Something Interesting Has Happened in these Last Days of Apostasy

Has anyone else noticed something very interesting, in these last days of godlessness?

The clothing has become foolish, the decor in homes is stark and uninteresting, the hair styles are beyond sloppy and much more. Everything is getting uglier.

I cannot tell you how disturbed I feel when I see woman wearing ripped jeans that they paid $80 for brand new.

I remember for years how I waited for the style of saggy pants on young men to go away. They were offensive to me and even immoral at times.

Now I am waiting for the ripped faded and worn-out jeans on women to pass.

It makes sense that the devil would want to make everyone look terrible to dishonor God.

I have heard it said by young people that God does not care how we dress. My response was, then why are you obsessing over how someone else dresses appropriately for church gatherings?

The young people seem to be irritated at proper clothing to worship God. They are using the excuse to dress down to justify their lazy and irreverent attitude about God and His gathering.

They will use the scriptures out of context to say that we should not honor one person over another based on clothing. Of course, I agree with God on this but remember God was not speaking of those who can afford to do better in their clothing, He was addressing the matter of the poor not having anything else to wear but tattered clothing because it was all they had. We are not to treat others disrespectfully because they are poor and do not have anything else to wear.

God was teaching us not to treat people disrespectfully because of their financial status. It would be equally bad to judge someone as haughty for dressing a little better for gathering than they do in their every day lives. He never at any time told everyone else to dress down so they can feel comfortable. This matter of clothing had to do with wealth and poverty not clothing style.

Back in the day when farmers were poor people had one set of clothing for working and one set for church and going to town. They valued that their attitude was seen in their choice of clothing when in the presence of others. This is not wrong, it is a virtue to look our best for God and for others.

We are not to judge others according to their appearance, but we should be diligent in our appearance for ourselves. Our attitude is seen in whether we are diligent or lazy.

By the way, it seems foolish to me for anyone to be wealthy and pay big bucks for ripped clothing. Just saying!!!!!

I recall one time when someone who claimed God doesn't care how we dress to attend church meetings came to the gathering once dressed very well because she was going to an office Christmas party afterward. So an office Christmas party was more important than the worship of God?

The clothing for the office party was seen as appropriate for the gathering there but not appropriate for God's Worship gathering?

I guess I am old and out of step with the culture as a whole. So many things that are held as important in our modern-day seem foolish and even irrational to me.

I don't judge anyone based on their clothing but apparently there are those who love to "dress down" who do judge those of us who do not do what they do.

Again, just saying!

Focusing on Christ will Bring Great Joy no Matter how People Treat You

When our focus in on the way things have always been done and on the culture around us accepting us we cannot serve Christ. Those who are in bondage to the cultural traditions of our age will be weak and worried all the time about obtaining approval of men rather than approval of God.

It has been my experience more than anything else in the modern church that people call obedience to Christ "legalism" while judging those who are free from man-made rules when they obey Christ.

Legalism is following man's rules to please man and obedience is adhering to God's principles in His Word to please Christ.

When we step out of the legalism of man and obey Christ we will be judged by the superficial church attendees as disobedient for not following their version of spirituality made up by men who love to control others.

Matthew 23:4: "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger".

Matthew 23:5-6 "5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"

The modern one-man-paid pastor system affords prideful teachers to elevate themselves above others as though those without a degree cannot hear from the Holy Spirit. Even though many of them would pretend they are not greater than the Holy Spirit in all believers, they will act as though only they can know the truth.

Remember that the Holy Spirit is our teacher and there is no one greater than He and that He lives in everyone who has been born again.

Many people who say they are Christians, who attend church gatherings and do good deeds deny Christ by their refusal to seek His Word and the Holy Spirit causing them to follow the lies of the culture and psychology rather than Christ Himself.

Every time these pretenders add to the Word or ignore it for their own desired results they are denying Christ. Christ is the very essence of His Own Word.

Matthew 15:8-9

"8 ‘This people honors me with their lips,[a]

but their hearts are far from me;

9 in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines human precepts.’”

We ought to be more concerned about the church changing the word of God to suit their own desires than we are about what the world is doing in politics. After all, the world will always deny Christ but for a "Christian" to deny the words of Christ is even worse.

It has been my experience that most "Christians" who are corrected with God's Word will argue, fight or dismiss and demean anyone who challenges them to follow Christ through obedience to His word.

Christian family will exclude anyone who corrects with the Word of God, and yet they will still say they are Bible believers. Yes, it is true they are Bible believers, but they are not Bible followers. Even the devil believes in Christ, he knows who Christ is and rejects Him.

We are living in the end times in which many will have a form of Christianity but deny Christ in its disobedience to Him. They mock the Holy Spirit, they mock us who belong to Christ and they refuse to look into the Word of God to prove what is true.

These are the end days of apostasy growing more mean-spirited every day, without a conscience or shame for their rebellion.

Isaiah 29:13

"Therefore the Lord said: "These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."

Mark 7:6

"Jesus answered them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me."

John 5:23

"so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."

Next time you are tempted to feel rejected by family and friends, remember they did it to Christ and the apostles too, we have no reason to think we will escape it.

Hallelujah

James 1:2-4

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

Matthew 5:10-12 "…10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.…"

Keep these passages in your mind when you encounter those who hate you because you love Christ and His principles.