The Shaking & Removing of Spiritual Things

Stay with me here, through the first couple of paragraphs of context. This may be the most important thing I've ever written.

" ...Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear..."  Hebrews 12:26-28

In the first part of this chapter Paul had reminded them that God chastises those he loves in order to bring them to perfection, to prepare them for the heavenly realm. He also reminds them how Moses quaked and was fearful at the encounter with God on the mountain He also reminds them that they are approaching the heavenly city, God's city, and the angels, the church and Jesus our savior and the new and better covenant. He goes on to say, "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:" and then goes on with the above three verses.

Now, Paul wrote this letter a little before God brought about the end of the Jewish system, the Jewish regime, and the dispensation - in 70 AD - fulfilling the words of Jesus that not one stone would be left upon another. That entire system was to be shaken to its core, completely shattered. Paul is saying that the system about to be destroyed was but an earthly representation of heavenly things, and therefore it was important for them to be anchored in the heavenlies, the eternal. That was the purpose of the letter.

But that wasn't all. There was a future vision here. A vision of the heavenly destination, that the earthly was only a prelude to our eternal destination. The earthly shaking of the Jewish system was only half the story. Only half the shaking. He is telling them that not only would the temporal be shaken out, but so would the spiritual. There was to be a second shaking out - a spiritual one.

The spiritual would also be shaken to its foundations, to determine what would abide spiritually. We have been going through this spiritual shaking. It is almost complete, and it is the final great shaking of heaven and earth, which has begun and is about to dramatically increase. Suddenly.

I would be seriously concerned if I had not noticed a distinct spiritual shaking over the past few years. That would mean I am out of touch with the spiritual realm.

This spiritual shaking has several aspects to it. One is accountability for what God has given us. Jesus Christ gave us far more than the Jews ever had. We were given the ultimate blood sacrifice by the Lamb himself, we were given revelations which had been withheld - mysteries - from all of heaven itself. We have been given his Word - the Bible - the Word of God himself.  Through that Word we have been given information of exactly what to expect in the end times. We have also been given the Holy Spirit indwelling us. The previous order, the Jewish temple etal, had none of this. We have access to God beyond anything they ever dreamed of.

What have we done with all this? That is the question we have been answering and continue to answer through our actions at this time in history. God will certainly hold us responsible and accountable for the revelation of all of this. He will certainly want us to have done something with it.

We are going to be brought face to face - up close and personal - in extremely drastic ways to answer to God for this advantage over all previous history. We have been passing through personal spiritual experiences that are required to be our very life - our very survival - spiritually.

The things we have been given, these amazing advantages we have received, are being sifted of all interpretation, ritual, tradition, mental consideration ... stripped of everything, placing us squarely and face to face with the Cross, obedience, seeking God's perfect will, how we spend our time, how we live out our relationships, how we carry out our jobs, our priorities, our time, the Great Commission, our interaction with the body of Christ - everything that defines being a follower of Christ.

At the end of this age the Christians are facing such spiritual intensity, such stress, pressure and testing that it will reveal how our claim to be Christians holds up to the reality of our lives. All things will be revealed about you personally. Is your faith real? Have you died to self? Does your life reflect Christ in you?

This sifting that has been going on is the very thing that has shaken out the majority of the 'church' and has resulted in apostasy and heresy throughout Christendom. Satan has been allowed to sift us as he did Peter. He has been allowed to use selected individuals (from the foundations of the world) - seminarians, preachers, lay leaders, laymen, the entire gamut. These leaders have joined in Satan's program to infiltrate a new doctrine, a new faith, another Jesus into our religious systems, which have become spiritually static and lifeless, but physically entertaining and sensual. The Lord will not preserve the 'isms,' the new 'prophets,' the phony dreams and visions, the voodoo rock music, the worship of pictures and statues, the lust for the world, the systems, programs and traditions, the trendy new church, and on and on. No, he will not.

