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The Erosion of Truth is Now Upon Us


Gideon

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9 minutes ago, Gideon said:

 

Our answer is not trying harder. It is not being more sold out. It is coming to the point we WANT to obey, and yet it finally dawns on us that our old nature cannot..... CANNOT.... walk the walk He has for us. And when we do, and cry out for God to change us, and free us from the desire to sin and to deliver us from love for the world that we are told not to love, to our amazement and delight, we will be lifted up to meet... and exceed that standard. 

We are the bride of Christ, but we, collectively and individually, are in no way ready to meet Him. Thank the Lord that we are about to be awakened and the true sheep will light their lamps, and mount up with wings as eagles. 

 

Hi Gideon,

It is good to see you encouraging and exhorting us all to press into the Lord more and continually let Him change us.

I did have a chuckle at your mixed metaphors - bride/sheep with lamps rising as eagles!!!!!

BTW Israel is the wife, the bride of God, we are the Body of Christ and there is no closer relationship than that.

regards, Marilyn.

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9 hours ago, Gideon said:


Greetings, all. With the posts that have been made in the last few weeks, ever since we began to look at the place our obedience has in our walks with God, I think it is clear that the dividing lines are coming more clearly into view. I am not talking people, but beliefs. Tenants of our faith. Foundational truths. And I will be honest, it has been eye opening to see how far the enemy has advanced, and made inroads into our minds and hearts.

I am reading a good book right now, called The Awakening Church by Charles Swindoll. In it, he talks about our great need in the church to examine whether or not spiritual erosion is happening in our lives, both corporately and individually. He states that to truly get truth back as our foundation, it requires a reverence for truth above comfort... or what WE think is right. If one has to re-shape his theology to fit what God says, so be it. We can no longer fit God into our spiritual outlook by embracing certain scriptures and totally closing our eyes to others, for it is this very practice that is placing the church on the precipice of a massive falling away.

He shares the same observations that I do, that at some point in the walks of many, the Bible no longer is our ultimate authority. We are. He remembers that 20 years ago, almost without fail, every Christian carried a Bible to church, and sermons were often a teaching based upon many inter-threaded verses. But over time, we have elevated the role of pastor to an unbiblical superstar level and want motovational messages that make us feel good about where we are. Sadly, we made relegated teachers of truth to a lower level, and most have become an unappreciated and unwanted person in our midst. We simply have adopted the world's "I want it all... now" attitude to our spiritual walks. Few have the patience to sit down and dig for truth. We want it now too. All positive. No negative. Warning, rebukes, corrections, instruction in righteousness..... these have all been for the most part a rarity in most of our churches.  

Thus, little by little, truth has eroded from under us, so slowly and subtly that we are not even aware we are drifting from God's truths. Although outwardly, we may look the same, our foundation, our unseen foundation has weakened, and to such a state that when persecution and real hardships come, and it is,  and it really costs to be a follower of the Lord, many spiritual houses that look so secure and steady will fall, and the results could be catastrophic, no matter what we are being told to the opposite. 

We have a Christianity without a shield in place, and thus, we have little protection from the deception of the enemy. We now see teachings that state that sin is unavoidable and that because of grace,  God now winks at our sins. We learn that repentance is nice but certainly not required,  and that actually making effort to be fully obedience to the Spirit He has given us is actully being "sin minded" and will rob us of our peace. Multitudes of ministers now instruct the sheep in their care that anything that actually asks anything of us is legalistic and is trying to put us back under law. Somehow, giving our all to obey our Lord is “working for our salvation”. May God deliver us from our blindness. 

Now, with the Bible simply a source book to support OUR views, rather than our views bowing the knee to what the word of God clearly teaches, we are both shieldless and swordless. Do we really think satan is not smiling and thinking how smart he is? We arm ourselves with a few pet verses where it matters not that our understanding of them totally contradicts huge portions of the New Testament. 

It is time we acknowledged how far we have fallen from truth, and bow before our God seeking Him to restore to us real faith and real desire to obey Him in all things. It will amaze us when we do, for God will open our eyes to the full truth of just how deep His grace goes, if we will but submit and cooperate. 

