Tag

truth

Living The Truth

By | Eyesalve

“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” I Timothy 4:3

 

There has been a growing movement in our day called the “Hebrew Roots Movement.” It is Christians who are incorporating some of the Old Testament law into their Christianity. One of those laws being not eating certain meat like pork. I guess by keeping some of these rules they feel they are living a deeper committed life to the Lord. But isn’t the deeper committed life believing and knowing the truth? It is living the truth that pleases God. Do not be fooled by this movement if it comes your way.

 

You’re Saying Nothing Wrong

By | Eyesalve

But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.” I Thessalonians 2:4

 

One of the most difficult things for any minister to overcome is to not let their preaching be delegated by man. So many cave into the pressure of pleasing man. Even those who are not ministers feel the pressure to say smooth things. God is the final judge of all we say. Be assured that you are saying nothing wrong to anyone if you are pleasing God with what you say.

Truth Works Effectively

By | Eyesalve

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” I Thessalonians 2:13

 

The difference between a Christian and a sinner is that a sinner can read the word and it can get lodged in his brain, but for the Christian, the word goes far beyond something the mind comprehends, but it works effectively in those who believe.

Eyesalve: Be a Fellow Helper

By | Eyesalve

We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.” III John 1:8

 

One of the main reasons for division in the church today is that you have those who promote truth and those who do not. It isn’t that those who don’t promote truth are actually aware of it, for often they don’t realize what they are doing. Anytime there is even a slight rejection of the whole truth of God, then division is happening between them and those who are totally surrendered to truth. Will you be a fellow helper of the truth?

Eyesalve: The Famine is Here

By | Eyesalve

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” Amos 8:11-12

 

The days of a famine of the word are indeed upon us. No doubt, there are many Christians who are church hoppers, going from church to church looking to satisfy their carnal needs. But times have changed since I got saved over thirty years ago. There are still many Christians who are going from church to church today, except now they are searching for a church where the word of God is preached in Spirit and in truth. God, grant that these desperate hungry believers do find a church where there is a bountiful supply of the word of God.

Eyesalve: Wander From Truth

By | Eyesalve

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back.” James 5:19

 

Those who preach “Once Saved, Always Saved,” insist that you cannot lose your salvation. If you know me, you know I hate the OSAS doctrine, yet I will agree that you can’t lose your salvation. Your salvation just doesn’t turn up missing one day in the middle of your life while you are loving Jesus. What can and does happen to Christians is that they wander from the truth. That is when a Christian needs to be turned back to the truth. The truth is how a person is made free. Rejecting the truth brings a believer back under bondage. Verse twenty goes on to say “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”

About Denominationalism

By | Articles

“Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul” (I Corinthians 1:12-13)?

 

Before I even get started on this article, I want to respectfully say that this article is not meant to bash ministers or churches who are members of denominations. Just as Jesus spoke of His disciples being in the world but not of it, in like manner, you can be in a denomination just not of it. You are of Christ. My hope, through this article, is to convey that the Bible is sufficient, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to order a body of believers to come together and have all the accountability, leadership, unity and order to function in a true New Testament fashion. I even asked myself, “Is it necessary to put out such an article? Won’t this just alienate me from ministers and saints who belong to a denomination?” Then I realized as I have done so often, if I can’t talk open and honestly about such things amongst the body of Christ, when and where can I? Should I go instead and complain to the world?

I want to note that when I refer to denominationalism, I am also referring to all groups who organize like a denomination, but prefer to use a different term to describe themselves. For the sake of convenience, I will use the word denomination throughout the remainder of this article.

Now as I get started you saw in our text, that Paul asked, “Is Christ divided?” The answer to that is, of course not. However, the church sure is. Some years back, in one of my articles, I stated that there are over 900 denominations in America. As I think about that statement, I have to yield to the fact that we can’t really know how many there are. A few websites say there are over 30,000 Christian denominations in this world. In America, the Baptist Church is the largest protestant denomination. Wikipedia gave a list of all the different Baptist denominations there are in America. I counted seventy nine of them. So we just don’t have differing denominations, but also differing factions inside one denomination. Hold back your criticism, you members of the Pentecostal / Charismatic churches. I counted thirty two different denominations in your ranks. One question looms large in my mind; “How can a people, who all say they read and believe the same book (the Bible), be so divided?”

