The word unaware means, “having no knowledge of a situation or fact or just being ignorant.” But notice that there is a question mark included with the title. The question mark means that being unaware is actually inexcusable. Being unaware is questionable because as Paul said Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Just by looking at God’s creation, watching a sunset or sunrise or the full moon, we see His power. That same power that created the world also raised Jesus from the dead and then that same power that created the world, raised Jesus from the dead, was given to the church as laid out in scripture. The other day we looked at how man has replaced God’s plan / power with their own imaginations / strength. The church went from power to powerless because of this rebellion. Most who call themselves Christians seem to be unaware of the power that is available to all who believe, but are without excuse. The problem is that most believe the words of man over the word of God and have accepted powerlessness as normal Christianity. Many go to church week after week and never expect anything different. If church is entertaining enough, coffee is available, church is not too long and the bible only touched on, ears scratched, all is good. Many will try to remain unaware even when confronted with truth and continue down a road to destruction and death without ever trying to be aware of God’s truth.
Not only do we have the power we see every day in creation, most in the world have access to the bible because the internet is almost everywhere. I prefer to do my devotions from my bible, but I use sites like Bible Gateway to look up scripture and paste them into my writing. Try to stick with the bible and not everything else the site offers. If you are like me and have a terrible memory, you can also use Google to search for verses. I will look for a few words and usually the verse I am looking for will show up. Yes, it is okay to plagiarize the bible. I took a quick peek at one statistics site that said, “In 2025, the number of internet users worldwide stood at 5.56 billion, which means that around two-thirds of the global population is currently connected to the world wide web. As of 2024, the percentage of internet users aged 15-24 in Europe was the highest among worldwide regions, 98 percent. The member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) ranked second, with 97 percent of the age group using the internet. The Americas showed the third-highest internet penetration rate worldwide, 95 percent. Young people in Africa were the least connected, with only 53 percent being connected to the internet. Overall, 79 percent of the global population between 15 and 24 years stated using the internet as of 2024.” Along with the power of creation, the word of God available, we are without excuse and accountable even in ignorance.
Now having said that about the internet, you also have teaching and preaching both good and bad which is why discernment is needed. More often than not, scripture is being distorted according to very distinct beliefs. Peter said, 2 Peter 3:16 “He (Paul) writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” As we saw the other day, Jeremiah 23:36 “each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God.” Everything you read, including this blog needs to be tested with scripture. Now obviously satan is behind those distortions. While talking about forgiveness, Paul said, 2 Corinthians 2:11 “in order that satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” satan is always scheming to turn you away from God. Then included with deception, because the church refuses to obey God’s word, God Himself brings upon the church delusion. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 “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.” Today the church is filled with deception and delusion, and many are unaware but accountable for their ignorance.
On Sunday we talked about the church and its message being useless / worthless before God. This happens when God’s word is rejected and replaced with other gospels, though no one will tell you they are preaching other gospels. Israel fell to the Assyrians because of this rebellion. 2 Kings 17:7 “All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.” God had warned them over and over, but they refused to listen. 2 Kings 17:13 “The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” The result was 2 Kings 17:18 “the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence. 21 When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.”
After Israel was exiled, Samaria was resettled but things did not go well. 2 Kings 17:26 “It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires. 27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.” Now this is the problem the church is facing when it comes to being unaware. The bible makes it very clear what God requires, yet people ignore God’s word and listen to the words of men and women. 29 “Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. 32 They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. 34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 35 When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. 36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.” Sadly, this also summarizes the church.
Then the same happened to Judah and they also were removed from the Promised Land. 2 Chronicles 36:15 “The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. 20 He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.”
