Today I want to continue talking about the video I showed last week. The video was 4.08 minutes long but in that video lies the problem of the massive deception that has taken over the church. This is the abomination that causes desolation. Jesus warned us that this would happen as we read earlier. Yes I know everyone is waiting for it to happen in the future. Jesus said, 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—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.” So we have been warned over and over again. This 4-minute video summarizes this desolation we find ourselves in.
Now before I go on I want to illustrate how satan works. Whenever truth rises satan will try to knock it down and if you are not careful you will also be deceived. I asked Laurie after the service last week what she thought of the video. Honestly I thought it was going to be “Yeah that was brutal but she surprised me but I should not have been surprised. She said she had to fight off satan’s advances. I asked her to write down what happened when I showed the video. Here is her response. “As I listened to this couple minutes of John McArthur last week I felt spiritually vulnerable, that all of a sudden this well spoken, seemingly authoritative speaker was challenging my own belief and I felt a bit panicked. "What if he was right, what if God doesn't do healing, miracles, speak thru prophets any more and it all stopped with the disciples. What if I have been believing in a power that doesn't exist?" I have learned how satan works over these years. He whispers doubt in your ear, makes you feel that you don't know anything and makes you question your faith in the living God. I have also learned to fight against his whispers head on. As I sat in service my mind raced to events in my own life, experiences that only God could have orchestrated, only He could have given the wisdom, only He could have put people in my life. If I believe that His power is no longer available to us now, then I believe in a dead, totally void gospel that has no significance in my life. Jesus said "go and you will do greater things than I did" to his disciples to what their ministry was. If it all stopped with them, than we have no purpose or hope. Jesus wasn't just talking to His disciples in the bible, we are His disciples and He speaks these words to us. You know there are false prophets because you have real prophets and our God IS NOT DEAD. These persuasive speakers have mislead millions of people to believe the power of the Holy Spirit is not available to us today and it's these people who will hear "I don't know you. It sickens me that people think the miraculous gifts ceased after the New Testament and my God's power is no longer available.” I have hear that same voice as I am sure many have.
So you can see that satan is at work in our midst to try to stop the message from ringing out in the streets. Proverbs 1:20 “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; 21 on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: 22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? 23 Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings. 24 But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, 25 since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, 26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you— 27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. 28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, 29 since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. 30 Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, 31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. 32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
You see, no matter what, you must stand on the word of God. No where in the bible does it even imply that the power has ceased for all who believe. Yes they will distort scriptures like saying “ But where there are prophecies, they will cease;” but a few verses later Paul says “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” You can’t just pick a verse and make it say what you want. It is more about ignorance as to what prophecy is. The bible is closed but there are still prophets who speak God’s word to those who will not listen. These teachings are the workings of satan and the men who will listen to him. The power of the Holy Spirit is available to all who seek him and to all who will turn from their wicked ways. When you follow the way of deception you have to start deleting verses and changing their meanings. That is a violation before God. Deuteronomy 4:1 “Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. 3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today. 5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
These are not wise and understanding people as they think they are but those who have been greatly deceived and to ignorant to know it. Yes I am talking about these so-called great leaders of the church. Jesus Luke 21:8 “replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.” Sadly millions have followed them. We have been deceived 2 Kings 22:13 “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.” and because of our great unbelief in the word of God, God himself has brought delusion upon the church. Yes these men will make you question, but please remember that they are simply minions working for satan because they have refused to accept the truth of God’s word which is clear. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” When you see videos or hear people speak like this, you know there is great deception taking place. It is so bad that satan does not even need to masquerade as an angel of light. Even without signs and wonders he deceives this part of the church, the ones who considered themselves rock solid. Paul said, 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” This has been going on since Paul said this. I showed you last week, MacArthur even preaches this while leading the church astray from the truth. I can say that because the bible says so. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
In the church today there is massive deception. The answer for this is really simple, as most have set aside the word of God for their reason, experience and tradition. These three have been set above the authority of scripture. IN the video MacArthur hammers away on divine revelation yet places his own tradition above the word of God. Before I continue we need to understand that God’s word is truth; not mans’ word about God’s word. It is not your statement of faith that is truth, it is the word of God that is truth. Now I know most believe their statement of faith is the word of God but they are not, yet they hold firm to them as if they were God’s very words. The cut and paste, add and subtract to make the word of God say what they want. For example I was listening to Justin Peters speaking against the charismatic movement much like John MacArthur did. Actually he was part of the strange fire conference as one of the speakers. By the way they even speak against the fire of the Holy Spirit. He was convincing but then I looked at his website and looked at his ministry beliefs and there was an err of familiarity and wouldn’t you know it, they were the same as John MacArthur. Eternal security, election, ceasationism rapture, messianic kingdom. So here is this man who is really interesting to listen to saying that all these others are false prophets, yet he holds to the same false teaching, therefore putting himself in the same category as a false teacher. Have nothing to do with him.
