What is wrong with the church today?
Where has God's army gone?
By: John Carle
In the past the church used to stand up against things that were wrong and went against what the
Bible says. God's army of old would not stand for what is going on in our world today. All the
abortions, homosexuality, abuse, drugs, alcohol, violence, and crime. God's army of old stood up
against slavery, homosexuality, child labor laws, and many more. The church of old helped protect
people and got some laws passed. What happened? Where did God's army go? How did abortion become
legal? How is homosexuality, an abomination to God, become just another way of life and be
accepted?
Todays church is so involved in just trying to get numbers to their church and generate more
money for future growth, they lose site of the real reason for the church. In order to get people to come to there church and promote growth, they are removing steeples, stained glass windows. They are trying to take some of the old hymns out of the hymnals, like The Old Rugged Cross, Nothing But The Blood. Preachers are more or less taking the church out of church.
to afraid to offend people with messages, so the preachers don't preach hell fire and brimstone
any more. They don't preach that it is the blood of Jesus that washes our sins away.
They don't want it to be to churchy or people won't come. They more or less take the church out
of the church and make it a country club or a social gathering. Some churches even preach once
saved always saved no matter what you do after you are saved. People think they can pray a prayer of salvation and still go off and party or do what ever they want and they will still go to heaven. People are also being taught there is no HELL and that God would never send anyone there. They believe that people, like us, who are really trying to live for Christ are freaks or fanatics. They tell us that we should not get so involved because we don't have time for ourselves. They get us to worry about what others think about us and keep us from doing God's work. Satan love to get Christians to fight against each other to show the secular world that we are no better than they are. Satan causes us to become luke warm Christians.
Ask yourself What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD)
I had a license plate that put it in perfect words. Christians aren't perfect, we're just forgiven. The bible tells us in Matthew 7:1-5 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure
ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye, Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
Judge not refers to an unfavorable and condemnatory judgment. This does not mean that a Christian should never exercise judgment of any kind under any circumstances. The point being made is that we are not to judge the inner motives of another. We are not to render a verdict based upon prejudiced information. Nor are we to use ourselves as the standard for judgment for with what . . . . ye mete (measure) you shall be judged. That ye be not judged refers to the ultimate judgment of God rather than our own judgment. The terms mote and beam are used metaphorically for a small fault and a great fault. A mote is a small speck of sawdust whereas a beam is a rafter used in building. Thus, the idea of the text is that one cannot remove the speck from his brothers eye until he has removed the rafter from his own eye!
Christians need to quit worrying about what other Christians do and worry about what Satan is
doing. We need to unite as God's church and fight Satan. It don't matter that we go to
different churches, as long as we are all washed by the blood of Jesus and accept Him as our
savior.
"Am I Your enemy brother?"
is Christ divided?
by: Todd Blackmon
1 Corinthians 3:3-4, "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and
strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?"
It doesn’t surprise me why Paul wrote this to the Church of Corinth. Why? Because it’s
still happening today in our church. People are in division over the smallest things.
Children, these are the end times, we need to unite as one body for the sake of Christ and do
His work! I had a brother in Christ that would not link his site to ours because he felt that
the ministries we represented were false. I told him that I proclaimed that Jesus died for
my sins, rose again on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of God,
awaiting to return to get His Children, and that He is my Lord and savior! You would think that
that would be a good start for anyone to know that I was a Christian. This guy wrote me back, and
I Him, arguing over who was right! It wasn’t until a brother in Christ (thanks Don!) pointed out
to me what the devil was doing to us. I felt so foolish! It reminds me of the scripture in
1 Corinthians 1:10-13,
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared
unto me of you, my brethren, by them [which are of the house] of Chloe, that there are
contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of
Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ."
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? "
Hello!! Am I getting through to anyone? My dear family, satan’s main goal is to separate us from
the love of God! Satan is the accuser, because he goes before God and accuses men of there sins,
and satan is the tempter, cause he tempts men from God! That's his job, that's what he does!
Are you letting satan win by letting division into you world? Yes you are! Lets look at
Mark 3:23-26,
"And he called them [unto him], and said unto them in parables, How can Satan
cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a
house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself,
and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. "
We know what Jesus was telling the scribes
that day, but could Jesus be telling us something in this same verse? I urge you to pray on this
my dear family in Christ, and keep satan from making us divide against each other so that we
fall! Notice that we all have differences, but look past them all and see the Jesus in all of
us, and serve in love!
"Am I Your enemy brother?"
