Only a FOOL would suggest that the decline of the American socieity and the fall of this nation is the result of the liberals, homosexuals, pro-abortionists, terrorists, or illegal aliens. Such ridiculous propoganda is evidence of the shallow thinking and ignorance that permeates the American culture; a "thinking" that has infiltrated and captured the so-called "Christian" church - an organization that claims to stand for the truth of Scripture while claiming responsibility for holding off the forces of evil that are attemtping to BURY this country. But the truth is, no organization or group is more responsible for the decline and fall of the United States than is THE MODERN PROFESSING CHRISTIAN CHURCH!!
What would you think if I told you that most of the local churches in your community are ICHABOD; unbiblical and ungodly?
And what would you think if I told you that nowhere in the entire Bible does God tell ANYONE to attend these congregations?
Would I be right? Let’s find out!
Jesus said, "Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, THIS PEOPLE HONORETH ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME. HOWBEIT IN VAIN THEY DO WORSHIP ME, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Mark 7:6,7,9,13 (Emphasis in all caps is mine)
Today, quoting the Lord Jesus Christ, for most people, is like pouring water into a sieve. In one ear and out the other. NOTHING STICKS. People have made up their minds what they will believe, because it is what they want to believe, and have no interest in real Biblical truth; the truth once delivered to the saints. (Jude 3&4) Don’t confuse them with the facts. They willfully live in blind ignorance, and are quite content living in spiritual darkness!
Their TRADITION, is their god; their “CHURCH” is their savior; their DENOMINATION is their authority, and their OPINION is their lord. And they love it so! UNTIL THEY BUST HELL WIDE OPEN! The Lord Jesus Christ and His Word have little bearing on their lives.
So, let’s start at the foundation where the real problem lies.
AUTHORITY. Our authority is to be Jesus Christ, as He has revealed Himself in His Holy Word. The Scriptures are to be the authority, not men’s vain philosophies and traditions. The Bible is our roadmap, not covenants, creeds, catechisms, quarterlies, conventions, traditions, opinions, etc.
At the core of this cultural Christianity (a pseudo-Christianity that is based on the dictates of society instead of the truth of the Bible) which is so pervasive today, is the idea that a “Christian” is commanded by God to go to church. As a matter of fact, the majority of church attendees believe that somehow, by going to church, they have done God some kind of favor; fulfilled their weekly commitment of service; fulfilled the Great Commission; obeyed the First and Great Commandment; all while keeping them in the good graces of God. AND NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!!
BUT, the “entertainers” in the pulpit need someone to entertain (an audience), and need someone to pay for the entertainment (their salary). So what they must do, in order to get you to come and listen to their irrelevant opinions and carelessly prepared sermons is to coerce you through guilt to attend and to pay your tithe!
However, it is a tradition of men, taught as a commandment of God. It is a teaching that is totally self-serving. It is a way to manipulate people to attend and give money to an organization that actually puts little, if any, of those funds into the real work of the ministry. It pays lazy pastors (hirelings), and other so-called church leaders, to sit at home, work in the garden, watch TV, play video games, go hunting, go fishing, or whatever pleasure it is that they love more than God (2 Timothy 3:4); all while manipulating hard-working people to invest time and money in an organization that is no more serving God than are the Masons, Shriners, Eastern Star, Knights of Columbus, or the church of WICCA. (It is important to note that all of these organizations answer to the same authority!) I know pastors in my town that have invested enough in their hobbies of hunting and fishing, that they could have supported a missionary on the field for a whole year! (Of course we’ve all heard the party line: “It’s okay to have things as long as things don’t have you.” But wise and discerning folks know that is nothing more than the anthem for all pleasure seeking materialists!)
And these men do not meet the Biblical qualifications of a pastor! In 1 Timothy 3:3, the Bible says, “…not greedy of filthy lucre…not covetous.” Not only that, they don’t qualify based on numerous other REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Try "given to hospitality". Try "apt to teach". Try "patient". Try "one that ruleth well his own house". But, then again, who cares about what the Bible says?
The reality is, the local assembly today has so little to offer of the things of God, the leaders must manipulate the conscience of folks, by making them feel like they couldn’t be a good Christian if they don’t attend church services (whatever those are---except dead, dry, unmeaning, insignificant, blocks of wasted time) or any other function the pastor thinks is required by God. Since these “churches” are so vacant of any real biblical substance, few would bother to attend if they didn’t feel forced into it by feelings of guilt. The truth is, THERE ISN’T ONE PLACE IN THE ENTIRE BODY OF SCRIPTURE THAT COMMANDS ANYONE, ANYWHERE TO GO TO CHURCH! (Hold your horses sonny; don’t swallow your pacifier---or tobacco---just yet; and don’t kick the slats out of your crib; just hold off on your little temper tantrum for a few more minutes; I’m getting to your pet verse! We all know it’s Hebrews 10:25. Are you ready?)
