Not only has the command to test the spirits of those who lead us (First John 4:1) been totally neglected by the religious community, it is a most deadly sin. I spend hours each day on the internet, most of them working on these postings. I do however, spend some time looking for indications of spiritual activity within the church community as well as in the American society and the world in general. I am not only appalled at what is being put forth to the world as Biblical Truth, I am equally chagrined by the fact that the plainly written Truth of God is being openly rejected by the self-proclaimed pillars of professing Christianity whom billions of people look to for leadership in all things spiritual. I am not only referring to the Catholic pope–Satan’s premiere voice of apostasy in today’s world, I find that the Protestants are equally at fault in their own way. Among the Protestants I can find only a minutely few true Truth speakers and writers who preach the “whole council of God” that the Apostle Paul and his fellow apostles proclaim to the people of the world. What church leaders are putting forth as the Gospel of God is nothing more than a set of platitudes designed to scratch the itching ears of millions of people who, while believing that they already have salvation, refuse to believe and obey the very Word they must believe and obey in order to receive salvation. Only Satan could concoct such a deadly ruse and sell it to so many people.
As Jesus said in Matthew 7:13,14 and 22:14, while many follow after the hirelings they have voted into church ministry, only a minutely few follow the ministers God has appointed to that most important of positions. As is the case in the political arena, church people vote into church leadership positions those who tell them what they want to hear, which is always what they have always heard. Nowhere in Scripture do we find church people voting on anything. God’s people do not vote for either politically or spiritually. God places into leadership positions those whom He wants in both the spiritual and the political realm. Read Ephesians 4:11 and Daniel 2:21; 4:17,31.32. IF A MINISTER IS VOTED INTO A MINISTERIAL POSITION HE IS NOT GOD’S MINISTER. HE WILL NOT PREACH THE WORD OF GOD, BUT WILL PREACH WHAT HE IS TOLD TO PREACH BY THOSE WHO HIRE HIM, WHICH WILL CONSIST OF MAN-CREATED CHURCH DOCTRINE. THE LORD SAYS OF SUCH HIRELINGS: “I HAVE NOT SENT THEM” (JER. 14:14,15; 23:21,32; 27:15,29:9.
These man-chosen leaders are “ministers of righteousness” whom the “angel of light” places in positions of leadership (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Jesus warns Truth seekers about men who will proclaim that He (Jesus) is indeed the Christ, then will usher the majority of salvation seekers through Satan’s wide gate and along his broad way that leads to destruction. That church system is known today as Catholicism and Protestantism–the two-headed religious beast which Christ will destroy with the sword of the Spirit (the Holy Word of God) upon His return to earth (Mat. 24:4,5). This counterfeit body is the Laodicean era church Jesus addressed in Revelation 3:14-20.
The problem is that men award themselves the power to assign people to leadership positions within their self-designed, Satan-directed churches. This in spite of Ephesians 4:11 where Paul makes it clear that IT IS THE LORD HIMSELF WHO APPOINTS APOSTLES, PROPHETS, EVANGELISTS, PASTORS AND TEACHERS IN HIS CHURCH. The Lord makes all such appointments relative to His church. In man’s church system, men make such appointments which are those whom God calls “hirelings” ( ) who will preach and teach what the people want to hear, not what God commands to be put forth–His Gospel and nothing but His Gospel. Just as the leaders who are chosen by men are not God’s ministers, those who chose them are not His people. Both leaders and their disciples are not Bible-defined Christians, but rather church-defined Christians. Both they and the gospel they embrace, are counterfeit.
Religious man does not trust the Lord to send to them or raise up from among them Holy Spirit-anointed, Biblically-trained church leaders who will tell them what they need to hear even if it offends them, which it always does. Those who refuse to go God’s way will leave. This is God’s way of separating sheep from goats. God’s ministers are not chosen, anointed and sent out to make people feel good, but rather to tell them what He says–all of it. Church people do not wait for God to place His apostles, pastors, evangelists and teachers over them according to the Biblical pattern because they know that He will appoint over them men who will preach and teach His Word, not the hundreds of different denominational doctrines which flow from thousands of pulpits, lecterns, televisions, monitors–stationary and mobile–radios, street corners, etc. on a continuous basis. The fact of the matter is, THE CHURCH HATES GOD’S GOSPEL BUT LOVES SATAN’S GOSPEL AND THE FALSE JESUS’S WHO BRING IT TO THEM (Gal. 1:6-9/ 2 Cor. 11:4).
While on earth Jesus addressed false religious leaders, saying: “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not what I say? You will say to me on the day of Judgment: ‘Lord, Lord, we have preached your word, eaten in your presence, cast out demons and have done many wonderful works in Your Name.’ I will say to you: ‘I NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART FROM ME YOU WORKERS OF INIQUITY” (Law-breakers” (Lk. 6:46). In Second Thessalonians 2:10-12 Paul warns about the master of iniquity (vs 7) who is instrumental in turning salvation seekers away from the Lord and to Satan. Jesus will destroy him along with ALL OF THOSE THAT PROVED THEIR LACK OF LOVE FOR GOD’S TRUTH–THE TRUTH THAT MUST BE OBEYED IN ORDER TO BE SAVED. Read “My People Who are Called by My Name” and Who Are God’s People? Key words–Called and People respectively.
How did the church that began with the glory and power of God fall so far away from Him as we see her today? Simply put, SHE FAILED TO TEST THE SPIRITS OF THOSE SHE CHOSE TO LEAD HER. HAD SHE DONE SO BY COMPARING THEM TO JESUS OF NAZARETH SHE WOULD BE TODAY WHAT SHE WAS 2000 YEARS AGO.
God’s true church continues to exist, though tiny, despised and rejected by the church community at large. She is the Lord’s “little flock,” His “nation of priests,” His “holy congregation” of “peculiar people” (1 Pet. 2:9). These are they who have judged themselves and those who lead them by testing their own and others’ spirits, knowing that “only the righteous will be saved, and they just barely” (1 Pet. 4:17,18). These few souls know that they must “be holy as/because their Father in heaven is holy” (1 Pet. 1:15,16/ Lev. 11:44,45). God’s people “work out their own salvation” (Phil. 2:12) by comparing their lives to the Holy Scriptures. There is no other standard by which we can judge. Those whose lives match that which is commanded “until the end” (Mat. 10:22) will spend eternity with the Lord. L J.
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