"... that those things which cannot be shaken may remain."  That is the  Word of the Lord. He wants and will have those whose spiritual properties cannot be shaken.

 (There may be a Part II - I don't feel that the Holy Spirit has put a lid on it yet :-)

 

False Teachers Among You

From the December 2011 Berean Call Newsletter:

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you… And many will follow their destructive ways…They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you… they speak great swelling words of emptiness…. (2 Pt 2:1-2, 13,18) To the world it might appear that all is well in the Christian realm. Much-beloved speakers hold forth from the pulpits of some of the largest churches in the world. Believers and nonbelievers alike buy their books, avail themselves of their programs, and utilize their methodologies. One might come to the conclusion that Peter must not have been referring to the church in our day regarding false teachers. Tolerance is the word of the day. We hear admonitions on a regular basis to “just get along”with those of opposing faiths. “Love” reigns supreme.

But what is this “love” of which they speak? What about those who identify a false gospel or a false teacher among some of the popular speakers these days? Does this “love” still apply to those who expose the ones who are actually deceivers among the flock? We find that those who point out error and apostasy in the church are, in fact, considered divisive and judgmental. Some are told that their criticism will bring harm to the Christian church. They are perceived as arrogant and “negative.” It is clear that the trend among evangelicals to embrace the “politically correct” thinking of the day will have egregious effects on the Body of Christ.

This “state of the church” forces me to ask a few simple questions. If Peter said that there would be false teachers in the church, where are they? How can we identify them? Who will warn others? It stands to reason that if the Word of God warns us that false teachers will be present in the church, doesn’t it follow that we are expected to expose them? How will we recognize them, and what are we to do about them?

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:30). So we see that these false teachers will bring in things that are corrupt, contrary—opposed to biblical doctrine (teaching). Their purpose is to gather disciples to their own folds, separating them from the true Body of Christ. Paul’s concern was not only that this would occur—but that the church would tolerate it: “For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” (2 Cor 11:4).

The very thing that Paul warned about has come to pass! Most Christians not only tolerate those who speak “perverse things,” but they ostracize believers who won’t accept them. Do we think that we are wiser than Paul? Are we more mature than Jude? Are we really called to leave the evils of error alone and allow the church to be polluted by the lies? Not according to the Scriptures!

Some may say, “But there are good men and women out there whose ministries have been damaged when others pointed out errors in their teachings.” Couldn’t the same have been said about Paul when he called Peter to account for his error and “withstood him to his face” (Gal 2:11–14)? Paul didn’t intend to bring condemnation upon Peter but rather to move him to repent of his actions. Paul saw the need to keep the message of the gospel pure so that both Peter and those who heard him teach would know the truth—the truth that makes men free!
 

In the early church, it was the elders of the church who were responsible to give correction and instruction through the Word of God. Today we are fortunate to have greater individual access to the Scriptures, which are every believer’s authority. We know that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tm 3:16–17).

Every epistle in the New Testament was written to correct error in the church. Did Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude not understand that to correct those who were in error was in truth a failure to love them? Did they believe that it was none of their business to bring correction to the false teaching? Do we consider them divisive for confronting error and holding fast to the truth? No! They boldly addressed the error and at times even named the offenders.

Paul instructed Titus (an elder) regarding the standards by which other elders should be appointed—and function. He said, “For a bishop must…[hold] fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not….Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth… and [are] disqualified for every good work” (Ti 1:7–16). It is those in leadership who are called to the task of identifying error. Sadly, these are primarily the very ones who are promoting the error from the pulpits and publishing houses.

Every God-called pastor is told, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). Peter said, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers…” (1 Pt 5:2a). Along with the calling of God comes gifting and passion. One of the gifts given to every godly pastor is love for the church. If we truly love people, we don’t want to see them fall into error. Error causes harm, and “love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:10).

