A DANGEROUS BREED OF HYPOCRITE!
Truth-Despising, Wolf-Worshiping,
Devil-Defending Agents of Satan who Think they are Saved (think again!)
Walking in God’s love can never be separated from walking in God’s truth! They are divinely, eternally married! Don’t you dare claim to be walking in God’s love if you are not speaking God’s truth (Ephesians 4:15; Proverbs 27:5-6).
The true man of God fears God and therefore fears no man. He will speak the truth no matter what the cost.
“When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.” Thomas Sowell
MORAL cowards are self-serving and deceitful. When THEY want something to be true, they ignore God’s Word and want to argue to defend their position instead of dying to self and believing and living by the WORD of God. Repent sinner. “Let God be true and EVERY man a liar” (Romans 3:4).
Jesus says, “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).
If you seek to justify sinners against the counsel of God’s Word, you are not a man of truth but rather a self-serving moral coward who seeks to justify sinners instead of loving them enough to give them the truth so they can be saved. Repent sinner.
“He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.” Proverbs 17:15
Judge not those who “judge righteous judgment”! (John 7:24)
“Today’s church cannot remain faithful if it tolerates false teachers and leaves their teachings uncorrected and unconfronted.” Albert Mohler
The JUDGE has spoken in a book called THE BIBLE. He’s calling us to pay attention when we read it. His written WORD records for us HIS judgments – the judgments of the Judge. So, the lame misuse of the “judge not” scripture is a cover up from novices to justify their worship of wolves who feed their flesh nature instead of telling them God requires them to live the crucified life (Matthew 7:1-5; Philippians 3:18-19; 2 Timothy 4:2-4; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 2 John 10-11, etc.).
Jesus says “Judge righteous judgment” and the only way to do that is call the shots like He does in His written Word – beginning with our own lives and out from there (John 7:24). YES GOD is the Judge and THE JUDGE HAS SPOKEN His judgments in the 66 glorious books in the canon of His Word. So there are no excuses. We shall be judged by His Word, the Bible (John 12:48; Romans 2:16; Revelation 20:10-15).
“The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” John 12:48
YES, God is the Judge and THE JUDGE HAS SPOKEN – it’s called the BIBLE. We have HIS judgments on record in the Bible. Now let’s repent and cease the smokescreens to evade truly repenting! See John 3:19-21.
ATTENTION: The LORD calls His people to mark and to expose His enemies and not defend or support them! Those who prop up, support, follow, and defend the obvious wolves operating among the professing church only do so due to their own refusal to study to show themselves approved before a holy God (2 Timothy 2:15). It’s time to get immersed in the Word!
WARNING: YOU’D BETTER MAKE SURE YOU AREN’T COVERING FOR AND DEFENDING ONE OF THE “MANY FALSE PROPHETS” JESUS REPEATEDLY WARNED US TO “BEWARE OF” (Matthew 7:15; 24:11, 24, etc.). IF YOU DO, YOU WILL GO TO HELL WITH THEM!
Isn’t it so hypocritically interesting how those who misuse Jesus’ word “Judge not” and how they don’t think twice to condemn you for supposedly condemning others? So, they are telling you not to judge (out of context) while they openly judge you. SMH at these blinded hypocrites. In Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus was speaking of hypocritical judgment, not all judgment! Stop taking Jesus’ words out of context!
The kingdom of God is not dictated by any mere human’s emotions or notions. Let’s live by God’s Word saints.
LIKE IT OR NOT, it is the divine mandate and duty of the members of Christ’s body to “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints” against “ungodly men” who are false teachers. Read Jude 3-4. The divine mandate to mark false teachers is none of your business or mine! God didn’t ask you before He spoke and commanded that these things be done. This kingdom of God is not relegated to you or me, nor our flimsy musings. We live by God’s Word and not someone’s emotions or un-sanctified whims (Colossians 2:8). Do we not understand that God wants to protect His sheep? The kingdom of God is about KING JESUS, not you! It’s time to die to self!
SUPPORTING WOLVES (Christ’s very subverting enemies) will land you in hell with them according to God’s Word.
Those who try to shut down warnings are simply afraid they are the next ones to be exposed! Repent! John 3:19-21
Counterfeits defend their wolves while true remnant disciples of Jesus are “set for the defence of the gospel” as was Paul the apostle (Philippians 1:17).
Tina McGovern writes:
“It is astounding and amazes me every time people defend these actions and condemn the actions of the righteous who hold to the truth clearly brought forward in Scriptures. But…as we know…it takes false followers to follow false teachers and false prophets…all in hopes of being extravagantly rich to spend it on their lusts. It’s like manipulating the mind to feel free to lust guiltlessly. Dear Lord, You alone know who are Yours. In your great mercy make a way where there appears to be no way, to deliver those who are deceived and fallen captive to the deceiver. Deliver them to the uttermost.”
JOIN THE CHORUS with the remnant of Christ’s elect … by openly shining the light of truth on the false teachings and teachers of our day who are being used of Satan to lead millions to eternal damnation (Isaiah 9:16; Matthew 15:14). This is not a game! The apostle Paul said he was “set for the defence of the gospel” and Jude mandated that we “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints” against “ungodly men” (Philippians 1:17; Jude 3-4). When we look at what the whole of Scripture tells us about wolves among us and their mission (steal, kill, destroy), we may see a different picture. We will see them as the very agents of Satan we are told they are (2 Corinthians 11:12-15). The books Deceivers and False Prophets Among Us and Predators in Our Pulpits were written to showcase a myriad of shunned and purposely neglected Bible verses about wolves and their characteristics and methods.
The “Great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20) fully intends to protect the sheep He died for and part of that protection comes from His body/watchmen’s warnings. “Warn them from me” (Ezekiel 3:7).
THE LORD’S WATCHMEN are on their posts and doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing – warning. “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.” (Ezekiel 33:7)
In fact, if the watchman doesn’t sound the alarm, warning of danger, he is guilty before God.
“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” Ezekiel 33:6
Ernie Collins writes:
“WOE UNTO THE FOOLISH WHO CONTINUE TO BE DECEIVED WITH GREAT DECEPTION OF FALSE TEACHERS AND PREACHERS; FOR THEY WILL SURELY FACE THE GREAT JUDGMENT AND WRATH WITH THE LAKE OF FIRE FOR THEIR FOOLISHNESS. A DIRE WARNING WITH GREAT CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL FALSE TEACHERS AND PREACHERS: JEREMIAH 23:1-2 (KJV) AUTHORIZED EDITION BIBLE:
1: WOE BE UNTO THE PASTORS THAT DESTROY AND SCATTER THE SHEEP OF MY PASTURE! SAITH THE LORD.
2: THEREFORE THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL AGAINST THE PASTORS THAT FEED MY PEOPLE; YE HAVE SCATTERED MY FLOCK, AND DRIVEN THEM AWAY, AND HAVE NOT VISITED THEM: BEHOLD, I WILL VISIT UPON YOU THE EVIL OF YOUR DOINGS, SAITH THE LORD.” ERNIE COLLINS
The LORD told us that He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Yet, He will not save any person who freely chooses to give ear to, to support, to fund, and/or defend His enemies (2 Chronicles 19:2; 2 John 7-11, etc.). Such is high treason.
Does Satan have agents? Yes (2 Cor. 11:12-15). And, who would want to defend those emissaries except those who are also Satan’s agents? JUST WHO would want Satan’s emissaries to continue to mislead people? Who? Who other than those who are also Satan’s property due to their unrepentant hearts? Do you recall how Satan entered into one of Jesus’ own twelve? See John 13:27.
So who can prove by Scripture or even common sense that protection via warning is a sin? Who can show that it’s God’s mandate and His will for His body to do?
“Judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). When you attack someone for judging, you are judging them. If there is no judgment/discernment, why are you judging someone for judging? You are doing exactly what you are accusing them of doing (Romans 2:1-3). Jesus says: “Ye shall know (Gr. discern) them BY THEIR FRUITS” (Matthew 7:16, 20).
Charles Kennon writes:
“‘Judge Not’…One of the most misunderstood and improperly applied verses in the Bible. Few read the entirety of this portion of Scripture thus understanding that Jesus was not condemning righteous judgment but rather rebuking men for hypocritical judgment.
Be not deceived my friend, WE ALL JUDGE…The question is this; By what STANDARD do we Judge? By God’s Word or by what seems right to US. Here is a touchstone by which you can examine yourself. Those who are of God employ the phrase ‘Judge not’ in a DIDACTIC manner to properly instruct others in the way (Matthew 7:1-5). Those who are not of God employ ‘Judge not’ in a DEFENSIVE manner to evade the truth and justify themselves when the light of God’s Word uncovers or confronts them in their sin (Genesis 19:9).”
Jesus says “Judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Paul wrote “do not ye judge them that are within?” (1 Corinthians 5:12).
MESSAGE RECEIVED:
“God is the only one can judge everyone. He will judge you also guys. Be careful of what you are saying. Anyway your judgment isn’t going to change anything. It conveys hatred and not Christian love. We will be judged with the same measure.”