You might think ignorance might be a viable excuse but that usually doesn’t work. You could be driving 180 km/hr. in a 90 km/hr. and get pulled over. As the police officer is calling a tow-truck to impound your vehicle and then approaches to take your license, you say but officer I was unaware. Yes, there are times when it may be an 80km/hr. or 90 km/hr., but it is your responsibility to know the speed limit. To get your license, someone usually teaches you to drive, and everyone takes a test. Everyone who drives is required to have a license and insurance and again you can’t say I was unaware and expect the huge fines that come without having insurance and a license not to be given. Now let’s say your driving instructor said, you can drive as fast as you want as long as you do not get caught. When you do get caught and you say my teacher said it was okay, you will be the one getting the ticket.
What makes this a difficult subject is that most people who go to church assume they are being taught the truth and they are completely unaware that they are being deceived and under delusion and in captivity, but they will be accountable for their ignorance. Most do not know their bibles well enough which results in that ignorance. At Pentecost, Peter preached Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Then Peter and John healed a man lame from birth. The people were astonished, but Peter said, Acts 3:12 “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.” Peter also said Acts 3:17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’” They had to repent for their ignorance just as the church must repent for theirs. But very few Jews did repent and even to this day reject Jesus as their Messiah.
At that point the people had a choice to listen to Peter and the others or reject Jesus their Messiah. Most rejected Jesus as their Messiah just as Israel and Judah rejected the words of God’s servants. Jeremiah 11:6 “The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’” 9 Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. 13 You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’” Jeremiah 2:11 “Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols. 12 Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. 13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 9:11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals; and I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there.” 12 Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross? 13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. 14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.” Today the church continues to reject the word of God.
In most cases people are unaware because they have been deceived by those they think that they can trust. Even so they are still accountable because of the power of creation all around them and the word of God that describes the available power. As Paul said Galatians, most have chosen man’s powerlessness over the power of God. Galatians 3:1 “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?”
Today the church is filled with people who have no idea what it means to serve God wholeheartedly or the power He gives those who believe. 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Jesus said Revelation 3:15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” The point is not to be cold, but Jesus is saying being lukewarm is worse than being cold. Jesus would rather you be cold than lukewarm, yet the church is filled with the lukewarm. Now to be clear, the cold will not inherit eternal life, so therefore the lukewarm will not either, as they are worse than being cold. There are some very lukewarm but committed people who will not change and will die holding onto their distinct beliefs. They say they serve God but actually only serve themselves. After Babylon took over Jerusalem some of the remnant were fleeing to Egypt, but they thought they should check with Jeremiah first, even though they had already made up their minds to go to Egypt. Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; 2 who go down to Egypt without consulting me;” They did consult with Jeremiah but refused to listen. They said Jeremiah 42:6 “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.” God then said what they did not want to hear as they had already made up their minds, and then said to Jeremiah “You are lying!” For most they will not hear truth, but as Jeremiah said to these people who rebelled Jeremiah 44:28 “Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.”
This deception comes because people do not know their bibles. What they do know is what they have been taught to know. There is no such thing as a Baptist bible or Catholic bible and so on. Having said that there are many who know their bibles very well but distort the words to make scripture say what they want it to say. That is very dangerous, unless what you are being taught is truly the gospel and with all the deception and delusion happening in the church, great discernment is needed. Going back to the last blog about being useless / worthless, where we had men saying this is God’s plan, this is the church, but their plan was and is powerless and only found on a baseball diamond and nowhere to be seen in scripture. So as the one person said about large churches, their size meant God was blessing them but as we see with many megachurches such as Joel Osteen / John MacArthur, their leaders are false teachers. Small churches also have false teachers. When a church is truly teaching the gospel, the church will do as Jesus did and if it is not, which most are not, they will be teaching repentance, seeking and waiting for God to turn His face back to the church so that once again the church will do as Jesus did as we see here. The church looks nothing like this. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Matthew 11:2 “When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 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. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Leprosy today could be replaced with the top killers such as heart disease, cancer, strokes and Covid which really exposed the powerlessness of the church. Yet most in the church are content to let people die because they are unaware or refuse to listen to God’s word which clearly tells us there is power and authority over sickness. Jesus is still alive, therefore still takes up our infirmities and bears our diseases.
