Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14 v 26 - 28: "How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God."
Ephesians 4 v 11 - 13: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"
The Church, or Body, of Jesus Christ, needs to be unified and in one accord. At present it is divided into many factions who have different points of view. Unity is present when the Word of God is not adulterated, added to, or subtracted from, to protect people from being offended by it.
Divisions come when people disagree over what the Bible says. King Henry 8th split from the Roman Catholic Church to form the Church of England, or Anglican Church aka the Episcopalian Church in America. The reason he split was because he wanted to divorce his barren wife to marry again, and the Pope would not agree.
There is a division over Christening or baby baptism as this is contrary to Bible teaching. The Roman Catholic Church traditionally baptised babies as this was amalgamated into their dogma along with other Babylonian religious practices. In Babylonian times babies were sacrificed to Baal by being named while water was sprinkled on their heads before being thrown onto fire in the idol's mouth.
There is no mention of infant baptism in the Bible. Acts 2 v 38: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Errors and traditions have been entrenched over hundreds of years and our God is holy, perfect and true, and He will not confirm lies or support them. He rejects every false thing, its an abomination to Him. So every parent that baptised their babies believing this is spiritually significant does not realise that all their babies got from the experience was wet heads.
How many churches deny the baptism of the Holy Spirit which comes after baptism by full immersion in water? The Holy Spirit is bestowed by the laying on of hands by anyone who is filled with the Spirit. The evidence of His presence in the newly baptised person, is speaking in an unknown tongue.
Thereafter any or all of the other gifts of the Holy Spirit may appear: 1 Corinthians 12 v 7 - 11: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."
Any church that lacks these basic foundations and building blocks lacks the full gospel truth of Jesus Christ and has wandered into errors. All who follow any other gospel, blindly or not, with have to give an account to Almighty God on the Day of Judgment. They will be asked by Him, "Do you know My Son?" If they answer YES they will be asked, "Did you obey His commands?"
Jesus will say if your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and if it is not, He will declare, "I never knew you!" Matthew 7 v 21 - 23: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Our God wants every human being to be saved to spend eternity with Him, and He has done everything to provide us with truth and power to overcome our fallen nature. He also gave us a free will to choose whether we will truly love Him and fulfil the purpose He gave each of us i.e. to follow Jesus without compromise.
In the above passage of scripture it applies to those who prophesy out of their own hearts and not what God is sending them to say. They cast out demons to show their power but neglect to set the captive free. They may do miracles but its only for their own glory. God is not mocked.
If you do not act on your own behalf to ensure you are on the right path by heeding this message or others who proclaim truth from error, nobody else will be able to reach you either. If you are entrenched in traditions that are contrary to the teaching of the Bible it may need a strong quake to loosen their hold on you. I would say, save yourself the pain and rather listen and do it God's way now.
He loves you and He is merciful and kind to all who are sincere. He has called me to write this blog to find a way to reach those who think they are okay because they attend church regularly. God won't ask you if you were a member of any church. He needs you to belong to the invisible Body of Jesus which is the true Church not made with hands. Every born again believer is part of this Body as long as they walk with Jesus and not in the flesh i.e. in a carnal selfish way.
The prophet Joel spoke about those who were in the valley of decision and this could apply to you. You choose where you will spend eternity and there can be no excuses.
Prayer: Heavenly Father I am thankful for all You did to save my sinful soul from ultimate destruction. You cleansed me with the Blood of Jesus, You exchanged my dead spirit for His resurrected life, you seated me in Christ in heavenly places. You filled me with Your love and sent me to be a witness to every other sinner I could reach. I honour You, Father, and worship You in spirit and in truth. Thank You for the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are used to bless others. In Jesus' name. Amen.
