There has been talk about beauty lies and other issues. I found these posts useful, and I have something I want to say or resay to fellow Christians. Some things are on my heart, and I am going to share a few things with you.
Over the years, I’ve talked to many professed Christians, and some are heavily brainwashed. I used to think some of the same things before G-d started this continual de-programming process with me. But, this happens naturally. No matter how spiritually smart you think you are, you’ll get influenced or tricked one way or another. This is why Christ made sure every local assembly had many backup plans to help people stay on the right path, though nobody follows his instructions.
People seem to be conditioned by the culture, the secular government, the families they come from, and man-made religion. They have allowed the world or traditions to cloud their minds.
Once we let go of what others say, or we de-program, we can move freely in Christ. We can soar like eagles and go where God wants us to go. Without this, we become enslaved to man’s ways or what is currently “normal.” I know God wants to do mighty things with His ekklesia, but we do have free will; instead of sacrificing it for God’s desires, sometimes, we follow others or ourselves.
A Few Things I See…
For one, many people do not understand what the Holy Spirit’s purpose is. Some people believe when you get the “Holy Ghost,” you dance around and fall out. It appears that some believe Yah’s Spirit is some kind of sensation? The Holy Ghost comes to empower the church. He imparts spiritual gifts. He will heal and comfort you, help you discern between right or wrong, help you get G-d’s work done, and has many other functions. He’s intentional and meaningful.
My soul has been moved to dance, sing, & shout. But it’s not associated with foolishness.
You should gather with believers for collective worship and do ministry work. But, getting busy will not help strengthen your walk with Christ if you don’t make time for God. The “busyness” will instead become a distraction. Worship is a constant state. Ekklesia gatherings are a reflection of the spiritual life you live everyday. Remember that Jesus retreated often during his ministry to pray to the father (Luke 5:15,16).
And now that I’m talking about this, the church is not a building. Your body is a temple, with the Holy Spirit living within you (1 Corinthians 6:19). And, the Holy Ekklesia consist of all Christians. You don’t need to fellowship in a fancy building with expensive equipment. The NT Body is flexible and free. Local bodies shouldn’t have mortgages or rent. We don’t have temple taxes (Matthew 17:24-27). People can gather at a public space, online, in a repurposed school bus, tent, or in their homes (Acts 20:20).
I say this because many church groups become slaves to the world for a building (Proverbs 22:7). But, G-d says don’t seek to become bondservants of men (1 Corinthians 7:23). If people are ever in a desperate situation, they should look to God for support and seek His direction.
And, it’s a sin for a gathering or personal ministry to be a ‘registered’ 501c3 organization. Why? Let me try to break this down plainly. Because you’re marrying a spiritual creation to the devil’s kingdom (Luke 4:5-6). Many Christians in China are being persecuted because they refuse to secularize their faith. The ‘American Church’ joyfully opens theirs legs to Satan in many ways. We are to go into the world to make disciples. Some people evangelize on secular platforms (that’s called going into the world – YouTube, etc). You can invite the unsaved to evangelistic events and allow them to participate in certain things, like public conversations. But, they can’t control anything. Christ is the head of man & God is the head of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3). Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, so spiritual ministries should never yoke to it (John 18:36). The only time G-d permits a believer to yoke to an unbeliever is if the person’s married to one because the union is holy (1 Corinthians 7:13-14).
Why do local churches even do this? Ignorance? I guess they just blindly follow the crowd of evil doers (Exodus 23:2).
Maybe it’s done to assure donors that contributions are deductible? But, should people look to get a kick back from the devil for giving to Christ? Anyone who does this doesn’t have a changed heart. And, you block a blessing from God. Christ says that your giving should be done in secret (Matthew 6:4). So, why would anyone flash it around on their tax returns?
Perhaps groups want access to grants and other aid. Hmm… where should a gathering’s help come from? We assist each other, as we see in the Scriptures (Romans 15:26). I’m not saying God can’t use a heathen to help a saint (Exodus 12:35-36). But, we should never sin to get help or take things into our own hands.
Or, maybe they don’t mind being yoked with other 501c3s that promote ungodly beliefs?
All gatherings & personal ministries should be yoked to Christ’s Kingdom, not worldly kingdoms. We can’t be the devil’s and Christ’s at the same time!
Sorry to Burst Your Bubble But…
The government, scientists, and medical doctors do not know everything. God does. You might have already caught on, but many have discovered that the FDA allows harmful levels of toxins in your food and products (whether on purpose or not). Man has screwed up God’s earth with his greed and arrogance. And so-called Christ followers encourage it and vote to abuse the earth.
Christians (and others) have been brainwashed to only accept something if it comes with a doctor’s or a scientist’s approval. These people have become so relevant that people have drifted away from the healing elements found on God’s earth.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against science, which is a part of creation. And I’m not some anarchist. I believe in obeying earthly laws as long as they don’t contradict G-d (Daniel 6:7-10). The government was placed here for a purpose. YHWH rules the nations (Psalm 22:28)(Daniel 4:32). But, we should never allow the devil’s kingdom to deceive us into believing or doing things we should not.
As I have mentioned here, many Christians do not use all the things God left to heal, which is not necessary as God left a wealth of things to heal yourself. But what is sad is that people think crystals or other creations are not healing, and some even laugh at God’s healing earth and take modern medicine seriously. Others think healing oneself with earthly things is demonic or wrong. It’s not wrong to use God’s healing creations. Though it may be unwise for some to use certain things if they’re susceptible to falling for falseness.
Christians will agree that many abuse sex, and that is a sin. But it is not wrong in the confines of marriage (unless they bring someone else in, of course). Now, there are some who use creation for demonic purposes, which is wrong. But that does not mean crystals, herbs, and other aspects of God’s good creation are evil.
Well, let’s move on.
I See So Many Things…. Because Materialism Lurks Around me…
In the U.S., big corporations tell us what to buy; they tell us what to eat; they tell us “we need” so many things: Pure, raw, unfiltered consumerism that has polluted the world. The sad thing is Christians fall for this, and we become so weighed down with possessions that these things start to distract us from what really matters: God, and doing what He wants. We become shallow and brainwashed yet again by the world. We chase money just to keep up (Proverbs 23:4-5).
Luke 12:15
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
There is nothing wrong with having some possessions. But, once you become attached to things, this leads to your downfall. Things are just things, and you can’t take any of it with you. We should have our eyes fixed on Yeshua, not earthly stuff. We can do more if we live a simple life and are not burdened down with the constraints of temporal things (Luke 3:11).
We must live freely in Christ, and look to God. And He will lift the scales from your eyes.
Shalom,
Photo credit: Jack Mallon