RESPONSE:
1. Is God the Judge? Yes or no? 2. Did God, the Judge, speak? Do you know about the Book called the Holy Bible? THAT is God’s judgments and He, the Judge, told us that all idolaters are going to hell (Rev 21:8). All who reject Christ for their religion, like Teresa, are not forgiven and going to hell. The Judge has spoken – from Genesis to Revelation. It’s time to repent, fast and pray, until you fear no one except the LORD. At that point He will grant you a fearlessness to preach His Word, regardless of how mere sinful men respond (Is. 51:7, 12; Gal. 1:10). This person you are defending is a sinful woman who refused to repent and be saved by the grace of God through Christ alone. She promoted an antichrist, works-based religion her whole life. The Bible assures us that every false teacher will have eternal “damnation” (2 Peter 2:1-3.) You have no clue what love is. You going to call JESUS CHRIST unloving for openly lambasting the false leaders of His day and telling them they were going to hell? Read Matt 23. Repent. “Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:5-6). You are in direct disobedience to the LORD by not earnestly contending against His enemies and marking and exposing them (Rom. 16:17-18; Ephesians 5:11; Jude 3-4, etc.). Repent and follow Jesus by exposing false leaders! (Matt, 23, etc.). While feigning to love Jesus, you are defending one of the false prophets He repeatedly warned us about who spent her life leading precious souls away from Him and into eternal hell. Repent.
Since when is warning Christ’s sheep of the devouring wolves hateful? Since when is such judgmental? It’s only wrong in the eyes of those who are biblically illiterate. They have time to watch TV, listen to clowns like Osteen, etc. and no time to diligently study God’s Word. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). DO YOU warn your children when they are young to stay away from the street? Yes. Why? TO PROTECT THEM. How hateful would you be NOT to teach them to stay clear of danger?
So, are you saying the apostle Paul was being unloving and judgmental when he said this to a false prophet? – “And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10).
You are attempting to selfishly protect and defend those who have told you everything’s okay without repenting (tickled your ears while flattering your flesh). They make you feel good now but you will hurt forever unless you truly repent and lay down your life and truly follow Christ – become HIS disciple. When you do, you will forsake the false Christs and idols.
As the Holy Ghost foretold, false prophets in this late hour are very popular because most would rather listen to feel good, tell-me-what-I-want-to-hear stories than “endure (hold themselves accountable to) sound doctrine.” But rather are “turned unto fables” which are feel-good, it’s all about ME stories (2 Timothy 4:2-4).
“WHO HATH BEWITCHED YOU? THE LORD SAYS COME LET US REASON TOGETHER.CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE. TRUTH CUTS AWAY AT THE FLESH, YES THE FLESH AND GUESS WHAT? IT HURTS NOW DOESN’T IT? BUT SHALL WE PLEASE MAN?(GOD FORBID) OR GOD? THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH ALL THESE APOSTATES, THEY DELIVER A SELF SERVING, GOOD FEELING, EAR TICKING, DOCTRINE OF DEVILS! JESUS CHRIST SAID TO DENY OURSELVES AND PICK UP OUR CROSSES AND FOLLOW HIM.NOT MAN! BUT THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT THEY PREACH, NOT TO READ THE WORD AND NOT REPENTANCE AND NOT BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST. O GOD, FORGIVE THEM THAT REFUSE YOUR TRUTH, WE KNOW YOU WARN US OF THE STRONG DELUSION SENT FORTH BY YOU, THAT THEY SHOULD BELIEVE A LIE, BUT FATHER, FOR THE GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST, AND THE LOVE HE HAS FOR HIS BRIDE, GIVE THEM EARS LORD! GIVE THEM EYES!IN YOUR PRECIOUS AND MIGHTY NAME – THE NAME OF JESUS – WE PRAY! AMEN! I SAID AMEN!” SHANNON COOK
If you are defending wolves, you have no clue of true, New Testament Christianity because you have not truly laid down your life (repented, which is essential to salvation) and have therefore followed the voice of the enemy of all souls who is speaking through his false prophets (2 Corinthians 11:12-15). And, what we are seeing in this very post is God’s merciful attempt to get you to see that you are not following Christ and are in need of true repentance.
Those who defend Christ’s wolves are quite hypocritical actually. Isn’t it amazing how some people who come out of the woodwork to judge me/us for obeying God by identifying His enemies, are telling me/us we’re being judgmental? So, let’s get this straight – they freely judge and condemn those who warn the flock of God while saying we’re wrongly judging others by exposing those others to be Satan’s wolves. Wow! Can anyone spell “h-y-p-o-s-c-i-s-y”? Oh and not one of those who condemn and who are judging us have ever once said anything good about a post. Wow. No edification or agreement with truth, only condemnation for exposing their favorite wolf they have formed a soul-tie with instead of forming an intimate, abiding relationship with the One they claim to be serving (John 15:1-6).
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.” Romans 2:1-2
You want to see vicious hatred? Just watch when wolves are uncovered by divine truth via Christ’s true, obedient remnant. Oh yes, you are going to see some of the vilest hatred you have ever seen from the defenders and supporters of those enemies of Christ. On this note, Shannon Cook writes:
“BELOVED BRIDE OF CHRIST, DEVILS COME BACK IN FULL FORCE TO DEFEND THEIR WOLF, THIS IS TO BE EXPECTED. THEY DESPISE TRUTH AND EXPOSURE OF LIES.”
Mark Herridge writes:
“The whole ‘judge not’ philosophy that has entered into the modern church has served to take the church further down the road of apostasy. It is a dangerous thing when we are told that we cannot use the Bible to judge matters concerning the church, the leadership of the church, or even those that claim to be a part of the church. It is certainly a fallacy to believe that we cannot compare people to the Word of God to determine what type of person they are. No sane person would allow a stranger to babysit their children without a background check and references, or in other words they are going to judge that person by some type of standard before placing their children’s lives in their hands. Everything should be judged by the Word of God, and it is absolutely biblical for us to do so.”
Those who aren’t warning the flock are not protecting the flock and are exposed as wolves themselves (Colossians 1:28).
Hell hath seen not fury like the scorn of a gullible follower of a wolf. They will lash out with pure hatred and malice while condemning you for daring to expose the wolf who is tickling their ear (2 Timothy 4:3). I make no apology for this “controversy.” Actually, this is exactly what we are told will happen when we discern –
“And they (true pastoral watchmen) shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to DISCERN (distinguish) between the unclean and the clean. 24 And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.” Ezekiel 44:23-24
“BUT YOU’RE NOT THE JUDGE” CRIES THE NOW EXPOSED WOLF-SUPPORTER. YES, THE LORD IS THE ULTIMATE JUDGE. AND GOD WILL JUDGE FOR SURE AND HE WILL JUDGE US FOR OBEYING OR NOT OBEYING HIS WORD WHICH INSTRUCTS US TO EXPOSE HIS ENEMIES IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIS SHEEP. YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT?
It’s called discernment and judging righteous judgment (Ezekiel 44:23-24; John 7:24; 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, etc.). This doesn’t mean recklessly condemning anyone but it does mean discerning and pointing out false teachers whom Paul says are “accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9).
Saints, this whole thing of counterfeits balking about their favorite wolves being exposed for who they really are simply underscores the need to obey God by “earnestly contending for faith,” the original Gospel, revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures (Jude 3-4).
It seems like those who don’t want false prophets exposed (and so they defend them) are the ones who love the lies they have been told by those wolves. Isn’t this exactly what the LORD is saying through His prophet Jeremiah when he had him write that “My people LOVE to have it so” (Jeremiah 5:31; 2 Timothy 4:3). This would be biblical actually. Look at what the people who had once served God were saying to their leaders in Isaiah’s day:
“That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: 10 Which say to the seers (leaders), See not; and to the prophets (leaders), Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” Isaiah 30:9-11
As it was in the prophet Isaiah’s day so it is today. It is “a rebellious people” who love lies and despise the law/Word of God and so by their attitudes and actions say “Don’t go overboard with all this Christian stuff. Going to church is good enough. Give us smooth, deceitful things! Continue to be enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:18-19)! We don’t want to be part of dying to self so Christ can reign in our daily lives! We just want Heaven but refuse to be bothered and inconvenienced with obedience to what Jesus instructed! We ‘love’ Him only inasmuch as we believe He’s going to get us out of hell!”
Wolves are identified as those who oblige this self-loving, self-serving, pleasure-loving last day generation of those who do have a “form (outward appearance) of godliness” and yet deny the power or authority of Christ’s reign in their daily lives (2 Timothy 3:1-7).
WHY WOULD ANY TRUE DISCIPLE OF JESUS WANT TO PROTECT THE WOLVES WHO ARE POISONING THE CHILDREN OF THE ONE THEY CLAIM TO BE SAVED BY? WHY WOULD ANY GENUINE SERVANT OF CHRIST WANT TO BID GOD SPEED (ENDORSE, DEFEND, SUPPORT) TO A FALSE TEACHER? WHO PROFITS WHEN WOLVES ARE LEFT COVERED? AND WHO SUFFERS WHEN DECEIVERS ARE LEFT UNIDENTIFIED, UNDETECTED, UNLABELED, AND UNMARKED? WHO IS BENEFITED BY CHRISTIANS WHO KEEP THOSE RAVENOUS WOLVES HIDDEN FROM OTHER SHEEP?
These and other questions must be asked and sorted out by Holy Scripture which gives us “ALL things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Firstly, you will note that our brother Lee Ebbs did not mention any specific wolf (although that’s biblical to do also) … he is speaking the truth in order to “mark” (identify) false teachers and to warn Christ’s sheep so they can be safe (Romans 16:17-18).
Is it Biblical to Mark False Teachers?
Millions are being taught by the wolves who have deceived them not to expose them. I was personally taught by the wolves who deceived me not to ever speak a word against them. They were covering their tracks by using Scripture out of context to their own self-serving advantage (Philippians 3:18-19).
