2Timothy 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Church
All posts tagged Church
‘It is a harsh but undeniable truth that the majority of what calls itself the Church in the modern world is nothing more than a shallow facade, a shell of its former self. Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest theologians and preachers of the past, had the foresight to recognize this disturbing trend even in his own lifetime. He famously declared, “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats!”
Tragically, Spurgeon’s prediction has become a reality. As one looks out at the landscape of the contemporary Church, it is nearly impossible to find any semblance of genuine faith or spiritual depth. Instead, one is confronted with an endless parade of superficial and shallow antics, designed to titillate the senses and distract from the emptiness within.
A recent spectacle at the Center for Hope, a United Methodist church in Wintersville, Ohio, where a couple sang a trite and manipulative cover of “Eye of the Tiger,” is just one example of the degradation and degeneration that plagues the modern Church. It is a damning indictment of our spiritual state that we have become so enamored with cheap thrills and vacuous entertainment rather than seeking the nourishment of the soul and the timeless wisdom of the divine through His word.
Below are some of the altered lyrics the couple sang that were overly cheesy and focused on charismatic self-help themes:
Before I was a Christian, Something was missin,
felt a little distant, dark resistant,
made a decision, got a new vision,
wrote my goals yeah wrote my mission,
BC I was aimlessly walkin
then one day I heard the voice of God talkin,
rise up child to the enemy mockin’,
prayer is your weapon pray without stoppin’‘https://disntr.com/2023/01/05/church-performs-cringworthy-rap-edition-of-eye-of-the-tiger/
‘In the past, The Alpha Conference has been hosted by two ecumenical organizations — Major Change, a charismatic Evangelical organization, and Stone to Flesh, a charismatic Roman Catholic ecumenical organization. The two organizations have practically merged into one big ecumenical mess. And in the past, we’ve lambasted Hillsong Church for hosting the conference on their facilities.
But now that Hillsong Church is practically dead from its endless sex scandals among its leadership, Alpha seems to have found a new home—in the Southern Baptist Convention.
First Baptist Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, a Southern Baptist congregation according to both the Southern Baptist Convention’s church search engine as well as the church’s website, will be hosting the ecumenical conference this January 2023.’https://disntr.com/2023/01/02/major-southern-baptist-church-to-hold-ecumenical-conference-with-roman-catholic-speakers/
1Timothy 3:1-7 ¶ This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
‘Since his abrupt resignation from Mars Hill Church in 2014, Mark Driscoll has claimed he was the victim of a vindictive plot. But last week, Driscoll dropped a bombshell. He claimed that Mars Hill leaders were planning to accuse him of adultery if he didn’t resign. In this week’s podcast, Sutton Turner—one of only three former executive elders at Mars Hill—joins me to set the record straight. Divulging new accounts revealing the extent of Driscoll’s bullying and rage, Turner paints a picture of a man who refused accountability and abandoned his congregation.’https://julieroys.com/podcast/mark-driscoll-the-trap-the-truth?mc_cid=8cf478b4d8&mc_eid=b13d34ad49
‘Former banking boss Andrew Thorburn believes his fleeting appointment as CEO of the Essendon AFL club lasted just 30-hours because his “personal Christian faith is not tolerated or permitted in the public square, at least by some and perhaps by many.”
He was forced to step down from the Essendon position because of his role as a church chairman.
In a statement the former head of the NAB said: “I was being required to compromise beyond a level that my conscience allowed,”
He added that: “Despite my own leadership record, within hours of my appointment being announced, the media and leaders of our community had spoken. They made it clear that my Christian faith and my association with a Church are unacceptable in our culture if you wish to hold a leadership position in society.”
“This grieves me greatly – though not just for myself, but for our society overall. I believe we are poorer for the loss of our great freedoms of thought, conscience and belief that made for a truly diverse, just and respectful community.”
“My faith is central to who I am. Since coming to faith in Jesus 20 years ago, I have seen profound change in my life, and I believe God has made me a better husband, father, and friend. It has also helped me become a better leader. That is because at the centre of my faith is the belief that you should create a community and care for people, because they are created by and loved by God and have a deep intrinsic value.”
His position became untenable for the club when sermons opposing abortion and homosexuality from pastors were found on Mr. Thorburn’s City on a Hill church website.
James Morrow writes in The Daily Telegraph: “Thorburn’s church, like pretty much every other church that claims to follow the Bible, says that marriage is between a man and a woman and that sex outside marriage – whether gay or straight – is a sin.”
“This has been the position, incidentally, of the three monotheistic religions – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – since time immemorial.”
While the greater Essendon club community welcomed Mr. Thorburn’s resignation, a leading Melbourne Christian is planning to quit the club.
Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comsensoli admits he no longer feels welcome as an Essendon supporter.
