Counterfeit Christianity

[missmuffet]

The fastest growing religion in the world today is not Islam, Buddhism, or any of the New Age religions. In the 21st Century it is Counterfeit Christianity, with over two billion people on earth today claiming to be Christians. Many of them do not have the slightest notion of what it means to be a Christian. They may look like Christians, talk like Christians, but are not Christian at all.

But how do we distinguish between the fake and genuine follower of Christ? In order to detect a counterfeit Dollar bill, Special Agents from the US Treasury Department study the genuine Dollar note until they are intimately familiar with every facet and detail of the currency.

Once the genuine article is imprinted in their minds – it is easy to detect the counterfeit. Similarly, in order to detect genuine followers of Christ, we must examine ourselves through the prism of God’s Word.

We need to know the Scripture
We must be so familiar with the Scriptures that whenever we stray from the Truth. Conviction and the knowledge of God’s Word brings us right back! James 1:23–25, declares: “For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work…”

A follower of Christ is one who has repented of his sins, turned from his wicked ways and commits the rest of his natural life to walking in total submission to God’s Will and in obedience to His Word.

By that definition alone – a significant percent of people claiming to be Christian are disqualified.

It’s not just about one’s words
Jesus warns in Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the Will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name and done many wonders in Your Name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practise lawlessness’.” What is God’s Will for your life? His Word! And God’s Word is God’s Law. So when we live in wilful disobedience to God’s Word – we transgress God’s Law.

Appearances are deceiving
Because outward appearances are deceiving, the difference between a genuine follower of Christ and the counterfeit Christian is not easily detected. However, the Bible provides instruction to help us easily discern between the two. Paul, warning about those who have strayed from the truth writes in 2 Timothy 2:19: “Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal; The Lord knows those who are His and let everyone who names the Name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Major deceptions in the world
The Scriptures are clear, not only is Jesus aware of the impostors, He also knows His true followers. In 2 Timothy 3:12–14: Paul warns and encourages Timothy: “All who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse…deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of…”

Tragically, many Christians are not heeding the warning of Scripture today and are straying from the Truth. Let me share some of the major deceptions in the Christian world that are causing millions to depart from God’s Word and follow manmade doctrines, fables and opinions:

The deception of celebrity worship
Millions of Christians are unwittingly following the standards of this world system through celebrity worship. The media is the primary conduit through which men and women are exalted to godlike status causing Christians to ignore the Word of God and slavishly follow the word of man. I investigate every friend request I receive on Facebook to ensure they are a Christian. 

I am often shocked to read their profiles: ‘I love Jesus’ and ‘I love Lady Gaga’. How a Christian can claim to love the holy and sinless Son of God and a depraved individual like Lady Gaga is a mystery to me. Many Christians believe Barack Obama is a Christian because of his media-created star power. In fact, 1 in 4 pastors in the US believe Obama is a follower of Christ even though he works diligently to promote the murder of the unborn and advance the homosexual agenda around the world.

Another global celebrity leading many Christians astray is Archbishop Desmond Tutu who states “the Dalai Lama will go to Heaven because he is a good man.” Apparently, the Cross of Christ is inconsequential. Tutu also claims “homosexuality is a gift of God.” Many Christians adore Tutu and follow his false gospel. It is a known fact that the people you idolise have the most influence in your life. Millions of Christians today see no contradiction in claiming Christ while standing in agreement with evil.

Being unequally yoked
The intoxicating allure of the celebrity completely blinds them to the warnings of Scripture. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” 2 Cor 6:14-15

Deception of man-made doctrines
Rob Bell, a mega-pastor and tech-savvy marketer espouses a doctrine of salvation without damnation. Bell argues that everybody who ever existed will go to Heaven because God’s love cannot send anybody to hell. Universalism preaches that there is truth in every religion. And because all truth emanates from God, all religions must have some part of God’s Truth. Consequently, everybody goes to Heaven. This false doctrine is already laying the foundations for the One World Religion.

Millions in the ‘Emerging Church’ movement have bought into this deception and are being led astray by leaders who have clearly rejected God’s Word and replaced it with their own false doctrines. Jesus explains the parable of the Tares in Matthew 13:41: “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and those who practise lawlessness and will cast them into the furnace of fire, there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

The deception of man’s opinion
A new and dangerous movement called Chrislam is growing overseas. Chrislam is an attempt to synchronise Christianity with Islam. While it began in Nigeria in the 1980s, Chrislamic ideas have spread throughout much of the world. The fundamental concept of Chrislam is that Christianity and Islam are compatible, that one can be a Christian and a Muslim at the same time. Chrislam is not formally a religion of its own, but rather a blurring of the differences and distinctions between Christianity and Islam.