ACTS 20:27-32 IS TRULY KEY TO SEEING THE APOSTOLIC FAITH AND HOW IT AND THOSE SAVED BY THAT ORIGINAL GOSPEL ARE TO BE SAFEGUARDED AGAINST THE ENEMY’S WOLVES. ALSO PHILIPPIANS 1:17 AND JUDE 3-4. IF YOU NAME THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, PLEASE STUDY THESE PASSAGES PRAYERFULLY AND CAREFULLY.
Identifying the Source
Firstly, let’s establish exactly who “false apostles” and all false “ministers” are from. Are they of God or Satan himself?
“But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:12-15
Any person who is not discerning all leaders and teachings against the Holy Word of God is in blatant disobedience to the LORD who says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
We are commanded to never endorse or help in any way those who do not preach strictly God’s Word, which is “the doctrine of Christ”:
“For MANY DECEIVERS are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves (take personal responsibility to earnestly contend for the truth), that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth (remains) not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth (continues) in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” 2 John 7-11
BE CAREFUL: IF you dare defend or promote or in any way condone the enemies of Christ, you are going to hell with them (2 John 10-11). Repent sinner.
BIDDING GOD SPEED TO DECEIVERS (FALSE TEACHERS, FALSE RELIGIONS, ETC.) MAKES ONE THE ENEMY OF CHRIST AND UNDER THE SAME DIVINE CONDEMNATION AS THE WOLF THEY ARE CONDONING (2 JOHN 7-11; 2 CHRON. 19:2).
ANY PERSON WHO BIDS GODSPEED (CONDONES OR DEFENDS IN ANY WAY) TO ANY OF THESE “MANY DECEIVERS,” WILL BE JUDGED WITH THOSE WOLVES.
THE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST MUST NEVER DO ANYTHING TO FURTHER THE CAUSE OF THAT WHICH GOD CONDEMNS. TO HELP SOMEONE WHO IS TEACHING “ANOTHER GOSPEL” – ANY MESSAGE DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL GOSPEL – IS TO FURTHER THE CAUSE OF THE ENEMY OF THE ALMIGHTY AND THE EVIL HE PERPETRATES ON PRECIOUS SOULS (GALATIANS 1:6-9).
Are you the enemy of God? Is His holy wrath upon you? We should repent of helping wolves before the LORD judges us for participating in this betrayal of Him.
I DO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ALL WISH TO BE CIVIL. YET, GOD’S VERY WORD CALLS/LABELS EVILDOERS AS DEVILS/CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL. IF YOU CHOOSE TO SUPPORT A FALSE PROPHET (ENEMY OF CHRIST) AND DO NOT REPENT BEFORE YOU DIE, THEN YOU WILL RECEIVE THE SAME ETERNAL “DAMNATION” AS HE WILL (2 PETER 2:1-3). IF YOU AGREE WITH, VOTE FOR, HELP, ENDORSE, OR IN ANY WAY BID “GOD SPEED” TO THE WICKED, YOU ARE PARTAKER IN THEIR JUDGMENT (2 CHRONICLES 19:2; 2 JOHN 10-11). GOD MADE UP THE RULES IF YOU WILL, NOT US. HIS MESSAGE IS CLEAR. HE WILL JUDGE YOU AND ME IF WE CHOOSE TO SIDE WITH HIS ENEMIES WHICH INCLUDE ANYONE WHO ESPOUSES DOCTRINE OR LEGISLATION THAT VIOLATES HIM/HIS WORD.
To an evil man who withstood the LORD, His servant, and His blessed Gospel message, Paul said:
“AND SAID, O FULL OF ALL SUBTILTY AND ALL MISCHIEF, THOU CHILD OF THE DEVIL, THOU ENEMY OF ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS, WILT THOU NOT CEASE TO PERVERT THE RIGHT WAYS OF THE LORD?” ACTS 13:10
“Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 19:2
ANY person who helps the ungodly is equally as guilty as those devouring wolves in the eyes of a holy God who says “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). If you in any way “bid … God speed” to or in any way help or defend a wolf, you yourself are just as guilty as they are in the eyes of God.
“The Bible gives us no liberty to tolerate the incursion of evil into the church. We are not to be passive; we are not to be neutral. Proverbs 8:13 says, The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. It is sinful to compromise with evil. It is sinful to be neutral toward evil. In John 10:10 Jesus spoke about the thief, the devil, who comes: to steal, to kill and to destroy. We always need to remember, whether it is in an individual life or in a congregation, the devil only comes with three objectives: to steal, to kill and to destroy.” Derek Prince
Making determinations about false leaders – “BY THEIR FRUIT” is not sin, it is obedience to Christ and the message of His holy apostles (Matthew 7:15-23). In order to keep themselves hidden – not seen for who they really are – spineless wolves have taught their audiences well.
These wolf defending counterfeits have nothing good to say of the many good, scriptural things about God’s truth put out by the LORD’s watchmen and yet hypocritically claim the watchmen are being judgmental WHILE they simultaneously judge and condemn those watchmen! Go figure folks! Deceitful haters of truth.
When your system of theology or the wolf propagating it trumps the very Word of God, you are lost and without the Savior just exactly as were the evil-hearted religious devils Jesus rebuked when He said
“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men (you let your tradition trump God’s Word), as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” (Mark 7:6-9)
Who is “of God” and who is “NOT of God”? – “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God” (John 8:47).
No person can serve religion or any religious leader and Christ simultaneously. Jesus said “He that is not with me IS against me” and “NO man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24; 12:30). Paul wrote “Ye cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils” (1 Corinthians 10:21). One may vainly think they are serving Christ but if that person doesn’t walk with God according to His Word and only His Word, that person is not right with God.
TO EXPOSE A WOLF IS TO EXPOSE THE UNREPENTANT HEARTS OF THOSE WHO PATRONIZE, SUPPORT, GIVE EAR TO, AND DEFEND THOSE WOLVES. WHAT’S AT STAKE? THE THIN VENEER OF THEIR OWN LITTLE PAPER FORTRESS THEY HIDE BEHIND IS BEING DISMANTLED. THAT’S WHAT’S AT STAKE.
“Let God be true and EVERY man a liar.” Romans 3:4
WHAT do Jude 3-4; Romans 16:17-18 and Ephesians 5:11 tell us? If you don’t personally have a foundational knowledge of the doctrines of Holy Scripture, you have no clue and have no business commenting with your useless opinion (mine is useless too – all that matters is what God’s written Word says!). If you don’t know God’s Word, you are still unlearned and a babe in Christ at best (Hebrews 5:11-14). You should open your King James Bible and read and begin learning every single Bible verse given in this important article. Only His holy truth will make you free from ignorance (John 8:31-32; 17:17). So, if you truly fear and love the LORD Jesus Christ, it’s time to begin this moment to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
THOSE WHO FACILITATE THE WORK OF SATAN’S WOLVES, THE VERY ENEMIES OF JESUS CHRIST, ARE SAYING THAT THESE EVILDOERS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO OPERATE – TO DESTROY ETERNAL SOULS – UNHINDERED.
If you are defending wolves, no matter what your iniquitous, demonic excuse, you are of Satan and against Christ. “He that is not with me IS IS IS against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” ~ The Son of God, Matthew 12:30. You are scattering abroad which means you are endorsing and facilitating the separation of souls from Christ, the only Savior. It’s time for you to repent and be truly saved.
Defending wolves enables them to continue to devour the sheep for whom Jesus bled on that cross to save!
YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE FLACK WE SOMETIMES RECEIVE FROM CHRIST-DESPISING, WOLF-PROTECTING, DEVIL-DEFENDING PEOPLE WHO COME AGAINST US FOR SHINING THE LORD’S LIGHT ON THE DARKNESS OF SATAN’S WOLVES (EPHESIANS 5:11; ROMANS 16:17-18; 2 CORINTHIANS 11:12-15). IN TRUE HYPOCRITICAL FORM, WHILE SAYING WE ARE WRONGLY CONDEMNING OTHERS, THEY SIMULTANEOUSLY HARSHLY CONDEMN US WITH NO SECOND THOUGHT. WOW! UTTER HYPOCRISY! … GOD BE PRAISED – WE ARE NOT WORTHY TO RECEIVE PERSECUTION FOR OUR LORD JESUS’ NAME! SEE EZEKIEL 44:23-24 VERY CLOSELY. OKAY, HERE IT IS:
“And they (true under shepherds) shall teach my people THE DIFFERENCE between the holy and profane, and cause them to DISCERN (distinguish) between the unclean and the clean. 24 And in CONTROVERSY they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments (written Word): and they shall keep (uphold) my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies…” Ezekiel 44:23-24
According to the above passage, “controversy” will come to those who teach Christ’s people to “discern” between light and darkness, truth and error. It will usually come from those who claim to be saved but do not love the truth (John 8:47); 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
AMAZINGLY, THESE WOLF-DEFENDING COUNTERFEITS HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY OF THE MANY GOOD THINGS ABOUT GOD’S TRUTH PUT OUT BY THE LORD’S WATCHMEN AND YET HYPOCRITICALLY CLAIM THE WATCHMEN ARE BEING JUDGMENTAL WHILE THEY SIMULTANEOUSLY JUDGE AND CONDEMN THOSE WATCHMEN! GO FIGURE FOLKS! DECEITFUL HATERS OF TRUTH.
Your Prayer of Repentance: Holy Father, thank You for sending Your only begotten Son to pay the full price for my sins and the sins of the whole world. Through His precious blood I come to You this moment, asking You to please forgive me for any way I have bid God speed to Your enemies who deceitfully and clandestinely pose as Your representatives. Open my eyes through Your Holy Word and Holy Spirit so that I am able to see the wolves You so often warned us about and to withstand and expose and mark them as you mandated for Your people to do. In Jesus’ holy Name, amen!
