I know I talk a
lot about people in the Church who are not truly Christians and they do not
know about it. I decided to write this post to shed some light on the matter because
the people that are just dabbling with Christianity and those that are in it
for a little corner of heaven tend to feel offended when they hear certain
comments. Granted the internet is full of people going on and on about Christ,
and they are willing to condemn everyone even the real Christians. They usually
hide behind the fact that they are doing it just to defend the faith.
In fact, I can
think of someone who has been very popular on the internet for years now. While
this person appears knowledgeable to others who are not spiritual, what they do
not know about this guy is that he himself has not been saved yet. In fact that
is why there is so much rage and zeal in him to accuse everyone of apostasy. While
the word Jesus is found everywhere on his site and he uses the word love a lot
in his writings you would think that he is working for the real God that we Christians
know. But the reality is that he is not. I am aware of his site because I was
impressed with him about twelve to thirteen years ago. I have now been a
Christian for fifteen years and I can say without fear of repercussions from
God that this guy is not a Christian, but he does not know it. Satan knows the
Bible by heart and can have lengthy conversations about it too. Demons too, believe,
and they have more fear of God in them than some so called Christians.
Throughout my
book “Apprehended & Apprehending” I tried to help readers about the type of
questions they should honestly be asking themselves in order to examine their
walk with God. But for some, I know it will be useless simply because Satan’s
bondage can be so blinding that you cannot see what is right under your nose. You
cannot see what is obvious to everyone else, even unbelievers have radar to
spot those who are not truly Christians. Christ did not quote Mathew 23:15 just
to hear Himself talk. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he
becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”
This crime
Christ accused the Pharisees of, is also our crime today. We go around putting strenuous
effort into getting people to come to know Jesus. We have not left one stone
unturned just so we can find converts for our churches. Then instead of doing it
for God’s glory we do it to satisfy our ego. (Just saying we are doing things for God's glory does not make it so) So we brag about the size of our
Church, how it grew under our administration, we pad our resumes as if
all these things make us real Christians. But, often what we fail to realize is
that this is just the end result of running a business. At the end of the day,
we fill the pews and pulpits with people who embrace our sects.
These people
reject the true Gospel in favor of living out perverted doctrines. They have no
idea what it means to ever be spiritually mature, you talk about things like
brokenness, surrender, regeneration, holiness, the victorious life, Godly repentance and
so on, they are totally in the dark. Some of the more educated one go about formulating
some hypothesis on these subjects but never truly become real Christians. But,
blessed be to God for scouting the Churches and single out His chosen ones.
So, when we are
living a full Christian life, embracing the whole Bible as being God’s mercy,
love and grace it is not difficult for us to decipher who is who. Through God’s
grace, as you become Spirit filled mature Christian, you are like a teacher standing in front of his class, he
is able to tell which one knows the subject he is teaching, which one needs
help which one is in the wrong class all together, and which one is completely
out to lunch.
Sometimes we
are able to see these things simply because of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
which is discernment and/or wisdom. In my opinion, having those two gifts
together is a little bit much for someone who is not in any kind of leadership
position in Church business. It can be overwhelming, frustrating, sad, and so
many emotions at the same time. These emotions seem to come from the fact that
you feel so powerless with the information at your fingertips. But, like all
the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit, they grow with us, and we learn to
use them better. Nevertheless, I find what does not go away is the need to
sometimes be able to shut it all off and be “average” for a while.
Even if God has
provided the gift of wisdom without the gift of discernment, I find with the
gift of wisdom alone you can look at people and see right through them. You are
able to let go of the shell on the outside and penetrate them deeper. To your
mind, the outside looks like clear water. At first, I remember finding it a
little bit like invading people’s privacy. But, I realized soon enough even if
I close my eyes it does not change anything because you are dealing with the
Spirit’s eyes. In fact this gift cannot even be contained by space. With your spiritual eyes, you are seeing with the mind of the
Holy Spirit and you can be sure you are seeing what you are seeing for a good
reason. I find that no matter how you turn it around, He shows you these things
just so that you can see the need of the body of Christ.
I also find
that sometimes God blocks Christians that He feels are not my business to see
for now and sometimes He also blocks Christian leaders just because He wants to
use this person in my life for a little while. Once it is done, it seems that
He unblocks everything! The bottom line is that you would be surprised to see
as you grow spiritually how the Holy Spirit is not stingy at all.
- IF YOU HAVE
TIME -
THE REMAINING
OF THIS POST IS ABOUT QUOT ES RELATED TO THE POST THAT COULD BE USEFUL
Read what Oswald
Chambers said:
A person who has not been born again by the Spirit of God will
tell you that the teachings of Jesus are simple. But when he is baptized by the
Holy Spirit, he finds that “clouds and darkness surround Him . . . .” When we
come into close contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ we have our first
realization of this. The only possible way to have full understanding of the
teachings of Jesus is through the light of the Spirit of God shining inside us.
If we have never had the experience of taking our casual, religious shoes off
our casual, religious feet— getting rid of all the excessive informality with
which we approach God— it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His
presence. The people who are flippant and disrespectful in their approach to
God are those who have never been introduced to Jesus Christ.”
Read what J.C
Ryle said:
“I think there
can be no question that there is an immense difference among those who profess
and call themselves Christians. Beyond all dispute, there are always two
classes in the outward Church—the class of those who are Christians in name and
form only, and the class of those who are Christians in deed and in truth. All
were not Israel who were called Israel , and all are not Christians who are
called Christians. "In the visible Church," says an article of the
Church of England, "the evil be ever mingled with the good."
Read what James
Smith said in 1859:
There is much
spurious religion in the world. Many pass for Christians—who are not. This fact
places professors in solemn circumstances. When there is much counterfeit
coin in circulation, people in trade are
doubly cautious. They look at the proffered piece carefully, they rub it, ring
it, weigh it, and test it in a variety of ways. No one will take base coin—if
they know it. Nor will people take what is suspicious without examination.
Friends, have
we any religion? If so, are we sure it is the genuine article? Many are deceived, and deceived to the last! The
foolish virgins were. The multitudes referred to by Jesus were, when he said,
"Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
your name, and in your name cast out devils, and in your name have done many
wonderful works? Then I will profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from
me you that work iniquity."