PART TEN OF POST
WOULD JESUS BE WELCOME IN YOUR CHURCH TODAY--- PART TENI am on my fifth and last point of this message. I began this point though in part nine... I encourage you to read that before beginning on this section. You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com
July 20, 12:45 p.m.
In Genesis chapter nine God sets up human government. There are many people in our present churches that are greatly misinformed on one aspect of the government God set up. They erroneously believe that all people who are elected to office are there because it is the person God wanted for that office: wrong!
I admit that everyone who holds office in government are at least there because of the permissive will of God, but not necessarily there because of His divine will. Many times it is just a rebellious people who are rejecting clear Bible teaching and want a leader who does not reflect God or His teachings; such is obviously the case with Obama. In I Samuel chapter eight you have an extremely rebellious nation, (Israel) much like America today. They were then and we are today, engaged in every type of sin imaginable.
The people wanted Saul, a man who was pleasant to look at: I Samuel 9:2 "And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people." Keep in mind that what is being described here is Saul's outward appearance. Inwardly, Saul was an evil man and this was brought forth during his entire reign as king.
Remember: God looks at the heart when He judges a man, it is man who looks on the outward appearance and we have a tendency to judge people as either good or bad by what we see. If that were not true, you would not have all of the whorish men and women in Hollywood being made into "idols" only because genetically they have a nice physical appearance.
The very same thing happened in this election that happened when Kennedy was elected in 1960. Read any history ever written about the first debate, either from liberal or conservative, it is the exact same story. By a large margin, those people who only heard the debate on radio gave Nixon a win in the debate. However, those who saw the two men on television, by a wide margin gave Kennedy the win in the debate.
You see, it didn't matter if VP Nixon was better prepared, more qualified to lead or not: physically, he didn't look as good! I would have hoped that the illogical and nonsensical voters who vote because of appearance, instead of character and content, would have long sense passed from the scene: albeit, I was hoping for too much. History repeated itself again with Obama and McCain.
You have one man (Obama) who was nothing more than a community organizer, on the same level of Christopher 2X of Louisville. In fact, just a short time before... Obama was so unknown that he marched in a local parade while carrying a toilet-plunger: now that was a job he was at least qualified for. But, Obama was elected by the children of the people who voted Kennedy into office because he, as the evil Saul before him... looked good.
God tells His prophet not to be dismayed by their evil choice of Saul, because God knew it wasn't a man they were rejecting, the people of Israel then, and many in America today, by voting for Obama, are rejecting God... and His principles!
I Samuel 8:7 "And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
It is clear that Saul was not God's divine choice, but because of the hardness of the people's heart in Israel, God permitted Saul as His permissive choice. Read the history of the kings in the Bible and you will see that played out again and again. As the nation's heart is far from God, they get evil leaders like the husband and wife team of Ahab and Jezebel. (I know exactly what you are thinking... sounds just like Bill and Hillary doesn't it? Well, at least that is who I think of whenever I read of Ahab and Jezebel.) However, when God's people start trying to do right before God, they get wonderful and spiritual leaders like Hezekiah.
So, always remember that God ordained the institution of human government, and not the individuals who hold office. A baby-killing son of the devil would not be a divine choice of God's to lead this, or any other nation.
My point is that regardless how evil or far from God our present president is, we, as believers, must never entirely abandon human government: again it is because God set forth that institution and the wheat and the tares will mix until the end-time.
The last (in order) institution God set forth is the church. Again, this is a place where the wheat and the tares will grow together until harvest time. Then God will gather His wheat into barns (Heaven) and the tares he will tie together for the burning. (Hell) To see that teaching as I just wrote it out... read Matthew 13:24-43.
I hope those who are reading this attend a great "church." That is one that preaches the Gospel, regularly wins souls to the kingdom, helps the poor, supports missionaories, etc. etc. etc. And what is written above is only a few things any sound church must be doing. Let us say that your local body of believers are doing this and much more... are you aware though that if the Lord doesn't return soon that your wonderful "church" will one day be so liberal that true Bible believers will not attend?
If you doubt that, name me some second and third generation churches that are sound in their teachings today? Now I am not talking about churches that began with unsound doctrine. I am talking about churches and Bible colleges which began on-fire for God and today are only places where "the heathen meet." For any one you can name to me that is still sound... I will give you four that is not. The reason is simple... "certain men crept in unawares." It takes the devil a little time, but he does get his people (tares) into the church.
The good news is that when it happens to the point that the tares are growing faster than the wheat: God's people simply do what they have been commanded to do... they leave! That is why you see people leaving what was once strong works for God and they either start or join with another fundamental work elsewhere.
At this point I am not naming names. I am not trying to pick a fight with God's people, just the devil's people. But, I know a great church in the area that has already started its downward spiral: I saw evidence of it about fifteen years ago. It came with an announcement of just one man resigning. I turned to my wife and said that "they need to be very careful with their selection of his replacement." Because this man who was leaving was a straight-arrow and a bulldog in the Lord's work.
A couple of weeks later his replacement was named: I shook my head, turned to my wife and said... "It's over." I knew the school this new man was trained at... very liberal! I also had met the man and gotten to know him... extremely likeable, but no real backbone, wishy-washy, touchy-feely, he was the antithesis of John the Baptist.
If you ever want to observe a church's spiritual decline you will usually see it happening in the music department first. Music will start being introduced that is more pleasing to the flesh than the spirit... it will start to have a beat and it will always be sensual. After awhile, the only way you would know that what you are hearing is supposed to be "Christian music" is you will have to listen closely to the words... every once in a while you might hear the word, "Jesus" being thrown in. Were it not for that you might as well be at a "Kiss" concert.
By the time this happens the church would have all new hymnals in the pews. All songs about Christian "soldiers" have been removed. After all, "Aren't we all supposed to be about love... and not fighting." Every song that has any reference to blood will be gone. I mean, Who wants that "bloody" religion anyway?"
By the time this happens the tares rule in the church and you might have a few wheat left which have a perpetual dazed look in their eyes wondering how it all happened so quickly. They still remember when their church played good music and had sound preaching, but not anymore.
Even in good sound churches it is probably a 90/10 mix between the saved and the lost. However, in churches that are going well south (literally) the mix is most probably still a 90/10, but this time it is in favor of the tares.
Many years ago I drove to some places that not long ago were places where tens of thousands were saved and taught to serve God: today they are full of liberals and liberal teachings. A prime example is where Moody preached in Chicago. At the time I visited, of the measley 100 or so who showed up in that huge auditorium, not one soul in attendance knew the way of salvation! Terribly sad. Yet, it just proves that as the devil's people show up, God's people are commanded to separate.
Please remember that you are following your father's playbook in whatever you do. If you are lost your father is still the devil and you are following his direction to creep into the work of God. If God is your Father, then you are to follow His plan and that is to separate from unbelievers, except in the only three institutions He began. In those, there is always to be a witness.
I will soon begin talking about the last point in this message... but it was imperitive to explain the difference between the plan of God and the plan of the devil. Right now though, I have some errands to attend.
posted by Robin Johnson @ 12:48 PM
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