The
Love of the Truth
The
Love of the Truth
Keeping men from hell should be the church’s main focus but it has become the least of the church’s pursuits in these last days. That is not by accident but a concentrated effort of hell to destroy as many souls as possible as the world races closer to Armageddon. the love of the truth which constrains us to tell men the truth about eternity and salvation has become a secondary issue with most ministries; In this atmosphere of apostasy, the Word of God is preached almost not at all, which means that the pattern laid down for us in the Book of Acts for the New Testament Church is totally ignored. Listen to this writer. Whenever the emphasis is ENTIRELY and the word “entirely” is key here, is on “power, signs and wonders, there is going to be problems and great opportunity for deception. In this passage we are dealing with the Antichrist and False Prophet will deceive the world with “lying signs and wonders,” which is what is taking place at this very moment. There are many mainstream ministries which broadcast their “message” over Christian Television but these messages have very little emphasis and concern for eternal matters. We’ve become so consumed with the temporal; we have stopped making the salvation of lost souls a priority. There is little talk about salvation, eternity, repentance and true healing. Money is the theme and the show is on each week.
By Chris McDonald
TEXT: 2 Thes. 2:10-12 - And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. [11] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: [12] That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
In this terrible apostasy that has even now began to come upon the Church, the way is being prepared for the advent of the Antichrist along with the full revelation of the Apostate Church foretold by the apostles. If one is to notice, this thrust has already begun and is finding its way more and more so in many ways within mainly Pentecostal and Charismatic circles. Many other mainline denominations outside the Pentecostal and Charismatic i.e. Southern Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran - have already given themselves over for the most part to humanistic psychology and new age humanism. I make that last statement not with malice but with tears. I grew up in the Southern Baptist church learning about Jesus and the blood He shed for me on the Cross as a young child eager each week to attend Sunday school. What I've seen take place in this once proud movement has stricken me to my core. Friend, when you reject the Cross and seek to push out the full power of the Holy Ghost you're given over to the powers of darkness and apostasy of which new age humanism and humanistic psychology belong!
In addressing the Pentecostal and Charismatic communities let me make it clear that I am as Pentecostal as they come. As a Spirit-filled believer, I have always known about the Lord; as a young child I remember going down front and asking the Lord into my heart and being baptized at age 7. When you get saved that young sometimes you stay close to God, sometimes you don't. There were times I guess I did but most of the time I cared little for the things of God even though the son of a pastor. It was not until 1986 when I can tell you without a doubt this writer met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face and fully gave himself to the Master to use and do with what He so saw fit to do with my life. In February 1987 on the floor after hearing of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, I traveled 250 miles to my late aunt's house to find answers to that which I had been taught through the years was "of the devil," "not for today," and a large sort of other foolishness. There on my aunt’s kitchen floor at 11:30 P.M. on a stormy night, I was gloriously filled with the Spirit, baptized in the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking with other tongues and have never looked back since. The Lord healed deep rooted hurt that night in my heart towards my now late mother and I felt as pure and free as I think I had ever felt in my life. The next day when we drove home, and this is not an exaggeration, I literally "heard" and "felt" the rivers of living water Jesus spoke of in John 7 within my heart and spirit. That's how powerful this encounter with the Risen Christ was for this writer. As I write these words, the tears are flowing remembering that day as it was yesterday. Neighbor, our children need an encounter with the Risen Christ like this! I cried the entire trip home that day with mom in the car.
We stopped for lunch and I could hardly eat I was so full of the Spirit of God. It has been like that ever since - when the Spirit of God comes upon me I literally weep like a river. It never fails when I am praying in the spirit I usually always go into deep wailing and intercession of the Holy Ghost. Oh to God our young people in America could have a touch and taste of this river! My Lord, I feel the unction of God all over me right now. Mom and Dad, this power I speak of will keep your kids off of drugs; He will keep them off whiskey and pornography and lust and immorality; this power will set the homosexual son or daughter free of perversion and give them the peace they seek! Glory to God.