People are stumbling and are unaware and much of this has to do with false teachers but those listening are still accountable to question and seek truth. Jesus said to the Pharisees, 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.” When talking about false teachers Peter said, 2 Peter 2:17 “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—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” Jeremiah said Jeremiah 5:30 “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” Jeremiah 12:10 “Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.” Jeremiah 10:21 “The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.” Jeremiah 2:8 “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.” Deuteronomy 32:28 “They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. 29 If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!” God said to king Jehoiakim, Jeremiah 36:3 “Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.” We know hell is real yet people in the church will not repent and turn from wicked ways.
It is not just the shepherds leading people astray, the people are involved in the deception. 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.” Jeremiah 8:8 “Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.” False teachers and prophets tap into your own desires because the people want nothing to do with the truth God servants teach. Isaiah 30:9 “For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” Jeremiah 8:6 “I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.” So many churches are full steam ahead in the wrong direction and refuse to turn around.
Today the church is a desolate wasteland, but most are completely unaware and loving it. though still accountable. False teachers teach and the masses eat their delicacies and both satisfy their appetites. Isaiah 56:10 “Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. 11 They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain.” Romans 16:17 “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” False teachers are listened to by the naïve but those who do teach truth are rejected. They may not be killed but what people do is what they did to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 18:18 “They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.” What happens is people just turn away and refuse to listen because they do not like what is being said as it goes against what they have been taught to believe. There is no such thing as a Baptist, Catholic Pentecostal… Christian and this is not something those who label themselves this way like to hear. I am a Christian who lives in London Ontario, Canada. You may be a Christian who lives in Europe, Russian, China or Africa etc. and the belief will all be the same because of what Jesus said about the Spirit of Truth, 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. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” As the remnant comes together, the true gospel will be preached and it will not differ as it does today.
The problem in the church is there is very little understanding and knowledge. Leaders teach people and people just accept what they teach as truth and do no test the spirits. But as we are told, 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.” Spirits are not tested from the confines of a distinct doctrine or theology but by the word of God. For example a Baptist speaking against the Charismatic and vice versa saying the other is wrong when they are both wrong. Isaiah 5:13 “Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding.” Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” Jeremiah 8:10 “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 11 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. 12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the Lord.”
Leviticus talks about what happens when people are unaware of their sin. Today we do not make an offering with an animal but with our own lives in repentance. Leviticus 4:1 “The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands. 3 ‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.” Then the people, Leviticus 4:13 “‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt 14 and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the tent of meeting.” Preaching is supposed to make people aware of their sin. 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.” Even if the leader is not exposing sin, being unaware is not an excuse nor can you say I did not know. Creation tells us, as does Gods’ word, so there is no excuse and you are accountable to repent. For example, I listened to a sermon from one of the churches I talked about the other day on Spiritual Gifts. Obviously, this church believed all the gifts as they were listed but and this is where they show what they truly believed, they said miracles, tongues, healing were foundational to the church and made it sound like this was happening but then downplayed them by talking about gifts that were easier to explain like organization and details. Now this is where, and I do not know if anyone did this, but someone should say excuse me can you talk about miracles and healing. Jesus sent out all of His disciples to heal the sick and cast out demons so obviously that is a big part of the gospel. Here is what is said about Paul. Acts 19:11 “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” 2 Corinthians 11:6 “I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge.” Acts 20:9 “Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.” Paul then raised him from the dead and kept talking. Plus, Paul did not remember baptizing some but he had power.
My point is miracles and healing, tongues ()not charismatic babble) are a huge part of the church. 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 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, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” When I say tongues, I am not talking about the babble of charismatics but the language that connect the world. Earlier I talked about Christians who are the same no matter what part of the world they are from and true tongues makes that possible. Within a couple of blocks of my house there are six churches and one of those is Korean. They all teach something different and the constant would be a lack of power. What would Paul find if he showed up one Sunday. Paul said 1 Corinthians 4:18 “Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”
Today churches are filled with talk and no power. Paul told Timothy 2 Timothy 3:1 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 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.” The church today is a whitewashed form of godliness all the while denying the power of God. My question is how do you read 1 Corinthians 12 and Matthew 4, 8 and Acts 5, 8 to name just a few and not wonder why is there no power in the church.
