AWOL with a Seared Conscience and Shipwrecked Faith

1 Tim 1:18  This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; 19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 20  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Hymenaeus and Alexander could have been members of any church. You have known these guys, served beside them, worshiped with them. They were ushers, trustees, choir members. They changed oil in the cars of single mothers, drove the church van, taught a Jr. boy's Sunday school class, worked in the Awana program. You prayed next to them at the altar, sang a duet with one of them.

Alas, Alexander found a girlfriend who was not a Christian and started missing Sunday nights to be with her instead of with the brethren. Soon, prayer meetings were dropped because that was their gym night. Then, they took a trip together, unchaperoned, out of town for a weekend. Alex hasn't been in church since last Easter and shows no interest since they moved in together.

Hymenaeus took an interest in Reformed theology ever since he took that Greek class on line. He switched out his King James for a more scholarly translation. He became argumentative, even with the pastor on several of the tenets of the church's stated beliefs. He is now holding Bible studies in his home and at the coffee shop in lieu of his church duties. He has made no qualms about his new outlook on all things faith related, bragging that his true fellowship is on the internet where he is much more blessed than in his stagnant church with its ignorant pastor.

And so, forsaking the spiritual food and fellowship of the local church, these guys are set adrift on the sea of their own eclectic faith. From the buffet of radical, unbalanced pet issues (legalism, hyper grace, double inspiration, hyper Calvinism, universalism, amillennialism, post-tribulationalism, universal church, Pentecostalism, and a host of other unorthodox oddities) they have crafted their own freelance faith apart from the pillar and ground of the truth, the Word of God as faithfully taught in the local church.

Alas, they inadvertently find themselves delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that their spirits might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (I Cor 5:5)

Our prayer for Hymie and Alex is that they would learn not to blaspheme the Word and work of the Lord, and for all who once aligned themselves  with the Bride of Jesus, His body, the local church but are now AWOL with seared consciences and shipwrecked faiths.

PLPWMGINFWWMY

(Thanks to my friend, Pastor Ray Smith for the seed thoughts for this blog)

Phil 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a  good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

God is a finisher! But oh, how doubtful and impatient we can sometimes be! Especially when it comes to our own progress. Following are just a few examples of God’s tenacity in completing important projects.

1. Finished creation, "It is good"

Gen 2:1  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2. Finished work on the Cross, "It is finished"

Jn 17:4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

Jn 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Jn 5:36  But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

Jn 4:34  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

 

3. Consummation of His eternal plans.

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 

 You are His masterpiece, His child. He has invested His treasure, His handiwork, His Spirit into you and has for you an expected end which He will consummate. 

So, PLPWMGINFWWMY: Please be patient with me, God is not finished working with me yet!

Today, I Die!

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I - Me, this is personal. I must take this to heart for my life, my relationship to God, my service. This sinner/saint cannot afford to live this day on his own. The world’s allure is too powerful, its dainties too appealing, its lord too deceitful.

AM - Present tense. I have an ongoing need to daily follow Jesus, turning my back on the world, the flesh and the devil. Yesterday’s blessings, like wilderness manna, are useless today. Today’s challenges require that I plug in to my Power Source.

CRUCIFIED - The cross before me is an instrument of cruel death. The fact is that my old man deserves to die and must die daily. I must condemn him to crawl upon the cross every day and consider him dead.

WITH - Jesus, Who promises never to leave me nor forsake me, offers His company along my Via Dolorosa. Like the minister who baptizes the new believer who wades into the water with the convert, though he has already personally partaken of the ordinance, now ministers the act. So Christ, Who has emerged victorious over the cross and the grave comes with me to give me grace and strength to die daily and emerge triumphant over my cross.

CHRIST - It is by Him, for Him and with Him that this daily slaughter of my flesh takes place. He is my Example and my Enabler.

NEVERTHELESS - Ah, sweet victory, blessed juxtaposition. For every death my flesh suffers, my spirit soars to loftier life.

I - No matter the journey of others, my promised land lies on the far bank of this blessed release.

LIVE! My flesh goes protesting to its cross. It dies hard. It agonizes as we, my Creator and His wretched creature, nail it afresh to its morbid crucifixion. As its grip on my soul wanes in its strength, I find life lived by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me!

Today, as yesterday, and hopefully again for all my tomorrows, I will read and devour the flesh-slaying, life-giving Word, trudge to my Golgotha, lay down my life and allow my Lord to pick it up again and live another victorious day, complete, dependent and hidden in Him.

First Church of Cyberspace

Another Gospel

My blood boils when I consider the multitude of those who have been removed from the grace of Christ to another gospel.

Many of these are folks we originally brought to the Lord or have worked diligently with them in discipleship. But now they have departed from the holy faith unto other gospels (see: doctrines of devils).

My greatest angst is toward the purveyors and perverters who trouble the gullible with their false gospels.

The internet is possibly the most hideous of the manure spreaders. It is truly the habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit and cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (Rev. 18:2)

It is a place where grown men sit in the basements of their parent's houses in their underwear behind a keyboard, ungodly sinners committing their ungodly deeds, speaking against our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:15)

The joke is, "It was on the internet, therefore it must be true." The truth is, if it is on the internet, it must be taken with a grain of salt.