Right after this I wished I could tell you all things went rosy with this writer but they did not. There have been many bumps along the way since that time some 21 years ago now but as we write these words in 2008 I can truly say I KNOW whom I have believed in and am fully persuaded that HE, not me, is ABLE to keep that which I have committed to HIM against that coming notable day of the Lord. All things past and present and even future are under the Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ in whom this writer has placed his faith and trust in for all eternity. I have found Him to be a friend when there were no friends, and neighbor there have been those times. I have found Him to be anchor when the storms grew and raged so badly I was not sure at times if I would live or die. I have no choice but to Praise HIM and what He has done for this writer as well as countless others through the sacrifice of His life on the Cross. That is why we Preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED! That is why we WRITE and tell the whole world about CHRIST and the POWER of His Cross!
About two years earlier in the fall of 1985, I began to feel the tug on my heart concerning preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ even while I was still a member of one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in Cairo, Georgia where I spent most of my teen life. After being baptized in the Spirit, I began to take that call more seriously and became part of the Pentecostal Holiness Church which licensed me in 1990 while I pastored my first church in a small North Florida city. In 1994 I was ordained by United Evangelical Churches even though the next years that would follow would be filled with deep hurt and disappointment. After a painful family situation took place, I fell away from the Lord in 1996, lost my way with Him and nearly my life, and for three years ran from this call that would make Jonah the prophet blush. In 1999 through a series of events that would take me to Dayton, Ohio and Knoxville, Tennessee, I met my current wife Lisa and fully found my way back to the ministry for the One who has called me and ordained me to preach this mighty gospel. I take this call seriously even though at this moment we're out of season from having a church - at least for now. What we do on this website is our pulpit to be frank and we write with a heart broken as we see the apostasy set in and grow deeper by the day.
For the past 20 years I have seen the inward workings of both the traditional and Pentecostal segments of the church from just about every angle one can see it and I can tell you as I write this in early 2008 that I have never seen a time in church history where the foundation of the gospel and the message of Christ and Him Crucified are under such attack from within as it is today. This attack has actually come from Satan himself who seeks not necessarily to stop the gospel, because he knows he can’t do that, but instead pervert it through the vehicle of backslidden and apostate preachers. That does not just apply to those denominations that reject the moving and operation of the Holy Ghost but also in denominations and segments of the church that DO embrace the Holy Ghost but because they have rejected the preaching of the Cross have wound up leading people into serious and eternal error.
Let me tell you this. There has never been a false doctrine YET that did not ride into the church on the back of anything other but a nugget of truth! I want to say that again but in a different way. Error in most cases is rejected outright if it is found to be blatantly false. That is why Satan wraps up error in terminology that looks like "truth" to most but in fact is damnable heresy that winds up destroying millions of lives. The reason this is possible is because most do not know the Word of God or if they claim they know the Word actually embrace the teachings of someone else as to what the Word of God says instead of reading what the Bible says on their own. (The Bible calls that being destroyed for lack of knowledge. It's not that knowledge is scarce, it's because we have ceased to "LOVE" the truth and as a result we have been given over the apostasy!
You see, Satan as a “roaring lion,” is very dangerous; as a wolf in sheep’s clothing he is even more dangerous. But it is his identity as an “angel of light,” that he is the most dangerous of all!
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Matthew 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. [16] Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? [17] Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. [19] Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [20] Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
2 Cor 11:14-16
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
When the Holy Spirit had Paul write these words that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light,” the apostle had the history of the temptation and fall of man particularly in view. It is very likely that here he refers to the same tactics Lucifer used to deceive our first parents; tactics that are to be frank the same he is using today to plunge the church into oblivion and apostasy. In whatever form Satan appeared to Earth’s first mother, his pretensions and professions gave him the appearance of a good angel - even though he was speaking through a serpent! By promising and pretending that Eve would get a great increase of light, that is, wisdom and understanding, if she disobeyed God, he deceived her, and led her to transgress. To state it again it is generally said that Satan has three forms under which he tempts men:
1. The subtle serpent.
2. The roaring lion.
3. The angel of light.
He often, as the angel of light, persuades men to do things under the name of religion, which actually subvert and pervert true Christianity making it seem offensive to millions. As the great Bible commentator Adam Clarke puts it, “Hence, all the persecutions and fires of a certain church, under pretence of keeping heresy out of the church; and hence, all the horrors and infernalities of the inquisition. In the form of pagan persecution, like a lion he has ravaged the heritage of the Lord. And by means of our senses and passions, as the subtle serpent, he is frequently deceiving us, so that often the workings of corrupt nature are mistaken for the operations of the Spirit of God.”