National Director of the Australian Christian Lobby Wendy Francis says: “The Essendon Football Club promotes themselves as safe, inclusive, tolerant, diverse and welcoming, but their hypocrisy has been starkly exposed.”
“Their so called tolerance and diversity, however, is only extended to those who know better than to question the latest woke manifesto regarding sexuality, gender identity, and even abortion.”
“Too bad if you adhere to a biblical concept of sexual behaviour.”
“Christians and all Australians will be watching the federal Labor government carefully to see how they fulfill their promise to introduce legislation outlawing religious discrimination in this term of government.”
James Morrow observes it’s only Christians who are made to pay the price for their beliefs.
He writes in The Daily Telegraph that back in January, Greater Western Sydney AFLW player Haneen Zreika refused to wear a “pride” round jumper because it conflicted with her Islamic beliefs.
She was allowed to simply sit out the game without penalty or punishment because her circumstances were “complex”.
“Contrast this with the way players for the NRL’s Manly Sea Eagles were dragged for days because they said their Christian beliefs forbade them from promoting what they believed were sinful practices via ‘pride’ jerseys.”
“The double standard is blatant.”
James Morrow concludes: “This is about about whether one is allowed to have a differing opinion on questions of morality, framed through the prism of one and only one particular religion, and still be allowed in public life.”
“A tolerant society allows people their private beliefs.”’https://vision.org.au/news/christian-ceo-forced-out-of-afl-club/?vgo_ee=MTlFAJenI%2FlOzZ%2BHWFq1nDpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
The Lord Jesus said ‘Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ Jesus also said of Himself “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Sadly, some “twist” God’s truth and thereby many miss the ONLY way to Heaven. The following article concerns a woman who leads First Presbyterian in Birmingham, AL https://www.fpcbham.org/projects.
The article states ‘We’ve seen a lot of scripture twisting in our day, but nothing quite like the dark arts performed by Pastrix Terry Hamilton Poore, Head of Staff at the Crypt Church of Birmingham, Alabama, which is a PCUSA Church. Poore gained prominence when she led the fight in her state AGAINST restrictive anti-abortion laws, declaring ” The religious community needs to stand with women, work for just laws, and demonstrate respect for women’s abilities to make decisions about their own lives.”
While we typically see the story of Zacchaeus used by critical theorists and wokesters as a prooftext for reparations, Poore uses it for novel purposes. She starts off by recounting the story of Jonah and the fact that he wanted God to smite the Ninevites, comparing pro-life advocates to the mean old Jonah who just wants to see people punished, then saying Christians ought to be like Zacchaeus and give their money to women to fund their birth control and other social programs.’https://protestia.com/2022/07/20/pro-abortion-pastrix-says-stories-of-jonah-and-zacchaeus-are-proof-we-should-subsize-birth-control/
2Corithians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
‘In two recent Sunday sermons Televangelist Creflo Dollar preached against tithing based on fear and guilt. On July 3rd, Dollar told his congregation, “I would argue that tithing isn’t required or even encouraged for believers in Jesus Christ…”
Instead, Dollar is now preaching that Christian giving should be based on gratitude.
Dollar made a surprising announcement in his June 26th, sermon titled “The Great Misunderstanding” about how his beliefs on tithing changed.
“I want to start off by saying to you that I’m still growing and that the teachings I’ve shared in times past on the subject of tithing were not correct. And today I stand in humility to correct some things I have taught for years and believed for years, but could never understand it clearly because I had not been confronted with the Gospel of grace, which has made the difference.
I won’t apologize ’cause if it wasn’t for me going down that route, I would have never ended up where I am right now. But I will say that I have no shame at all saying to you throw away every book, every tape and every video I did on the subject of tithing, unless it lines up with this.”
While Dollar’s rejection of fear-based giving is welcome, a lot of questions remain, and Trinity Foundation investigators wonder if Dollar is simply changing his message to appeal to a larger audience.
Yes, consider us skeptical. If a preacher is unwilling to apologize for leading people astray, does he really “stand in humility” as Dollar claimed?
If Dollar really wants to change course, he should abandon his extravagant lifestyle and also embrace financial transparency with accountability.
Dollar currently owns two jets registered to a shell company named World Heir (seriously?!): a Gulfstream G-IV and Learjet 60.
Creflo and Taffi Dollar own two expensive homes very close to each other. According to real estate website Redfin the properties are worth about $5.7 million.
Dollar should also explain to his congregation all of his business dealings in foreign countries. In March 2006, Dollar established YBC Limited and The Change Association Limited in the Bahamas. What is the purpose of these offshore entities? Have they been used in international money laundering?
