Abide in Him

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.

They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out , in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.

But you have an annointing from the Holy one, and you all know.

I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

As for you, let that abide in you which you have heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

And as for you, the annointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His annointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

And now little children abide in Him, so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him with shame at His coming.

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

                             1 John 2:18-29 NASB

My previous post dealt with the topic of deception in the last days. You can read it here. I would like to continue with this theme as I believe that it is vital for us to be well grounded in the faith, not just in the end times, but even now, as false teachers have always been among us.

John is writing to Christians who have received the faith (the gospel, doctrine etc.) firsthand from the eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ (see 1John 1:1-4). These Christians as John states, knew the truth. That was the purpose of his epistle. He was confronting false teaching that threatened the Church. He was not protecting a group of believers who didn't have a grasp on the truth, but they knew the truth from the beginning. They were literally grounded in the apostle's teachings.

This is important in so many ways. We must be firmly grounded in the truth. Although the original Apostles are long gone, the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) is the same faith built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Himself being the chief corner stone (Ephesians 2:20) that has been handed down to us through the word of God. 

Let us endeavor to grasp it, understand it, believe it, and make it ours. It must not merely be a faith of the head, but a living, active faith that is obeyed and followed, and allowed to transform us into the image of Christ. Anything less than that is not the faith found in the pages of scripture.

What we believe about Jesus affects our worship and submission to Him. Anything other than what is revealed in scripture will impact our faith in a negative way. Ultimately, the danger is that we will end up believing a different gospel, and following a different Jesus than the only Jesus who can save us (Galatians 1:6-9, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4). Our abiding in the truth, and consequently in Christ, is where our safety is found. To be outside of the truth is to be outside of Christ, and to be susceptible to all forms of error.

John was confronting heresy in his day that twisted the truth of who Jesus truly was. This was, and is the spirit of antichrist. There is nothing new under the sun, and new twists on old heresies still abound today. No doubt when the final beast kingdom arises, false prophets will arise out of it deceiving many with the same attacks on the person and work of Jesus.

It is my firm belief that the end time beast prophecied to arise will be made up of the Muslim nations surrounding Israel today. The scriptures are clear, all the nations mentioned in prophetic passages concerning end times events surrounding the day of the LORD are Muslim majority nations today. While many teachers are looking to a coalition of European nations to spawn the antichrist, the Bible actually directs us to look at the Middle East. 

You must understand that Islam has its version of "Jesus." The Jesus (Issa) of Islam is a mere man. He never claimed to be God, He was never crucified, and in the last days He will return to help an individual referred to as the Mahdi (the antichrist?) eliminate Jews and Christians, and install Islam as the final religion. This Issa destroys a man known as the Dajaal, (Islam's version of the antichrist) who by the way refers to himself as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." That's a bit eerie isn't it?

It wouldn't be too farfetched to imagine the false prophet of Revelation 13:11-18 claim to be Issa (Jesus), deny his deity, deny that he was crucified, and instead direct all worship to the man known as the Mahdi. Now I admit this is speculation at this point in time. We don't know how everything will play out, but we have the warnings found in the scriptures telling us of false prophets and false Christs raising and deceiving many. 

I want to make something clear. I love Muslim people. My wife and I are aquainted with many Muslims. We have had some of them in our home, and been in their homes as well. We see a people who are themselves blinded by a deception that has run for 1,400 years now. They are born into this, and desperately need the light of Christ to shine into their hearts. Just as you or I at one time also were lost without Christ, so are they. Unless they come to a knowledge of the truth and surrender their lives to Jesus, they too will perish. God loves all people and sent Jesus to die for the Muslim as well as the Hindu, atheist etc. We are all on level ground at the foot of the cross.