Naming Names: Is it Biblical? | Angry Man in Hell
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Note: WHO’s THE REAL BAD GUY? ARE YOU Being Exploited by a Pulpit Pimp? – “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” ~Apostle Paul, Galatians 4:16… WHO’s the real “bad guy”? SO, God’s watchmen who are warning you so you can be safe and secure from the fires of eternal damnation are the mean spirited ones, right? So, ask yourself: When you are in hell, burning, suffering and fully conscious, in excruciating pain without end, WHO then will be the bad guy? If you die having followed these prophesied false prophets, you will have no one to blame but yourself – for being so gullible and foolish and not getting before the LORD in a real way. No, instead of loving the LORD and His truth/Word, you chose to follow the self-serving, thrill-seeking, greed-crazed crowd who made a circus out of “church.” What does 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 say? Why hasn’t the wolf you are following shown you this passage? JUST WHAT is he/she trying to hide from you? Once you are in hell, burning, how wonderful will you think these wolves are then and for eternity when it’s too late?
Typical Hypocritical Judgment Coming from those who Yell “Don’t Judge My Favorite Wolf!”
Personal attacks from people who hide their own shortcomings while judging yours are going to happen folks. It’s interesting how hypocritical it is that while judging and personally condemning you for supposedly wrongly judging others … it’s okay for them to condemn you while telling/condemning you not to condemn others. Unreal. Ever heard the term “chasing your own tail”? We, as Christ’s body are called to sound the alarm on those misleading His sheep with false teachings. That’s God’s judgment, not man’s. The men and women who sound the alarm do so in obedience to the command of the LORD (Romans 16:17-18; Jude 3-4; etc.). So, since we all have shortcomings in this or that area, does that mean we should cease to serve God? No, we just work out our own salvation with fear and trembling as the LORD works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). So, if you have shortcomings – if you are not sinless perfection – does that mean you are a hypocrite for teaching your children to stay away from the street so they don’t get killed? Think about it …
From Shannon Cook:
“They reveal the proof in their rotten to the core fruit. NEVER dares Joel utter the biblical word repentance. Why? BECAUSE HE’S A MESSENGER OF SATAN! It’s really NOT that difficult to see, if you’re God’s elect people. But without God’s Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you, we can show you Scripture after Scripture that PROVES this and you will not believe! You want a “feel good” doctrine of devils, follow Joel and Victoria and the many like them, to the bowels of hell. But read your Bibles, every apostle in the Bible dies BAD! And they preached the truth! Boiled in oil, stoned to death, crucified upside down. And they did it all for the glory of our King! Best life now can go back to hell where it came from! Satan we rebuke you from this thread, and the people you’re trying to come in through, in Jesus Name! Amen. One thing we cannot do is sugar coat the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’re accountable to Him alone. The blind not only lead the blind, but the blind defend the blind. Beloved, it isn’t judging, when we expose the lie, with the truth of the gospel, for the sake of Jesus Christ and his bride. Amen.” Shannon Cook
Dialogues / Feedback
Message Received for Exposing Osteen’s False Teachings:
“What part of LOVE one another don’t YOU get!!!”
Reply:
What part of “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints” do you not get? Jude 3-4 … how loving is it to allow people to continue to be deceived?
This is a clear product of clueless people who refuse to diligently and daily study God’s Word for themselves and so they relegate their learning and understanding to a spineless moral coward who is nothing but a story teller who refuses to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). What we are seeing is an exact, to the “T” fulfillment of this prophecy:
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (stories).” 2 Timothy 4:2-4
You are defending “ungodly men” who pose as Christ’s representatives but are seen not to be by their false teaching and practices …
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 3-4
“Wow this hits it on the head, some people need to pay attention to what God says in his word about people causing division. God’s not happy with it at all. And on top of that they need to obey God and quit being under subjection to people, but being subjection only to God. Amen.” Paula
Of those who defend wolves, Stephen Michels notes:
“You are living in sin and need a justifier for it. THAT’s WHY you defend wolves!”
“Been running into a lot of these “wolf defenders” as of late … These people have a great spirit of pride, and they tend to fear men rather than God. Also they have no clue about what salvation is and don’t know what Bible to read.” Aaron Paul Johnson
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TO A WOMAN WHOSE IDOL WOLF (or wolves) has been exposed, by the ministry, …. and who accused myself and others of hate for exposing these enemies of the LORD, and came strongly to his/their defense, I wrote:
You are the one with hate …. you are defending the very wolves who are leading millions to hell … you care more for your idol wolves than you do the millions they are misleading to hell ….. apparently you still love this world and the things in it (fleeting riches) and therefore the lust you have not repented of is causing you to worship and defend these mere sinful men and women … 2 Tim 4:3-4 … This is the epitome for delusionment saints. …. here she is boldly posting pictures of her idols (Ez. 14:3) who have taught her to covet the riches of this fleeting world and thereby she has forfeited her eternal riches, which is Christ and eternity with Him.
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To a person that insisted that they were not going to partake with the expose’ of wolves, the following reply was sent:
Yes and LOVE and TRUTH cannot be separated. In fact, those who truly walk in God’s love, tell God’s truth (Ephesians 4:15; Proverbs 16:6). It’s not God’s love if it’s not accompanied with a sincere love for God’s truth.
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Message Received:
“I will await the judgment of God Mighty, The True Author and Finisher of My Faith…because He also States Do Not Argue and Quibble over My Words…do only what will Edify and When Souls….that’s why He said Judging is His Job, and His Alone…I will Never Be Arrogant Enough To Presume To Do God’s Job For Him… I trust Him and the Holy Spirit Alone….gracias for your words though…i have taking them to my Father God In Prayer….be well mí amigo…”
Reply:
Interestingly, you seem to be boasting about not wrongly judging others while you condemn me. If you wait for the Judgment Day without taking close heed to what the JUDGE has told us in His Word/Judgments, it will be too late. It’s an open book test and you WILL fail the judgment if you don’t study and know what pleases and what displeases the Judge of your eternal soul. See Prov. 28:9, 13. You seem to be under the notion that it is loving to not speak the truth directly and not to uncover the very enemies of the LORD (2 Corinthians 11:12-15). It’s actually displaying hatred to not expose Satan’s agents who pose as Christ’s representatives so that precious, eternal souls can be protected and spared (Matthew 7:15-21, etc.).
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Message Received:
“Brother your bitterness is plain for all to see. Pray for those you might think are missing it but to publicly bash them is certainly not Christ like at all. Just stick to preaching Christ.”
Reply:
You gullibility is clearly manifesting. The Bible never specifically says pray for wolves – but it does say to “mark them” so that others can be warned. No offense but you are a novice as far as Bible knowledge, otherwise you would know this. What THREE things did the apostle Paul do to prepare Christ’s body to meet Him? Colossians 1:28 – PWT – Preach, WARN, Teach.
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To a person who objected to the expose’ of wolves (false prophets) who are destroying souls and calling them at times “devils,” a reply was given this way:
Hi. How are you? Hope all is well. One thing’s for certain, this is not a salvation issue (essential). God’s LOVE can only be defined by God’s WORD and not by emotions. ACTUALLY, strong rebuke is what God uses to get to an otherwise hopeless, hell bound conscience – that’s love and mercy, not hate. Was it hate or love for God to demand that the believers at Corinth turn that unrepentant fornicator over to SATAN? (1 Cor. 5) Well, it led to that man repenting so he wouldn’t go to hell for eternity (2 Cor. 2). Was that love or hate? Are we wiser than the Almighty? Have we been swept away in the apostate, false “love” that is defined by the sinful whims of mere men? … Was the great apostle Paul hating when he told a man “And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, THOU CHILD OF THE DEVIL, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10) Paul called this guy a “child of the devil.” Was the apostle of Jesus walking in hate? Was the Son of God being mean and hateful when He lambasted the evil leaders of His day who were leading millions to hell? Was Jesus Christ being hateful or loving when He told those wolves they were going to hell 3 times in Matthew 23? “Open REBUKE is better than secret love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Proverbs 27:5-6) Is rebuke (with the truth) hateful or a manifestation of God’s mercy? Titus 1 says “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. 12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith … They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:10-16 Is Truth Negative or Positive?
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Abiding
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
The reason God gave His only begotten Son was to clear you of all your sin in His regeneration, to bring you into His eternal family for fellowship with Him.
“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” John 17:21
“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3
When God clears a man at the moment of salvation or thereafter, so should we! When any man truly repents there will be definite fruit to prove it. When one obeys sound biblical doctrine the result will always be that he will bring forth fruit to demonstrate he truly repented, and is cleared by the LORD and must be cleared by us. After the fornicator in the church of Corinth repented, he was cleared and the LORD, through Paul, instructed the believers in that assembly to forgive, clear, and love him.
“So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.” 2 Corinthians 2:7-8
Remember this from the prodigal son parable our LORD taught us?
“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance … 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:7, 10
When someone returns to the LORD from sin, regardless of their past, with or without Christ, there is great celebration in Heaven and should be also among the saints of Christ on the earth.
A fresh reading of Luke 15 is highly recommended where Jesus gives us 3 parables to teach the restorative love of God!
WATCH THIS: When we repent we openly renounce and are clear…. God is good.
Godly Sorrow brings the blessings of God and a clearing of past sin.
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what CLEARING OF YOURSELVES, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be CLEAR in this matter.” 2 Corinthians 7:11
Example: Remember how the fornicator in 1 Corinthians 5 was turned over to Satan and then repented and God cleared Him? Read 2 Corinthians 2 for the “CLEARING.” In this verse above, Paul is addressing this very issue and the sorrow, diligent obedience, and consequent “CLEARING” the Corinthian saints experienced. First they allowed the fornicator to function in their midst whereas Paul had to come in and instruct them to turn the transgressor over to Satan (1 Corinthians 5). Then, as a result, the backslider repented.
