There is a Church that has Not let us Down

In a Television discussion devoted to religion, marriage and euthanasia, a prominent ex-politician told the audience she was disappointed in all of the churches. She said, “they have let us down in a whole variety of ways but, there is a place for someone, certainly other than the state and certainly other than just Rafferty’s Rules (no rules), to come up with a set of moral values or a number of sets of moral values.” By making such a statement coupled with her responses to questions on these three topics it was clear she had little respect for our Judeo-Christian values as revealed in the Bible. Most of the all-ages audience gave the same indication throughout the program.

I agree with part of the woman’s statement, the church has let us down; more specifically, church leaders have let us down. Let’s take the Bible for example. Most of today’s Seminary theologians and ordained church ministers no longer believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible and authoritative word of God 2 Timothy 3:16-17. So when they stand before students and congregants, words in reference to Scripture such as: ‘inerrancy’ ‘God-breathed’ ‘complete and final authority for faith and practice’ never get expressed from their lips. And if they do, it is in the context of denial, not in the context of confirmation and acceptance. A few among them who do believe often cough and splutter in trying to establish why they believe.

Men of God are rare in these places today. You can always pick a man of God though; he’ll stand up, shout it out loud and clear not caring one iota who disagrees with him. But instead of winning friends for his efforts he wins enemies! His worst enemies are his peers and so-called brothers and sisters in Christ first, followed by those not interested in searching for reality and truth, including the odd ex-politician. This particular one proudly quoted her grandmother’s counsel and advice for “good” living, but it didn’t line up with Scripture either! How many grandmothers are there in hell today tormented by their foolishness, knowing they’re sending their grandchildren there too? Somebody calls this hate speech … if I hated you I would keep my mouth shut! 

Church leaders have let us down because they have denied the one true God, Creator of all who has revealed Himself in three distinct Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit 2 Corinthians 13:14. Think of it – because they have rejected the Bible for what it is, it naturally follows they’ve not experienced the truth revealed within about God’s nature and character. They may pull Scriptures from the Bible to talk about it, but the question is, will they have divine power supporting them to change someone’s “grandmother theology” into Godly theology? Unless the mercy of God is expressed somehow in spite of it all, they will not. Such deceived men will talk of God’s love, but if they ignore His other attributes, that’s all it is – talk! 

To talk of God as love but ignore Him as: One, eternal, infinite, sovereign, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, unchanging, holy, just, righteous, gracious, merciful and good clearly shows that these leaders have no love for God. How is it possible to impart to others what you don’t have yourself? It’s not, and that’s what people pick up on; that’s what makes them cling to grandmother theology! Talk about You shall have no other gods before Me Exodus 20:3. If no other sin sends these frauds in leadership to hell, the sin of idolatry will. To listen to them tell us we have much to learn about God from those of other faiths makes a mockery of everything God has revealed of Himself from within the Bible.

Church leaders have let us down because they have denied the biblical Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God – God Incarnate. They have turned Him into a caricature of themselves – religious, weak, vacillating, uncertain, unstable, inclusive … they’ve turned Jesus into everything He is not!  No wonder grandmother didn’t like this Jesus, I don’t like Him either! Any Jesus who is not declared to be the expressed image of God who, in order that He might demonstrate who God is and provide the sole means of salvation for all humanity is a Jesus not worth talking about John 1:18; Colossians 1:15. To deny His miraculous conception, virgin birth, perfect, sinless life, His death on the cross for our sin, plus His resurrection again to life, makes Him not worth knowing.

In fact, that’s why these people don’t know Him! Jesus is not going to reveal His true Self to these proud devils. It is the humble He teaches His way Psalm 25:9; to this crowd He sends them strong delusion 2 Thessalonians 2:11. What is true humility? So far as God is concerned, it is only brought into being when people refuse to stand in judgment of Bible revelation. Instead, we respond to it immediately, acknowledging God, in Jesus’ name, to be the Ultimate Authority for our life. This kind of humility is not recognized as such by the proud however, they see it as religious legalism and pride and we as haters. That’s why God can do nothing with them; their concepts of humility are the same as their concepts of God Himself – perverted.