This is exactly how the Antichrist and the False Prophet will make their debut at the beginning of the Great Tribulation that is just around the corner; it is also the same presently with many today who do not preach the truth but claim to perform miracles, signs and wonders while promising prosperity and financial gain to those who will but follow the words of the prophet. There is a Biblical basis for listening to the prophet - as long as that prophet is prophesying truth and pointing people to the Cross of Christ. For those who TRULY know the Word of God and are filled with the Spirit, it is obvious that whatever is being done in most cases is not Scriptural, and therefore, NOT OF GOD. Remember this little statement - “the SPIRIT and the Word AGREE.” (1 John 5:7) Whatever the Spirit of God does He will never contradict the Word of God; whatever the WORD OF GOD declares, the Spirit of God will always bear witness and make that word come alive in the hearts of believers! I want to clarify this even more. The message of the Word of God is the message of the Cross of Christ and Him Crucified.
All true gospel preaching points men to Calvary and what Jesus accomplished there on behalf of those who have come to Him in faith. It is because of the Cross and what Jesus did there that we have EVERYTHING that pertains to godliness - the Holy Spirit, Faith, Healing, Prosperity, Miracles, Signs, the Gifts of the Spirit, etc. ALL of these activities of the Holy Spirit will never push the believer away from the work of Christ on the Cross but will always make the Cross an EVER PRESENT OBJECT of our faith. When I say the Cross I’m not talking about some object that hangs from a chain as some use like a talisman to ward off evil spirits. I’m talking about what Christ accomplished for us there in paying man’s sin debt and securing the way for eternal salvation, victory and deliverance for all those who believe. The Cross of Christ is the ONLY thing that stands between sinful, fallen man and eternal hell. Keeping men from hell should be the church’s main focus but it has become the least of the church’s pursuits in these last days. That is not by accident but a concentrated effort of hell to destroy as many souls as possible as the world races closer to Armageddon.
Salvation has become a secondary issue with most ministries; getting people baptized in the Holy Ghost has become even less of an issue and concern. The Word of God is preached almost not at all, which means that the pattern laid down for us in the Book of Acts for the New Testament Church is totally ignored. Listen to this writer. Whenever the emphasis is ENTIRELY and the word “entirely” is key here, is on “power, signs and wonders, there is going to be problems and great opportunity for deception. In this passage we are dealing with the Antichrist and False Prophet who will both deceive the world with “lying signs and wonders,” which is what is taking place at this very moment in many mainline Charismatic churches. I will give the Baptists their due. They may reject a lot of what is of God when it pertains to the Spirit of God, but most Baptist and Methodist churches, at least those not given over the humanism, do preach a modicum of the message of the Cross. They preach and tell people how to be saved and spend eternity with Christ. (You see Southern Baptists I am not totally against you; I just want to see you open the resistance of your heart and let the HOLY GHOST IN! :D) They at least tell people the way to be born again is through the blood of Jesus. Where they err is the fail to realize that the born again experience through the new birth is completed and made real by the same Holy Spirit who they reject when it comes to spiritual gifts, miracles, signs and yes, tongues. But in the basic pretext of this journal today I am thankful for the churches still out there (like First Baptist of Powell, Tn) and men like Phil Jones who still stand up and say "you must be born again" to reach heaven. It's not through good works; it's not through the Purpose Driven Life; it's not through ANYTHING or ANYONE else except the LORD JESUS CHRIST and Him Crucified!
Then you have the other of that spectrum where mainstream Pentecostal and Charismatic ministries boast of their "gifts" and "power" in the Spirit yet they preach little on the Finished work of Christ except when they use the Lord's sacrifice at Calvary to pimp people for money. There are many mainstream ministries which broadcast their “message” over Christian Television but these messages have very little emphasis and concern for eternal matters. We’ve become so consumed with the temporal; we have stopped making the salvation of lost souls a priority. There is little talk about salvation, eternity, repentance and true healing. Money is the theme and the show is on each week in various forms and feels. The gospel is perverted by these religious pimps, who seek to equate righteousness with how much money is in one’s bank account or how many pieces of property one owns. Some make mockery of the poor as I heard one minister say over television the other day when he stated, "I get letters from those on fixed incomes; well who fixed your income?" That may sound real spiritual but it's making fun of those with little means and neighbor God is not mocked and He is not pleased with such callousness to His people - whether they are rich or poor. And this manipulation that borders on spiritual witchcraft is widespread through the television airwaves with very few exceptions. It's amazing how many pleas for money most preachers can get in within their 30 minutes of allotted time. It's amazing how litlle the name of Jesus is mentioned in that same time frame or how little of the true gospel is preached or the lack of mentioning the Cross and what it means to the believer in that same time. God help us. The blood of untold MILLIONS are going to be on this generation of preacher's hands at the judgment for such debauchery and deception! The Holy Spirit through Paul told young Timothy to turn away from such things and flee these associations. Those who preach such doctrines are “destitute of the truth,” which is the state of the modern church at the present time.
