|
The Remnant Contender Introduction
Facing Reality
I think I’ll just come out of the gate with both barrels loaded and blasting allowing the shells fall where they may. It’s really not so much that I’m just a negative person that has a problem with every Church I see. (Though I am the first to admit that I am very much “Religiously Incorrect” and I embrace that designation with no shame.) In reality I’m a very positive individual about matters of the Church. So positive in fact, that I just happen to care enough about it to dare to contend for it against being perverted and thus, subverted.
Because presently for myself, things have gotten so bad that I've thrown in the towel and have actually visited a Baptist Church just get fellowship. And there are a few well meaning embers there that have a little glow. Yet there seems to be such a lack of true spiritual reality no matter where I go. I mean things are so shallow on the spiritual level. And when you try to talk to those that are esteemed to be the most spiritual about the things of God and that which should matter the most. You find that even they are walking in spiritual dimness on the most elementary levels of spiritual life. What I mean to say is that such become very defensive and even offended if you ever dare to really talk about the idols of entertainment which so many in their congregations bow before and worship.
It's the same in all the Churches I have visited. There seems to be so much hype and excitement in rallying around ministries, missions and evangelistic efforts. But exactly what are they saving souls unto? I mean they have all the classes and groups divided up by their ages. And while the grandparents are singing "The Old Rugged Cross" out of the old song books and are being taught by uncalled and thus spiritually unqualified individuals, out of some pre-written devotional rag from the professionals of the religious publishing industry; The youth are being indoctrinated with the latest radical hype from the Contemporary world of Christian compromise that is purposely designed to be both secular and fashionable.
The worship of today's Christian youth is by and large that of devils. And the highly anticipated religious pop rock music fest is all the youth talk about. Of course these religious entertainment festivals cost a lot of money, so the youth groups will often be seen standing out in front of their local Wal-Mart raising donations to make the perverts of the religious rock-n-roll industries even richer. Therefore, if I become a part of such a Church and go out and bring in the souls of the lost. All they have to offer the youth is so many Contemporary compromises? And so I will be doing the Devil's work for a Rock-n-Roll Messiah that is really a demon that is damning precious souls. The Leaders seem so sincere, but like with so many others, it’s really all about the appearance of success and the illusion of spiritual reality. Yet the truth for such would just be too hard to swallow. I mean seriously, if it were that easy to convince the leaders of the American Christian establishment that they were feeding their lambs to the wolves, I would not be writing this article now.
We talk about being hot or cold and the spiritual danger of becoming lukewarm. And yet in reality, by today’s established Christian spiritual standards being lukewarm is the same as being hot and being cold is not taken as serious as actually being lukewarm. And if one is really on fire with true zeal and passion for the truth and righteousness of Jesus Christ they are considered to be on the lunatic fringe of religious extremism. Therefore, we see how that today’s Church system has actually waxed cold against its first love for Jesus Christ. And in no way do I believe that I’m going to change its deplorable state by any efforts that I might be engaged in. My only purpose is to obey God by reaching out unto and feeding the scattered sheep and straying lambs of His fold.
The Great Falling Away is Here!
I once understood the “falling away” as being simply the apostasy of groups like the Charismatics and Evangelicals. Yet the longer I live, the more I realize that this apostasy also touches the more Fundamentalist type Churches as well. And I can really relate to those of you who have e-mailed me and have asked: "What do we do now?" Or "Where do we go from here?" I have even tried to find fellowship amongst those types who wear long beards and have their females in head coverings and homemade dresses. I mean along the journey I've met several professing Christians like these who I thought that I really wanted to fellowship with. Yet as it turned out, they had all the right words, but they lacked the true love of God. It was the way they demanded sinless perfection from those they deemed heretics simply because they did not put on a head covering fast enough. Or they did not have the visible evidence of financial prosperity that such said was proof of God's favor.
I'm personally sick and tired of these hypocrites who expect you to beg for their friendship and fellowship as they constantly find faults that are not even Scriptural as they also question your every motive over the most insignificant matters. Such as these are full of religious pride and no matter how prosperous and puritanical they might think themselves to be, their religion is that of the Pharisee and hypocrite. I’m not saying that all those whose wives wear head coverings are hypocrites. I’m just saying that every encounter that I’ve had with such people has always been personally insulting, humiliating and rude. And if that is their “Charity” than I want no part of it.
I was once told by God that the day would come when there would be a falling away and a great famine of the Word. And those Ministers and their Ministries that I trusted and which once held water would dry up as they would fall through their own pride. And I think of the many Preachers and Evangelist who I once respected and trusted, but who all took me for what money that they could get out of me. Yet in times of deep suffering when all I needed was a kind word and a friend to talk to, they betrayed that trust.
The times I gave them my last dollars and then had to beg for a sermon on a cassette tape only to be denied because I had no more to give. And it has happened more than once. Most recently when facing an uncertain future as I lay in the hospital with a heart attack and blood clots in both lungs. The Evangelist I thought was the greatest man of God alive today would not even call the hospital or come by even though he was holding a two week long tent revival less than an hour away from the hospital. After recovering I called him from the hospital and he lied through his teeth saying that he was never told that I ask for him to call, but he then said that he did ask the people to pray for me?
You would think that if he knew that I was facing a life or death health crisis, he would have had the decency to at least call the hospital since he did ask the Church to pray for me. Yet I was his friend and he was happy to take my calls as long as I was willing to gather up folks to bring to his revival, but after I was hospitalized he could not get off that phone fast enough? Sadly there are a lot of these so called “Remnant” Revivalist who are making their rounds in Full Gospel and various other types of Pentecostal Churches. Yet such men only seem to care about their own self serving agendas of being admired as great end time prophets while securing more financial support.
I'm certain that talking about these negatives will offend a lot of Christians who might think that it is only serving Satan to bring up such reproachful accusations against the Ministry at large. But that's really a joke when you consider all that such like Ministers have done to bring reproach against the very cause of Jesus Christ. It is an often repeated sentiment that we Christians are the only army which shoots their own wounded. Thus, if anything, talking about it and taking a stand against it to identify with all those souls out there who have suffered such abuses, will only help to restore their faith. For such will realize that not all Preachers are loyal to such a system and there are God called Preachers out there who have suffered the same betrayals and yet are still carrying on in spite of them. The greatest lesson we can learn from such experiences is that our faith must be built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. For if we build our faith upon Ministers and their ministries, we are in effect building upon the temporal sands of time; rather than upon the eternal foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word.
Though the Articles and Poetic Contemplations on this Website are copyrighted, you are most welcome to make printed copies for free distribution only according to these conditions: You must copy them in their entirety, including the copyright notice at the end of each poem along with this notice of permission. Thank You. RemnantLifeMinistries.Net <<<<{{{{((((((((R.L.M.)))))))}}}}>>>> |