This call for deep seeking of the face of God has no exceptions. I need it. You need it. The entire church needs it. We as God’s church are on the precipice of the great falling away, but here is the scary thing. Many of those that fall away will not do so from walking away from church. They will still claim Jesus as Lord. They will be totally assured that they will make heaven their home. And yet, in the end, many of these will come face to face with the truth that they truly never knew Him or really wanted to be His friend, proved by the lack in their heart desires of total devotion to obeying and following Him, no matter the cost. And the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth shall begin. 

Now is not the time to proceed without a real heart examination, under the guide of the whole counsel of God found in the Word of God. It is not good enough to assure ourselves that all is ok, because we believe Jesus is our savior, because if He is not Lord, we are not His friends. We are His enemies. 

Blessings,

Gideon

 

first of all there is a need for righteous practice of faith, while reading of scripture is to be done once, twice or thrice

Blessings

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This erosion is not new, but has been for quite some time. Chismatic preachers are like rock stars and their followers as groupies. Everything has become structured, traditional and institutional. In the beginning it not as today. Freedom and wealth blinds us. Denominationalism is like a smorgasbord church with every kind of belief and doctrine 

At Pentecost one church was born as one field planted but now the field is splintered with names that become walls if not tombs. Still the Lord has his bride and he knows them and will take them out and the chaff will remain. Paul old Timothy, The time has come for me to be given. I have fought the good fight of faith and the Lord has for me a crown, but not for me only. but to all who love His appearing. May we all be of the calling.

There will soon be a great dividing of the church and those that were your fellow church members will become your enemies.  Stand strong as good followers of Christ even tot the end.

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10 hours ago, Gideon said:

I can certainly appreciate your points and they are well taken. However, the problem goes far deeper than most have thought. What was it that brought about the situation with Ananias and Saphira in the early church? God was protecting the holiness and purity they all walked in, amen? But we know that after Paul’s death, wolves in sheeps clothing entered the flock, and the early rain came to a close. A long hot summer  ensued, with just enough showers to keep the church from dying. And as the harvest approaches, the first clouds of the latter rain can be seen gathering. 

What is it that made the early church different? Style of  organization? Perhaps. But if God does not change, and He does not,  then the standard He had for the early church will be raised again, amen? If God applied the same standard to us right now as Ananias and Saphira were held to, even our best churches would be decimated. 

So what was the difference? The early disciples were told to put off their old nature, not just improve their old nature’s outer behavior. And how is this  accomplished? By an act of faith, we reckon our old nature dead, not needing to die. And in the same way, we put on our new nature, and praise God, He then starts to ‘cause us’  both to will AND to do of His good pleasure!

This is completely contrary to what we now preach, but in order to have the standard lifted back up, which we have lowered in order to not feel guilty, we have to be re-introduced to the HOW of holiness.

Our answer is not trying harder. It is not being more sold out. It is coming to the point we WANT to obey, and yet it finally dawns on us that our old nature cannot..... CANNOT.... walk the walk He has for us. And when we do, and cry out for God to change us, and free us from the desire to sin and to deliver us from love for the world that we are told not to love, to our amazement and delight, we will be lifted up to meet... and exceed that standard. 

We are the bride of Christ, but we, collectively and individually, are in no way ready to meet Him. Thank the Lord that we are about to be awakened and the true sheep will light their lamps, and mount up with wings as eagles. 

God tells us through Ezekiel this wonderful promise and we are the generation who will fulfill it, leading a multitude into the kingdom at the last harvest. 

