SUBJECT - KINDERGARTEN CHURCH!!! [2]
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When I left off
last month, I was explaining a passage of scripture which was explaining how a person doing all the right things in the eyes of man and God, yet being unsaved, was no better off than a completely evil one.
The scripture,
Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) uses the word
'Gentiles', which is another way of referring to a person who is not of the family of God.
If a person is not of the family of God [not saved], then, no matter how good they are, they, in the end, will suffer the same fate as one who is the most evil among us.
So, what makes the difference??? The Lordship of Jesus Christ.
When a person comes to Christ, that person is making a change in status, in the eyes of God. They are becoming a new person[baby] if you will, in Christ.
2Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, HE IS A NEW CREATURE [baby]: old things [carnal mindedness] are passed away; BEHOLD, ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW.
After this happens, then, it is up to Christ to begin the process of educating this new born baby, in to becoming someone that is mature enough in Him, to become a carbon copy of Him, if you will, that can go forth and accomplish the mission that Christ has set before them.
And what is that mission again????
To bring mankind back to God, through Jesus Christ, and to tear down all the works of the Devil, that stand in the way of doing that.
The entity that is responsible for doing that, is the Church.
And just like in the school systems, the Church is supposed to provide the necessary guidance, materials, and tools to accomplish that feat.
Now, when I am speaking about the Church, in this particular message, I am specifically talking about particular denominational organizations, and local individual houses of worship, that are so inept in their accomplishing this goal, that for the most part, they themselves are no better off than those that they are supposed to be teaching.
Jesus says,
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.
What He is saying is that those that are being taught, led, or otherwise trained by someone, can not become greater than the one that is training them.
This means, if the one that is the teacher, is one that is for instance, fully knowledgeable in all things then, chances are those that are taught by that person, stand to gain as much as he/she does, becoming equal to them.
The flip side of that is, if the teacher is, for all intents and purposes, still a baby in Christ themselves, then, those that are taught by them, will not advance above the level of that person, as long as they stay under that person's teaching/leadership.
The above examples, cover both ends of the spectrum, and all churches fall somewhere within this spectrum.
However, there is another chink in educational side of the body of Christ, and it is one that many don't even think about, and that is, there are some churches, denominations, and individuals, who are fully mature in the things of God, but, choose not to educate those under them, to a certain level, so that they can keep them, if you will, under their control.
Once again, the education of the saints, is key, so that they can be the mature men and women that God wants them to be.
We are at war with an enemy that uses all sorts of tactics, tricks and deceptions to, as the bible tells it,
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:............
Well, what is the only thing, that is here to stop him??? The mature warrior man/woman of God, utilizing the Power of the Holy Spirit, to, destroy the works of the devil/enemy.
If you wonder why the world is in the mess it is in today, why our cities in this nation are full of crime and despair, and people are living in a state of perpetual fear, it is because of a lack of men and women, that know their God, and are able to do things that put the enemy to flight.
Dan 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: BUT THE PEOPLE THAT DO KNOW THEIR GOD SHALL BE STRONG, AND DO EXPLOITS.
And why is this the case???
It is churches that are being led by people, who, in the carnal sense, may have all sorts of degrees in religious studies, and the like, something that would bring high praise for their accomplishments in the carnal sense, but, are essentially spiritual babies, in the eyes of God.
Now, if you think I don't know what I am talking about, check these things out.
I know people that attend, or have attended the same church for literally decades, that don't even know what salvation, or being born again is about!!!
To them, because they attend a church, and may have their names on the roll, they believe that they are Christians, or God's Children.
There are churches that I know of, that have absolutely no bible study, or Sunday school teaching. The only time the doors of the church are open is for worship services, weddings and funerals. Occasionally they may have some special event going on, and maybe even a revival, but that turns out to be more for show than anything else.
The church is full of individuals, engaged in all sorts of behavior/sin, that God frowns on, and this isn't even addressed.
