It is all becoming more intensely clear as we ask God for wisdom. It is shocking as our eyes are opened, at how many things we were taught in cultural Christianity that were not true at all but added by men who thought they could help God out by doing things their own way. They played god in their own hearts and ignored the Scriptures.
Satanic activity has increased to the point that nearly everything is irrational and unreasonable. We are getting a taste of what it must have been like in the days of Noah and Lot. The mentality of those in the church is covertly that of 2 Timothy 3 although becoming less covert all that time.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult (ragingly insane) 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."
Even those who think they are acting kindly toward others turn into monsters of wrath when confronted with their own error or lacking Scriptural standards as described in the Word of God.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 "1 I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
5 But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.'"
Correction is now considered rude, the people in the churches will not listen to anything that challenges them to a holy walk, not even in the slightest matters.
Timothy was writing to the church in Ephesus which was the disobedient church that had aligned itself with devilish doctrines.
Our modern churches are pictures of those churches described in Revelation. We are living in the Laodicean age in which the people are lackluster, bored, and uninterested in obeying or even knowing Scripture, in fact, God called them "lukewarm." This group was vomited out of God's mouth for their phony lazy attitude toward the things of God. This is a good description of the modern church today.
The Laodicean church was the last and worst of all the churches in Asia. God had nothing good to say about them. They were useless to God and even a hindrance to His Work.
We see this in nearly all the churches of our day. They are into a social gospel to make people feel good about themselves, the exact opposite of what the true church does. These apostate churches refuse to use the Bible as their instruction book and even persecute authentic believers when they attempt to use the Bible as the standard for holiness.
Many believers have left the organized apostate churches because they want to grow in holiness and worship authentically. When we meet every week in gatherings that think that "church" is somewhere you meet or something you do, they will not understand that those who are born-again are the church and wherever they meet together, even just two or three believers is enough to be in obedience to Christ.
Matthew 18:20
"20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
The more we surround ourselves with worldly believers who do not understand the need to obey the Scriptures.
2 Corinthians 6:14-17
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? the more we are in danger of following them."
It is foolishness to think that we can hang out with lukewarm pretenders and not be tainted by them. If we desire to grow in holiness we must surround ourselves with those people who love the Lord as much as we do and will encourage us with the Word of God.
If there is no one, and this is common now, then we must remain faithful in our homes by ourselves. Next time someone attempts to guilt you into attending a gathering just to be somewhere there are people, simply state; "those people do not follow Christ." They will most likely say; "there is no perfect church" to guilt you, a good response is; "I am looking for a gathering that loves God as much as I do, until God shows me I will remain at home."
And, then I might reduce contact or cut ties with those who pressure me to do what God told me not to do.
Noah had no one but His family and God said we are living in times just like he live. Lot had only his family and his own wife turned back to look in disobedience to God.
God does not want us to meet with those who will discourage us from seeking holiness and dedication to His Word.
We are living in the end times, few are left who love Christ and obey His Word. We are free to choose where we gather and with how many, no one can tell us what to do in this regard. Do not be intimidated to join an apostate gathering with a one-man-paid-pastor system.
Stand strong with what God told you to do, and be sure you are seeking Christ in this, not your own comfort or the desires of friends and family. In many cases, friends and family will tell you the opposite of what God wants for you. Seek Christ alone.