1 Tim 6:4-9 - Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Paul called such "theology" the "perverse disputings of men of CORRUPT minds!"
who are DESTITUTE of the truth. And neighbor when you support these clowns
and charlatans with your money you are in effect feeding the very monster that
is destroying millions of lives. God DOES bless His people. God DOES prosper His
people. God DOES meet every need. God DOES bless us over and abundantly at times
when we don't even realize it. But the reason He does these things is because of
the CROSS of CHRIST not because of some slick preacher/snake oil salesmen plea
for funds. I do believe in seed planting and harvest. My wife and I will be the
first to tell you we are babes when it comes to understanding concerning
prosperity and wealth; we're learning. But I know what the Bible says when it
declares that "godliness with contentment is GREAT GAIN!" We brought NOTHING
into this world and friend it is certain we can carry nothing OUT! I can assure
you that Joyce Myers $30,000 toilet seat will stay here when Ms. Myers' time on
earth is over. God help us. It's a false gospel based on false premises and the
only people hurt in these schemes are the innocent sheep who don't know any
better but are sincerely reaching out to God for answers and the enemy who knows
this always has a angel of light waiting to do great harm in the "name" of
Jesus. When we cease to "LOVE" the truth of God's Word in it's basic fundamental
message, which is the CROSS, this is what we get!
The Deception of Unrighteousness
2 Thes. 2:10
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
The motivation of the Lawless one is to deceive. As we stated in the first sentence of this message, the world is being prepped at this very moment for that advent and the way this is happening is through the rejection of the truth by the Apostate Church. Paul said the Antichrist would deceive the world with “all deceivableness of unrighteousness,” speaking to us that the nature of unrighteousness is to palm itself off as Righteousness. This means that “those who are perishing,” will be particularly vulnerable to trickery and deception. Not only will they confuse unrighteousness with Righteousness; they will also attribute DEITY to the coming Lawless One, known as the man of perdition.
The word “deceivableness,” comes from the Greek word, “apatee,” which means literally to “promote unrighteousness.” When the church commits itself to a REFUSAL to commit to preaching the true Gospel at all times at all costs and without any compromise then the result is what is described here by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle. This blindness to true righteousness is a SELF-IMPOSED blindness because of a prior refusal to “LOVE” the truth and thus be saved. When there is indifference or even antagonism to the Truth one can be sure deception is at the root! The right choice always brings people Salvation and deliverance; however as deception deepens in the church presently, such only serve to pave the way for coming devices of the Antichrist, or Lawless One. This is what I pray the Holy Spirit is helping me convey to you in this journal. The great deception which the Antichrist will foster off on the entirety of the world but especially the Jews, claiming to be the Messiah, which at first Israel will accept, IS ALREADY BEING PREPARED by the spirit of deception even at this present time.
I Jn 4:1-3 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Millions will perish because they will believe the Antichrist, but rather, that they have forsaken the Truth, and inasmuch as they have charted this course of their own volition, the Lord will allow the Evil One to produce results which will accelerate the slide downward; however, it must be remembered that the “perishing” of these hundreds of millions, even as it has always been in the past and even now at the present, is because of a decision these particular individuals have already made.
This deception is rooted in the church’s refusal to preach the true gospel which centers on the message of the Cross and the Cross alone! Humanistic psychology is NOT the gospel! Name it and claim it theology is NOT the gospel. Yet it seems that these two elements are being promoted, along with false signs and wonders to manipulate and deceive millions into believing this false gospel produced by the enemy to set the stage for the Antichrist.