So with that in mind, we must know what we believe, why we believe it, and make sure it is the truth. It can be hard to debate a Jehovah's witness, a Mormon, or a Muslim. Many people fall for the deception that these groups spread. It is amazing how similar these three cults are in their beliefs. An attack against the person and work of Jesus Christ is at the heart of these group's message. Indeed they preach a different gospel and a different Jesus than that which has been revealed in scripture.

Back to our passage, John speaks of an annointing that we as believers possess. This annointing is the Holy Spirit, who Jesus also refers to as "the Spirit of truth" in John 14:15-26. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to come and dwell in each believer. Through the indwelling presence of the Spirit we have fellowship with the Father and Son. This is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27). 

The Holy Spirit is referred to by Christ as the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit guides us into the truth, and without the revelation of the Holy Spirit we cannot expect to abide in truth in our own strength. With this annointing we do not need the opinions of men to direct us into the truth. While the ministry gifts are meant for the edification of the Church, and are vital in guiding the Church through deception and on to maturity (Ephesians 4:12-15), ultimately we have the responsibility to study these things for ourselves with the annointing of the Holy Spirit.

Men are fallible, prone to make mistakes, and even deliberately mislead. We must always back up what we hear with the word of God, made clear to us by the Holy Spirit. That is the meaning of this passage.

If we remain in the truth, submitted to Christ in trust and obedience, we have nothing to fear at His return. His truth will preserve us from error. With the Holy Spirit to guide us we can be confident in these days we live in. I read something years ago, and I don't remember who said it, 

"The Holy Spirit will not lead you where the word of God cannot keep you."

These are meaningful words for us to ponder. By the power of the Holy Spirit, let us press on to know Christ, abiding in His presence, safe in the storm, and not ashamed at His return.

For further reading

The Spirit of Antichrist.

The Rejection of Wisdom.

     "Because I called and you refused,

I stretched out my hand and

no one paid attention;

and you neglected all my council

and did not want my reproof;

I will also laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your dread comes,

when your dread comes like a storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

"Then they will call upon me,

but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently

but they will not find me,

because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

"They would not accept my council,

they spurned all my reproof.

"So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way

and be satiated with their own devices."

Proverbs 1:24-30 NASB



       These are sobering words. One must ask the question, "How long can a person, society, or nation spurn God, reject truth, and remain willfully ignorant of true wisdom, before He casts them off and allows them to remain forever entrenched in their ignorance?"
     We read in Romans of the kindness of God, who is patient and long suffering with the wicked, in hopes that they will come to repentance. Yet there comes a point when people reach a place of no going back. By remaining stubborn and unrepentant, they store up wrath for themselves in the day of God's righteous judgment (Romans 2:4-5).
     These are not verses that we would commonly hear read in our Sunday services. Most Pastors would not pick this passage out of Proverbs to preach a series of sermons on, yet it is God's word to us, and a very severe word at that. We dare not trifle with God; we dare not reject wisdom when it calls. As we read in Proverbs 2:1-6, only those who diligently seek wisdom will discern the fear of Lord, and discover the knowledge of God, as wisdom only comes from God. 
     What a tragic thing to spend a lifetime rejecting truth in the pursuit of our selfish lusts, only to find that in the day of trial when we so desperately need wisdom, we are denied.
                                                                                                                                                                               

The Destruction of the Foundations.

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Psalm 11:3 NASB








     We see an unprecedented amount of ungodliness in our world today. Just as in the days of Noah, it appears that the thoughts and intents of the heart of man are only evil, all the time (Gen 6:5).
     It seems ironic that as I write this, that we are celebrating independence day, while in reality millions are in bondage to their sunken depravity. It matters not that freedom has been "legislated" for deviant sexual behavior; there is no freedom apart from the radical freedom from sin that comes only through Christ Jesus.
     I want to primarily address those who would call themselves Christians, as judgment first begins in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). What we are seeing today, not only in our nation, but within the walls of the "professing church," is the result of building upon a faulty foundation. Many have chosen to build their spiritual house upon the sand, rejecting the rock that would ensure the true spiritual prosperity of those holding the faith "once delivered" (Matt 7:24-27; Jude 1:3).
     In what ways have the foundations been destroyed? In what ways have we been found to have been building upon sand? Let's look at some "basic" things in scripture, that have been neglected, and even rejected by generations of professing Christians, leading, I believe, to what we are seeing today.