“He says, what clearing of yourselves. This does not mean that they tried to justify or excuse themselves, but rather that by taking resolute action, they tried to clear themselves of any further guilt or blame in the matter. Their change in attitude led to this change in action. What indignation may refer to their attitude toward the sinner because of the reproach he brought on the name of Christ. But more probably it refers to their attitude toward themselves for ever having allowed such a thing to go on for so long without taking action on it. Paul then adds: In all things you ‘ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.’ Of course, we are not to understand by this that they were never to blame, but simply that they had done everything they could to take the proper action and to act as they should have acted in the first place.” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary
“Clearing of yourselves – From either sharing in, or approving of, his sin. Indignation – That ye had not immediately corrected the offender. Fear – Of God’s displeasure, or lest I should come with a rod. Vehement desire – To see me again. Zeal – For the glory of God, and the soul of that sinner. Yea, revenge – Ye took a kind of holy revenge upon yourselves, being scarce able to forgive yourselves. In all things ye – As a church. Have approved yourselves to be pure – That is, free from blame, since ye received my letter.” John Wesley
“In all things, etc. – In the whole of your conduct in this affair since ye have received my letter, ye have approved yourselves to be clear, ἁγνους; not only to be clear of contumacy and obstinate persistence in your former conduct, but to have done all in the compass of your power to rectify the abuses which had crept in among you. The Corinthians were not clear, i.e. innocent or void of blame in the fact, but they were clear of all blame in their endeavors to remove the evil.” Adam Clarke
The Corinthian saints repented, obeyed God by turning the unrepentant sinner in their midst over to Satan, and were then forgiven and cleared of their sin of allowing the un-repentant fornicator to remain in their company (1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2 and 7).
Today, is the LORD showing you something in your life that you must turn back over to Satan where it came from – to rid your heart, your life of a sin?
Interestingly, this 2 Corinthians 7 chapter begins with this:
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1
When we simply agree with the LORD, His Word, and turn to Him afresh and away from what He calls sin, confessing it to Him for what it is, He will immediately forgive us and promises to grant us a clearing, a clear conscience.
“Now the end (chief purpose) of the commandment (written Word) is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:” 1 Timothy 1:5
The LORD made it clear that He intends for His children to be possessed with a clear conscience which is a gift He alone provided through the perfect sacrifice of His only begotten Son.
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14
“A disciplined conscience is a man’s best friend. It may not be his most amiable, but it is his most faithful monitor.” Austin Phelps
Have you ever had a past sin nag you for many years after you committed and even confessed and were forgiven for it?
WHEN we DO what is right, then and only then do we have the bless-ed confirmation of a clear conscience. AND, doing what’s right begins with re-turning, turning afresh to our LORD and confessing all sin.
“God is greater than our heart”
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:18-21
In fellowshipping with other men who serve our LORD, I’ve often heard them say how that sins they committed in the past still bother them in a hindering way. Yet, we know that God knows all these things and “is greater than our heart” and provided a complete salvation through the blood of His only begotten Son!
“WHEN HE HAD BY HIMSELF purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3
Even though 90% of today’s pastors prove themselves to be false by never mentioning this, we must never ever lose sight of the truth that God is “Holy, holy, holy” and He commands us to “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 4:8).
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
Are we presently allowing sin in our own lives, including keeping company with someone who claims to be Christ’s and yet is living in sin? Are you in need of doing an inventory check on your current friends – namely those who name Jesus as their Savior? Read this unchanging divine truth and note the many specific sins listed here:
“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
When we truly repent and obey the counsel, the Word of God, only then will we be cleared in conscience and before God and His people. True repentance always, without exception, brings forth a changed life – a life set apart to the LORD (Matthew 3:7-10; Luke 19:1-10).
The fact that our LORD is correcting us today clearly proves how much He loves us. When the LORD points out our sin, it’s because He loves us, He wants us to repent, to return to Him, agree with Him, and depart from that sin. This is all so He can clear us!
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19
Refreshing Always Follows Fresh Repentance
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 3:19
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Read 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians 2 and 7.
Yes, we’ve all been hurt by others and we have also hurt others, right? Let’s take accountability for our own evil and watch what God does. Blaming others without taking the blame due to us is a deep, endless ditch.
This morning I prayed “LORD, if I have angered or hurt someone, anyone, please let it be revealed so that amends can be made, in Jesus’ name, amen Father.”
In this passage below, our LORD is addressing being easily angered as well as making amends when we intentionally or unintentionally have harmed another.
“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly…” Matthew 5:22-25
PRAYER: My Father in Heaven, I come to You now on the sole basis of the holy name and blood of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Here and now I ask You LORD to convict, grant repentance, and complete clearing of any and all sin in my life. Please sanctify my life dear LORD. LORD Jesus thank You for dying on that cross, shedding Your precious blood for all my sins. Please bless me with a oneness with You and the Father and a clear conscience. Be glorified in my life dear LORD. I love You LORD Jesus. Amen.
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Apostasy
Richard Foster Exposed
Wait, WHAT, WHO are Christ’s disciples to celebrate?
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14
A Biblically based commentary on current issues that impact you
Richard Foster—Celebration of Deception
by Bob DeWaay
Christianity Today ran a glowing cover story about Evangelicalism’s recent embrace of medieval Roman Catholic mysticism entitled The Future lies in the Past.1 The article traced the beginning of the movement as follows: “The movement seems to have exploded in a 24-month period in 1977-1978, which saw the publication of Richard Foster’s bestselling Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth and Robert Webber’s Common Roots: A Call to Evangelical Maturity.”2
The article views Foster as one who continues to guide the movement: “From Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and living practicing monks and nuns, they [those going back to Roman Catholic mysticism] must learn both the strengths and the limits of the historical ascetic disciplines.”3 So Foster was instrumental in starting a movement that is still growing 30-plus years later.
The irony about this particular CIC regarding Foster’s 1978 book is that in 1978 I myself was living in a Christian community committed to practicing much of what he promotes in Celebration of Discipline (even though we had not learned it from him directly). So I am not criticizing a practice about which I know nothing (or one in which I have no experience). I am criticizing a practice I foolishly allowed to deceive me for a significant portion of my early Christian life. When it comes to being deceived by mysticism, I have had abundant involvement. The only way I escaped it was through discovering and adopting the Reformation principle of sola scriptura.
In this article I will show that Foster’s “journey inward” is unbiblical and dangerous. I will show that most of the spiritual disciplines that he calls “means of grace” are no means of grace at all—but a means of putting oneself under spiritual deception.
The Journey Inward
The Bible nowhere describes an inward journey to explore the realm of the spirit. God chose to reveal the truth about spiritual reality through His ordained, Spirit-inspired, biblical writers. What is spiritual and not revealed by God is of the occult and, therefore, forbidden. We have discussed this in many articles and have produced DVD seminars on the topic. But the concept of sola scriptura is totally lost on mystics such as Richard Foster. They, like the enthusiasts that Calvin and Luther warned against, believe they can gain valid and useful knowledge of spiritual things through direct, personal inspiration.
Foster describes the idea of the disciplines that are the topic of his book: “The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm.”4 So Foster has conceptually repudiated sola scriptura on page one to replace it with a journey inward to explore the realm of spirits. Something must have been seriously amiss in evangelicalism already in 1978 to render this book a bestseller! It ought to have been repudiated on the spot. In a footnote to that statement Foster writes, “In one form or another all of the devotional masters have affirmed the necessity of the Disciplines” (Foster: 1). The devotional “masters,” by the way, are mostly Roman Catholics who never were committed to the principle of sola scriptura. It is not surprising that they looked for spirituality through experimentation. But as an “inner light” Quaker, Foster never was committed to sola scriptura either.
Forgetting that the Bible forbids divination, Foster explains what he is after:
[W]e must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation. In their writings, all of the masters of meditation strive to awaken us to the fact that the universe is much larger than we know, that there are vast unexplored inner regions that are just as real as the physical world we know so well. . . . They call us to the adventure, to be pioneers in this frontier of the Spirit. (Foster: 13)
Realizing that his readers would likely take this as an endorsement of Eastern religions, he makes a disclaimer that it is not Transcendental Meditation (TM) or something of that ilk: “Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to empty the mind in order to fill it” (Foster: 15). But what Foster wishes us to fill our minds with are personal revelations from the spirit realm that we naively are to think are the voice of God. This sort of meditation is not meditating on what God has said, but uses a technique to explore the spirit world. In other words, it is divination.
What we learn about the spirit realm either is revealed by God (once for all in Scripture) or gleaned by man-made techniques. That distinction is the difference between Christianity and paganism. Only Bible believers know what God has said about Himself and what He wishes to reveal about the unseen spirit world. Foster’s material continues to be popular because we live in an age where being spiritual pioneers on a journey into the unseen realm of the spirits is the essence of popular piety. It is the spirituality of secular talk shows.
To fully understand the degree of Foster’s deception, he even calls these techniques to the inner journey “means of grace”: “They [the Disciplines] are God’s means of grace” (Foster: 6). As with all who teach spiritual disciplines, there are no boundaries to these false “means.” For example, consider this recommended practice: “After you have gained some proficiency in centering down, add a five- to ten-minute meditation on some aspect of the creation. Choose something in the created order: tree, plant, bird, leaf, cloud, and each day ponder it carefully and prayerfully” (Foster 25). This after he had just taught breathing exercises (a means of “centering down”). Then he makes a startling claim: “We should not bypass this means of God’s grace” (Foster: 25). And there we have it: meditating of a leaf can be a means of grace!
