God has given us all an inner witness (Romans 1) and even the lost world knows something is coming – yet the truth has been so tainted in the eyes of unbelievers, how can they see God through the haze of churchianity? Unbelievers are NOT our enemy – they are just the blind following the blind. They can’t hear God through all the noise of the world. They grapple for the truth and the truth escapes them. They call out to God in their distress and look for Him in all the wrong places. Yoga and New Age and the occult are more attractive to them than the Bible. The devil has succeeded in characterizing the Bible as repressive to their lives and the God of the Bible as the big Cosmic Killjoy. Humanism is all they have – and some element of supernaturalism as long as it doesn’t make any demands on them – doesn’t tell them to change their lives.
The Great Commission is to spread the Gospel over the entire earth and make disciples of all nations. That work has long past been accomplished. The Harvest is no longer white – all that is left are a few grains of wheat for the gleaners to do the clean-up – plucking them out of the fire of judgment that overshadows this planet. We, the last day’s remnant of faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have only a little power and have not denied His name – as Jesus said to the Church of Philadelphia – the church that He promised to keep from the time of trial that is coming upon the whole earth.
We can no longer proclaim the Gospel to scores of people with open hearts hearing it for the first time. They’ve all heard the message that Christ died for them over and over again that they have become callous to it. There are no signs and wonders following the presentation of the Gospel. The Restrainer is beginning to lift His hand of restraint and give way to the advancement of the god of this world who holds the people captive.
As a result of the powerlessness of the church, false teachers and false prophets have latched onto diabolical power and magicians’ tricks to attract those who seek after signs. Jesus said it is a wicked generation that seeks after signs and the sign seekers amass teachers who tickle their ears and give them unholy chills – leading them away from the teaching of the Word and into hearing personal words of deceivers who give them cheap thrills. And they keep coming back for more, looking for bigger sensations and experiences with what they can see, hear, and touch.
I thank God for voices of defense of the Gospel that have worked so hard to fulfill Jude’s command to us to earnestly contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints. Sadly though, many of the strongest voices for the truth have been silenced.
Another outstanding article Jackie. We think a lot alike. I am absolutely passionate about the whole subject of deception WITHIN the church. Not many are interested in hearing about it though. Mostly they just tune you out and go on living life in all of it's wordly glory. Sad. The true remnant will be very small in comparison to the number of "professing" Christians.
ReplyDeleteYour comments are very sadly true. Even people who've been raised with the Bible are turning away for "easy Christianity" which is an oxymoron.
ReplyDeleteWho are the popular preachers & teachers on TV? Why it's the ones who are telling you how good you can have it right here - right now. It's the ones who don't bog down their audiences with "depressing" sermons about needing to repent and witness to unbelievers etc.
Anymore, the people who are getting excited about "prayer" are the ones who've chosen to take the New Age path into Contemplative or Centering prayer. And all it really is, is TM. But all the biggies are doing it - Rick Warren, Max Lucado, Mike Bickle, Beth Moore, Charles Stanley, Tony Campolo, Kay Arthur, Phyllis Shirer - oh the list is endless.
How much worse will it get before He returns? And yet the fields are white.
Yes, in the First World, we are indeed very much down to the gleanings: our entire society is wealthy. The very poorest Americans, Brits & Western Europeans have material advantages enjoyed only by kings for most of human history --- and benefits which place them squarely amongst the rich in global terms (which of course are the only real terms). Moreover, state welfare puts at their disposal the collective wealth of the rest of society, as if by right. We are by any sane standard, rich, from the top of society to the bottom.
ReplyDeleteJesus, of course, pronounced woes on the rich in the Sermon on The Mount (people generally ignore the woes and fix on the blessings, but I often think of them when I go out and about --- and am struck by how we are rich, overfed, and amusing ourselves to death). He warned how the deceitfulness of riches always chokes out faith. He explained how difficult it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God. I often think what a miracle it is that I, as a Westerner, came to belief at all, rather than staying stuck in my old dead church.
I think that in many poorer countries, though, the soil's still good. ...The trouble is that the evangelists in such places are too often taking their cue from the West (health 'n wealth, the social "gospel", charismania, etc.). Pray that God will raise up Biblically sound evangelists and preachers from amongst them.
Is there any chance that you could entertain even the slightest possibility that you are insane?
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