Peter declared, “There were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you…” (2 Pt 2:1-2). Paul said, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly...” (1 Thess 5:14a). We must by all means “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). However, we must always remember that, as servants to the Lord and to the Body of Christ, we are called to “comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all” (1 Thess 5:14b). And always keep in mind that: “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth” (2 Tim 2:24-25).

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal 6:1). —Paul Van Noy, Pastor of Candlelight Christian Fellowship, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

The Death of Discernment In The Church

By Mike Gendron
http://pro-gospel.org/

Have you considered the spiritual health of your church in these days of tolerance and compromise? Is the leadership earnestly contending for the faith against the current wave of ecumenism? A. W. Tozer used the illustration of circulating blood to describe the health of a church. "The red corpuscles are like faith - they carry the life giving oxygen to every part of the body. The white cells are like discernment - they pounce upon dead and toxic matter and carry it out to the drain. In a healthy heart there must be provision for keeping dead and poisonous matter out of the life stream."

Using Tozer's analogy, churches that are dead or dying are the churches that no longer have the ability or the desire to discern truth from error. If they cannot identify toxic doctrinal error, the poison can never be removed from the body. And if it is not removed it will continue to circulate, bringing confusion to believers and false hope to "seekers."

The Emerging Church

Based on the reports we hear from our subscribers all over the world, there are many churches on the edge of apostasy. Many are subscribing to the latest post-modern fad called "the emerging church" which attempts to reach the emerging generation with a new way of "doing church." If you key "emerging church" in your favorite search engine, you will see numerous entries declaring that worship should now be a mystical and holistic experience using images, candles, stained glass windows and even darkness to enhance spirituality. One of the leaders of the movement is Brian McLaren, pastor and author of the controversial and award winning book, A New Kind of Christian. The book expressly argues that the Bible should not be regarded as infallible or authoritative. McLaren seeks unity between Catholics and Evangelicals and applauds Chuck Colson for leading this unbiblical movement.

The emerging church places more importance on mystical and sensual worship experiences that unite rather than essential biblical doctrines that divide. Churches that move from a Word-driven message to an image-driven message only contribute to the "dumbing down" of professing Christians. Few will be able to discern the difference between the true Gospel and a counterfeit gospel. The end result will be unsanctified churches which tolerate, embrace and encourage unbelievers instead of edifying and equipping a new generation of believers.

 Emerging But Not Discerning

Irving Bible Church, located between Dallas and Ft. Worth has emerged into a church without discernment. The pastor, Andy McQuitty, has publicly stated that both John Paul II and Mother Teresa are most assuredly in heaven. In the May issue of the church's monthly magazine Chatter, he featured a 11 " by 14" picture of these two influential Catholics who deceived the world with another gospel. McQuitty called the differences between Catholics and Protestants "theological pettiness." He said, "it is just plain silly to write each other off as far as true Christianity is concerned. We'll have plenty of time in Heaven to figure out who was right about Purgatory and Mary." McQuitty can't see why both faiths can't cooperate "in building the Kingdom of our common Lord Jesus Christ." He described John Paul as "a Man of God, not a man of this world, who became popular by testifying to the unpopular truths of Jesus Christ." According to McQuitty, the pope was "a great man whom all Christians should admire, thank and emulate." Finally he wrote, "I confess as a protestant pastor that my spiritual life and faith has been enriched by this Catholic pope who taught me that being a hero isn't about success or power."

Evidently Irving Bible Church (IBC) has a few discerning souls who prompted McQuitty to send out this public e-mail. "A few of you have raised concerns, most of which can be boiled down to this question: 'Is IBC becoming Roman Catholic?' To which the answer is, 'No way, Jose."' He wrote: "I understand where the question comes from, though. The introduction at IBC of certain elements such as candles and liturgies and communion wafers and the reference to communion as the "Eucharist", combined with the recent death of Pope John Paul II and the attendant recognition that his life received here, has caused some (particularly those who were raised Catholic and had a less than happy experience) to bristle."

