Within the body of Christ — the Church — lives different kinds of doctrines; or as Paul wrote it, “We, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Rom 12:5).
Now, think about that for a
moment; if each one has, let’s say, a “particle” of Christ in them, together,
in one accord (Acts 2:1) they are the “body of Christ”.
The Church is essentially a body
made up of members just as the body of a person is made up of its members. If
one limb is crippled the Church becomes a cripple.
A healthy Church goes unto the
world; “Go you into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”
(Mark 16:15) just as Jesus and the apostles did.
Sickness is no excuse to stay
where it is comfortable. Your abode is your comfort zone and as such, your
local church is very comfortable for you. Preachers preach mostly to believers,
not all truth but whatever they feel comfortable hearing. Now, Church is more
about it making the congregants comfortable, and the “Comforter” is often
found in the back pew. People go to Church because somehow God calls them. That
is not the only way. God calls members of His body to do His calling for
Him!
The modern Church is crippled and
full of malaise. For the most part, the overall Church body is sickly and weak.
Your church organ may be blooming but at the expense of others dying. The heart
of the Church is still pumping the virtue of Christ, but Christ Jesus has been
drained from the blood of the Church as the data shows:
As of 2023-2024, about 62% of U.S.
adults identify as Christian, a figure that has stabilized after years of
decline, with 40% Protestant and 19% Catholic, while religiously unaffiliated
("nones") make up 29% of the population, according to Pew Research.
Gallup first asked about church
membership in 1937, at which point 73% of Americans reported being members of a
religious congregation. From the 1940s through the early 1970s, more than 90%
of Americans identified with a Christian religion. Before the 1940s,
approximately 95% or more of people who were raised Christian were still
Christian later in life.
The heartbeat of the Church body
is shown in the following graph (ibid):
As the importance of the Church
body goes down the insignificance increases. If that was even the body of critters
heading toward extension, animal lovers would cry out. God lovers remain silent
so long as their branch seems to have life in it.
Because the numbers are now
increasing, it seems that albeit on its last leg, the Church is struggling to
survive. How can life be pumped into a crippled, anemic Church?
To be a Church, the centroid of
the Church — the “heart” must have life in it. Jesus Christ is the life of the
Church. He is the Centroid of the body of believers; “I AM the way, the truth,
and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me (John 14:6).
To be born again, a body must
first die; die to the world to be born of the Spirit. The problem is that the
Body of the Church is now pumped up on adrenalin of some sort, not so pumped up
on Christ but the artificial organism of the Church; perhaps entertainment and
positive thinking.
Just as Moses was not God but
called the troopers to be part of a good thing, the same goes for modern
churches.
Denominations are based on men: John
Calvin, John Wesley, Martin Luther, Menno Simons, Jacob Arminius; not to forget
others: Joseph Smith, Herbert Armstong, William Miller, Joseph Campbell, and Charles
Taze Russell. Some women even pump up the body of the Church: Mother Ann Lee,
Ellen G. White, and many others. Now even Joyce Meyers has put on a new face,
even worse than Tammy Faye Baker.
No longer is the Church the body
of Christ but wears a very false face. Too many wrong women are the face of the
modern Church Body:
Rev. Megan Rohrer: First openly
transgender bishop in a major denomination (ELCA), focusing on liberation and
diversity.
Nikki Toyama-Szeto: Executive Director of
Christians for Social Action, focused on justice and social engagement.
Shantha Ready Alonso: Catholic leader
involved in environmental justice through faith.
Dr. Bernice King: Minister, attorney, and
civil rights leader, daughter of MLK Jr..
Environmental justice is now the
blood of the Church, but forgotten is the blood of Christ. Modern theologians
have created a new Jesus, one who came physically to save the world, but not
the people of the world. Environmentalism is a leading religion in these last
days.
Social justice seems the way, but
it is not. Recall now, the rich young man that sought heaven?
And behold, one came and said unto (Jesus),
“Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”
And (Jesus) said unto him, “Why call you Me
good? There is none good but One, that is, God: but if you will enter into
life, keep the commandments.”
He said unto him, “Which?”
Jesus said, you shall do no murder, you
shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false
witness, honor your father and your mother and, you shall love your neighbor as
yourself.
The young man saith unto him, “All these
things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?”