Some Protestant churches, are promoting this merging together of Islam and Christianity. The problem with this man – driven initiative is that Islam rejects Jesus as the Son of God who died for the sins of the world. And Jesus’ Crucifixion, Resurrection and Supremacy are central to the Christian Faith. Although Christians agree with Muslims on many moral issues, there is no compatibility with Islam on the central tenets of the Christian Faith. Altering the Bible to win converts to Christ is heresy. Peter preaching about Jesus to the Sanhedrin declares in Acts 4:12: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The deception of love
An increasing number of Christian leaders are being led astray by the deception of love. This deception argues that “as long as you have love, you are pleasing God.” Love (or rather the world’s definition of love) contends that ‘loving and committed’ homosexual relationships must be acceptable to God because He is love. Also, where love exists, God exists. This deception is gaining much ground in the world today because it allows people to advance all manner of evil under the guise of love. Fornication is mostly justified by using this argument.

The deception of good works
Many of the mainline denominations refuse to preach the Gospel of repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ preferring rather the social gospel of good works and serving others. God is love, He is also perfectly just and holy. The God-kind of love therefore cannot be equated with sexual depravity or any other sinful behaviour. 

In fact, God’s love causes us to repent from sin – not justify it! If the gospel you are preaching does not begin with repentance from sin and turning to God – it is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ at all. “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” Rom 2:4

The deception of stupidity
Churches are springing up all over Europe headed by priests who do not believe there is a God! Many churches do not believe in the Virgin Birth or the Resurrection of Jesus. As the BBC reports, “some church leaders in the Netherlands want to transform their small nation into a laboratory for rethinking Christianity – experimenting with radical new ways of understanding the faith.”

Religious Affairs Correspondent Robert Pigott tells of Rev. Klaas Hendrikse, a minister of the PKN, the mainstream Protestant denomination in the Netherlands: “Pastor Hendrikse doesn’t believe in life after death, or even in God as a supernatural being. He told the BBC that he has “no talent” for believing historic and orthodox doctrines. “God is not a being at all,” he says, but just an experience. Furthermore, as Pigott reports, “Mr. Hendrikse describes the Bible’s account of Jesus’ life as a mythological story about a man who may never have existed, even if it is a valuable source of wisdom about how to lead a good life.”

By any normative definition of Christian belief, Klaas Hendrikse is an unbeliever, but in the largest Dutch denomination, he is considered a minister in good standing. As a matter of fact, he is not even unusual. A study undertaken by the Free University of Amsterdam determined that about one in every six Protestant ministers is either agnostic or atheist!

All of the above deceptions are leading people away from the one true Faith of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Most of the people advocating these ideas are well intentioned – but as many of you are aware – the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Many pastors of large and successful churches are preaching a feel-good gospel designed to make congregants comfortable. Christians who constantly hear the message of grace and how to live your best life, etc, tend to believe the Christian walk is all about them and their comforts. God is not so much interested in our comforts as He is in our nature being transformed to that of Christ’s.

Know what you believe and why
“Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” 2 Tim 4:2.

The most important task of following Christ today is to know what you believe and why you believe it. Without a solid grounding in God’s Word you can easily stray from the truth. The responsibility to fill your mind with the knowledge of God rests squarely on your shoulders.

http://www.joydigitalmag.com/burning-issues/counterfeit-christianity/

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[missmuffet]

48 minutes ago, Yowm said:

You forgot the image that goes with it LOL.

 

 

Oh ya, it does kind of make it doesn't it?

[Marilyn C]

.

[Couppy]

9 hours ago, missmuffet said:

Know what you believe and why
“Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” 2 Tim 4:2.

The most important task of following Christ today is to know what you believe and why you believe it. Without a solid grounding in God’s Word you can easily stray from the truth. The responsibility to fill your mind with the knowledge of God rests squarely on your shoulders.

http://www.joydigitalmag.com/burning-issues/counterfeit-christianity/

---

 

Hear! Hear!  Well said, sis.

 

[SisterActs2]

Thank you missmuffet.  I agree with you.  We need to keep our minds focussed on Him and His Word!   As for me and my house, we will choose the Lord.

Just wanted to add:  Galations 1:1-12, especially V10, "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.".

Edited October 9, 2017 by SisterActs2
Wanted to add a scripture.

[Justin Adams]

Thank you for this. all that glitters is not gold!

We Christian have to buckle down to some really individual and personal study to show ourselves approved. Even the mainline 'acceptable' denominations have tilted just a bit. I recall Paul Harvey, before his death ('the rest of the story') said that the seminary he was familiar with years ago (same name) was vastly different today than when he first knew it.

Little by little the adversary erodes Christian values and beliefs. Many unfortunates think this is those of us that read and study in depth extra-canonical books. They call us heretics and falsifiers of truth and un-Christian.
Quite the opposite I would venture to declare. We are all seeking truth in very hazardous times.

You know who the 'big names' are in popular TV evangelism and the internet. I am not saying that they are all suspect, but it is of vital importance that we individually study for ourselves. Our pastor may not be on the ball. Our friends may not have it quite correct. The spirit that burned Cranmer in Oxford is still around inciting people against those who dare to look for themselves and perhaps disagree with the establishment.

