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."

We know this is a description of the end times church because it says they will have a "form of godliness but deny that God is the power."

2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 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. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"

The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that Fear Him - Psalm 34

Did Angels Reproduce With Humans? | ToughTuesday E04

Trusting in Your Own Mind is Dangerous!

Those who trust in Their own devices and wealth will not glorify God but only glorify self.

Those who trust in themselves will find trouble, God will humble them eventually.

Proverbs Proverbs 18:10

"10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."

Proverbs 3:5-6

"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight."

Luke 18:9-14

"9 Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 1

0 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Traditions of Men or Christ You Must Choose

When Jesus Christ prayed this He was asking the Father to extend forgiveness to the world, that whoever wanted to be saved would trust in Christ.

However, at other times when Christ healed people or spoke to them when they were repentant, He said; "your sins are forgiven." He had the authority to forgive sins but when it came to extending forgiveness to a wicked world, only the Father could provide it through Christ's death on the cross.

Forgiveness is not for the unrepentant but the Father offers it to them if they will confess to be cleansed.

No relationship can be reconciled until the offender is sorry. Sometimes it is both parties and other times it is only one party who refuses to discuss a matter to resolve it cleanly.

Those who will not admit their sin and desire to be changed will not be forgiven by God. Those who will not forgive when someone has repented will not be forgiven by God.

Only those who have confessed to be cleansed by God and desire to be changed will be forgiven.

1 John 1:9

"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Notice the words; "IF WE CONFESS", the words most Christians today are ignoring.

I am astonished at how many verses people leave out to justify modern psychological thinking. Bad doctrine leads to chaos and unrepentance, with the expectation that those who are in sin must be forgiven even if they never confess, love their sin, and are stubborn against those who confront the sin.

So many things modern Christianity has taught has thwarted healing and the message of salvation. Whatever we believe we need to go to scripture and make sure it is what God said and not what man has been teaching.

Just because everyone believes a certain way does not make that way right. In these last days there is much apostasy in the church, many things people believe are wrong.

Romans 3:3-4 "…3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Certainly not! Let God be TRUE and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”"

It takes faith to search the scriptures and trust in Christ more than we trust in man. It takes faith to go against the culture when you think you are the only one who understands what God said in His Word.

It is the Holy Spirit Who teaches us. He may bring alongside someone who cares about what God says more than what man says, but this will be rare in our time. Most people in churches today love their "traditions" more than they love God.

Matthew 15:3 "3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?"

Mark 7:13 "13 Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”

These passages were written to the Jews but are for us too, since mankind has not changed. People often become insecure when someone challenges what they have always known. Their trust is in their traditions not in Christ. So many things "Christians" love today actually defy the word of God but they will defend them at the expense of godly relationships.

May we all evaluate every single thing we believe or like to believe, according to the Word of God and not our family's traditions.