     1. What happened to the fear of the Lord?
     This is at the entry level. The fear of the Lord is basic to our knowledge of God, and the beginning of wisdom (Prov 2:1-5). With no fear of the Lord, it is impossible to be a true Christian, one who in truth, believes in, and follows the Lord Jesus Christ.
     Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. To fear the Lord is to take Him seriously. It is to believe what He reveals to us about Himself; His standards, His justice, righteousness, and holiness. It is to take His words seriously when He speaks of judgment and hell. To fear the Lord means that we take to heart what He tells us of ourselves; our sinfulness and rebellion, our lost condition; of our being dead in sin apart from Him. The fear of the Lord will cause us to depart from evil (Prov 16:6). This fear drives us to seek the Lord, and to live in obedience to Him (Job 1:8). It is a healthy fear, a clean fear, distinguished from a slavish fear that is based upon "performance," always looking for one more good deed to perform; always worried that there is one more thing to do to ensure our salvation. No, the true fear of the Lord causes us to take Him seriously; to believe what He says, and to act upon it. It causes us to repent and surrender; to give up our sin, and to submit our lives to Christ; to follow Him in loving obedience for His sake, not for what we can get out of Him.
     We have lost this fear. We would rather feel good about things; ourselves and our actions, even though they may deviate from scripture. We would rather have a god of our own invention; a god who does not punish sin, who does not convict us when we stray. We would rather have a Jesus who did not speak about hell and coming judgment; and many have twisted His words on these things to explain it all away. We would rather have a Jesus who bore the cross for us, and said nothing of our need to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34). We say it is a finished work, and indeed it is. There is nothing we can add to the work of Christ on our behalf. Yet, He calls us to lose all for Him; to deny ourselves, and to follow Him even unto death if we would be His disciples. Why do we reject this today? Those who call Lordship salvation a heresy, are in effect calling Jesus a heretic, as He is the one who preached it first. Where is our fear of the Lord?
     You see, there is very little of the fear of the Lord in existence today. This is why so many of us can sin so easily, and come back with a half hearted confession, or no confession at all. This is why it is so easy to call ourselves Christian in name only, while our lives are filled with the devil. If we do not take the scriptural warnings at face value, and the New Testament alone, is full of them, we won't really care what our lives look like to God. That is why we can see so many "happy" people in Church tolerating any and everything that comes along; they worship God with their lips, while their hearts are far from Him (Mark 7:6-7).

      2. The scriptures have been explained away.
       The Bible tells us that scripture is God breathed. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). Jesus states that those who continue in His word are truly His disciples, and they will know the truth that can set them free (John 8:31-32). We have seen in the last several generations, an assault on the word of God, to make it of little or no effect. Men have placed doubt upon the inspiration of the scriptures, others upon the absolute truth of the scriptures. They have explained away the miracles, the commands, warnings and the promises of the word of God, in favor of mere humanistic "wisdom" and effort.
     Many people within "Christianity" believe that the Bible contains the words of God, but is not the word of God. Many others look at it as merely a cultural thing that has no real bearing on today's culture. They believe it is old and antiquated; it was for a different time, and it cannot work for us today to follow the principles found within it. So many of the promises and commands found within it's pages are explained away by the "cultural" argument. Once again, even New Testament principles are rejected by the modern "Church."
     There are those within the realm of "Christianity who reject the reliability of God's word. They say that you cannot believe everything that is in the Bible. These people believe that some things are true, while other things are not. This leads one to question the reliability of anything revealed to us by God, even the gospel. This also leads people to pick and choose what they will believe and follow as Christians; a dangerous concept indeed. Those who teach this are much like Satan when he placed doubt in the mind of Eve (Gen 3:1-5). We are warned: Do not add to, do not take away from God's word (Rev 22:18-19). The word of God is not subject to our own interpretation. We do not have the option to make it say what we want to hear (2 Peter 1:20-21).
      As I stated earlier, my purpose in writing this is to show us the dangerous ground we are on within professing Christianity. This is primarily addressed to those who call themselves Christians, not the world at large. These are common teachings within many of our churches and denominations today. Look it up. There are many polls out there that show the rejection by professing believers, of some of the most basic and orthodox beliefs found in God's holy, inspired word. How can we expect a Church to live according to the precepts and principles found within the pages of the sacred word, when it has been so thoroughly explained away by our modern pastors, teachers, theologians, and professors?