If you are a part of a crowd-belief system, then it is wise to study for yourself. Be careful.

Someone once told me:
Take the average IQ of the crowd, then divide the IQ number by the crowd number. The resultant is the IQ of an earthworm!

[JohnD]

Not to argue with the OP or to point fingers.

I just want to bring up a vital point here.

What IS Christianity?

Most presume it is a way of life based on the New Covenant God made with the Jews and Gentiles with a lot of emphasis on the Old Covenant God made with the Jews.

If you DO this or DON'T DO that sort of thing...

I would remind us:

Ephesians 2:8–10 (AV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

1 Corinthians 6:12–20 (AV)
12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Romans 3 (AV)
1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

We must strive to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.  But we are never going to actually be perfect.

We can excuse this in ourselves easily enough. Ah, but when it comes to others... we make glib statements or post photos of signs that pronounce judgment on others at the very least or worse: bring OT Law into NT Grace. 

People people people ours is a RESCUE mission!

How many of those poor people in Vegas did first responders and civilian responders pummel victims with their dogma?

Be sure you believe in and preach the genuine Jesus and then proceed.

God will sort out the rest.

[4LdKHVCzRDj2]

16 hours ago, missmuffet said:

Counterfeit Christianity

I couldn't imagine there were so many, this article brought a lot I did not know.

"Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
But he who endures to the end shall be saved." - Matthew 24:11-13

 

We see it happening a lot these days, people kill, steal, burn people alive, and say: "Jesus is Lord".

 

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers,
“First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” - Matthew 13:24-30

 

"But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." - Romans 8:9

[frienduff thaylorde]

11 hours ago, Yowm said:

You forgot the image that goes with it LOL.

 

 

Amongst many christains I have heard this all.   specially the im living in sin and the don't judge sin .

I hear that so often .    She or He  are living in sin , but you aint GOD , you aint judge, GOD knows their heart , he knows WHY they do as they do.

Yeah, I say GOD does KNOW the heart of man.    He does indeed.    AND ITS WICKED, COME TO CHRIST and HAVE A NEW ONE.

no excuses for sin period.    it don't matter why one sins , physcology has destroyed much.   what matters is that they are IN SIN

and NEED to repent of it .    Yowm,  I know ya spotted that all inclusive dung pile message in them churches.

I warn us all, its growing fast .   Miss muffet IS RIGHT , the foundation of the one world religioin IT IS.

its foundation is the false daughter churches built upon the very stone of ROME.    Oh dear it starts small too.

it begins always with UNEQUALLY YOKED SEEKER FRIENDLY MENTATLITY  from their it worsens .

Its all over the media, its all over major churches.   But I KNOW you already KNOW this.     I just despise it so and must

keep warning against it.    

[frienduff thaylorde]

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

Not to argue with the OP or to point fingers.

I just want to bring up a vital point here.

What IS Christianity?

Most presume it is a way of life based on the New Covenant God made with the Jews and Gentiles with a lot of emphasis on the Old Covenant God made with the Jews.

If you DO this or DON'T DO that sort of thing...

I would remind us:

Ephesians 2:8–10 (AV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

1 Corinthians 6:12–20 (AV)
12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Romans 3 (AV)
1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

We must strive to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.  But we are never going to actually be perfect.

We can excuse this in ourselves easily enough. Ah, but when it comes to others... we make glib statements or post photos of signs that pronounce judgment on others at the very least or worse: bring OT Law into NT Grace. 

People people people ours is a RESCUE mission!

How many of those poor people in Vegas did first responders and civilian responders pummel victims with their dogma?

Be sure you believe in and preach the genuine Jesus and then proceed.

God will sort5 out the rest.

John.    what miss muffet brought was a gem.    No one hardly warns at all anymore today.    and if I recall

the word GRAVE was to be in all christains .    WHERE the heck have the grave ones went.

I am wore out with excuse after excuse on why any appearance of grave is wrong.  

You should have leaped for joy at what she brought .  and also reminded all its all about Christ.  

And about compassion too.   But miss muffett did a job , that heck most don't even do anymore.

OR if they do they do it all wrong .  Wrong as in their approach.   I seen some I know who were grave ,but were hateful at the same time.

Like westboro for example.   They even sang songs about gays going to hell.  THAT alone would have let me know their heart is all wrong.

BUT to be very grave is not wrong , its right and tis needful.  ITS JUST THIS...............OUR DESIRE no matter how grave or compassionate we are

SHOULD be the DESIRE for one to be saved.  that is how we know if one is really following CHRIST or not .   DO they truly desire those in error to be saved.

IF they did , they would do SOMETHING about it.  not just sit and hug.  or not just sit and yell.    DO SOMETHING this world and churches are drowning

in delusion and deception of sin and false doctrine.  WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING , IF WE LOVE THEM.  if not just hug and say all is well.    But judged for that all will be who did.