At this very moment the Church presently is being prepared for one of two things: one, for those who want and desire the true ways of God, a true relationship with the lord, the glory, Grace and power of God, in other words, for the Lord to rule in their lives, the Holy Spirit is preparing such individuals in the Church for a greater moving and operation of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, this number is very few. Secondly, a great majority of the church does not want to live and abide by the Word of God. In other words, the Word is not their criteria, and I’m talking about preacher, but other things. They want their sin and Salvation at the same time. They are deceived and in Truth, their deception is becoming deeper with each passing day. They are the victims of him whose name describes his perishing nature i.e. “the son of perdition.” The Holy Spirit declares however for those truly seeking more of God that they should not fear “for God has CHOSEN you to SALVATION through sanctification of the Spirit and belief.”
2 Thes. 2:13
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Friend, you and I are either rejecting the love of the truth or we are being chosen by God to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and BELIEF of the truth. ALL deception is rooted in unbelief! Never forget that. We always get what we ask for both in the church and in the world!
I remember in the late 1980s, when in this writer’s opinion the church’s descent into apostasy began in earnest, most of the church world began to clamor for “something else” and as we write this in 2008 - friend we have gotten “something else!” Consequently, the church world today runs after fad after fad, manifestation after manifestation, sign after sign - all of which is purported to be of the Holy Spirit, when in fact these things are produced by “another Spirit” or “spirits.” The entire “show” that we see today in church is a work of the flesh i.e. the Devil and is NOT getting any body saved, healed, delivered and set free from the powers of darkness by the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit works ONLY through the parameters of the Finished Work of Christ. Yet we do these things with glee and seek to make the Holy Spirit attach Himself to our “lies.” Such is extremely dangerous but yet, those deceived have no knowledge that their slow drift with the current is steadily gathering speed, with the falls and cliff just ahead.
One interesting note about the deceit that is coming is that the Greek word “apatee” carries with it the connotation that these “miracles” of Satan will be counterfeit, meaning they will be real miracles but the purpose will be to deceive and manipulate the observer.
That has always been Satan’s purpose - to make the unsaved think they are saved and drag those truly saved away from their position in Christ, which he succeeds doing many times. That is the entirety of the purpose of deception.
What Is The Truth?
2 Thes. 2:10
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
The term “truth” in verse 10 proclaims a specific type of truth men reject to their damnation. The wording here proclaims that it is not ignorance or misunderstanding of the Truth, but rather WILLFUL unbelief and hostility toward the Truth - in other words, a refusal to welcome and accept it.
1 Thes. 1:6
And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
The problem is moral, actually a matter of choice. The clear implication is that God had sent them the power to create in them the love of the Truth, but that they had willfully refused to receive it or cooperate with it.” (Barnes) This truth I speak of is the TRUTH wrapped up in a PERSON - the Lord Jesus Christ - who IS truth. Yes, it speaks of sound doctrine, but if one has truly embraced the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, their doctrine will be sound! This is offered to ALL men yet few receive, embrace or accept it with the LOVE that God sends it!
To come down to the bottom line of this journal, which we entitled, “the love of the truth,” let me state it this way. What the church is rejecting at this present moment in history is the Truth of the Cross for the Truth of the Cross is the ONLY manner in which men are saved. The Church presently desires Christ without a Cross. They love the Jesus of the Virgin Birth, the Jesus of miracles, the Jesus of great healings, the Jesus Who multiplies the loaves and fishes, but they are like the crowds who left Christ, when they were told that in order to be saved, they must “eat his flesh and drink His blood.” (John 6:53)
Of course, Jesus was not speaking of His blood and flesh being eaten literally but was rather expressing His Soon coming Sacrificial death at Calvary. Paul explained this in Romans 6:2-6.The Jews wanted the Jesus of the Miracles, but NOT the Jesus of the Cross! Paul labeled this as “another Jesus…another Spirit…and another gospel.”
2 Cor. 11:3-4
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. [4] For if he that cometh preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
And friend that is the sad state of the modern church in this hour of apostasy. I believe in miracles. I believe God still heals today! I believe God still baptizes people in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. I believe God wants to prosper and bless His people and make possible a way for them to be financially secure in all things. I believe the one who comes to Christ in faith has because of the Cross a NEW and a better way, a better covenant built upon better promises. But if we stray from the preaching of the Cross we will succumb to growing darkness and apostasy the church world finds itself in today! If we preach the Cross the things of the Spirit will take care of themselves. If we preach the Cross, prosperity will take care of itself. If we preach the Cross, miracles will occur! If we preach Christ and Him Crucified, healings will take place! If we preach the Cross, HOLY GHOST conviction will follow and men will be saved.