Preachers must do more than just preach accurately about money. They should live a godly lifestyle that doesn’t contradict Scripture. Dollar, are you listening?’https://trinityfi.org/investigations/televangelist-creflo-dollar-preaches-against-tithing-were-doing-a-double-take-on-this-one/#more-2420
‘The Bible makes it very clear that God’s expectations of His people are far greater than anything He expects from the world around them. From Israel being a “peculiar people” (special and unique, not just “weird” in modern parlance) to the church being a “called out assembly” and that judgment must begin at the house of God, we, the people of God, are called to a much higher standard than anyone else. God doesn’t expect holiness from the lost world; He simply calls them to repent. The church on the other hand, is commanded to be holy, as without holiness, no man shall see God. Doctrinally, for us, that is of course Christ’s imputed holiness, but the practical command of 2 Corinthians 7:1 is still applicable: we are supposed to be “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” That command exists for the already saved: it is to affect and direct our walk as Christians.
Perfecting holiness is much the same as “working out” your salvation: Philippians 2:12 is talking about the external practice of an interior reality, not a process of working for salvation. Obedience to God’s word requires us to perform in the body the good works to which we have been predestinated (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 2:10), which is the only way that a believer can be sure to bear fruit (Titus 3:14), but of course that fruit-bearing stems from the unity of believers in Christ (John 17). When it is not only normal but expected that disunity, discord, division, dissension, and dissimulation define our fellowship, it’s no wonder that God is not made manifest in this world. The “Ruckmanites” can point fingers at the “Baptist Briders” and the BJU crowd can point fingers at the “Hyles” crowd while the “Recovering Fundamentalists” can mock all of them (while banning, blocking, and booting people, hosting Israel trips and camp meetings just like all the other Fundamentalists), but in the end it is the devil that benefits from our refusal to work together to glorify God. Scoff all you want, and I have seen the scoffing, but the reality of the world in which we live is all the proof we need to understand that our direct disobedience to Christ’s command to His church is responsible for the condition of individual believers, the church, and the lost world around us.
When faced with the reality of our situation, the understandable human reaction is to jump ship. No one wants to be associated with a bunch of ungodly, disobedient people. Unfortunately, in both a doctrinal and practical sense, that’s both impossible (1 Corinthians 12:12-14) and forbidden (Acts 27:31). We are all part of Christ’s body and there is no escaping that. The minute one begins to identify himself as separate from other believers, no matter how disgusting they may be, is the moment that division has entered the body. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for identifying themselves with various preachers, including Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 1:12-13), not because those preachers were in disagreement with one another or because it is wrong to follow Christ (or Paul, for that matter: 1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1; Ephesians 5:1; Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2:14), but because it is sin to identify oneself apart from the rest of the body of Christ.
Division in Christ’s body is sin (1 Corinthians 1:10; 3:3). Yet at the same time, sin in the body is a reason for division (1 Corinthians 5-6). But the difference is that biblical division over sin is always intended to prompt repentance and reconciliation. Perhaps, then, we should look at Fundamentalism’s squeamishness regarding “repentance,” whether it is in the realm of “soul winning” (expecting a biblical change in behavior is counterproductive when one’s goal is to “pump up those rookie numbers”) or with regards to sin being dealt with in the church; after all, it’s much easier to send the pregnant teen off to Colorado or accuse her of being a seductress than actually call the cops on the CHILD MOLESTING pastor/youth pastor/deacon/church member. Of course we wouldn’t want “the ministry” to suffer from a biblical approach to dealing with criminal behavior in the church (Romans 13:1-5).
The cops only get called when nosy church members try confront the pastor over his voyeurism: he secretly recorded women getting undressed in his office. Thanks to a lax statute of limitations in Florida for voyeurism, Greg Neal was never prosecuted. Yet Neal is still invited to preach at various “Fundamental” meetings and conferences. And we haven’t even touched the sordid story of Cameron Giovanelli, who was hired by Neal after being accused of child sexual assault while pastoring in Maryland, prior to becoming the president of Golden State Baptist College, and after an embarrassingly short stint in jail was taken in by Harvest Baptist Church in Fort Dodge, Iowa where he played host to missionary Jordan Webb who is currently being prosecuted for sexual abuse, incest, and child endangerment. Harvest is paying for Webb’s attorney fees despite claiming that he is not employed by or sent out of the church.