So what difference does it make? The answer is eternal life or death. Over time the church has lost its first love. They refuse to live by the word of God. Revelation 2:1 “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” So yes we also need to remember that even though we are testing the spirits and the truth of what people say, we can never forget to stay true to the word of God. These men have strayed by following man’s teaching and they will not be moved. Scripture tells us over and over again to obey God’s word not man’s word about it but God’s word. Saul was told 1 Samuel 13:13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” And he was told 1 Samuel 15:22 “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” Jesus said Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Remember what Paul said in Acts 19:6 “When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.” Oh I guess they forgot to read that verse. Most do not ask what happens if we do not obey. Scripture makes it very clear the answer to that question but do not want to go there. Therefore we lie in desolation because most will not humble themselves before the Almighty God and turn from their wicked ways and return to the word of God.
MacArthur is reacting to the charismatic movement and not listening to God’s word. Remember he has to try and prove anything charismatic wrong or else his beliefs are wrong. What makes it hard is they are very convincing just as the other side is convincing. As I was preparing, I saw that many formulate their ideas based on the so-called knowledge of others. For example I was listening to John Piper talk about ceasationism verses continueism and where he stood. He took a stack of books from each side of the argument of which there are no sides by the way and compared them. He said, “I read these two stacks of books. I comb the Scriptures. I pray. And I wind up again and again somewhere in the middle with a lot of uncertainty.” Your see if you just read the bible you would never come up with these teachings. You would only say as Gideon said, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ My point was that you do not make your decision based on books but on God’s word. That's where the confusion comes from. But then he surprised me and I did find it fascinating what he said, I actually felt sorry for this man and his confusion, as I am sure the truth of scripture was clashing with his upbringing in the church. “He said, I confess that as far as I can remember there has been no question in all my preaching ministry that has caused me more heart-wrenching uncertainty.” Here is what surprised me. He said, “So what shall we say to these two views? Virtually all the great pastors and teachers of history that I admire and that have fed me over the years belong to the first group who believe that signs and wonders were only for the apostolic age (John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Owen, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, Benjamin Warfield, my own father). But I am not fully persuaded by their case. On the other hand, there does seem to be something unique about the way God did signs and wonders in the ministries of Jesus and the apostles. So what I think I can say for our guidance is this. On the one hand, we ought to honor the uniqueness of Jesus and the apostles and of that revelatory moment in history that gave us the foundational doctrines of faith and life in the New Testament. On the other hand we ought to be open to the real possibility that this too might be a unique moment in history, and in this moment it may well be God's purpose to pour out his Spirit in unprecedented revival—revival of love to Christ and zeal for worship and compassion for lost people and a missionary thrust with signs and wonders.” That is a powerful statement to make. I personally believe this power has been available we just have to turn but remember we are in the end of the end times and God is about to make ears tingle.
This is what God is requiring us to do. We must walk away from the false teachings and the empty ways handed down to us from our fathers and return to God’s word no matter what the cost. But the problem is that most will not turn from their wicked ways and too many Christians have formulated their beliefs based on the teachings of man and do not realize they have not built on solid ground. I would argue that many Christians could not tell you what the gospel is. There are also many that could tell you all to clearly what they think the gospel is and you would probably believe them because the are persuasive. The problem is that the true gospel has been nullified. Matthew 15:6 “Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” Mark 7:8 “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” This has been happening in the church for generations. The true gospel of Jesus Christ; the one where he sends his disciples out and Luke 9:1 gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick; the one where he said “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” The one where Mark 16:15 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” That is power when you listen to the arguments against you only hear the singing of crickets. Jonathon Goforth said, “My conviction is that the Divine power, so manifest in the Church at Pentecost, was nothing more nor less than what should be in evidence in the Church today. Normal Christianity, as planned by our Lord, was not supposed to begin in the Spirit and continue in the flesh.” As Laurie said, “It sickens me that people think the miraculous gifts ceased after the New Testament and my God's power is no longer available.”