Jesus said unto him, “If you will be
perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and thou shall have
treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me” (Mat
19:16-21)
That young man was possessed by possessions
(Mat 19:22). He had done all the good things that Christians were supposed to
do, but he was lacking one thing — he would not give His possessions to follow
Jesus. He was socially just but not faithful to Jesus. That rich young
man was the face of social justice. Although he did not follow Jesus to become
a member of the Church body, many modern era people follow both social justice
and Jesus Christ. How can they do that? Being double-minded, they have created
a new version of Christ!
The modern-era Christ is like a
good dad that rowdy children step on, humiliate, and even deny is their real
father. Indeed, the father of even many who call themselves “Christian” is the
Devil (John 8:44). The father of that rich youngster would have been the Devil
because it was another master whom he followed.
Now some things about the Devil.
He is cunning (Gen 3:1) and a con artist. Con artists most often use the bait
and switch method. Look at these good things, and then when the person is sold
on good things, all the cunning salesman is to sell imitations of the
real things.
The so-called “Serpent” was
selling the idea that it was it was the “God”, but it was only
god-like in its presentation. (Now forget the notion that the Serpent was a serpent,
but just a cunning being whose countenance was like the Light of God, a false
bringer of light, “Lucifer”.
The Serpent was selling
godlikeness, but all the while, it was bestiality from the bosom of the “Beast”.
In the same manner, modern
preachers are as cunning; so many selling “software” as “hardware” for instance.
The hardware, or “boiler plate”
of the Bible is that one must believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, as the
crucifixion should have revealed to all.
Just a few saw the hardware — God
in Jesus, and others the software (some just a man, and others like Mohammed
who saw only the phantom existence of a man.)
Most who saw the crucifixion saw
only a man, and all too often, modern people see Jesus as only a good man. They
have merely been sold on the software version of the real divine Thing!
With Jesus as God, comes both the
software and hardware versions of God, and the Acts is then the performance
of the software version as good as the hardware.
The modern Church runs more the
software version of Christ than the hardware. One is as significant as the
other.
One member of the Church (social
justice) sells only the hardware version of Christ — the man, Jesus; and
another member of the body of Christ sell only he software version — the Holy
Ghost, all the while forgetting the man, Jesus. The World Council of Churches
sells only the goodness of the man while the apostolic churches mostly the Holy
Ghost of the man.
Other members, not liking the
real God having three substances, have created many gods each of one substance.
Joel Osteen, like the golden calf
of old, has risen to become a god within himself; not called to preach but
preaches anyhow. One woman in my acquaintance even said that Osteen saved her!
Others sell the same idea, but only Jesus saves.
Jesus is the “salvation of God”.
He is Yesua (salvation) called by name, a “jubilee” (50) of times in the
Old Testament.
Yeshua is both incarnate
God and the pre-incarnate Image of God — “The Angel of God”. The Jews followed both
The Angel of God and the Spirit of God, but they refused to follow God’s hardware.
Their God is parts, but the whole
God is all three substances of Him. Once they see the whole God, they too will
be members of the Body of Christ (Rev 7 & 14).
To be a real member of the Body
of Christ requires supra-vision; that Jesus in all three states of God
come to the world as One True God.
So many members of the Body of
Christ split God into fragments. Most often it is the sincere mention of “Jesus
and God” as if they are distinctly different existences. The point therein is
that too many in the Church cannot see God as He is but what they imagine
Him to be. They see God on His throne and Jesus seated to the right and the
Holy Ghost to the left. Not so… all three states of God are the godhead on the
throne. That is the real God!
Not only was God torn apart at
the crucifixion; that was the real agony of Christ, but His Heart has become
weary.
Now, there are many gospels: the
social gospel, the doctrinaire gospel, and the universal doctrine. The latter
is that you can believe about anything and still go to heaven because mankind
is just too important for a good God to punish them.
The social gospel puts works for
the oppressed before Jesus, who was most oppressed. Many of them see Jesus as
much like the capitalist that gave to the poor, using scripture about the rich
young ruler. In their view, Jesus is a communist who was like Robin Hood,
taking from some to provide for others without regard to who worked for it.
Jesus was no Robin Hood; He told
the rich young ruler to do nothing more than follow Him. Way too many
Christians follow their own hearts and not the Heart of Christianity, Jesus
Christ.
One of the worst comes in
beautiful packages; that the gift of grace comes for free in neat packages and
although a beautiful gift, put it can be put away without use. That “software”
version is Calvinism. Indeed, Calvinists preach a good gospel, but it is one of
“cheap grace” — forgiveness without transformation. To be a real member of the
Body of Christ, requires transformation from the old creature to the new one,
or as Paul wrote it, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (1 Cor 5:17).