We are very dependent on computers and WIFI. The other day we kept losing connection, so I called Rogers, our provider, and the next day they sent a technician and fixed a faulty cable. You don’t go for years accepting that there is no internet. When my van refused to behave, I had it towed to my mechanic. When the power goes out, we expect London Hydro to get it fixed and quick. When we get sick, we expect to be seen as soon as possible and we expect the doctor to fix the problem and when they are unable to do so, most except the illness and possibly death, although painful. How many times in the church do you hear they are now at peace and healed after they die. In Canada we have MAID. “Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a process that allows someone who is found eligible to be able to receive assistance from a medical practitioner in ending their life.” “On February 29, 2024, legislation to extend the temporary exclusion of eligibility for MAID for persons suffering solely from a mental illness until March 17, 2027, received Royal Assent.” I hope your family likes you. For the most part people die from their infirmities and diseases. Jeremiah 5:3 “Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.” Yes, there are some who are cured and live and others who live with their infirmities and as we read above will die with assistance because they cannot bear it any longer. Church prayer lists are long and people die or live with medication to keep them alive. Outside the church the same happens as some do live.
But when I read scripture, I know that Jesus is alive, and most in the church believe that (sadly I say most as not all do believe in the resurrection) therefore as we see in Matthew 8:17 “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases,” this should still be happening. If you look at Bible Gateway, and the roughly 60 different version of that verse listed, not one said Jesus did not take up our infirmities and diseases. Now some will say the prophecy by Isaiah was fulfilled and this should no longer be expected but scripture states otherwise. Jesus showed us what the church should be doing. Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” Acts 5:12 “The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.” Acts 8:6 “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” The church was to continue with this power and authority from on High.
So, the question people should be asking of their leaders is why is this not happening? Take Mark 5 to your leader and say if this is the Jesus we serve, should this not be happening today. In Mark 5 Jesus cast out many demons from a man and sent them to pigs which means there are still demons. He was on his way to heal a man’s daughter but ended up healing a woman that the doctors could not cure because she touched His clothing and then the man’s daughter had died before they got there and Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He got there and said Mark 5:39 “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.” I have heard people say she was just sleeping and not dead as if those people in that day did not know what dead looked like. The word throughout these healings is immediately. This is the power that God has given to the church, but more are interested in organization, the arts, leadership and an hour in a comfortable chair on Sunday. What kind of leader in the church is not seeking the power and authority God offers to all who believe. The answer is one who is not preaching the true gospel. Sure they may have an impressive organization, global presence, lots of books and masses flock but where is the power? Yes, I realize that many are afraid to ask because their leaders appear to be knowledgeable on all subjects and the fear of being shot down publicly is real. But if you are thinking there should be power, continue to search and don’t give up. James makes it clear that healing is to be what the church does. James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” This is the test and if this is not happening, wicked ways must be turned from. Those wicked ways are man’s ways / doctrines of demons.