Hebrews 10:25 commands no one, anywhere, at any time, to go to church. Rather, it is a command to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together; i.e., believers assembling together for the purpose of exhorting and helping one another to maintain good works. You would know that if you had read verse 24! It has nothing to do with going to church. That is an expression that is foreign to the Word of God. Not only that, the Bible nowhere commands us as believers to assemble ourselves together with non-believers; yet most church members are non-believers! And yet these charlatans pretend that the Bible commands believers to assemble themselves together with non-believers for the purpose of worship! What godless foolishness! AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A NUCLEAR PHYSICIST TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON HERE! JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY!
As a matter of fact, in Psalm 27:4-5, the Bible says, “I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers (another word for hypocrites). I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.” And when you consider the condition of the local church today, this is a command to NOT ATTEND OR SUPPORT IT WITH MY TIME, TALENT, OR TREASURE! That’s right. A command to not go and sit with these kinds of congregations! The problem is, as Jesus so clearly stated, the unsaved religious people prefer tradition over God’s commands!
And again, it is written, Jesus saith unto her, Woman believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (emphasis mine) But then again, who listens, when Jesus speaks?
The truth is, the greatest enemy today of the true Church, i.e., the Body of Christ, is the local church. Why? Because it is an area where Satan has established one of his greatest strongholds. The greatest adversary to the truth is not the liberals, it isn’t the feminists, it isn’t the abortionists, it isn’t the homosexuals, it isn’t the drunkard, the drug addict, or the prostitute; it is the false teachers of scripture who subvert and pervert the truth of God and twist it to teach a lie. And our communities are filled with them. Some teach falsehood because it is their evil intent to do so under demonic leadership. Others teach falsehood because of their lazy approach toward preparing themselves to be profitable servants of the Lord; laziness in preparation to teach the Word of God through proper study and prayer, is pandemic in the churches. There is no “meat,” and what little “milk” you get, is mostly sour.
Let me state it clearly: Anyone who teaches that God commands, or expects, the believer to support the local church as it is today, is either a blind guide, blinded by spiritual darkness, or is unstudied and ignorant, and willingly passing along the traditions of men. Only God knows their motives; I can’t know them for sure; nevertheless, the Bible clearly exposes their error. Anyone taking the time to carefully study the Book of Jude, can clearly see the evil behind what is going on in the local church today.
The local assembly today is little more than a gathering place for all kinds of people, with all kinds of motives and agendas, seeking to be entertained and have their ears tickled. As a result, these local congregations have become fertile ground for the forces of evil. And the leaders of these local assemblies spout all manner of unscriptural traditions and heresies, as they seek to be crowd pleasers, or are lazy blind leaders of the blind. And the Bible clearly warns us of them. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) And only a fool would suggest that it is God’s WILL that we be a part of this, just because He wants us to go to church! WHAT ABSOLUTE ABSURDITY!!!
In addition, you will find that many of these so-called church leaders have sworn allegiances to satanic secret societies like the Masons, Shriners, Eastern Star, etc. And the local assembly, instead of being the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15); where the tired, the weary, the depressed, the defeated, the broken, and the lost can find the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE; hope, healing, rest, recovery, and salvation; the local assembly has become the harbinger for the forces of darkness and evil and the satanic lies they spread.
To further understand the godless conditions of many of these local churches, many of their leaders are addicted to drugs (prescription and otherwise), alcohol, tobacco, pornography, television, sports, recreation, entertainment, laziness, materialism, and lack the interest to break the power that the bondage of sin and lust have over their own lives. For most, “the ministry” as they see it, is little more than a way for them to make a living (hirelings). Few have any real interest to reach out into the community and help others in need, or to reach the community with the gospel. They profess those interests, but their lifestyle and behavior betrays their profession. It is called HYPOCRISY! And they shall receive the greater damnation! (Matthew 23:14) And their continued godless poisonous teachings on “grace” and “the purpose of the local church” continue to be lapped up by their congregants, like a dog laps up its own vomit! You are welcome!
By Gary E. Williams, B.D.
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