Foster’s journey inward is to discover a spirit world that is available for any who search for it: “How then do we come to believe in a world of the spirit? Is it by blind faith? Not at all. The inner reality of the spiritual world is available to all who are willing to search for it” (Foster: 18). He claims that this spiritual search is analogous to scientific experimentation. Never mind that every pagan culture that has existed has believed in the “spiritual world.”
Spirituality of the Imagination
The Bible does not have anything good so say about the imagination. For example: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord'” (Jeremiah 23:16). A search of the KJV for “imagination” yields 14 verses, and in each case it is a bad thing. According to the Bible, the imagination is where people go when they do not want to listen to God.
However, for Foster the imagination is central: “The inner world of meditation is most easily entered through the door of the imagination. We fail today to appreciate its tremendous power. The imagination is stronger than conceptual thought and stronger than the will” (Foster: 22). Some of the authorities he cites on this point are C. G. Jung, Ignatius of Loyola, and Morton Kelsey. Jung is famous for his concept of the collective unconscious, and Kelsey was an Episcopal priest committed to Jungian principles. Kelsey wrote many books promoting mysticism. The advice Foster gleans from these teachers is that we must learn to think in images and take our dreams to be a possible doorway into the spirit world. Foster claims that dreams are something we already have and can help us develop the use of the imagination. He says, “Keeping a journal of our dreams is a way of taking them seriously” (Foster: 23).
There is, Foster warns, a danger to this process: “At the same time [that we ask for dreams to be God speaking to us], it is wise to pray a prayer of protection, since to open ourselves to spiritual influence can be dangerous as well as profitable” (Foster: 23). I would say that is asking God to protect us as we use various techniques to go where He does not want us to go (into the world of the spirits to gain information). The danger he warns of is far greater than Foster imagines. Those who take the journey inward will be deceived—every time! We are not equipped to gain spiritual information from that realm. That is why God speaks to us through His ordained mediators (the inspired Biblical writers); otherwise we would be fishing in the dark in a medium we are not suited for.
Foster teaches his readers to use their imaginations to experience Biblical stories with the five physical senses. Here is what he claims will happen:
As you enter the story, not as a passive observer but as an active participant, remember that since Jesus lives in the Eternal Now and is not bound by time, this event in the past is a living present-tense experience for Him. Hence, you can actually encounter the living Christ in the event, be addressed by His voice and be touched by His healing power. It can be more than an exercise of the imagination; it can be a genuine confrontation. Jesus Christ will actually come to you. (Foster: 26)
Showing that Foster’s ideas are still influential in our day, Greg Boyd cites some of Foster’s words here to support what he calls “cataphatic prayer” which uses the imagination and images as a means to contact God and gain spiritual information.5 Those who endorse this practice assume they are not being deceived by spirits, but I cannot see on what grounds.
Foster prescribes a practice using one’s imagination that mimics astral projection to the degree that he actually includes a footnote disclaimer stating that it is not astral projection (Foster 28). It begins by telling his readers to imagine themselves going out into nature into a beautiful place (Boyd describes how he practices this, as well as its results6). After enjoying the sights and smells (in your imagination) these are the next steps:
In your imagination allow your spiritual body, shining with light, to rise out of your physical body. Look back so that you can see yourself lying in the grass and reassure your body that you will return momentarily. Imagine your spiritual self, alive and vibrant, rising up through the clouds and into the stratosphere. . . Go deeper and deeper into outer space until there is nothing except the warm presence of the eternal Creator. Rest in His presence. Listen quietly, anticipating the unanticipated. Note carefully any instruction given. With time and experience you will be able to distinguish readily between mere human thought that may bubble up to the conscious mind and the True Spirit which inwardly moves upon the heart. (Foster: 27, 28)
I must ask how one knows whether “True Spirit” is not a deceiving one? Mysticism’s fatal flaw is that it naively assumes that Christians having subjective religious experiences must therefore be having Christian experiences that are truly from God—even if the experiences were provoked through unbiblical practices similar to those used by pagans.
Mental Alchemy
Foster’s approach to prayer is laced with mysticism as well. He claims that prayer needs to be learned from people who have the right experiences and are “masters” who know what they are doing. Foster does not teach ordinary prayer, whereby we bring our needs and requests to the Lord and know that He hears us (because He promised that He does). Here is why he thinks such prayer fails:
Often people will pray and pray with all the faith in the world, but nothing happens. Naturally, they were not contacting the channel. We begin praying for others by first centering down and listening to the quiet thunder of the Lord of hosts. Attuning ourselves to divine breathings is spiritual work, but without it our praying is vain repetition (Mt. 6:7). Listening to the Lord is the first thing, the second thing, and the third thing necessary for successful intercession. (Foster: 34)
Of course this means we have to become mystics if we want to pray.
He teaches that we first must hear personal revelations from God, using meditation techniques such as he teaches, before we pray. He says: “The beginning point, then, in learning to pray for others is to listen for guidance . . . This inner “yes” is the divine authorization for you to pray for the person or situation” (Foster: 35). No! Foster is wrong! The only authorization we need to pray is the Biblical command to pray—not personal revelations.
For Foster, meditation (mystical style) is necessary but not sufficient. He also brings the imagination into the process: “As with meditation, the imagination is a powerful tool in the work of prayer” (Foster: 36). He credits Agnes Sanford7 for helping him see the value of using the imagination in praying. Foster writes, “Imagination opens the door to faith. If we can ‘see’ in our mind’s eye a shattered marriage whole or a sick person well, it is only a short step to believing it will be so” (Foster: 36). Sanford got her ideas from Theosophy, New Thought, Jung, and Emmet Fox. These ideas, echoed by Foster, come from the unbiblical “mind over matter” thinking of that era. That kind of thinking uses creative visualization to change reality or channel spiritual power. Foster suggests, “Imagine the light of Christ flowing through your hands and healing every emotional trauma and hurt feeling your child experienced that day” (Foster: 39).
In his 1985 book, The Seduction of Christianity, Dave Hunt labeled creative visualization such as what Foster promotes, “mental alchemy.”8 Hunt warned the church that Foster promoted such mental alchemy in Celebration of Discipline, and as we have shown, he, in fact, does. So how is it that 24 years after Hunt’s warning Foster is more popular than ever with Evangelicals? The answer is end times deception. Now, a huge movement that claims to be a reformation promoting Foster, Willard and their versions of mysticism does exist (i.e., The Emergent Church). Things have gotten so very much worse.
Spiritual Directors
Once mysticism and the supposed need to gain personal revelations from God are embraced, there arises a need for new “masters” who are better at navigating the spirit world. Pagan societies have always had such persons. They are called “shamans.” Eastern religion calls them “gurus.” Deceived Christians call them “spiritual directors.” Foster explains, “In the Middle Ages not even the greatest saints attempted the depths of the inward journey without the help of a spiritual director” (Foster: 159). The problem, according to Foster, is that the churches (in 1978) lacked “living masters”:
No doubt part of the surge of interest in Eastern meditation is because the churches have abrogated the field. How depressing for a university student, seeking to know the Christian teaching on meditation, to discover that there are so few living masters of contemplative prayer and that nearly all of the serious writings on the subject are seven or more centuries old. No wonder he or she turns to Zen, Yoga, or TM. (Foster: 14)
Foster’s dream has come true. Today people can even practice Yoga in a Christian church. We have Christian TM; it is called contemplative prayer. Yes, Eastern religion has come right into the church, and Foster has helped usher it in.
But what about “living masters” or spiritual directors? In 1972 Morton Kelsey lamented their lack: “Indeed I would suggest that everyone who is serious about relating to the spiritual realm find himself a spiritual director, if there were more men trained and experienced in this way.”9 That “problem” has been solved in a huge way. Evangelical theology schools are now offering masters degrees in “spiritual formation” in order to equip people to be “spiritual directors.” Here is what Biola University says about its program: “This degree is designed to equip men and women for the ministry of spiritual direction, discipleship, formation and soul care in the local church and for further academic training in spiritual formation.”10 Spiritual Directors International will help you find a spiritual director regardless of your religion.11 Richard Foster’s own Renovare, which purports to “encourage renewal in the Christian church,” has a list of spiritual direction programs.12
Foster explains the purpose of the spiritual director: “He is the means of God to open the path to the inward teaching of the Holy Spirit” (Foster: 160). Apparently, in a full-blown rejection of sola scriptura where the Holy Spirit’s teaching is mediated to the church through the Biblical writers only, we need mediators for personal revelations beyond scripture.
Foster explains how spiritual directors lead: “He leads only by the force of his own personal holiness” (Foster: 160). In Roman Catholicism the Pope is called “his holiness” and in Tibetan Buddhism the Dalai Lama is called “his holiness” but now evangelicals are developing a class of people who evidently deserve the title. How exactly are we to judge when someone has gained “personal holiness” sufficient to be a spiritual director and mediate spirituality to others? Foster says, “Though the director has obviously advanced further into the inner depths, the two [master and disciple] are together learning and growing in the realm of the Spirit” (Foster: 160). Foster cites Roman Catholic mystic Thomas Merton about how this works: “The spiritual director was something of a ‘spiritual father who begot the perfect life in the soul of his disciple by his instructions first of all, but also by his prayer, his sanctity and his example. He was . . . a kind of ‘sacrament’ of the Lord’s presence in the ecclesiastical community” (Foster: 161).
