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SPIRITUAL WARFAREStephan in Acts 7:54 - When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth. Acts.7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 7:58 - And they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet named Saul.
This same Saul, later to be called Paul , went into every home looking for the People of The Way. Christianity was not popular, for its of God and the power of this world is anti-God. We have so much "feel good" popular religion today that I am suspicious just by the fact of its popularity. The Name of Christ is mentioned for sure, but if its not the Christ of The Cross, then it cannot be of God. There can be No Christ if there is No Cross. No Salvation if there is No Death for Sin on The Old Rugged Cross. With all of the "feel good" stuff on the air-ways, I fear a "candy coated" Christianity is settling in on us like a soft moving mist, enveloping the hearts, and minds of millions. Make no mistake, Religion will always be popular, popular churches will be filled , the False prophet will be the "talk" of the town, he will be " arm in arm" with the "Beast" the Anti-christ.
From the viewpoint of the BIBLE, The Word of God, deception is hard at work , people for the most part will fall into this "comfortable" placid, popular, enthusiastic christian religion. It's not uncommon to hear people name the name of Christ but deny the power of a crucified life. Lovers of self, of pleasure, of this world's goods, no hell , no judgement, and NO CROSS. This seems to be what I hear most on some of the "popular" christian programs. I have looked back thru the ages and have yet to find when Christianity was popular with the masses, so with real concern, I say here of the Great Placebo at work. The threat is not with KNOWN cultic or Works with Grace relgions. We recognise the JW's and the LDS's as straight out of the pit of hell , the same hell they don't believe in, the same hell that Christ spoke more of to flee, than the Heaven HE came from to Save us, or the Roman Papal fallacies, the worship of saints, and Maryolotry. The gross wickedness of such systems that killed the early Christians and burned them at the stake. The Real Threat is a Pseudo Christianity that has NO CROSS, NO SIN, NO BURDEN OF REPENTANCE, and NO REAL SALVATION, for when one is saved by the Cross of Christ, sin is done away with, God becomes HOLY, the love of this world grows strangely dim , the world's humor becomes nauseaus and we become "odd" to the world as we don't partake as we used to of this world's mindset.
The Day is close for the Anti-christ, aka The Beast and the False prophet to make their appearance, No man of God, born-again ,will be able to buy or sell or work, the masses of popular christian religions will persecute and "turn in" all people without the "mark" - just like the 1st century Christian church, they will gnash on the "Stephans" with their teeth, the message of true Washed in the Blood, Cross centered Christian preaching will hardened their hearts and they will believe the "lie" -- ALL THIS IS TO SAY , since when has Christian preaching become popular with this world's mindset.
Let me say this, it is not about the people, the poor unsaved masses, for they are taken into the "net" blinded by the god of this world. But it is about the "born-again , enlightened thru The Word ones , that "we" should be "aware" and "on guard" to uphold the Truth, as the angel told Daniel in the latter days.
I don't "preach" too often -
passing-thru
13 comments:
we need to pray without ceasing ... blessings on you ...
Thanks Saija
Saija this is a website that has a personal testimony of Gladys Alward the missionary to China , read on the comments - I just listened to part 1 of her testimony - the part where she goes to China is 11 minutes into the tape -http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=1242&commentView=itemComments
Hey, Passing-thru, preach this stuff all you want...this is 100% correct stuff!
Let me tell you what bothers me the most:
- Christians who "widen the Way" to attract unbelievers, but are instead falling into the Devil's trap themselves
- People who have a relationship with the church building instead of with Christ.
I met someone last year, and believe it or not, she has been going to church for 12 years, holds a position there, teaches Sunday school, and did not read the Bible or have a relationship with God! I was so upset when the truth dawned on me. I thought, "Is it possible that she is not even saved?" Really, you should hear her talk. She is all caught up in the church politics, and maybe it does not help that there was a woman pastor at that churchfor 12 years, who did not see anything wrong with some youth singing Chrsitian words to music that a Devil-worshipping band played---and playing this dirty background music in the church building, too!!! Whenever I see this woman, I think and pray...how can I show her what it is to have a relationship with God. I am not perfect. But she has some good points when she points her finger at the Christians who are SUPPOSED to be EXAMPLES to her, and shows their hypocrisy. Why should she strive to be any better? She can repeat the most important verses, the key words and catchy words in Christian circles. She goes to VBS as a teacher, attends Christian women conferences...bt talk to her about knowing God...whoah. She raised over 100 foster children, and saw her only foster son who followed God wholeheartedly get pushed on to the Metro tracks and and run over, because he helped a woman and her child who were being molested. Sh tells that story and says, "Where is God?!" Then she will tell us about her rebellious childhood, how she mocked her mother's strict practice of Judaism, and how she would ask her, "After all you've been through (losing husband and children in the Holacaust), how can you say there is a God?" to which her mother would reply, "If there was no God, you wouldn't be here!" Oh, this lady grieves my heart, she needs to see her need, but all she sees is that Chrsitians everywhere around her pick and choose what to believe and follow, so why should she even believe??