     3. There is very little love of the truth found today.
     The Apostle Paul wrote of a coming time when men would no longer endure sound doctrine. Instead, they would gather to themselves teachers who would teach them what they wanted to hear (2 Tim 4:3). We are living in an age where there is little love of the truth. Mega churches are filled with "seekers" desiring to have their ears tickled with soothing words. Pastors are busy dumbing down spiritual truths, choosing to give "uplifting" messages rather than confront the lost with the claims of Christ and the truth of the gospel. People do not want to hear of hell and judgment; they do not want to hear about sin and repentance. They would rather be soothed; have their ears tickled, and be encouraged to embrace who they are regardless of how wicked it may be in the sight of God. Pastors and modern evangelists have spread a gospel that comforts sinners in their sin. They have encouraged people to "come just as they are" with no sorrow, and no repentance. The modern gospel is more concerned with the happiness of man than the glory of God. Churches are filled with individuals selfishly seeking their best life now, using God for their own personal gain. But this is not how the Bible portrays salvation or true Christianity. The message of the cross is one of death to sin; of self denial and persecution; of trial and tribulation. The mission of Christ was to set men free from sin. The word of God assures us that those who are truly born again are overcomers. Their lives are no longer the same; they do not live how they used to live; they have been transformed (2 Cor 5:17; 1 John 3:5-6, 5:4-5).
     Those who reject the truth do so because they love wickedness. There is a strong warning of God's judgment for those who refuse the truth. God will send them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false (2 Thess 2:10-12). Those who are willfully ignorant, who choose to reject the truth for a lie, will be given over to falsehood, and go lost. This is a serious warning to those who seek out teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. As for those who teach a different gospel than what is revealed in the scriptures, they are under a severe warning as well. Paul says they are accursed; devoted to destruction (Gal 1:8-9). It is no small matter in the eyes of God when we exchange the truth for a lie (Romans 1:18-32).

     These may seem like hard words to many. It is not my desire to offend, but to speak up, to sound a clear warning; something is wrong! We are told that Christ is to come back for a Church without spot or wrinkle. He is looking for a Church that is holy and blameless. When He comes back, it will not be for a country club; a place where everyone can get together and have a great time feeling good about God, and themselves, and all of their sin. He is not returning to take home all of those who have used Him for the advancement of their worldly pursuits. He is not coming for the television hucksters who peddle a gospel get rich quick scheme, or for those who faithfully sowed a "seed" in order to gain material blessings. This is nothing more than the promotion of a god for hire, yet so much of our American Christianity is based upon these and other selfish principles.
     We need to get back to the basics. We need to cry out for wisdom, to seek it as we would seek silver and hidden treasure. We need to discern the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 2:1-5). We need to take Him at His word; to believe that He means what He has said. We need to come to Him in humble repentance, to submit ourselves to Him; to receive His word and obey it. We must love His truth, even when it is hard. And to love His truth means that we let it shape our lives, and we speak up boldly in defense of it no matter the cost. The church is to be the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim 3:15). We must pray for strength and wisdom in these perilous days. We must pray for revival to shake us up, to awaken the sleepers, and to prepare us for the days ahead, that we would be found worthy of Christ at His return.
     