End Times Delusion
When it comes to end times deception, Foster is on the cutting edge of embracing it. Consider what he wrote: “In our day heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emerging of a Spirit-led, Spirit-intoxicated, Spirit-empowered people. . . . Individuals can be found here and there whose hearts burn with divine fire” (Foster: 150). Such inclinations have led to massive deception. They smack of the Latter Rain deception, now embodied in such false teachers as Rick Joyner and Mike Bickle. They are elitist. They are in line with the beliefs of the Emergent Church as well. He also says: “Our century has yet to see the breaking forth of the apostolic church of the Spirit” (Foster: 150). Now we have the New Apostolic Reformation claiming to be just that. Foster’s ideas now embody the massive apostasy and end times deception that characterize our age.
Foster’s teachings have taken the church as far away from the Reformation principle of sola scriptura as the Roman Catholic Church ever was. The only thing left is for them to bring us all the way back to Rome. Christianity Today praises Foster for pointing us in that direction.
In early 2008 I wrote a CIC article about how abandoning the principle of sola scriptura would lead evangelicals back to Rome.13 It was partly a response to the CT article praising mysticism. The response I received was rather unexpected. I was contacted by former evangelicals who had rejected sola scriptura and had gone back to Rome! They wanted to debate me about sola scriptura. Sadly, my point was proven. As a response to their misguided challenge our church hosted a seminar on sola scriptura, called Faith at Risk 4.14 In the seminar Gary Gilley and I defended the scriptures as the sole authority for the church.
The aforementioned CT article discusses a new monasticism, former evangelical leaders converting to Roman Catholicism, and mystical practices like lectio divina—and they call all of it a good and hopeful thing. Chris Armstrong, the author of the article, concluded, “That they [evangelicals] are receiving good guidance on this road from wise teachers [Foster and Willard] is reason to believe that Christ is guiding the process. And that they are meeting and learning from fellow Christians in the other two great confessions, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox, is reason to rejoice in the power of love.”15
Who is left to defend the principles of the Reformation? One would think Reformed theologians are, but they aren’t doing their job. In the last CIC article we mentioned Reformed theologian Donald Whitney who wrote: “Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline has been the most popular book on the subject of the Spiritual Disciplines in the last half of the twentieth century. The great contribution of this work is the reminder that the Spiritual Disciplines, which many see as restrictive and binding, are actually means to spiritual freedom.”16 That from a teacher in a Reformed seminary?
If a book that teaches Christian TM, Christian astral projection and mental alchemy by means of the imagination is a “great contribution,” then something is seriously wrong here. The delusion is so widespread that I see no other explanation for it than the end time deception predicted by Paul: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1Timothy 4:1). Another passage warns: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2Timothy 4:3, 4).
That time now is here. We are accountable to God for what we believe and practice. Those who wish to persevere in the faith in this age of delusion must base their beliefs and practices only on the truths found in Scripture. Foster’s journey into the world of the spirits will deceive all who enter it.
Issue 112 – May / June 2009
End Notes
-
- Chris Armstrong, “The Future lies in the Past” in Christianity Today, February 2008.
- Ibid. 24.
- Ibid. 29.
- Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: Harper & Row, 1978) 1. All subsequent citations from this book will be bracketed within the text in this fashion: (Foster: 1).
- Greg Boyd, Seeing is Believing, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004). Boyd cites Foster to prove that the Lord will actually come to us through our use of “imaginative meditation.” I deal with this issue more fully in CIC issue 83 July/August, 2003: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE83.HTM
- Ibid. 111-125.
- I write about Sanford’s inner healing theories in CIC Issue 96: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE96.HTM
- Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon, The Seduction of Christianity (Eugene: Harvest House, 1985) 138.
- Morton Kelsey, Encounter With God, (Bethany Fellowship: Minneapolis, 1972) 179.
- http://www.biola.edu/spiritualformation/programs/ SEE PDF
- HTTP://WWW.SDIWORLD.ORG
- HTTP://WWW.RENOVARE.ORG/JOURNEY_TRAINING_DIRECTION.HTM
- CIC Issue 105; March/April 2008: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE105.HTM
- Watch this seminar HERE
- Armstrong, Future
- DONALD S. WHITNEY, SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (COLORADO SPRINGS: NAVPRESS, 1991) 23.
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Apostasy
GOD’S GRACE “IN THIS PRESENT WORLD” TITUS 2:12 [podcast]
Excerpt from the book Lie of the Ages
LOTS OF FRAUDS WHO CLAIM TO BE SAVED BY GRACE YET DEFEND INSTEAD OF ADMITTING, REPENTING, CALLING OUT AND CONFESSING SIN. “Grace” that isn’t leading you to live godly in this present world, denying ungodliness instead of living in it, is NOT saving grace. You are lost if this is the phony “grace” you have.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Titus 2:11-12
YES God’s grace in Christ is certainly amazing and yet, the evangelical, calvinistic worlds have grossly emphasized and perpetrate a perverted view of God’s grace…. Fulfilling the prophecy of Jude 3-4. God says these are “ungodly men” who we are to “earnestly contend” against! (Jude 3-4)
It’s only the sin-justifying, grace-perverting frauds who hate personal accountability and obedience as the manifestation, the fruit of true worship and love for God (Titus 2:11-12; Jude 4).
IF you love God, truly, you will obey Him. Those who do not obey Christ, don’t love Him (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-6, etc.).
Hell is full of people who got saved, then made excuses for their Christ-denying cross-less life on earth (Matthew 7:21; Titus 1:16).
This is how true grace manifests IF someone is saved by it….. otherwise they have either never been saved or have since fallen away from saving grace (Luke 8:13; Galatians 5:4; 2 Peter 2:20-22, etc.).
“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” 2 Peter 2:20-21
Dear OSAS fairytale believer: Grace is given to overcome sin and not to justify it.
This “so great salvation” (Heb. 2:3) that “hath appeared to all men” was wrought for us by the grace and life blood of the Son of God (Lev. 17:11; Rom. 3:23-26). We were down and out “having no hope” and “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom. 5:6; Eph. 2:12) We were “without strength!” – In other words we had no ability in and of ourselves to get back to the one true God we were separated from due to our own sin (Isa. 59:1-2; Rom. 5:12). Yet, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) He saved us to be made progressively more free and to please and serve Him with joy in the Holy Ghost. He is our Salvation and enabler in all things. We truly CAN do “all things through Christ which strengtheneth” us! (Phil. 4:13)
Whenever God commands something, He also provides the grace for it to manifest in your life – as you are submitted and therefore obedient to Him (James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 4:10-11). His grace, divine enablement, operational power, is always sufficient to bring His perfect will to pass in our lives and to bring us through any and all difficulties, grueling seasons we may find ourselves in! (2 Corinthians 9:8; 12:9-10; 1 Peter 5:10)
No gift could possibly be so “great.” See Hebrews 2:3. It is to Jesus Christ the LORD of all lords that we as vile and depraved sinners, owe all thanksgiving and have the immeasurable, grand and blessed privilege to worship. There is no fathoming the magnitude of the blessing, of the grace and mercy of our God poured out to us through “the blood of his cross.” (Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 2:9; Col. 1:20; Tit. 3:5-6) His grace truly is amazing and yet He is holy and righteous and will not permit sin into His presence.
“By him (Christ) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13:15
Seems to me that in “grace” circles grace itself is deified instead of the One who alone granted that grace?
“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
My identity, my salvation is first and foremost in CHRIST JESUS Himself and not in the grace He brought and provided via His death on the cross! First things first! Keeping the main thing the main thing! (1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 2:20; 6:14; Hebrews 2:9)
The apostle Paul, the divinely inspired grace teacher, stated here in our theme verse (please re-read Titus 2:11-12 above) that when God’s grace is genuinely at work in a person, that person is being taught and learning certain things. Let’s go to the divine source, God’s Word, to discover what these things are:
According to Titus 2:11-12, just what does God’s grace teach one who possesses it?
- To “deny ungodliness…in this present world”
- To “deny…worldly lusts…in this present world”
- To “live soberly…in this present world”
- To “live…righteously…in this present world”
- To live “godly, in this present world”
If a person claims to be saved (secure for Heaven) and yet is not “denying ungodliness” and “worldly lusts…living soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world,” he is simply deluded. See also Matthew 7:21; Titus 1:16; James 1:22; 4:4 and 1 John 2:3-6.
If you don’t mind, I am nominating Titus 2:11-12 as that place in Scripture believers think of when they think of the grace of God. Do you think that saints and/or those who claim to be saints might take on a whole new level of responsibility if such were the case?
The person who currently possesses and is living in the grace of God can be assured of eternal life (Heb. 12:14). One can know or verify whether or not he truly possesses the grace of God by reading closely this enlightening theme passage of Titus 2:11-12. The authentically saved person is presently abiding in Christ’s grace – “Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” and living “soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (life).”
If these things are not manifesting in our lives, be sure that we are not presently living in the grace of God and should immediately repent before the LORD (James 4:6). In verse 11 of Titus 2, the Word states that it is “the grace of God that bringeth salvation.” And then Holy Writ reveals how those who truly and currently possess this essential grace live their lives – “in this present world.”