Is Christ divided? part 2
by: Todd Blackmon
Topic Verse: 1 Corinthians 3:1-5, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, [even] as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? "
"Every tree is known by its fruit..." (Luke 6:44) Are you walking in God's true and perfect love? Don't be so fast to boast! First, let us take a look at something, what is the definition of love? This is what the bible says it is: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preservers, love never fails" (1Corinthians 13:4-8)(NIV) 1John 4:20 "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? " Ok, we know that love has the above fruits, and that we arn't walking in love if we do not love our brother. Let me define brother in God's terms, it's like the term "Mankind", it deals with both sexes, male and female, and does not relate just to God's family! You are to love "mankind"! How do I know this? Jesus died for EVERYONE, not just the Christians!! Yes, that means even "Joe Sinner Dug Dealer" down the street, that means "Mr. New Age Religion", and "Reverend False Prophet" and even means "Joe Believer in Reverend False Prophet"!! Jesus died and rose again so that ALL may have the chance to live instead of die!!
If a man is up on a stage preaching what he calls the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you do not agree with a single word he is saying, what are your reactions to it? Do you get mad and lash out against him? Do you go out of your way to disarm him and make him look like a fool? Or do you say, "Oh my, this poor brother is so lost, let's continue in prayer for him until God shows him the truth." Or do you say, "Lord, it is you that knows all things, and you alone who can judge who is right and wrong, I don't know if this man is from you or not, but I ask that you reveal the truth to me, and teach me your ways." Do you stand in judgment of others, or for others? We have so many denominations and religions in our churches that it actually divides us from the truth of God! The Baptist's think the Pentecostal's are wrong, the Pentecostal's think the Baptists are wrong. "I heard someone say that this preacher said this, and so that preacher is wrong"! People, STOP!!! We all have differences, we all have ways that we think that God is..... What about the ways that God really is? Think about this.... The bible is the whole truth, God is not a man that He should lie, we know His word is true! The bible tells us that the only way to the Kingdom of Heaven is to believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! That's it! Those who believe are going to Heaven, the division lies on the promises here on earth!
Who am I to judge who you want to listen to as a Pastor? I'm no one, only God has that right, don't you think that He is powerful enough to make the wicked fall? If a well known child molester was to walk into your church on sunday, what is your reaction to that! I shiver to think of that, not about the child molester, but what your reaction would be! Are we to run from him, shun him, kill him? I may step on some spiritual toes here, but that child molester has just as much right, when excepting Jesus, to go to Heaven, as you or I do! Jesus didn't just die for you brother and sister, Jesus died for everyone!!!! He will not turn away anyone who come to Him!! If a horrible sinner, like a child molester, was to come looking for help in your church, would you reach out to him and show him the love and healing power of our Lord Jesus, or would you kick him out of the church? As a Pentecostal believer I know what I would do, I would lay hands on the man and cast those demons out of him, and then share the love of Jesus with him. If I think that someone is lost out there in the world, I'm not going to hide from him, I'm not going to condemn him to hell, I'm not going to kick him out of my church or site! I'm going to stick by his side, praying and sharing with Him! I refuse to let one person loose his rightful place in Heaven! Why, because I want to be like my Father, and my Father does not want to let one person go!! That is love! That is mercy, that is grace, that is God!!!
People!!! Stop judging and start sharing! Refuse to let even one person go! People are not your enemy because they believe different then you! That is prejudice !! That is your true enemy getting you to believe in his lies!! Satan is the true enemy, not people! I don't care if your Catholic, Mormon, or even a satanist, I will not walk away from you because of your beliefs! My God is mighty, and by my presence being there, walking with you, sharing God's love, praying in the spirit, I know that my God will break those chains, and bring true salvation into the lives of you and your family! I am an example of that!! If it had not been for the believers around me, praying, sharing God's word, and having faith in God's power, and God's sweet mercy, I would still be lost out there!
People, stop believing the lie! Stop judging the differences in each other, serve in love, and unity! Jesus didn't give up on you, don't give up and shun others!! God loves each and every one of His creations, He commands that you do to! Ask God for the wisdom and strength to do so! Please stay in His peace!
Lovingly submitted by Todd & Cindy Blackmon with
His Ministries
© 1997 His Ministries All rights reserved
All other forms of reproduction are prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
Permission has been granted to John & Theresa Carle by His Ministries to reproduce this article
on there site. This article is the soul property of the Lord Jesus & Todd Blackmon with His
Ministries. Reproduction, and distribution of any material in this article are prohibited by law
without the express written permission of His Ministries. © 1997 His Ministries All rights
reserved.Thank you Todd & Cindy
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