Oh man, the past few weeks (months really if I want to be technical here) have been filled with interesting things. Mainly from a brother in Christ who hosts a radio show (shout out to Chris Roseborough!) and other things I have come across. What is on my mind is the laughable yet sad state of the visible Church. For a quick definition of what the visible Church is, it is the whole of professing believers in Christ who make up the visible Church. The "invisible" Church is those who actually make up the ones who are truly God's, inumerable in number and unknowable to us who is who. The "wheat and chaff" all mixed together, and at the consummation of the age will be separated by God Himself, who knows who is truly His and who is not. Now, the visible Church is what I am referring to in this post, and my concerns for it.
"There is never a shortage of crazy and weird things going on in the Church these days", infact, the Church has had to deal with crazy and weird things taught in the name of God since... well, the beginning of it. Jesus had to rebuke the religious leaders of His time for false piety and works based theology. Paul had to rebuke the Corinthians and the Galatians for the unbiblical teachings they were making and accepting false teachers and so called apostles. John the Apostle had to warn those in his first epistle about the Gnostic heresy. Even the resurrected and ascended Jesus in His revelation to John spoke about the many different things He was displeased with in the seven churches, including specifically "the works of the Nicolatians", saying He was proud of the church in Ephesus hating the works of the Nicolatians (Rev 2:6) . One quick look into church history after the apostolic age will give another whole slew of ancient heresies and crazy teachings. The visible Church has been plagued with it for many many years, and will continue to have problems until Christ comes to end the age and weds His Bride.
I have been so burnt out here lately listening to "sermons" and "revivals" and other things that my brain is just literally fried from the heresy, eisgesis, and the constant practice of putting biblical texts back into their context to clear up the mass confusion brought on by pulling the Scriptures out and raping the Word of God. I know, strong way to put it, but trust me, The stuff I have been hearing and reading is nothing less than that. This abuse of Gods' word is so rampant among the Church, that it would be probable that 90% of the churches in your town are hosting Bible twisters and ear ticklers. Then you come by a very small church hidden in the cracks, and are astounded by the sound teaching accomodated by love and solid fellowship. I had grace shown on me to find such a church, and have not turned back. Look folks, there is alot of false teaching going on, not alot of being a good Berean going on. The philosophy of post-modern tolerance has crept into the church, quickly eroding it's defenses. Even within itself (The Church), there are attacks on the ones trying to call false teaching for what it is, standing up for the Gospel. It is very sad, talk about a house divided! In the end, I and others like-minded need to stand on what Paul promised at the end of a list of craziness not limited to the world in general, but especially to the Church, that "just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all as was that of those two men."(2 Tim 3:8-9). I pray that their folly will indeed be exposed, as I know sooner or later it will. This poison in the Church is not going unnoticed by God, and I am sure He will rise and silence these people as He has done before.