Now put on a true lens: closely
look at the members of the Church body; do you see Christ in them or the world?
Christ must be in you to become a member of the Body of Christ. How that comes
about is debatable, but “transformation” means change. Hence, the Church
body is much like the world.
Sin is genetic, and as sons of
the Devil (John 8:44), we have the Devil within our genetics.
One popular young lady in her
reel, ridiculed a preacher who said that he sensed the Devil and looked right
at her.
She looked around for the Devil
and saw nobody. How can that be? The old creature still resides in children of
God who still sin. The Devil itself was not in the Church but came to church in
her genome. The Devil is as real as God and both the Devil and God cannot be
together within. As such, most of the members seem to serve two masters, and
given time, they must choose one over the other (Mat 6:24).
Calvinists say that the grace of Christ
is “irresistible”. However, Jesus said that of their own volition (free will)
as Sovereign He gave them one choice — who of the two would master them in the
world?
Calvinist doctrine espouses
eternal security; that whatever you desire to do, you can do without penalty or
consequences. Most reformed congregations live like the Devil while saying they
love God. Jesus said that who is followed reveals the one that is loved: “If you
love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), implying that if you do not do
what He commands, then there is no love for Him.
Love is often misconstrued. Love,
in the doctrine of social justice, is providing money to the oppressed.
Rather, true love is providing the
knowledge of Jesus for their eternal well-being. That is divine justice.
Like drug pushers push their god…
drugs, Jesus pushers must push their love… Jesus. If you are not a fan of
Jesus, then you push another god, most often the one that resides in a
non-believer even if he or she claims to be in Christ.
You are right now undergoing a
test. You are battling within each moment of the day; to either follow the
world or Jesus. Each of your sins reveal who it is you follow. Like a stray
beast, sometimes you do get off the right way, but if God brings you back to
the true Church, you then continue on the Way to eternal life.
Unlike the doctrine of Osteen,
Christianity is tough. Jesus was scourged, beaten, and died. You are to take up
your cross and follow Him (Mat 16:24), so like a beast, you have a yoke to
bear, but the load is made easier yoked to Jesus in love.
Will you escape The Great
Tribulation? None of the apostles did, so why should you? Calvinists say that you will escape any tribulation.
That is a nice hope, but is it true? God will decide that, not your
preacher or other theologian.
The Church is a body of believers
who trust Jesus and go wherever He goes… His Way.
Christians are now like lost
sheep going whichever way the current of the wind goes. Even the church may
mislead you to go astray.
Way too many Christians have gone
astray like Cain in the beginning. Church dominations often mislead for each
have their own versions of the truth, but versions will not get you to
heaven. Paul wrote that you must follow Jesus and Him crucified and resurrected.
In 1 Corinthians 15 he wrote that the gospel is foundational… "If
Christ has not been raised, your faith is empty" and cites it as an early
creed, "Christ died for our sins... was buried... was raised on the third
day.” Also, in Romans 8:34, that Christ died, was raised, and now
intercedes; in Galatians 1:4 he wrote that Jesus gave Himself for our
sins to rescue us, demonstrating that core belief.
Just because you don’t believe in
a law does not mean that the law does not exist. We all ignore laws each day,
but when least expected, the law finds us. Jesus is the final version of the
Law, and if we do not obey, we will be found and sentenced. If your church
denomination does not teach that, then it is a false version of the gospel.
Indeed, Christians must obey the Law of God to abide in the Kingdom of God.
Many other examples could be
provided that the Church is weak and not even a true Church at all, but an
imposter. You do the math; does your church live up to the tenets of Jesus? If
not, then you are being misled. You may go to Church a sinner, but to go to Paradise
in heaven, you must go there a saint. How long to preserve the saints? Until
they endure to the end (Mat 10:22).
“Love the Lord, all you His
saints for the Lord preserves the faithful and plentifully rewards the proud
doer” (Psalm 31:23).
“Saints” are those who love the
Lord God enough to be among the worthy. The “elect” is contingent on who loves
the Lord God enough to remain faithful, not just faith once, but to the
end.
The evidence of sainthood is a
proud doer, doing the will of God. His Will to be done are the Ten Words
(Commandments). Command-keeping is evidence of sainthood. Just how many in the
Church even try to keep commandments? Even the Name of God has become vanity,
now used mostly, not for the word, but an exclamation mark!
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