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A STORM IS COMING
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts…I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from Me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices. And they will know that I am the LORD. I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them. (1 Samuel 2:7; Ezekiel 6:9)
It’s Time To Get Ready
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired [Jesus] that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? (Matthew 16:1-3, KJV)
Beloved of God, no doubt as this apostasy accelerates within the heart of the evangelical community you can see the dark red sky above us. Those of us listening in the Spirit already know that a storm is coming. We also recall that our Lord Jesus has said – “The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice” (John 10:3-6). Now in it’s immediate context our Master is speaking to us; to the remnant of His people that He is currently calling out of rapidly decaying evangelical Christianity, killed by American business savvy and now putrefying spiritually. I offer these words as an encouragement not to be surprised if “suddenly” you find yourself looking at your local church through new eyes.
What you may not have stopped and thought about concerning this above instruction from God re. hearing His Voice is that it is also true in reverse. The children of their father the Devil also follow him because they know his voice. Can you see that this would mean God is a stranger to them and that’s why they cannot hear what we are telling them. Have you wondered why the leaders within the Ecumenical Church of Deceit of new evangelicalism simply cannot rightly divide the Word of Truth? It is as the Master has just told us, “A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” If we are teaching people from the Bible and they respond in anger or fear, you now know the reason why. And no, we will not know for sure whether they are saved or not, but because of this backward time in which we are now living my brothers and sisters, we are going to have to turn away from prevailing views of “love” and – “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24, KJV).
I write to encourage you dear Christian that you need not fear these “voices” that have been recently raised against you as a resounding gong and a clanging symbol (see–1 Corinthians 13:1), nor should you become discouraged that so few are responding to our teaching. Remember Jesus tells us, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12). And further the Master tells us – “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19, ESV). However, “Christian” leaders today like Rick Warren and Joel Osteen instead speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them (1 John 4:5).
Repent As God Leads
Dear children, more than ever as we near the end of this Age we need to realize, and to fully believe, that these are not just mere words but instead have even more pronounced meaning in our day. As you know from Holy Scripture God never does anything without first dealing with His remnant at a given time in history. It seems that our Lord patiently endures the sin that is inevitably produced by a corrupt and degenerate mankind in this fallen world while He gathers in His lambs. However, when our Lord’s Own people start to be dragged down by corruption and then wander too far off our narrow path then God will begin His inevitable judgments with His children first. This is most pointedly spelled out by the inspired Apostle Peter when God the Holy Spirit guided him to write – “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:17-18)
And those who truly belong to Christ are now feeling a sense of “urgency,” a quickening for us to begin preaching His Gospel in the power of the Spirit. Henry Martyn, who was motivated to become a missionary to India and Persia after reading the biography of David Brainerd, himself a great missionary to the Indians in America, wrote: “The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to Him the more intensely missionary we must become.” O sure the neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church, a growing section within the spiritually corrupt ECoD, speaks with spiritual pride when they continually brag that they are so “missional.” I readily grant that they are; the question is what exactly are they “missional” about, because they fail the test as Christians here as the Bible clearly says – To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20, KJV).
So much for Quaker and Living Spiritual Teacher Richard Foster, a “key mentor” of the Emergent Church, and other man-pleasers like Warren who believe that all men have “light” inside them so they can still be saved apart from God’s grace alone; through personal faith alone; in Christ alone. But this is impossible because God the Holy Spirit just told us that there is no light in them, and further the Lord instructs us the true Christian “is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My Word” (Isaiah 66:2). And here the Emergent Church fails with their neo-orthodox (at best) view of Holy Scripture. Once you realize that this movement began as a rebellion against the absolute Truth and final authority of the Bible you will no longer have to fear haughty people like Tony Jones who – professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,… Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (Romans 1:22,25). And we’re back to the absolute Truth that because they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
As for you, the beloved elect of the Father, purchased by the precious blood of the Lamb, regenerated and kept by the Spirit, do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-6). Repent as the Great Shepherd leads, do the things you did at first (see–Revelation 2:4-5), and strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;… Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil (Proverbs 4:26-27). Beloved, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:9-10). The time has arrived where now more than ever we must have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11).
And finally my brothers and sisters, because we know that a storm is coming…
Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His Name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:13-17, 20-21, ESV)
Posted by Ken Silva, pastor-teacher at June 7, 2006 02:57 PM
Copyright © 2007 by Ken Silva. All rights reserved.