Read The Gospels and Acts and pay close attention to the power and authority of Jesus and the disciples. What you read is what the church is supposed to also be doing. Instead of Jesus going to one group and then another, the church would go to the ends of the earth with the presence of Jesus. 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. 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.” John14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” At Pentecost the church was given power and authority to go out and do as Jesus did. Can you imagine churches around the world where all the gifts were in operation. This would speed up the return of Jesus as Peter said. 2 Peter 3:11 “You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
It amazes me how often people give the deer in the headlight look when I talk about the power that is available to the church. People will actually think you are crazy if you say the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to the church today. I have a song on my playlist from a few years back called Same Power by Jeremy Camp. Part of the lyrics are “The same power that rose Jesus from the grave, the same power that commands the dead to wake, lives in us, lives in us. The same power that moves mountains when He speaks, The same power that can calm a raging sea lives in us, lives in us He lives in us, lives in us.” Every time I hear the song, I say really? You really believe the same power is available to all who believe as Jesus said in 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” You really believe what Paul said when he prayed, Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
That means (yes I believe this with everything I have because the bible says so) the dead can be raised, any and I mean any and every disease can be healed as well as any disease concerning mental health. That also means demons will be cast out. It also means this list can be healed. 1 Corinthians 6:9 “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” This can happen because Paul goes on to say 1 Corinthians 6:11 “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Being crazy because you believe what scripture clearly states is a good place to be, as Jesus own family thought he was nuts and possessed like the teachers of the aw thought. Mark 3:20 “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” The good news was His family would be in the upper room at Pentecost. Most would rather give credit to satan than to believe what scripture clearly states. Be prepared to be shut down and don’t be surprised by it. Some will say if God so desires, He would heal. The answer is God does desire which is why He empowered the church to do just as Jesus did, thus the gift of healing. Others will say God doesn’t do that anymore. That is true but not for the reason they will tell you. The power stopped because the church rebelled against God’s word and refused to turn from wicked ways. Others just read the passages and act as if they are just words on the page, a story about a man from long ago and not really relevant for today. They talk about the Jesus of the past and not the present. They continue to build the church themselves and accept the powerlessness as normal Christianity.
So are people unaware? Yes, they are but there is no excuse for it. Today the church is still saying the same as the people said to Jeremiah, Jeremiah 44:16 “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!” Instead, most listen to the gurus and the illusions they are encouraged to have. They will also listen to the voice of satan instead of the word of God just as Adam and Eve did. 1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” Gathering people on a Sunday seems to be the plan, yet people remain unchanged. The world around us is falling apart, sickness is everywhere and increasing and in spite of the few successful churches, Christianity as a whole is in decline and it is far worse than the numbers even represent as God promised there would always be a remnant, meaning only a few will survive this onslaught (abomination that causes desolation) by our enemies. Luke 13:23 “Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’” After Jesus had talked about the abomination that causes desolation that has now decimated the church, Jesus said Matthew 24:22 “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.” The gurus want you to believe that leadership and vision and a sound baseball analogy will build the church, yet there is no power. Since there is no power their plan is not from God, and they have led millions astray and continue to do so. That is not the leadership you should be looking for. Remember the apostle Paul said, 2 Corinthians 2:17 “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.” The goal of this blog is to get you to read and depend upon the bible of which are not idle words but your source of life. Hopefully you will not depend on the words of man who say their words are a source of life when as God said, Jeremiah 23:20 “In days to come you will understand it clearly. 21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.”
In Solomon’s prayer of dedication he said, 1 Kings 8:37 “When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands toward this temple— 39 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 40 so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors. 46 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; 48 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; 49 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 50 And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy; 51 for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace. 52 May your eyes be open to your servant’s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. 61 And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” 2 Chronicles 7:13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” Daniel 9:17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
Yes, you can go through life with your head buried in the sand completely unaware and blissfully think all is well with your life and the church, but you will still be accountable before God. We must fear God, but most do not. Isaiah 57:11 “Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?” Hebrews 10:30 “For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people. 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Or you can turn from your wicked ways and God will hear your cry. Paul said 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.” But there is hope. Zechariah 1:3 “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.” The young man who left his father in pursuit of a better life came to his senses and said, Luke 15:17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.”
There are millions in the line for the wide gate and they will love to have you stay with them and will try to convince you not to leave by trying to get you to believe they represent truth, but don’t listen as your eternal life depends on getting out of that line. Going to church is not the end result, being the church and going to the ends of the earth doing as Jesus did with power and authority is. Paul’s prayer still applies. Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