So let me ask why do most people fight against this and why are most content not to wait on God to be clothed with power. The quick answer is deception and lack of discernment. Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” So when you read the bible the you doesn’t mean you but them. How sad. The reason most have lost their first love is that they have no idea who they are supposed to be in love with. This is not real love as they have committed adultery because of the teachings in the church as to what the gospel is. In the video, MacArthur says at one point it does not affect the gospel necessarily. That is his gospel not the true one. So following deceptive ways does not harm you according to him at this point even though later he tells us people’s lives are at stake, which is the truth by the way. These teachings will kill you. Mass deception has left in its wake a church that has no idea what they believe. The word gospel is thrown around as if everyone is living by it. The deception and delusion in the church is vast. The deception is so seductive most don’t even know they have been seduced by satan and have turned away from their first love. Instead of fighting back like Laurie did, they succumb to the deception. This deception has made it so that those who say they have fallen in love with Jesus actually have no idea who he is, let alone who the Holy Spirit is or the power available to us who believe. This applies to the gurus also. The word seduction: means to "lead away or lead astray." enticing someone astray from right behavior. The have been persuaded which means to cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action;” Millions have made their stand on false teaching and will die not knowing the truth.
The reality of our desolation is that we have turned away from the truth and followed false gospels. Yes it is very hard when you hear teachers teach with authority and sound very convincing but yet they do not teach the word of God. 2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” When you hear them you would think they do but since they have nullified God’s word for the sake of their tradition they have been blinded by the truth and they become false apostles, teachers preachers, prophets and evangelists who perpetuate the false gospel from one generation the next. One of the great dangers in the church is they have agreed to disagree. So they say they agree on the gospel but not on secondary or tertiary issues. Hear is a quote that summarizes this line of thinking. This is the problem in a nutshell. “I am not writing on this topic because I have the final answer on spiritual gifts, for the matter is difficult and Christians who love God and the Bible disagree. Readers should know that ….. and I are friends. We love one another, even though we differ on a secondary or tertiary issue, while at the same time upholding the importance of truth.” What a crock! That by the way is impossible and that is why we lie desolate today because the true gospel of Jesus Christ is truth 100%. There are no secondary and tertiary issues especially when it comes to the gifts of the spirit and eschatology as that is part of the gospel. This is what the church has done down through the generations. You can’t have truth when there is false teachings and false prophecy. If we would do what the New Testament church did we would see what God did through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the video last week MacArthur was condemning the Pentecostal movement. The numbers he gave were half a billion plus people deceived. Since scripture makes it clear his teachings have also caused people to be deceived and all the others who have not followed God’s word. We are talking massive numbers. We find ourselves praying to be freed from Babylon at the end of the desolation. We have a remnant of people left that have not bowed the knee to Baal. (Romans 11:4) The hook is that much of what he is saying about the charismatics is true. Yes I do believe the Pentecostal movement was deceived into believing that some gibberish meant they were filled with the Holy Spirit just like Pentecost yet they lack power. Now oddly both these groups, one who says everything has ceased and the other says they have not, believe in the rapture and millennium. I personally believe they are both deceived and have strayed from the truth. Yes everyone says they believe the gospel of Jesus Christ but that also means they have to believe what is in the bible not what man says about the bible. It has been said that many beliefs are reactionary to some other teaching. Because the gospel is not being taught Sunday after Sunday the masses have been deceived. Million upon million have been deceived and there is only a remnant left.
One common ground is most agree that we have not seen as described in the scripture the power that is available in the church. Justin Peter’s ministry states “The Apostolic gifts are no longer in operation today as evidenced by both the bible (not true by the way and the few verses he uses are distorted and taken out of context) and the vast majority of the testimony of church history.” So there is agreement but our response is different. We are repenting and turning passionately, they are rewriting and straying steadfastly. I ask why are most so content to live in our own power and not by the Spirit. Paul tells us Romans 8:14 “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” If not led by the Spirit, then whose children are you. Moses said Deuteronomy 32:5 “They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation. 18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. 19 The Lord saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. 20 “I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful.” Paul said, Acts 13:9 “Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 1 John 3:7 “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” Then Jesus said, Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” If we are not led by the Spirit, we are not children of God but children of the devil. If we are not children of God then we are no longer heirs or Abraham’s seed, and no longer heirs according to the promise. That means the promises of God will not apply to us and is it any wonder we do not see what they saw in the New Testament as God has turned his face from shining on us. Do you really want to be a child of the devil or a child of God? Does it matter what you believe? I think you know the answer. If you have been deceived by satan and follow in it then guess whose child you are.