Church leaders have let us down because they ignore the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4. They have plenty to say about the human spirit but nothing to say about the Holy Spirit. They will never tell you the human spirit is corrupt and dead in trespasses and sins Ephesians 2:1 and that it is only the Holy Spirit who can bring it to life. Again the question, how can it be any other way when spiritually they are deader than dead themselves? The human spirit without the Holy Spirit is the reason for all the confusion in the world as to what true Christendom is. That’s why Christians get caught up in saving the planet instead of saving souls. Truth is God takes care of the planet; Christians are to take care of the gospel!

Since Jesus ascended to heaven, all the good that’s been done in His name has been done by Holy Spirit-indwelt Christians. All the bad that’s been done in His name has been done by religious people who didn’t/don’t have the Holy Spirit. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His Romans 8:9. The Holy Spirit is the Agent by whom Christ baptizes all believers into His one body, the church 1 Corinthians 12:13. The Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher sent here by Jesus to illuminate the hearts and minds of all people who make themselves willing and available to embrace and study the Bible. Without the Holy Spirit it is impossible for anyone to know the mind of God in any accurate, liberating sense.

Church leaders have let us down because they won’t talk about Satan and demons. Most don’t believe in their existence and personalities, others are afraid to talk about them. So when they talk about evil from their pulpits they attribute it all to bad human behavior, not the true source, which is these spiritual beings who use human beings. Should someone walk in to their church who’s disturbed they’ll recommend psychology or psychiatry but never demonic deliverance. There’s a double sadness here … leaders who deny or won’t talk about this are themselves used of these beings! Some will acknowledge angelic existence but not Satanic or demonic existence. Besides, their angel theology is more in line with fantasy rather than fact. 

Church leaders have let us down because they don’t stand up for creation. They’ve bought into demonic Darwinism; they’ve allowed Satan to make monkeys out of them. Instead of boldly declaring man came into existence by direct creation of God and that he was uniquely made in the image and likeness of God Genesis 1:26-27 they have become seduced by the lie of evolutionary humanism. Consequently, they don’t talk about the fall of man and our inheritance of the sinful nature. Neither do they admit that we all choose sin and as a result, greatly offend God. They don’t agree that, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Jeremiah 17:9. Instead, they believe man can make himself respectable by regular doses of religion.

Respectability is a big deal for these church leaders; they’ll talk about the need for it at the drop of a hat. If you step into one of their churches you’ll find both they and their people working overtime at being respectable! Appearances mean everything in those places. That’s why grandmothers have so much influence over grandkids; they spend their lives talking to them about “good” living, not grace living. A dying grandmother was highly offended at being told salvation is to be received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. As far as she was concerned good works and good living are the requirements for receiving salvation, not the result of receiving it. She went out into eternity holding to that belief. 

Church leaders have let us down because what is truly a spiritual organism, they’ve turned into a human organization. As mentioned, the true church is the Body of Christ, made up of spiritually reborn believers. It has two ordinances: water baptism by immersion as a testimony to Jesus Christ and identification with Him, and the Lord’s Supper, which is a remembrance of His death and shed blood. As believers, we study and learn how to obey Christ, how to testify our faith in Him as Savior and how to honor Him as Lord by holy living. By such living we witness to the truth of the word of God – the Bible. The primary mission of the church is to preach the gospel of grace to an unbelieving world Matthew 28: 19-20.

Now for the good news! There is a church that has not let us down. The church is people and there are people out there who will not deny the one true God. They will not deny the biblical Lord Jesus Christ. They will not ignore the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit. They will talk about Satan and demons. They will stand up for creation. Respectability is not a big deal for them. They will stand for the spiritual organism. They will not stand for the human  organization. This kind of church will never let us down! Prominent ex-politicians intrinsically know that, as do all who want, “someone to come up with” another “set of moral values.”  Eventually they will get their way, but it is the way to hell. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” Matthew 7:21.