“‘For whom ye yield yourselves, servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey.’ (Rom. 6:16) If we are compelled, therefore, to yield ourselves servants to sin, and be subject to Satan’s power, insomuch that we cannot help but obey him, and really have no choice in the matter, then our free agency, our volition, is destroyed; and to make matters worse, the devil has more power than God. Satan can make us disobey God, but alas, God cannot make us disobey Satan. The devil compels us to be sinners, but God cannot compel us to be righteous. What kind of doctrine is this?” –Howard W. Sweeten
In America, the vast majority of those who are called evangelicals do not even realize that this Titus 2 text exists. The masses have never had this text pointed out to them and expounded upon by their leaders. What is it these leaders are afraid their audiences will discover if they unveil this text? Some leaders just simply do not teach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2-4). This alone makes them false. For the Calvinistic leader I must ask: What are they hiding? What are they afraid people might find out? Why are other Bible passages on grace spotlighted and not Titus 2? Why is this Bible passage purposely neglected and avoided? What are our leaders afraid will be revealed to the people they communicate to? Do these leaders fear that the divine truth revealed in Titus 2 will contradict what they are teaching? Do they fear offending people by communicating what the evidences (fruit) of true grace and salvation are?
Unrepentant rebels who claim to be saved lack the discernment and ability to rightly divide the word of God because they refuse to turn their hearts over to the LORD – 2 Corinthians 3:14-16; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. OSAS dupes reject the mountains of Scripture that teach a conditional eternal security because they simply do not want to repent and lay down their lives in this sinful world.
Speaking of “A Foreign Grace,” David Servant, in his book The Great Gospel Deception, says:
“It is not only the fruit of people’s deeds that mark them as false teachers, but also the fruit of their words. If they teach what is contrary to essential New Testament doctrine, they are false teachers.
Of course, no teacher in the church is going to stand up and declare that he is teaching what is contrary to the New Testament. Rather, he will neglect certain important scriptures and twist others to persuade his constituency that he is teaching the truth. This is being done today by many very popular and influential teachers who teach about a grace that is foreign to the Bible. The grace they proclaim is not the true grace that leads to holiness…
How is it possible that people who denied the only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ, could have ‘crept in unnoticed’? The answer is that they were not standing in front of congregations declaring, ‘I deny Jesus Christ.’ Rather, they were denying Jesus Christ through their false teaching about grace, turning it into licentiousness.
Their message could be summarized as follows: ‘Isn’t God’s grace wonderful? Because our salvation stems from His grace and not from our meritorious works, holiness is not essential for salvation. Because of God’s wonderful grace, all who believe in Jesus are saved, even if they continue practicing sin.’” p. 230, 231
As David Servant points out, the false teacher is not going to stand up and announce that he is a wolf. It is the individual believer’s responsibility to discern leaders by the fruit of their teaching. What is not taught (left out of the message) can be more deadly than what is taught. What we don’t know can kill us. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hos. 4:6) To be able to discern one must study the Word diligently and be exercised therein (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16; Heb. 5:11-14). This gross lack of knowledge among some who claim to know the LORD is also an indication that many have not diligently studied the Word of God for themselves, but rather have relied upon their leaders to tell them what God has said. Consequently, so very many have been deluded with a false gospel.
Saints of the LORD, let us allow Jesus Christ to become important enough to our hearts to learn for ourselves what He has stated to us in His Word. Is the LORD truly your first love? Are you actively and fervently memorizing Scripture – His very words? Let me encourage you to do so from the Authorized Version (KJV). See Proverbs 4:4 and Psalms 119. Index cards are a great way to do such.
“In This Present World” – Holiness Now Or Then?
If we do not possess His grace “in this present world,” evidenced by our denial of ungodliness and holy living here and now, then how can we deceive ourselves into thinking we are truly His? If not now, the then (eternity) is surely eternal damnation. According to God’s Word, without holiness, no person will be with Jesus Christ in eternity (Matt. 5:8; Heb. 12:14; Rev. 21:8, 27). Think with me for a moment of how many people who are at this very instant, residents of the domain of the damned – hell. What is their unalterable and horrible future? These eternal souls will shortly be cast into the lake or ocean of fire (Rev. 20:11-15). Why? These people were given the choice and willfully and deliberately chose in their brief earthly life to make something else more important than the LORD and doing His will (Exod. 20:3; Matt. 7:21; Eph. 5:3-6; 1 Jn. 5:21). Pretty simple, yet the consequence is forever fixed – They have reached the point of no return. Hell’s eternal occupants who have gone before us to damnation will, after a million years of excruciating and conscious torment, have not one less second to spend there.
Is it worth it? Is living apart from life-giving fellowship with Jesus in this short life worth eternity in torment? Is justifying instead of crucifying the sins of the body worth spending eternity in the prison of fire? Jesus told us we must abruptly cut off the hand and pluck out the eye that causes us to offend the one true and holy God with our sin, that we might be in Heaven (Mk. 9:42-50). Ready or not – Jesus is Coming!
The Fruit of True Grace: Grace that is not taught with responsibility and the fear of the LORD is not Biblical grace at all. Be not deceived! (Tit. 2:11-14) According to Titus 2:11-12, true grace produces a specific fruit. God’s grace is active. When it truly abides in a person, it has specific earmarks of its possession while “grace” without this fruit is shown to be no saving grace at all. This is a sham that so many today have been taught. It is the bill of goods that is being sold from pulpits across America every week.
Comprehensive grace includes the fear of God which alters the lifestyle and causes the recipient to live a holy life. The adherent is led into intimate fellowship with Christ and from living in habitual sin that would disqualify him from the prize of eternal life. The good news is that there is the precious blood of the Savior available at the “throne of grace” to grant us all a fresh start! This believer, who is less than the least of all saints, has had enormous reason to rejoice in that he has fallen short so many times, only to be drawn back in by the LORD to receive mercy and grace afresh! This priceless grace, purchased with the blood of Christ, is available at all times to those who are born again. We therefore have no excuse to have any sin remaining on our account (Heb. 4:14-16; 1 Jn. 1:7, 9). We are blessed to have EVERY sin washed away in His holy blood as we simply go before His precious throne of grace and cry out in repentance and receive His priceless mercy which we do not deserve yet was merited by Christ’s blood. This truth makes me want to shout for joy!
What a rich blessing it is that God’s grace empowers the believer to fulfill what its Author demands. Through the apostle Paul the Holy Ghost tells us that “sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Rom. 6:14)
PRAYER: LORD Jesus thank You for Your saving grace which enables me to experience relationship with You and live completely pleasing in Your holy sight in all things. Right this moment I denounce all dissimulation and self-deception, lies, and excuses. LORD I beg You to make my heart pure LORD Jesus! Thank You that sin shall not have dominion over my life as I obey You in the daily crucified life, as I remain in fellowship with You, forsaking all thoughts and deeds that offend You. Your grace is sufficient to bring about Your perfect will which is holiness. In the name of Jesus, amen.
No honest Bible student reads the whole of Scripture and comes out with the idea that he’s OSAS. No, such a doctrine is taught by men who lure in their un-repentant prey with ear-tickling promises. “For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.” (2 Peter 2:18) Instead of preaching the original Gospel message by calling their audiences to repentance and live a holy, cross-bearing life, they assure them in their sins, just like the false prophets Jeremiah cited (Jeremiah 23:17). This is exactly why those wolves who teach this lie of the ages have such lucrative “church” businesses. They’ve gotten rich peddling Satan’s first lie and are fulfilling prophecy as they lead many to damnation (Genesis 2:17; 3:4).
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4
The OSAS believer is vested in his own flesh which he serves instead of Christ and so he doesn’t care how many Scriptures contradict the lie he loves – because he refuses to truly repent and bring forth fruit consistent with that authentic repentance. Instead of overcoming all sin he wallows in it, justifying that which God condemns because he’s self-deceived with this antinomian (lawless) lie.
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Eternal Security/OSAS | Accounted Worthy to Escape [podcast] |Sealed? | The Return of Christ | Support | Lie of the Ages [podcast] | 10 Questions about Eternal Security | Is Salvation Eternal? | The Damning Myth of Unconditional Eternal Security [podcast] | The Essential of Fearing God | The KING is Coming [podcast] | Lie of the Ages (Blockbuster book exposing OSAS and calvinism)
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
Risen with Christ [podcast]
Richard Foster Exposed
Sinlessly Perfect? I Doubt it [podcast]
Living the Edification Lifestyle [video]
The True Temple of God [podcast]
GOD’S GRACE “IN THIS PRESENT WORLD” TITUS 2:12 [podcast]
Message from an Antichrist Refuted! Is Jesus Christ Divine? [podcast]
FAKE THEOLOGIAN DESTROYED: Is Learning Hebrew and Greek Necessary to Understand God’s Word?
The Book of 2 Peter Narrated [podcast]
“Be thou in the Fear of the LORD all the Day Long” [podcast]
The Sensual Seduction and Solicitation of the Modern Church!
WHY were 24,000 of God’s People Killed at Peor? [podcast]
The Result of Real Repentance [podcast]
God’s Universal Way of Fighting with Todd Tomasella and Travis Bryan III [podcast]
7 Sayings of Jesus on the Cross [podcast]
Counting the Cost – Following Jesus to the End of Your Life [podcast]
The Sensual Seduction and Solicitation of the Modern Church!
GOD’S GRACE “IN THIS PRESENT WORLD” TITUS 2:12 [podcast]
Richard Foster Exposed
White and Clean: Garments of the KING’s Bride [podcast]
WHY were 24,000 of God’s People Killed at Peor? [podcast]
BEWARE of the Wolf Defenders [podcast]
Biblical Deliverance Prescription-Wholeness in Christ [podcast]
The Gospel: What is It? [podcast]
Living with an Eternal Perspective [podcast]
What Did Paul Mean by “I Keep Under My Body”? [podcast]
Risen with Christ [podcast]
The True Temple of God [podcast]
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
Risen with Christ [podcast]
Richard Foster Exposed
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Providing Christ-centered Scripture-rich resources to feed, edify, and equip the body of Christ (John 21:15-17; Ephesians 4:11-15).
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