Okay, now that's off my chest, I'll write about my disgust of "widening the way" another time...
LPP
Well, I understand how she can teach and be "involved" in church and not be a believer. I certainly did that for several years. *hangs head in shame*
I understood exactly where I was at. And, I understood very clearly where I was going without Chrit.
Praise the Lord though, His hand was on me and He brought me to the point where I was willing to submit. *lifts hands in praise* :D
Wow -- good comments and inputs Lil Pilgrim and Claire --
Thanks so much for the added truths and needs
Its the age old battle -- the devil knows he can't get rid of Christianity so he uses religion in the name of christianity - as long as he can keep "self" in the pulpit or the sunday school
Pilot Mom, afer getting to know her, I wondered how many more are out there like her?! I think God is keeping her alive just so she can finally come to experience a true relationship with Him. She was gven 6 months to live back in Jan. '06, and she is still alive (as far as I know!), although her health is terrible. She does not tell everyone everything about her health, either, but thank God I won over her confidence, and she told me she had a small stroke, when nobody else knew. She has aleady had a major stroke and cancer, and she was told that her blood is full of poison from the chemo, and because of that there are only a few meds she can take. I want to say that that is bologne, because that was back at least a year and a half ago, and they haven't taken any tests since, and yet they want to give her a blood transfusion, which would be very risky because she has no family to give her the right match of blood, except her granddaughter, who is anemic!
Am I rambling again?! ;)
God bless you,
LPP
Passing-thru, I can get very riled over this stuff as my friends well know, but the last thing you want to do is bring up Sunday school...you should hear my good friend Justin and I talk about the subect! We attended the same church, my family left years before his did, and although we are 4 years apart, we experienced the same problems...all play, no serious learning that we didn't already learn at home!
LPP
Yes Heb , I hear U -- alot of good people do teach serious sunday school lessons -- "can't throw the baby out with the dirty water" lol
Years ago when I was first saved, I taught a bunch of "wild" 10 year olds in a small kitchenette, small as can be - but I taught bible stories with blood , sweat and tears -- all of those kids today tell me the same thing - I WAS THERE BEST SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER AND THEY REMMEMBER THE STORIES AND THE IMPACT -- at a funeral this past year of one of my students, his twin brother told people that I influenced them for Christ more than any other human being , that was 40 years ago -- There are alot of great sunday school teachers, fasting and praying for their little flocks ---
AND CLAIRE -- I LOVED "the little hands up in praise " lol ---
Some mighty good preaching here, passing-thru Bob. Amen. My heart is saddened by messages that leave out the Cross. You're right about that 'pseudo'-christianity. It's more of a threat than any cult, and it's everywhere.
Pilot Mom-Claire, what a testimony, my friend! No shame. His hand was on you (and is!)...how glorious is that?!! PTL!\0/
Heb, I hear you...but maybe instead of discussing her behaviors online, we'll just pause to lift her deep need for a personal revelation of Jesus Christ. After all, if she doesn't know Jesus, we need to be praying..... love, Vicki
Bob, I bet you were a great S.S.! Many spiritual seeds planted...
Thanks Vicki -- I was "rough" on the edges back then, newly saved in a small nazarene church -- the little kitchenette was so small - LOL - crammed with about 10 wild kids -- many of those original kids became wonderful adult Christian men and women -- in fact the one who died suddenly this past year , sang at my dad's memorial service 2 years ago and he grabbed me and brought me over to his 6 children and told them this is Bob McCabe, the man I told U kids about - the kids told me their dad talked of me and those sunday school days all the time --lol -- even now , tears fill these eyes of mine --- The Lord is good
Bob, wow, God IS good...so good. What fine memories...you definitely had an impact on them! That's God working through you, even when you were "rough around the edges." :-) PTL!
I agree especially when you said...."It's not uncommon to hear people name the name of Christ but deny the power of a crucified life. Lovers of self, of pleasure, of this world's goods, no hell , no judgement, and NO CROSS" You have a right to be suspicious of all the giant churches of nobody wanting to stop up their ears or nothing and heaps the earth embracing christianity.....Zechariah 7:11
"But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear." last sunday at church I went to down the street --- I'm telling you how it was I got 0 out of the service could've preached the word of god better to myself in my sleep all they talked about was sex, and no mention of loving not the things of this earth, denying onself and taking up ones cross and following jesus etc. didn't even but vaguelly refer to a verse in passing in leviticus. It was like a convention at like a cheap hotel then a church service this sunday ----- but lot's of christian's like this I guess their church was packed --- didn't do nothing for me I was looking for real spiritual food, but thank god I get it in blogs like this!!!!!!
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