The church allows people to come in and preach in the pulpit, that have absolutely no righteousness in their living.
It allows the people to interpret bible scripture based on their own life experiences.
By this I mean, if, say for instance, a person comes in who is a known prostitute, gay, or whatever, and is a good person in the eyes of the community, the church will accept them, and then completely overlook their sinful issues, thus giving them the idea that they are alright in God's eyes.
This is tantamount to, in their eyes, this church putting God's seal of approval on them.
Of course the church is supposed to welcome anyone in, because all of us are/were sinners. And, its primary mission is to bring the sinner to Christ.
However, just like kindergarten, the church is to take all these different sinful personalities, and begin the process of molding them in to the image of Christ, so that they can become Righteous.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 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:
If you will remember earlier, I used the terms 'new creature', 'renewing of the mind' and 'changing from carnal to spiritual mindedness!'
The only way this can happen, is if the individuals are brought in to the knowledge of their sinful state, and that there is the need to abandon [turn away from, repent of] that behavior, and take on the mind of Christ.
This is what needs to be, but isn't taught from day one in these churches.
The sinner, supposedly gives their heart to the Lord, and that's it. They go through the rest of their lives feeling that, that is all there is to being a Christian.
If that was the case, then there would be no need for scriptures that tell us we are to prepare for warfare against our enemy the devil
[Eph 6:10-18].
2Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
These scriptures let us know that the Church is in an ongoing battle against the forces of evil, and we need spiritually mature individuals to engage and defeat the enemy.
And you can't have that if all you have is spiritual babies in kindergarten churches, sitting around being fed the feel-good milk of the Word, and not the Meat.
1Pet 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
All babies start out on milk because they can't handle anything else.
But as they grow, there comes a time when they are weaned off of milk, and begin to transition in to semi-solid, and then solid food.
This is what the church is supposed to be doing.
Remember in part 1, I described how when a baby comes in to this world, they don't know who they are and who you are?? You could be friend or foe, but they don't know the difference.
The church is supposed to educate them, the new converts, in to just who the enemy is, so that they will know to stay away from them until they are prepared to do battle with them.
As babies, not being able to recognize the enemy, there is a flip side to that as well. That side is, they may not recognize a friend, and actually go to battle against them.
Have you ever noticed how different churches, denominations and preachers seem to be at war against each other, while at the same time, claiming they are saved???
This occurs usually when one church, or minister addresses some activity as sin, while the other church, passes it off as nothing to be concerned about.
Therefore, those that have been educated under that teaching, view anything going against what they have been taught, as an attack on them. And as such, they are ready to fight against what may very well be Christ Himself.
Acts 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
Acts 5:39 BUT IF IT BE OF GOD, YE CANNOT OVERTHROW IT; LEST HAPLY YE BE FOUND EVEN TO FIGHT AGAINST GOD.
The thing is, unless you have sound bible teaching, through study of the Word, you won't know how to identify who is friend or foe!!
You would be surprised at how many so-called saints are actually engaged in open warfare, not against a person, or church organization, but against Christ Himself.
I would dare say that over 80 percent of Christians are actually fighting against Christ because they support people and organizations that God hates, while at the same time rejecting any messages, or individuals that reveal this fact to them.
They would instead, attack these individuals in much the same way the children of Israel attacked Moses, and Jacob, and the prophets in the wilderness anytime they, scolded the people for their sinful and foolish ways.
Look at what God had to say about this.
1Sm 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: FOR THEY HAVE NOT REJECTED THEE, BUT THEY HAVE REJECTED ME, THAT I SHOULD NOT REIGN OVER THEM.
When any person, anointed by God, delivers His Word to another individual, and that person rejects what they are being told,
they are effectively rejecting Christ's Lordship over them and their lives.
All of this is because their churches either are not capable of doing the necessary things to bring them in to maturity, or are deliberately holding them down for some devilish reason.
Hopefully I will finish this message,
next month.