An assumption is “something that you assume to be the case, even without proof.” Over the years many have based their beliefs on faulty assumptions. They have not counted the cost and their lack of understanding has left them confused (knowingly or unknowingly) as to who God is, how God acts and what He expects from us; just as many have made false assumptions that have carried on from generation to generation. These generational sins have carried over and the church upholds them as truth. When I say generational sins, I am not talking about alcoholism, abuse and the likes but the rejection of God’s word. Today the church passes false teaching from one generation to the next without ever stopping to say, what are we missing here and why is their no power? False and faulty teaching has been passed on as if they are the gospel truth as found in scripture. This is how deception works. Many look back to the Reformation and say this was a good thing but it was even more divisive than the Great Schism 1054 where the church split in two and you had the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox. Two is nothing compared to what happened since the reformation. You now had the Catholic Church and Protestants but as you can see today there are so many divisions it is hard to count them. After the reformation you had Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Reformed, Presbyterian, Anabaptist, Mennonite and after this split after split and today you have thousands of differing groups within groups and within those groups. Each group has their own belief and are distinct from others, hence the splits. So the reformation was not a good thing but was a turning away even further from the word of God to man’s word and void of the Spirit of Truth. The assumption that these splits in the church were a good thing is false as these “isms” have been deadly for the church.
Jesus said there is only one way. We are also told that we are to be one but the assumption is that there are many and it’s okay; but it is not okay. When Jesus prayed for His disciples He said, John 17:9 “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” John 14:23 “Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” If the Holy Spirit was as present as most say He is, then there would be truth and the true church would be one. John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 25 All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” But notice you have to obey and keep the commands of God, and then you have truth. John 15:26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” John 16:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
Today there are so many different views it is mind-blowing. When talking about the end-times for example some believe this or that yet Jesus said the Holy Spirit will tell you what is yet to come so there will be only one view. I do realize that everyone thinks their view is the right one but power from on High confirms the right one. There is so much confusion because we are missing the Spirit of Truth. We had these splits because one man believed one thing and another believed something completely different yet they all agree to disagree and say they love Jesus. That is not possible as there is only one way. Paul tells us Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ezekiel 37:21 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 24 “‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. 25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’”
I do believe that each group believes their way to be the right way. To make this assumption has led the church to desolation and destruction with absolutely no power to defeat our enemies of which I will talk about tomorrow. These assumptions about all these ways have been passed down from generation to generation. The passage above from Ephesians and Ezekiel was how the church was supposed to be but like Israel, the church has rebelled against the word of God assuming that it is okay to add to and subtract from God’s word. Revelation 22:18 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” That assumption that God will do nothing will cost you. Jeremiah 5:11 “The people of Israel and the people of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me,” declares the Lord. 12 They have lied about the Lord; they said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. 13 The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them.” Those who have gone before us have gone their own way assuming nothing will happen to them for doing so. Deuteronomy 29:19 “When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.” Proverbs 21:2 “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
The problem is the church just keeps following those who have gone before us. Yes there are dress code changes, technical changes but the faulty doctrinal distinctives keep getting worse and worse so that 2 Kings 22:13 “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” Here are a few passages that talk about this rebellion. Numbers 32:8 “This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. 9 After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord’s anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: 11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ 13 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.” Jeremiah 2:5 “This is what the Lord says: “What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. 6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’ 7 I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. 8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.” Jeremiah 7:23 “I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.” Jeremiah 16:10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. (today it is other gospels) They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.” Stephen said Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
I think you get the point that those who have gone before us did not adhere to the word of God, therefore loosing the power that comes with obedience. The only option is repentance but don’t assume you don’t have to repent because you are a committed member of a church. Zechariah 1:2 “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. 4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. 5 Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors? “Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’” Peter said Acts 2:40 “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” King Hezekiah said, 2 Chronicles 30:6 “People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 If you return to the Lord, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
Many will say they are men and woman of God yet they continue in the ways of those who went before them such as Calvinism and Dispensationalism for example. These leaders are just following the likes of Luther, Calvin, and Wesley or any of the modern day gurus who appear to be successful. They are just teaching their ways to a new generation of followers but not teaching them to turn back to God’s word. Jesus said to the Jewish leaders John 5:37 “You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” These leaders continue in the ways of those before them and they sell you their wares like study bibles and all the books you could buy and appear to have knowledge. 2 Timothy 3:7 “always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.” 2 Peter 2:1 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity.” Jeremiah 23:36 “But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God.” Lamentations 2:14 “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” Don’t assume the person teaching you is showing you the right way. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Another deadly assumption is that God is no longer doing for the present church as He did when He started the church. That assumption leaves you powerless. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said Daniel 3:17 “if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” One of the assumptions of many in the church today believes that power, miracles, signs and wonders were only used to start the church not to finish it. This assumption leads to the demons and the sickness to also all disappear after the startup, which is ludicrous as it is easy to see the demonic, and sickness have gone nowhere yet the power in the church is gone. The church assumes that God is not going to save them as He did for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego so they have to live with the outcome. Many in the church erroneously teach that God no longer performs wonders so we just have to get by. To say God no longer gives His gifts of power to His people is a doctrine of demons, as nowhere does the bible say God’s power was to cease after the church started.
There are also many who assume that because someone said something in church it must be true. 1 John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” This is why we test the spirits. Daniel 8:13 “Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the Lord’s people?” Jesus warned us about this deception and the enemy destroying the church. Daniel 8:23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. Matthew 24:15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.”
Today many assume they are safe and secure and are set to meet Jesus because someone who also assumed told them so. Today there is a lack of biblical knowledge and wisdom as God has turned His face from us so we are not seeing this. 1 Corinthians 12:8 “To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit.” There is also no fear of God. Don’t assume that because you have attended church all your life that you will hear “well done my good and faithful servant,” and Matthew 25:34 “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” If you have been following a false gospel the words you will hear are 41 ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” The assumption of self-imposed security could cost you eternal life. 2 Peter 3:17 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.”
So make sure you don’t ass-u-me or you just may have a donkey speak to you! 2 Peter 2:15 “They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.”
