Tuesday, June 02, 2009
These Lying Times....The Missing Church ( Part 2 )
These Lying Times....The Missing Church ( Part 2 )
By Carl G Loy
6/2/09
When religion mattered, it was that 'old-time religion' that mattered most, but it went the way of the missing Church. While religion still matters in the sense that it may define a moral code and belief system, religion can be just as used for evil as for good and it often is, as history recalls for us. Every atrocity imaginable has been committed in the name of religion, Christianity included. It is little wonder that so many have been turned off to anything resembling a religion and have been turned on to the pleasures of the world. Yet, those same ones are often, even unknowingly, embracing a corrupted form of religion. Man is always going to believe in something, even if it is paganism. The more the Church has gone missing, the more have pagan beliefs become acceptable, and the more in vogue have become the churches of false teachings.
It has been said that only about 10% of the early colonists were practicing Christians, yet that small number wielded a tremendous influence in both government and society. Their great courage and boldness and living example made an impact that kept restrained the evilness that would otherwise have prevailed. Their ministers and their churches were a moral and righteous influence prevailing upon others. Over the years, the Church ceased to identify sin and wickedness and failed to practice discipline. Feelings became more important than souls. Tolerance and compromise replaced sound doctrine. Loving and being kind came to mean accepting others as they were, being careful not to offend. Dare not point out the mistakes of sin; just preach forgiveness. Somewhere along the way, church discipline and repentance were lost in the equation.
The Church is not only missing, it has given way for the fake church to be deceiving and misleading people. Even the church that most seems to preach the Word of God is failing to warn the people. You can't preach submission to government and to God as being Biblical for God has said that we have to choose which master we serve, and both are jealous masters and adversarial in nature. Today, most all churches teach an obedience to government as a commandment. It is a teaching that has completely compromised the Church and made it largely useless in restraining evil in America, beginning with evil in government. Ignoring that the Word of God tells us that we should stand strong against wickedness, preached is our submission to government because (all governments) are appointed by God. God appointed righteous government for Israel and warned them of what was to come if they opted for a king. God's relationship with the Israel of the Old Testament in nothing like the relationship we have been provided in the New Testament after the Sacrifice at the Cross.
Many Christians do not realize that there was no Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament. God spoke directly to those He Chose as Prophets or He used Angels to carry His Message to the people of Israel. While God's methods for dealing with His People might seem harsh at times, they really had it rather easy as long as they obeyed God. If they disobeyed, He chastised them. Sometimes He removed them, if they continued to disobey, but most often He was longsuffering and gave them more than one chance to straighten up before they were spanked. Ignored by today's preaching is that God's appointment of rulers for Israel was done in a world where they were surrounded by other kingdoms with other rulers, not of His Choosing. In other words, God appointed only the rulers for Israel. He allowed other rulers from other lands to capture His People as a form of their punishment, but He also destroyed other rulers in order to protect His People because of His Love for them.
God has never "appointed" a ruler of any country or nation since His People were dispersed into other lands under other governments. To try to use Scripture for purposes of making God's People of today, to be submissive to any government is a complete mis-application of God's Word, but it is what is being preached throughout America. In fact, the Teaching of Jesus Christ recognizes that civil rulers are appointed by Satan. The Church cannot be a restraint against evil if it is not teaching Truth. Today, if the Holy Spirit does not work in our lives to bring us to Jesus, God's punishment is Hell for eternity. It might have been easier living under the rule of King David who doesn't seem held to such a high standard as we have today, but he knew what repentance was.
The missing Church would be warning the people and exposing evil, if that Church were here. It would be the light and the salt. It would not encourage obedience to a government by funding what are abominations to the Lord. It would fear God more than government, thereby charting the course required to follow Jesus Christ. It would identify the criminal government for what it was and is, and prepare people for what to expect from their refusal to submit. The missing Church would be feared by government due to its' righteous influence upon society as a whole. The missing Church would be bold and courageous and steadfast, and hated by the wicked, just as they hated Jesus. The missing Church would practice church discipline, and as the old minister said, "they'd get right or they'd get out." The missing Church would be preaching the Word of God; not just a part of it; not a distorted version, not a feel good piece, and not a very popular entertaining one for the outside world. The missing Church would truly be the home of the brave, joyful in the Lord, everlasting Salvation assured, actively waiting, but busy in His Work, spreading the true Word of God. We are missing the Church that would make a difference. And of course, the missing Church would be persecuted; it is not welcome here.
