They say the mind can take only so much and then it stops listening. Some are calling it overload, while others are calling it selective hearing.  Whatever it is, it appears that the whole world has stopped listening. They have turned away from the ancient religions and are embracing a new future that promises many unbelievable advances in technology. These changes promise to enhance humanity’s ability to experience a deeper understanding of the entire universe and their unique place in it. These changes promise to give them a fulfilled life where the whole world will come together as one in peace and tranquility. These changes promise to open the door to a new reality where anything is possible from communicating with the animal kingdom to utilizing artificial intelligence to enhance their abilities. Nothing seems impossible to a world that has jettisoned classic Christianity for a brave new world. Although many will continue to play church, they no longer trust in God for their future, and they no longer trust in religion to chart their path ahead. They have joined the lukewarm church and no longer listen to God exclusively.

We live in a world that no longer wants to hear the deep things about the risen Christ and His miraculous work through the indwelling Spirit. They no longer want to hear about our need for Spiritual growth by putting off the old life and putting on the new life in Christ. They no longer want to hear that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness, which would cause them to reject most of humanity’s self helps. They no longer want to hear about God’s loving providence, even if we must faithfully endure trials and tribulations. The world has stopped listening because they have either rejected Christianity altogether or they have grown comfortable with the lukewarm church. It’s a sad state of affairs when we equate the rejection of Christianity with the lukewarm church but unfortunately, that’s exactly where Satan has led the modern church. The modern church has aggressively accepted all the new teachings from the world causing them to turn a deaf ear to the eternal truths passed on to us by our forefathers. So, let’s take a closer look at these unchanging truths that must be embraced by every true believer in Christ and truths that must be tirelessly proclaimed from the pulpit of their churches.

The true Church of God embraces the power and miraculous work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:4-15; I Corinthians 12:1-31). Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we will never be all that God wants us to be in Christ. Without the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, the church will become stagnant in its growth and not be that bright shining light on a hill. The good news is this power of the Holy Spirit is immediately available to every believer who is called into the Kingdom. There is no waiting for those who believe and know in their hearts that they have been called. The Spirit is our Helper in all things from Spiritual growth to understanding and using our Spiritual gifts for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom here on earth. We have all been given Spiritual gifts not based on our natural abilities but on our call into the eternal Kingdom. Furthermore, the Spirit stays with us every moment of every day as our new Holy Resident. He always guides us and directs us along life’s narrow path experiencing one miracle after another that’s only fully realized as we mature in Christ. Every true Church embraces the power and miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.

The true Church of God embraces the absolute need for Spiritual growth from one degree of glory to another (II Corinthians 3:18). Spiritual growth is not about learning empty doctrines and endless rituals or memorizing the entire Bible from cover to cover. On the other hand, it is working closely with the indwelling Spirit by receiving His convictions and following His prompting even if it’s extremely uncomfortable. Reading slowly and methodically Holy Scripture allows it to penetrate deep within our own hearts bringing forth remorse, confession, and repentance, thus putting off the old life of sin and putting on the new life in Christ. In the beginning, you will not read far before the tears of remorse flow down your cheeks leading you to cry out to the Lord in confession, agreeing to turn from your sin and never repeat it. In the place of the old life, we discover the new life, which must be put into place immediately, which takes great faith. Although putting on the new life in Christ may seem uncomfortable and quite awkward, in time through the power of the indwelling Spirit you will blossom with joy and a peace that defies understanding. The true believer doesn’t look to grow only once a week by listening to Spirit-filled preaching, but they grow Spiritually every day by reading Holy Scripture and listening to the indwelling Spirit. Every true Church embraces the absolute need for Spiritual growth.

The true Church of God embraces the sufficiency of Holy Scripture for all of life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). This is a beautiful truth that all the old hang-ups and besetting sins we had before Christ no longer have a hold on us. We have been set free to grow up Spiritually in Christ to become a beautiful new creation. We have not been left alone but have the indwelling Spirit, our Helper, and the Holy Scripture that gives us everything we need for life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). All those old emotional and psychological problems no longer have a hold on the new person in Christ. God promises to give us the solution for every problem facing humanity. As true believers in Christ, we no longer need the world’s counselors or psychotropic drugs to overcome our problems. As true believers in Christ, we no longer trust fallen humanity to solve our many emotional and psychological problems, but we trust God, who created us and knows everything about us. We have learned how to bring our problems directly to God in deep prayer and meditation believing that He will solve every problem in His time. As the true Church of God, we embrace the sufficiency of Holy Scripture.

The true Church of God embraces God’s loving providence (Romans 8:28). As we grow up Spiritually every day trusting in God for all of life and godliness, we are still left temporarily in the fallen world controlled by the powers of darkness. Although the powers of darkness will use our trials and tribulations to cause us to stumble, God will always turn things around and use them for our eternal benefit if we maintain our trust in His loving providence. The Bible says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). It is a marvelous thing to trust in God to work all things together for good. For when we have eyes to see we will witness one miracle after another as God defeats the enemy of our souls and uses the trials and tribulations to strengthen our faith in Christ. As we mature in Christ we will learn to rejoice in trials and tribulations knowing that they are used for the perfecting of our faith (James 1:2-4). The lukewarm church is being destroyed by the many trials and tribulations of the last days, whereas the true Church of God embraces God’s loving providence.

Finally, the true Church of God embraces the exclusiveness of Christianity (John 14:6). We know that Christ is the only way to salvation, so we behave accordingly. Many claim to know the truth that Christ is the only way, but then they do their godless research for every little problem that comes into their lives. They freely associate with other religions, oftentimes seeking their advice about life and godliness. They have no problem seeking advice from the world or fallen humanity to understand the deeper truths about spirituality or the supernatural. They have no problem joining with those who practice inclusiveness, going so far as to say all paths lead to heaven. In conclusion, it’s past time for all of God’s precious children to either reform the church they attend or start a new fellowship that only preaches the truth. There is a reckoning coming very soon that will truly separate the sheep from the goats. I pray that all those who claim Jesus Christ as their Savior will be ready to defend their faith or be swept away by the teachings of the lukewarm church and the powers of darkness. The choice is yours.

Please Join Me in Prayer

Good morning Heavenly Father. You know Lord, that the battle rages on for your beloved children as we struggle against an unjust world seeking to mold us into its image. From the politicians who enact new laws to the judges who enforce them, and to their counselors who justify them, we are led into further captivity and away from your gracious promises of a new life in Christ. We cry out to you, our God, day and night for your mercy and grace to stand firm against our adversaries so that in time all your beautiful promises can be fulfilled in our lives. We long to experience the new life in Christ free from the haunting memories of our past failures. We long to experience total perfection free from the sinful habits of our old sin nature. We long to experience all your beautiful and powerful promises fulfilled in our lives. We continue to cry out day and night in prayer believing that you will, that you are, fulfilling all your wonderful promises. We will continue to fight the good fight of faith until we walk with you in paradise. We pray this in the blessed Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” (Luke 18:7).