A Cry For Revival: False Grace.

A Cry For Revival: False Grace.:      And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), "Let us do evil that good may come?" Their c...

No Participation Ribbons.

     One of my childhood memories is track and field day, and the awards day that followed it. The students who placed in the races, softball throws, and jumping contests, were all called forward to receive their ribbons. After all the blue and red ribbons were passed out, the rest of us who were not so athletic, were all called forward to receive our participation ribbon. This was so that no one would feel left out, although it was humiliating to be called out in front of everyone to receive an award that was not really an award. 
     This practice of including everybody, no matter their lifestyle, has carried over into the church as well. It seems that every single warning passage in the bible is twisted to make everyone feel safe in their sin. 
     How often do we hear "In this passage, Jesus is not speaking of one's salvation, but their loss of rewards"? Or, "Paul is speaking of the loss of one's rewards, but the individual's salvation is not in doubt"? We see this all the time. It seems that many pastors, teachers, and bible commentators, are quite at ease in explaining away what seems like a pretty clear cut warning, dealing with the salvation of one's soul, in this way.

     Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
     Everyone who competes in the games exercises self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
     Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
                        1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NASB

     These are the words of the apostle Paul, a man mightily used by God. We would assume that surely their was no chance of Paul being disqualified, being cast away, of losing his salvation. This is what he means however. He exercised self control in all things. Just as an athlete would train, and deny themselves anything that would hinder their ability to win, so Paul himself, lived and acted in such a way that when he had preached to others, he himself would not go lost. These are very sobering words to think about.
     Paul was not speaking of losing rewards. He was not living a life of self control so that he would be sure to get all of his rewards. His life was lived in radical pursuit of Jesus Christ. He lost all to gain Christ. He understood that to lose Christ was to lose all, spiritually, in the end (Philippians 3:8-14).
     There were no participation ribbons for Paul. It was Christ or nothing. He understood that to turn back from His pursuit of Christ, to fall into sin, even though he preached to others, would cost him more than some rewards. There would be no participation ribbon. He could not say like so many others that it only affected his rewards, but not his salvation.
     There are warning passages in scripture that are there for that very purpose, to warn us of the danger of falling away into sin. We would do well to heed what God is saying to us, rather than blindly listening to someone who we think knows what these passages mean. There is too much at stake eternally. God loves us enough to warn us of the dangers that we face in our Christian walk. We are playing with fire to explain it away, while we drift away from our life in Christ.
     
  

What Is Truth?

     Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"
                                John 18:38 NASB

     We see this attitude running rampant throughout society today. This is an age where absolutes are fast disappearing. What is truth for you may not be truth for me, but as long as it works for me it is truth. At least truth for me, in my situation.
     We see the timeless principles of God's word being cast aside as irrelevant to the culture of the day. What was once considered to be morally wrong, is now accepted and even promoted as good and upright.
     God has been created by man to be whatever man's fleshly desires want Him to be. All roads lead to heaven has become a popular belief in our politically correct culture of the day. We do not want to exclude anyone, no matter what they believe. Even many who claim Christ as "their way to heaven" hold out the possibility that others may be right as well.
     But what does it matter if what you believe to be truth turns out not to be truth? There is only one truth that pertains to the things of God. Everyone cannot be right on this subject. If what the bible teaches us about God, man, sin, judgment, and redemption, is true, then every other religious system is false no matter how sincerely people feel about its truth.
     What good will it be when one is ten thousand years into eternity, in the wrong place, because what they thought to be truth, was a lie?
     In His conversation with Pilate Jesus declares that those who are of the truth are the ones who hear His voice (John 18:37). There is a standard found in the word of God (John 17:17), Jesus the living Word (John 1:1, 14), being the very truth Himself (John 14:6, 17:3). Only the truth can set you free (John 8:31-32, 36).