It’s normal to want to wash our hands of the situation, falling back on the “we’re independent” excuse and hoping that no one associates us with this vile, putrid stain on the holiness of our Saviour. However, this has never been God’s way. In the New Testament, “legal sin” (adultery, heresy, etc.) in the church is to be dealt with according to the principles of Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5: expulsion and disfellowship until repentance and restoration is achieved. However, illegal or criminal behavior must be vigorously denounced and immediately reported to the civil authorities; it matters not how much we may love the offender: he must face the legal penalties for his crimes. Furthermore, 1 Timothy 5 is crystal clear on sin among church leadership:
19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
Of course the context isn’t specifically about sexual impropriety, abuse, or criminal behavior: that’s covered under “blameless” in 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6-7. However, since we’ve come to the point in modern churchianity where a man can plead guilty to sex offense and assault against a minor and be almost immediately welcomed back into church ministry (quietly and under the radar, of course), we find ourself in a place where we must dig through the sordid details of ghastly accusations and try to determine what to do about such revolting situations. If a Christian is accused of criminal behavior, he is no longer blameless. Until he is cleared of suspicion, he has no biblical right to continue in any ministry position in any capacity whatsoever. This is doubly so for an elder (“pastor” for those that get squeamish about biblical terminology). In fact, in the Bible, there is to be no “sweeping things under the rug”: the man, when guilty, is to be PUBLICLY REBUKED (“before all”) and openly shamed about his sin. THAT is how God is to be glorified in the midst of a terrible situation: open rebuke and purification of the body by expelling the offending member.
But no, in today’s churches, the victims almost inevitably get shunned and excommunicated while the offenders get a slap on the wrist, if anything. At worst, unless the police get involved, the pervert pastor quietly resigns and moves across the country to get a job at a different church, where he will repeat the cycle of abuse. And we, through our silence, are complicit enablers of this behavior.
We should take a page out of the Old Testament though in a conceptual sense and (unfortunately) not a literal one: when God’s people were engaged in fornication and direct rebellion against God’s orders, Moses asked the people “Who is on the LORD’S side?” The subsequent “consecration” (Exodus 32:29) entailed slaughtering 3,000 people. There was no “restoration” for those actively engaged in blaspheming God through their idolatrous (Colossians 3:5), naked (Revelation 3:17) fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18). All that was left, and what was required by God, was to run a sword through their guts. That was “consecration” before God, for a people that were involved in grotesque sin. We’re not going to be able to take swords and start chopping off heads of child abusers, as much as it would probably help, but we can publicly shame, denounce, and rebuke those that commit such sins, those that cover up those sins, and those that enable them. Until it becomes uncomfortable for “good, godly men” to harbor and defend these vile criminals or commit the crimes themselves and get away with it, the name of our Saviour will continue to be besmirched by their heinous crimes.
For this very purpose we have recently implemented a process by which abuse can be reported for every listing on KJV Churches. Of course the hope is that it will never be necessary, but in the event that it is, we will research the case and if warranted, add a warning to the church’s listing. However, it’s telling that almost all of the responses to our announcement of this feature were about how to get that badge of shame removed from a listing, and no one was interested in looking for ways to help the victims. Clearly IFB churches have developed a culture of cover-ups and victim shaming to such a degree that they don’t even realize when they’re doing it.
I would hazard to say that there is nothing in New Testament Scripture that can guide us as a church (each local church or the body of Christ as a whole, take your pick based on your own idiosyncratic ecclesiological position) out of the unbelievable condition in which we find ourselves. The reason is that the Holy Spirit simply didn’t include specific instructions for dealing with child rapists in the pulpit in the New Testament church. Dealing with that kind of behavior seems to require looking back to the Old Testament and the “church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38) to see how God dealt with such depravity. Swords, serpents, and scathing sermons from God’s prophets were the LORD’s approach to sin in the nation, and it’s foolhardy to think that it can be dealt with in any other way (the “swords” and “serpents” being metaphorical in our situation). With few exceptions, the prophets were sent to preach to Israel and Judah, not typically to the Gentiles, and even then it was a simple message of general repentance, not a specific rebuke for direct disobedience against God’s commands.
In Conclusion
The condition of the church today should give every Christian ulcers. The idea that Christ’s bride, the “chaste virgin” for whom God’s own blood was shed (Acts 20:28), is being ravaged by the very people that are supposed to be caring for her, is cause for widespread sackcloth and ashes and indefinite periods of fasting and mourning. Yet, people who claim to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God go about their liturgical procedures nonchalantly, as if the very representation of Jesus Christ on this earth were not the absolute laughingstock of the entire world.
“Old Paths” types love to point to Jeremiah 5, especially verse 5, where Jeremiah says that he will go and seek the advice of the “great men.” Ironically they ignore the context: “but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.” God was looking for ONE man, any that sought truth and judgment. The end result is Ezekiel 22:30-31; “but I found none.” But the end of the Jeremiah passage is so applicable to our situation today:
30 ¶A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
The prophets (preachers) and priests (pastors, since they assume the right to the tithe and all) preach lies and rule forcibly over the people, but it’s because that’s what the people want. The only thing left is the response of the few, or maybe even the one. We’ll talk about Revelation 3:14-22 next time, if you can stomach it.’https://www.kjvchurches.com/recovering-part-6-who-is-on-the-lords-side/
whatyareckon 