On the flip side, if we fail to preach the Cross and make something our focus there will be NO true healings, no true salvations, no true signs and wonders, no true prosperity and no true power. What purports to be the gospel today is a false gospel that is damning millions to hell.
There is however another element to this apostasy that I want to zero in on in this journal and that is this. There ARE men of God still left who are STILL preaching the truth but because of apostasy, that TRUTH is being rejected. Paul said they refused the “love of the truth,” and because of such God has sent them strong delusions so they would believe a lie and be damned. It’s one thing to not hear the truth; it’s a deeper sin to HEAR the truth and reject it because one has a false view of the Gospel.
Notice the Scripture says “THE truth,” specifying a particular Truth - the truth of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified!
1 Cor. 2:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
It is THIS Truth, the TRUTH of Christ and Him Crucified that is being rejected today. Although Satan may cloak the situation in various different ways, the facts ae, that the Church either accepts the Cross of Christ, which is the Plan of God as it regards the Salvation of humanity and the victory of the Saint, or else they reject the Cross of Christ in favor of other things, whatever those other things might be!
Let me mention a few of these “other things.” The Purpose Driven Life is NOT the message that will set the captive free! Humanistic psychology and 12-step programs are NOT the message that will set the captive free and save souls! Rehab centers will NOT set one captive free. As wonderful as miracles, signs and wonders are I can assure that miracles, signs and wonders in themselves will never save one single soul. Men are saved when they place their faith in the CROSS and through the blood of Jesus Christ! When the Assemblies of God require ordained ministers who have fallen into sin and failed the Lord to go through psychiatric counseling before they restate them in the ministry that friend is “other things,” the church world embraces today in lieu of the Cross.
Let me say this again as I seek to bring this journal to a close. If believers are truly led by the Spirit of God then that individual will ALWAYS be led to the Cross! The reason is simple. Calvary is where the price was paid for all Salvation and all Victory. Jesus paid both the price and penalty for sin and broke sin’s POWER over men’s lives! Consequently, this is the way and means through which the Spirit works as it regards the Saint of God.
Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans chapter 6 tells us of the sin nature; Romans 7 tells us of the struggle between the sin nature and the divine nature each child of God has implanted in them when they are saved; Roman 8 however outlines and proclaims the dynamics of the Holy Spirit as it regards the VICTORY and Sanctification of the Child of God. If one will notice in Romans 8 Paul uses the phrase “in CHRIST” over and over meaning again that The Spirit (the Holy Spirit) and the WORD (the written word AND the Rhema Word - the LIVING WORD i.e. JESUS CHRIST) agree! “IN CHRIST” refers totally and completely to what Christ did at the Cross on our behalf, and how that our Faith places us in HIM concerning this great Sacrifice which resulted in total and complete Salvation and Victory. However, it is the Holy Spirit WHO makes ALL of these things possible in the heart and life of the Saint as to what Jesus did through the Atonement - all on our behalf. The requirement for all of this is simple child like faith in the Cross of Christ, in other words, that our Faith totally and completely rests in this great Finished Work. This is the secret to all victory and not being led astray into error in these last days.
Closing - The LOVE of the Truth
2 Thes. 2:10
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
I want to address myself to this final statement in this passage “the LOVE of the truth.” What does that mean? It actually speaks to us of two things - what our passion is toward the truth and how we proclaim truth. In proclaiming truth, it speaks to us of an uncompromised message that tells men the consequences of sin and what happens if they refuse to repent; it tells men of God's great love for their soul and His everlasting Mercy and Grace to the repentant but His anger and coming justice to the rebellious and wicked; it speaks of the truth about a place called hell that exists for all those who refuse to believe in Christ and the Cross; the truth about sin i.e. we don't call homosexuality a lifestyle but identify it as sin; alcoholism is not a disease it's a sin; drug addiction is not a cultural problem, it's a SIN problem! The love of the truth causes the preacher to rebuke PRIDE and arrogance instead of what the church world does today in applauding it.