McQuitty sounds like many Catholics who think we left the Roman Catholic Church because we "had a less than happy experience." No, we left when our Sovereign Lord opened our eyes to see the true Gospel as He revealed it in His supremely authoritative Word. As with other born-again former Catholics, we all left because we could no longer stay in a false religion that deceives its people on life's most critical issue - "What must I do to be saved?" We all left in obedience to God's word, to worship Him in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24). If we were a member of Irving Bible Church, we would have to leave that church as well because the pastor has demonstrated no discernment and an unwillingness to be corrected by Scripture. A pastor without spiritual discernment cannot protect his congregation from Satan's continuous attacks on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Some will say that I am being judgmental and that I have no right to do so. But how can Christians contend earnestly for the faith unless they make judgments on what "the faith" is? How can Christians defend and proclaim the Gospel without discerning what "the Gospel" is? We see a biblical example of one brother judging another when Paul publicly corrected Peter who was not being "straightforward about the truth of the Gospel" (Gal. 2:11-14). A. W. Tozer said: "Among the gifts of the Spirit, scarcely is one of greater practical usefulness than the gift of discernment. This gift should be highly valued and frankly sought as being almost indispensable in these critical times. This gift will enable us to distinguish the chaff from the wheat and to divide the manifestations of the flesh from the operations of the Spirit."

Christians Are Exhorted To Judge

Many Christians are unaware of their responsibility to judge and test all things. Paul exhorted: "I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ" (Phil. 1:9-10). Christians need to take discernment and judgment seriously in this life because of the great responsibility that awaits us in the future. Paul reminds us: "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, matters of this life?" (I Cor. 6:2-3). Paul even commended the Bereans for rightfully judging his teaching. "They received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). The apostle John warned and exhorted Christians: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (I John 4:1). Clearly, all Christians are called to judge righteously by using the Word of God as the plumb line for discerning truth from error.

 Discernment Is A Discipline

New babes in Christ must discipline themselves to go beyond the "milk" of the Gospel and begin chewing on "solid food" by studying the whole counsel of God. "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Heb. 5:13-14). Spiritual discernment is a discipline and a privilege that only Christians can exercise. Paul wrote: "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things." (1 Cor. 2:14-16).

 How Are We To Judge?

John wrote: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24). Jesus said: "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you" (Mat. 7:1-5). The instruction Jesus gives for judging others is to make sure you are not guilty of the same error or sin! Paul echoed these words when he wrote: "Do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?" (Rom. 2:3). When we judge, we must judge righteously and with pure hearts!

The Goal of Discernment

As we practice the gift of discernment let us question our motives. Is our objective to be obedient to God's word for the purpose of helping, healing, correcting, warning and sharing in the spirit of love? Does our discernment lead people towards truth and righteous living? Are we concerned for the purity of the body of Christ? Have we come to acknowledge that when the gift of discernment is not exercised, the church cannot be purged of error and sin and the name of Jesus Christ cannot be fully glorified and honored as the Holy Head of His Body, the Church.

The critical issue in the Church today is the purity of the Gospel. That alone is the rudder that must guide the Church through stormy waters that have been stirred up by every wind of doctrine. Take away the ability to discern objective truth and churches turn into cafeterias serving whatever junk food people want instead of the disciplined diet they need for spiritual life and health. Without a steady diet of the whole counsel of God, churches become entertainment centers for goats instead of sanctuaries for the Shepherd's sheep (Mat. 25:32). Unregenerate people, who are never exhorted to examine their faith, will continue attending church to enjoy the music, entertainment and "feel good" messages. Unless these people are confronted with their sin, their need for a Savior and the eternal consequences of a spurious faith, they are destined to hear these terrifying words from Jesus: "'I never knew you; depart from Me" (Mat. 7:23).

May God help us all to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Distributed by www.worldviewweekend.com. CLICK HERE for original article.

ROYAL HEIR

Feel free to email me at: creyner@yahoo.com