When The Door Slams
But mark this:
There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV).
The church must be made to see and feel the horror of this delusion, this transfer of her strength from God to the world, this rejection of the Holy Spirit for the use of gimmicks, salesmanship, fund raising, slick professionals, and marketing--which amounts to laying down our spiritual weapons by carnally yielding to Satan's devices. The church leaders has increasingly disregarded its source of spiritual strength and set it aside for impressive, worldly ones.
The entire next generation of church goers is conditioned to believe that a statistical increase of people attending worship services, classes, making decisions, baptisms, programs, and activities are signs of spiritual blessing and success. We live in an age where everything is judged by outward results.
The body of Christ must be awakened to the fact that the strength of the church does not lie in outward appearances, empty boastings, or self-manipulated activities, but in the power of God, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6 NKJ). "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain" (Psa. 127:1 NKJV). How tragic it is today that countless church leaders say, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing...," but God says, "You do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked..." (Rev.3:15-19 NKJ)
Think about this: The devil does not make a frontal attack where his diabolical schemes are thrown into the open for all to see. No, he seeks greater advantage through deception where the most damage can be done. His methods of destruction are usually two-fold: First, the devil sows seeds of discontentment in the minds of worldly church members. They are unconverted religious people who have no heart for spiritual discipline and communion with God. These deluded souls won't be happy until they find a church that gratifies their "itching ears" for man-centered, popular Christianity that is devoid of the knowledge of Christ. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Tim. 4:3-5 NKJ). "Having a form Of Godliness but denying its power. And from such people, turn away!" (2 Tim. 3:5).
Church leaders, often gripped by amazing blindness, and falsely attached to what they believe to be the truth, remove from the gospel its offensive, painful, and self-denying features to which it owes it saving power and divine stamp. We have an illustration from the life of Peter that is instructive: Read (Matt. 16:21-24 NKJ).
The strategy of the enemy is to distract pastors from spiritual ministry and prayer. When this is accomplished the church becomes popular, modern, and progressive. Christ is no longer present. The practice of crucifying self to the world is removed, and there is no more mention of judgment, sin, hell, and repentance. Nothing that savors of God is in it, but all that savors of man is there. The world is sought and gained in the devil's church, but their souls and heaven are all lost, lost to all eternity.
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Never Rest Ministries
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