Men perish because they received NOT the love of the truth! The love of the truth is NOT a watered down gospel message that refuses to tell men the truth about eternal matters such as hell and the fact that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven. It’s a sickening shame to have listened to one of America’s “leading” preachers of the gospel give two separate interviews within the last 2 ½ years and both times refuse to tell the millions he influences the TRUTH that JESUS CHRIST and HIM CRUCIFIED is the ONLY way whereby men “might be saved.” His latest book on "Becoming a better you," spends 385 pages outlining a self-help program to make one's life better and then mentions Jesus Christ finally on page 386 in a one sentence statement I guess to make Christians believe it is a Christian book. It's NOT.
The love of the truth has a second component which is just as important. When we speak of the truth of salvation, we speak not only of just some periphery doctrine, but rather the foundation of Christianity. In other words, if one does not have a proper understanding of "the Truth," which understanding will always generate a "love" of the Truth, one's salvation is literally at stake. Consequently, what we're speaking here is of eternal importance. Hear this writer and hear him clear, please friend. Satan doesn't really care where you place your Faith! He does not care how much Faith you might, just as long as it is in something else other than Finished Work of Christ. In other words, the sky is the limit as if regards your Faith, just so it's not in the Cross. That means that he will fight this message of the Cross as he fights nothing else and fight it he does! Why does he fight it? Because Satan knows (it's a real shame the enemy knows this but preachers of the gospel and leaders of ministries do not) that ALL Salvation, ALL true prosperity, ALL true healing, ALL true miracles, ALL true work of the Holy Ghost, ALL Sanctification, is found in the Great Sacrifice of Christ!
THIS IS THE TRUTH ALL MUST LOVE BOTH TO EMBRACE AND WILLING TO SHARE WITH THE LOST AROUND YOU! If is love for this truth is not evident in one's life then I would urge you today to do as the Holy Spirit spoke through Paul, "examine" yourself, "whether ye be in the faith!" (2 Cor. 13:5). Once again, "the Faith" speaks of the great sacrifice of Christ, the great Atonement of Christ, where Jesus purchased man's Redemption by the spilling of His Own, Precious Blood, which delivered us from the powers of darkness and gave to us eternal Life. THAT IS THE FAITH! And friend, THAT IS THE TRUTH that will keep your soul from eternal hell and separation from God! It will keep you from apostasy, deception and darkness. It will set you FREE! Jesus said you shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free! (John 8:32, 36) Jesus did not say you shall experience a manifestation and you shall be free. He said "YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH" and that truth will set you free. It's in the Cross, it's in the Cross, it's in the Cross! That is why Paul screamed to the top of his lungs, "I will GLORY in NOTHING, save the CROSS of Christ!" (1 Cor. 2:2) Praise God, Praise God.
I ask you today. Are you saved? Where is your boast? Is it in your church? Is it in your denomination? Is it in your money? Is it in your education? Is it in your 12-step program? I heard someone the other day who spent three days in a local rehab center in the town we live tell me how proud they were the center had accepted them and how great it had been for their addiction. Three days after they checked out they wound in the detox center of the local emergency room in a local hospital. Despite this, this individual boasted over and over about how this “center” delivered them from their addiction. Two things are evident friend from this story. One, they were NOT delivered of this addiction by checking into the rehab center and two, if they even had checked in and got delivered it would NOT have been this CENTER that delivered them - it would have been because of the CROSS of CHRIST! It's CHRIST! CHRIST! CHRIST! THIS is the truth we must LOVE and in fact must SEEK more and more.
I will GLORY in the Cross of Jesus Christ today. I do not glory in rehab centers or the Purpose Driven Life or the babblings of the new age gurus of Christian television or some other fool who makes all sorts of claims to manipulate you into giving them money for their $30,000 toilet seats. Our boast is in CHRIST and THE CROSS and it is because of the Cross that we are crucified with Him today and the world is crucified to us. Because they did not receive the love of the truth, God sent them strong delusion. In a future journal coming soon we are going to take a look at this strong delusion and what it means and how it pertains to us today in the church and what is coming upon Planet Earth. I pray this journal has exhorted and encouraged you today. We say it often but we say it again because it is true and sums up why we write: It’s getting late neighbor and it’s harvest time.
Email: cmc4jesus@aol.com
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