The internet has become the pillar and ground of the truth for a lot of so-called believers, rather than the church (I Timothy 3:15). With their internet-based faith, there rests no accountability, they can be the pastor, the evangelist, the prophet and there is no church body to hold their feet to the fire, no doctrine, reproof, correction or solid instruction in righteousness to keep their tenets in check (II Timothy 3:16). It has become a place where there is no king and every man does that which is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). With the internet church, there is no obedience to those who watch for your souls and will one day stand with you at the judgment (Heb 13:17).

The sad fact is that many fall prey to the internet perverters of the gospel like bunnies in a snare. They are baited by keystrokes and lured by blurbs. Before they know it, the primacy of the local church is lost in the convenience of the computer. A buffet of cyber-Pablum awaits the christened adherent of the first church of cyberspace. You choose your gospel, your constitution and by-laws, your favorite teachers and your own standards. Just tithe your $79.95 to the cable company and your church will remain triumphant, alive and well.  

(The internet will make the Antichrist's job uber easy.)

But listen well to the Apostle: 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. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you...let him be accursed. Gal 1:6-8

Attitudinally Challenged

I was driving down the road, having just talked to several individuals on the phone who were tending to be unreasonable, inconsiderate and not conscious of other people's time constraints. 

I threw my eyes up toward the heavens and said, "God I really don't like people! Why in the world did you ever send your Son to die for these losers?" Immediately He spoke to my heart very loud and clearly. He said, "If I hadn't sent my Son for losers, you wouldn't be saved right now. Also, think about the things that you have done recently. Now, if I were going by your standards, I would hate you too!"

Message received!

God's grace is extended from His perfection to our depravity, from His altogether loveliness to our utter ugliness!

Consider, if you will, the grace extended to Spurgeon from Rev. Parker.

Spurgeon’s Orphanage

Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon’s orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself.

Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker’s church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal.

“I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead.” The crowd was delighted. 

The ushers had to empty the collection plates three times.

Later that week there was a knock at Parker’s study. It was Spurgeon. “You know Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.

--Moody Monthly

Should We Submit to Human Leadership?

Following a Man

Follow me as I follow Christ - The Apostle Paul, I Cor. 11:1
 

I recently read a thread of social media posts regarding solely following Christ. Not a soul among the posters indicated they would submit themselves to the spiritual leadership of another person. "Only Christ is worthy," they chimed in unison, “I don’t trust men.”

Thanks to the Jims for messing things up royally! Jim Jones, Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker.

Distrust of authority and leadership. Such is the attitude of our Laodicean age. "The people decide." "Christianity" is riddled with autonomy. Church members, for the most part, are going to do their own thing, as long as it pleases them. Churches "pay" their preacher to preach interesting homilies, chair committees ad hominem and live ordered lives within the walls of their glass houses. But they must not make demands upon the contemporary Laodiceans requiring faithfulness, generosity, holiness and service.

Those things tend to be strictly optional and dependent upon whims, comfort zones and the convenience of the christianettes.

Scripture teaches no such "obedience optional" conducts. Paul, in chapter 11 of I Corinthians sets up a clear flow chart:

In the home: God > Christ > Husband > Wife > Children > Kitty cat > Mice

In the church: Apostles>Pastors>People

You have no argument with the blogger if you disagree. Your beef is with God and the Apostle Paul.

Clearly, some pastors and husbands are as lowdown and vile as the dog droppings you stepped in after the neighbor's Pomeranian wandered into your yard. Such pastors should be run out of town on a rail, after a good ol’ tar and feathering. They connive, cheat, lord over, abuse and manipulate.

If you are subjected to such vermin, let me know, I know a couple of guys who will come and discreetly take care of the situation for a love offering. (Just kidding - sort of)

God wasn't merely brain-storming when He set up biblical authority, putting His system into place until a better plan would come along in the 1960's, spawning NOW and NARAL. At such a time, autonomous chaos could then emerge as a much more efficient system of governance of the home and church.

How's that working out for you?

"I'll not follow or submit to any man!" is the war cry of First Facebook Church of the Non-Assembled.

Question: Who then is going to sidle up next to you at the judgment seat and give an account for you with joy and not with grief? Oh, you want to go it alone on that day? Good luck with that.

For those of us who would like to stave off the spirit of Laodicea as long as possible, preferring a more Ephesian or Philadelphian model, we will continue to respect God-ordained leadership.

Shall we then follow some man?

1. Only as they follow Christ - I Cor 11:1, Paul wasn't perfect, but he was worthy. His dedication could not be questioned. His zeal was peerless. His logic was flawless. But, he tended to be a bit over-bearing. Over-bearing was not a pastorally impeachable offense. Duplicitous living, impure motives and tainted doctrine were. If a preacher keeps his nose in the Book and his eyes on Christ, he will fare well as a leader.

2. Only as they are ordained of the Lord as a leader - Paul affirmed time and again his position as apostle, evangelist, soul-winner and church planter. Others questioned his authority, impeached his character, but the proof was in the hummus, he was God's man.

3. Only as they teach solid doctrine – 11:2. As Paul said to Timothy, pay strict attention to your doctrine. Friend, do not make the mistake of placing yourself under doctrinally corrupt leadership. Find a Bionically-based, Christ-centered church and pastor. Join and serve with gusto. The same could be said of finding a mate. You had better be looking at the right criteria or you are headed for a lifetime of misery, or divorce court, or the mortuary, whichever comes first.

Warning, when contemplating employment, government, marriage or church attendance, you are willingly placing yourself under the authority of others. Don't decide according to fluff. Don't be deceived by guile. Pray, procure counsel, test the spirits, get God's go ahead and then follow well.

Or, become a nun! Then you will have only Mother Superior to answer to.