”...and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall be sanctified in you before their very eyes. “

Buckle your seatbelts, this are about to get glorious!

blessings,

      Gideon

Bless you Gideon.....these things might be some new ideas for you to prayerfully think about if this is something you have not considered before....I believe there is some truth to what Marilyn is saying about church organizations.  The set in cement formality of the churches really does have a part to play in the church falling away......the perpetuating of error.  We are supposed to be a priesthood of believers, rather than having one priest in a pulpit who all the rest of Christ's Body are passive spectators to.....rather than exercising their spiritual senses and gifts and helping to build up the Body.  All the parts need each other, and that includes the pastoral parts who need the others parts as well.  Instead of being part of the Body as elders, there is only a single Pastor in the churches who are elevated above the rest of the flock and receive not the benefit of the insights and ministry of the rest of the flock.  In their self imposed 'isolation' (elevation) from the rest of the Body, the Pastors keep falling further and further astray and lead their passive, un-exercised flocks with them.

Seems the reformation did not do quite enough reforming......the Protestant churches remained a daughter of their Mother Babylon church by continuing to model themselves after her structure.  Formality and forumulas is what sets in naturally when the Holy Spirit leaves or is diminished in a church group.  The Lord is a fountain of living waters.......but instead of continuing in that by faith, churches and denominations became cisterns that they dug out by their own hands so to speak......hence their stagnation and ultimate departure from the true faith as given to us by Jesus and the apostles.  Left uncorrected leaven just keeps growing, until finally  2 centuries later it is growing to its full maturity in the last days.

It really all began when Paul died....remember how he was always trying to protect the flock from false teachers and their false doctrines while he was alive......and he wrote that after he died wolves WOULD come in and decimate the flock.  And what are the characteristics of wolves........well, they use the flock for their own gain.......ambition, glory, self-realization, money, career, etc.  Instead of presenting her a chaste virgin to Christ, they present her as used goods.  They soak up her admiration and obeisance while they gain more and more influence and glory.  The church looks up to her leaders as celebrities....and depends upon them......this is idolatry......and worldly......and very antichrist.  Pastors like priests are expected to "do Christianity" while the rest just watch and admire instead of using their own gifts to build up the Body.  Wolves eat the choice hooves of the flock for their own gain, and muddy the water of the word with the uncorrected errors of their flesh and carnal mind.  God holds the leaders responsible for their part for sure.....but the flock are also responsible for their part.......because they love to have it so.

You yourself mentioned that you were not sure if the church system as it is can contain this move of the Holy Spirit that you are foreseeing......and you are right, the answer is that it cannot.  He will blow out the walls of those cisterns and replace formality and formula with reality........and those who do not allow Him to, those who try to quench His flashflood of living water in re-establishing HIMSELF as Head of His church will become the enemies of His will and His movement.

 

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8 hours ago, Yowm said:

Yes, quite a long time...

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.(Gal 1:6-7)

The erosion of truth is the erosion of the Gospel of grace into a system of self effort unto 'holiness'.
 

What you are espousing is simply not in the Bible. You are taking one scripture and building and entire doctrine of salvation that clearly is contradictory to other very clear warnings and exhortations. 

Consider:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

             Romans 12:1

Do we read Paul’s words with willing, obedient, open ears? He is beseeching us, pleading with us to ‘get it’.  We are all .... ALL...... called to become servants to the Lord, and no longer rule over ourselves. We are  all to all holy before Him, and how? By self effort legalism as you infer? Not at all. By the mercy of God, where He promises to cause us to walk in such a way easily IF we will but put off our old carnal natures that see any holiness scriptures as legalism lurking in the bushes trying to make Christianity not fun. 

Is this some ‘higher cslling’ Reserved only for disciples, not the general population of saved folk?  No. It is totally reasonable for all of us. There is no caste system in Christianity. There is no division of the saved into those who choose to really seek a God and choose to be disciples, and the multitude who think life would be too restrictive if they took such a step.

Listen. Multitudes in the past have lived in such error. Were they saved? I pray so. Why is there hope for them? They were sinning in ignorance, unaware of the truth that is plainly put for in scripture. But in these final days, the standard, we are promised, will be raised again, and everyone who names the name of the Lord will be awakened to the truth. We are ALL called to be disciples and seek Him with all our hearts and to obey Him.