By Carl G Loy
6/2/09
When religion mattered, it was that 'old-time religion' that mattered most, but it went the way of the missing Church. While religion still matters in the sense that it may define a moral code and belief system, religion can be just as used for evil as for good and it often is, as history recalls for us. Every atrocity imaginable has been committed in the name of religion, Christianity included. It is little wonder that so many have been turned off to anything resembling a religion and have been turned on to the pleasures of the world. Yet, those same ones are often, even unknowingly, embracing a corrupted form of religion. Man is always going to believe in something, even if it is paganism. The more the Church has gone missing, the more have pagan beliefs become acceptable, and the more in vogue have become the churches of false teachings.
It has been said that only about 10% of the early colonists were practicing Christians, yet that small number wielded a tremendous influence in both government and society. Their great courage and boldness and living example made an impact that kept restrained the evilness that would otherwise have prevailed. Their ministers and their churches were a moral and righteous influence prevailing upon others. Over the years, the Church ceased to identify sin and wickedness and failed to practice discipline. Feelings became more important than souls. Tolerance and compromise replaced sound doctrine. Loving and being kind came to mean accepting others as they were, being careful not to offend. Dare not point out the mistakes of sin; just preach forgiveness. Somewhere along the way, church discipline and repentance were lost in the equation.
The Church is not only missing, it has given way for the fake church to be deceiving and misleading people. Even the church that most seems to preach the Word of God is failing to warn the people. You can't preach submission to government and to God as being Biblical for God has said that we have to choose which master we serve, and both are jealous masters and adversarial in nature. Today, most all churches teach an obedience to government as a commandment. It is a teaching that has completely compromised the Church and made it largely useless in restraining evil in America, beginning with evil in government. Ignoring that the Word of God tells us that we should stand strong against wickedness, preached is our submission to government because (all governments) are appointed by God. God appointed righteous government for Israel and warned them of what was to come if they opted for a king. God's relationship with the Israel of the Old Testament in nothing like the relationship we have been provided in the New Testament after the Sacrifice at the Cross.
Many Christians do not realize that there was no Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament. God spoke directly to those He Chose as Prophets or He used Angels to carry His Message to the people of Israel. While God's methods for dealing with His People might seem harsh at times, they really had it rather easy as long as they obeyed God. If they disobeyed, He chastised them. Sometimes He removed them, if they continued to disobey, but most often He was longsuffering and gave them more than one chance to straighten up before they were spanked. Ignored by today's preaching is that God's appointment of rulers for Israel was done in a world where they were surrounded by other kingdoms with other rulers, not of His Choosing. In other words, God appointed only the rulers for Israel. He allowed other rulers from other lands to capture His People as a form of their punishment, but He also destroyed other rulers in order to protect His People because of His Love for them.
God has never "appointed" a ruler of any country or nation since His People were dispersed into other lands under other governments. To try to use Scripture for purposes of making God's People of today, to be submissive to any government is a complete mis-application of God's Word, but it is what is being preached throughout America. In fact, the Teaching of Jesus Christ recognizes that civil rulers are appointed by Satan. The Church cannot be a restraint against evil if it is not teaching Truth. Today, if the Holy Spirit does not work in our lives to bring us to Jesus, God's punishment is Hell for eternity. It might have been easier living under the rule of King David who doesn't seem held to such a high standard as we have today, but he knew what repentance was.
The missing Church would be warning the people and exposing evil, if that Church were here. It would be the light and the salt. It would not encourage obedience to a government by funding what are abominations to the Lord. It would fear God more than government, thereby charting the course required to follow Jesus Christ. It would identify the criminal government for what it was and is, and prepare people for what to expect from their refusal to submit. The missing Church would be feared by government due to its' righteous influence upon society as a whole. The missing Church would be bold and courageous and steadfast, and hated by the wicked, just as they hated Jesus. The missing Church would practice church discipline, and as the old minister said, "they'd get right or they'd get out." The missing Church would be preaching the Word of God; not just a part of it; not a distorted version, not a feel good piece, and not a very popular entertaining one for the outside world. The missing Church would truly be the home of the brave, joyful in the Lord, everlasting Salvation assured, actively waiting, but busy in His Work, spreading the true Word of God. We are missing the Church that would make a difference. And of course, the missing Church would be persecuted; it is not welcome here.