Notice in the verse above “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Paul’s said Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We are at war and we cannot win this war in our own strength. Without the gifts of the Spirit we are dead. The video gives us a clue as to why so many do not want the power. The answer is simple. It will mean we are not in control. Things will happen that we cannot explain. MacArthur said in the video, things that are completely mystical and arbitrary (“not based on reason or evidence) will take place. He said it introduces and out of control element to christian living. Yes the charismatic movement escalated from Pentecostals to Vineyard to Toronto Blessing Brownsville Redding to name a few. They just wanted more and more but failed to test the sprits and they were easily deceived. As one person said to me the word of God and the Spirit are separate. Wrong. They are one. People were desperate for God to move and when he appeared to move, the masses travelled but they did not search the truth and were deceived by satan. Yes MacArthur is right in some of what he saying but he has rejected the word of God in his fervor against the charismatics and has become a false prophet maybe even a false apostle. That is ironic for someone who does not believe in Apostles.
MacArthur said we would end up with “promises of healing, wealth and all of that, that are illegitimate promises.” He said it is not right to propagate something not true. Yes the health and wealth movement promises things but what about what Jesus offers. No one interested in living in the Promised Land, as we are part of the promise to Abraham. Are we not interested in taking every where we set our feet and no one can stand against us? Do we get rid of the gospel of Jesus Christ because of the false prophets? I don’t think so. If there is false there must be truth. But he has to fight against it because of his belief system as the bible contradicts his beliefs so instead he rejects the word of God. Do we not want signs, wonders, healings, miracles, casting of demons and all that as given by the Holy Spirit. Do we not want to take the land? They have rejected the Holy Spirit. He said the spirit quickens what is in the word of God to accomplish all his goals yet he rejects the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how God designed his church. The spirit said he will give us gifts to do that but they reject them. They say God will heal but not by a man or woman. They have rejected the word of the Lord.
This is the absurdity that many in the church live by today. Most would agree that we do not see the miracles and healing and casting out of demons. But that is not reason to reject scripture. This is what scripture says so believe it until it happens again and God turns his face upon us again and frees us from our desolation. It is better for you to die not seeing but believing than to not believe and live. The person I quoted earlier also said “What about miracles and healings? First, I believe God still heals and does miraculous things today, and we should pray for such. Scripture isn't as clear on this matter, and thus these gifts could exist today. Still, the primary function of these gifts was to accredit the gospel message, confirming that Jesus was both Lord and Christ. I doubt the gift of miracles and healings exists today, for it isn't evident that men and women in our churches have such gifts. Certainly God can and does heal at times, but where are the people with these gifts? Claims for miracles and healings must be verified, just as the people verified the blind man's healing in John 9. There is a kind of biblically warranted skepticism. Now, could God in cutting-edge missionary situations grant miracles and signs and wonders to accredit the gospel as he did in apostolic times? Yes. But that's not the same thing as having these gifts as a regular feature in the ongoing life of the church. If the signs and wonders of the apostles have returned, we should see the blind receiving their sight, the lame walking, and the dead being raised. God heals today (sometimes dramatically), but the healing of colds, the flu, TMJ, stomach, and back problems, and so forth aren't in the same category as the healings found in the Scriptures. If people truly have the gift of healing and miracles today, they need to demonstrate such by performing the kinds of healings and miracles found in the Bible.” So now you have heard more from the ignorant. Diabetes cancer heart conditions mental health issues. We don’t need this healed today? We live in an apathetic God rejecting apostate country lying in desolation because of this ignorance and unbelief in God’s word. The main thinking is because I don’t see it the word of God is rejected. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” We live in a church who 2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Have nothing to do with such people yet also be very careful of those who say the Holy Spirit is flowing and is blue. Deception leads to deception and many are extremely vulnerable because they do not know the truth.
As Gideon asked, we should be asking where have all the wonders gone. Luke 10:19 “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” That is the gospel of Jesus Christ and I want to be part of it. I will have no part of any gospel that denies the power of God or embellishes what his Spirit does. Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:10 “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Numbers 10:35 “Rise up, Lord! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.” Will you be part of this gospel of Jesus Christ?