Rhe problem lies in the fact we do not know how to truly obey. But we will be awakened to that too. We will learn the full depth of what our being ‘born again’ actually means. When we were initially saved, the old us died. Our carnal nature, the one that does not want to relinquish control to God, the one that thinks we can sin with no repercussions, the one that love their life in this world and refuses to lose it, died. We were born again, and given brand new natures. Natures that can obey, that want to obey! Glory to God!

But here is the deal. We must do one thing. It is not a work. It is not earning our salvation. For it is an act of faith. We are all instructed to put off our old nature by believing we are dead to sin and self rule and put on our brand new natures that can indeed obey our Lord and Master. 

Here is what Jesus said:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

               Matthew 28:18-20

How can we twist this to say we are not called to discipleship? Or to obedience? Or to knowing how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honor? In previous days, God overlooked our shallowness and lack of understanding due to our ignorance. But in these final days, truth will ring out and we will either embrace or reject it. Our souls are on the line. I pray we all believe that.

Blessings,

Gideon

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11 hours ago, Gideon said:

”...and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall be sanctified in you before their very eyes. “

And I just want to add..........how much I LOVE this passage of scripture........and it is echoed perfectly in 2 Thessalonians with where it says He is coming to be glorified in His saints.  And very likely this old testament passage is where the apostle received understanding and revelation of it....since the old testament WAS the bible that they had back then.

 2Th 1:10

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed ) in that day.

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8 hours ago, Yowm said:

Yes, quite a long time...

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.(Gal 1:6-7)

The erosion of truth is the erosion of the Gospel of grace into a system of self effort unto 'holiness'.
 

The "self-effort" that is required on our part is to SEEK holiness........ but not to perform it by self-effort, since we have it not of our own.

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11 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

BTW Israel is the wife, the bride of God, we are the Body of Christ and there is no closer relationship than that.

Marilyn....not to take the thread off topic, but I just will leave these scriptures with you to consider.....how the Body  of Christ and His Bride are one and the same.......bless you.

 Gen 2:23

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

 Mat 19:5

And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

 Eph 5:30-32

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

 1Co 6:15-17

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”

But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

 Rev 21:2

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

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20 hours ago, Gideon said:


Greetings, all....

Gideon, I have to say that I agree with some of what you posted and disagree with some. For starters, I think that some of the generalizations similar to this could have been penned by the Pharisees regarding the followers of Jesus. For me, that is just hating to see your man made traditions being eliminated. And that DOES hurt. 

But there is a lot of falling away going on, and also a lot of people being saved. I think we're entering a world where there are fewer people in church, but those that are there are more likely to be true followers of the Way and less likely to be there just to "hedge their bets against eternal torture in 'hell'". 

But for me, the core is the invention of the internet. Just as the invention of the printing press brought the broad sharing of knowledge and led to the reformation, the internet is like the printing press, but on steroids. It is skewering long held beliefs on all religious fronts, including all Christian denominations, Islam, and all the others. Some are leaving their respective faith because of it and fining another. Some are leaving faith altogether, and some are refining their understanding of the faith.

I'm in the latter group. I think a lot of people are. The more I study the thoughts of other men (e.g. my pastor and other church leaders), and compare it with my own beliefs and the actual content of the bible both in English versions and Greek and Hebrew lexicons, my faith has increased, my understanding has increased, and some of my beliefs have changed while others have solidified. And the exciting part is that I'm much more prepared to defend those beliefs than ever before. 

This new world of massive knowledge availability is one of the things that turned me from ECT to CI. BTW, that one is explained here: http://jewishnotgreek.com/

We live in a world now where truly no man is without excuse. The word is being spread faster, and with more substance, than ever before. We live in very exciting times as Christians. And it is obvious that the battle lines are being drawn. Fewer and fewer are sitting on the fence, and the church is being purged of those that may not have belonged there in the first place. That is a good thing as well. 

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1 hour ago, Heleadethme said:

The "self-effort" that is required on our part is to SEEK holiness........ but not to perform it by self-effort, since we have it not of our own.

How can you be more holy if God made you a holy  already in Him?

Can somebody be holier than holy?

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.Hebr.10:10

Ephesians 2:4–5 

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

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