Have you saint of God, grown so accustomed to denominationalism that you never bother to consider if it is even biblical? I know it seems the norm for the church. Have you ever asked, “Where in the Bible does it teach or promote denominationalism?” If we are honest, which we believers have no choice but to be, you will have to agree that you cannot find a scripture that teaches that we should create such organizations. In fact the opposite is true. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for picking favorites and identifying with a specific group (“I am of Paul; I of Apollos…”). Are you of Wesley, are you of Luther? Do you follow the ways of the Anabaptists or the Puritans? Is your religion Grandma and Grandpa’s style? Or are you of Christ? Are you a follower of Christ? Is the Bible your rule of Authority?

I am sure you surmised by now that I and the church I shepherd, do not belong to any denomination. Churches of the sort that I pastor are usually called non-denominational or independent. (I like to refer to my church as “dependent,” dependent on the Holy Spirit.) Even using these terms can take on a denominational feel as well. Why do we have to have labels anyway? Why do we look for another way to identify ourselves other than to have our identity in Christ and have the word of God as our authority? I ask you, why is it that the churches who incorporate seem to be the norm and those churches who don’t are considered illegitimate? I get it that there are a lot of troublemakers in the church who have rebelled against denominational authority and started their own little “us four and no more” non-denominational church. When I was a young believer, I used to think that those who were in non-denominational churches were all rebels. I have learned there are plenty of rebels to go around. They aren’t just in the non-denominational churches, but the denominational ones as well. In fact, there is very powerful politics in some, if not many, denominational churches. I have even heard a story from several people, of a high official in a denomination who openly lied to a church body. He did it for the sake of the denomination’s interests. That is what politicians do. Politicians lie, men of God promote truth, no matter the cost. Ministers do not have to lie to keep the saints faithful, but church politicians often lie to keep their denominational agenda on course. I am not saying that ministers who are good strong leaders in their church are a part of church politics, for I assume many are not. However, it is heart breaking to see the church operate like a political machine.

So what is the solution? Can we the church, really come together in love and unity, with true leadership in place and let the word of God truly be our final authority? Can we exist together without having to draft bylaws and corporation papers? Can we all really be members of a church body without having to take several classes and then sign a membership card? Absolutely, positively we can and we must. It starts with believing that it is God’s expectation for His church to be united as one body and then determining in your heart to see it happen in our generation. Again, all Christians will say they agree that there is only ONE body, but our hundreds of denominations tattle on us. They testify that we don’t believe what we say.

 

“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:3-6).

 

Seven times you see the word “one” in this verse. What don’t we get about that? What we all need to do is quit saying that we believe the word of God to be our final authority and simply let it be. That means that every Christian who belongs to a denomination, as I said earlier, must refuse to be of it.

I have asked some people if they are a Christian. It is not unusual to get an answer like, I’m Catholic, I’m Baptist or I belong to such and such a church. Let me ask you. Do you really believe the word of God? Are you, saint of God, willing to believe the whole truth as the Spirit reveals it to you, even at the expense of being cut off by your church or denomination? How about you, ministers of God? Are you willing to face losing your credentials, if that is what would come about if you were to preach a truth that is contrary to what your denomination believes? I know of some ministers who left their denomination and lost their retirement all for the sake of preaching the truth. What do you love more, your denomination or the truth of God? If we would dare believe the truth, our denominations would be considered irrelevant overnight.

Eyesalve: Truth Recognizes Truth

By | Eyesalve

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” I John 5:6

 

The true remnant last day believers will be identified, not by their tenants or statement of faith that their church has in place, nor by a denomination they may belong to, but by the Spirit of truth. Truth recognizes truth.

Eyesalve: Godly Edifying

By | Eyesalve

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.” I Timothy 1:4

 

I think I can say that I have seen Christians argue over the bible more than I have seen them use it to edify one another. I know I have had to repent for doing that many times in my life. How is it that when we have the book of Truth, Christians seem to like to fight over things that are incidental and have no spiritual value? Let’s all set our mind to bless and edify one another with the Word of God.

Eyesalve: Building Blocks

By | Eyesalve

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

 

The church is built upon the rock of the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. When we preach the truth, we then become the building blocks (rocks) that Christ can use to build His church.