Contending for the faith | Making Disciples | Equipping the Saints for Ministry

  by Jeannette Haley

   Ever since 9-11 “United We Stand” signs have popped up all over America. There is nothing like the threat of a common enemy to unite people of different races, religions, socio and economic backgrounds. We also see the globalists using the threat of terrorism on a world-wide scale to promote their agenda for a united world. But by far one of the most dangerous globalist threats to real Christianity is the push for unity, not only on a global scale, but within the institutionalized church.
   You may ask, “Aren’t Christians supposed to be in unity with one another?” The answer to that question depends upon how you define unity. Unity basically means oneness. Since no two believers agree 100% on every single thing, how could the world’s churches possibly be united into one? The answer to that question is simple: global unification will only occur outwardly. In other words, instead of each individual believer being encouraged to become inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit, he or she will be expected to conform outwardly to certain prescribed religious ideologies, rules and regulations. Make no mistake, independent or critical thinking will not be tolerated. The leader of this one-world church will demand total allegiance. In other words, it will be a satanic cult on a scale the world has never seen before.
   To gain insight into what this one-world church would consist of, all one has to do is research the history of the Papacy and the Roman Catholic Church. The atrocities that took place during the Inquisition will most likely be repeated, except next time they will be on a far grander scale. Satan’s goal is to extinguish the light of Christ (true believers) from the face of the earth. What better way to do it than through a false religion?
   Christians in these last days need to understand what constitutes true unity within the Body of Christ. But first we must get past our church denominations and walls; past our preconceived ideas and pet theories (theologies); past our high opinions of what we think we know, and return to the simplicity of Christ. The Apostle Paul feared that believers would lose the simplicity of Christ, along with the Gospel and the spirit that they had originally received. He wrote to the Church at Corinth, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” 2 Cor. 11:3.
   Tragically, what is taking place today is a major shift away from the simplicity of Christ and who He is as the way, the truth and the life. Just as Paul warned, through Satan’s subtlety minds are being corrupted, or perverted, to ignore or disregard these clear claims of Christ.
   The early Christians, through extreme persecution and suffering for the first three centuries A.D., managed to maintain Christ as the narrow way.  Since then the narrow way has been systematically broadened, and continues to be broadened to embrace anything or anyone that fallen mankind deems as “good” or “religious.” According to this man-centered philosophy those who worship the pagan moon god (Allah), or follow some New Age guru, or work among the poorest of the poor in India while denying that Jesus is the only way will still make it to heaven. After all, they are “sincere,” “devout,” and “spiritual”. Nothing could be further from the truth. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” Acts 4:12.
   What is even more amazing is the broadening of the narrow way within the traditional, institutional church itself. One can read daily about mainline denominations that are eager to jump into bed with the whorish ecumenical movement as if they were totally unaware of the prophetical implications of a one-world, idolatrous religious system. Add to this the sweeping heretical movements within Christendom and you have a terrifying scenario. Terrifying in the sense that multitudes of people who think they are going to heaven are actually on the broad path to destruction.
   The bottom line is, most religious people today have an extremely high opinion of themselves and of what they think they know. Knowing Jesus as the truth is overruled by their pride which sets them up for destruction. Pride prevents a person from being able to test the spirit behind people and doctrines. It causes them to operate in the flesh and to gravitate to those churches or groups of people who tickle their ears and feed their flesh. Instead of practicing the lowliness, meekness, and love that the Apostle Paul wrote about in Ephesians 4, they consider themselves superior to others. Add to this some sort of extra-biblical “spiritual experience” they may have had in one of the “hyper faith” false “Christian” churches of today and you have a self-righteous, stiff-necked, un-teachable, indoctrinated, and brainwashed idolater. Try as you might, you cannot get this individual to face the fact that their pride has set them up for failure in their spiritual life and relationship with God.
   Such people, because they have refused to receive a “love of the truth, that they might be saved,” have instead been sent “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. Once a person ends up in this type of delusion, no one can bring them to a place of being able to perceive the truth and what spirit they are operating under.
   This is one of the reasons why born-again Christians who do know their God and who do have the right spirit find it next to impossible to be in agreement with people who have received another Jesus, another spirit, or another gospel no matter how much they may talk the talk. In other words, there can be no real unity unless all concerned are of the right spirit—the Holy Spirit! True unity occurs when people join together who are like-minded (with the mind of Christ); who are going in the same direction (led by the Spirit); who have the same foundation (Christ); who have the same Lord and Master (Jesus); and who have the same faith (first delivered to the saints).
   Three types of people can be found within the apostate church. (By apostate we mean any person or group of persons who have deliberately turned from the truth to follow fables.) The first type is made up of sincere seekers who have no foundation in truth. They want to make it to heaven, but they don’t have a clue as to what comprises real Christianity. They are weak, ignorant, and vulnerable. Therefore, they are easy prey for the second type found within the apostate church—the wolves.
   Wolves can operate alone, or they fall into the category of false prophets with fantastic dreams, visions and “new revelations.”  They are scripture-twisting teachers, workers of lying wonders, signs and so-called miracles. They come preaching a cheap, flesh-tantalizing “goody” gospel with ear-tickling fantasies that entertain their adoring followers.  They are cunning, clever and shrewd. We have heard more than one false prophet expounding on the danger of listening to false prophets! Never underestimate the ability of a wolf in sheep’s clothing to mesmerize and deceive the gullible and undiscerning.
   The third type found within the apostate church make up the majority. These are the people who cannot endure sound doctrine, and who deliberately scoff at the foundations of real Christianity as established by Christ and the early apostles. They are attracted to the new wave because it appeals to their self-serving and self-exalting agendas. It makes them feel like a “somebody,” whereas Christ taught that His followers must deny self and become a servant of all if they were to be great in God’s kingdom. These carnal people crave a pseudo “Christianity” that offers the best of both worlds—in other words, they want to get to heaven, but they refuse to pay the price. They gravitate to a false gospel that offers an easy way to avoid hell by merely tacking Jesus on to their lives.  They adore the teaching that godliness is monetary gain and worldly pleasure.  They love the practice of witchcraft through visualization and positive confession instead of praying as Jesus taught because it gives them a sense of power. These people want to have fun, they want to be stroked and they want to be entertained. They are addicted to “feel-good” hyper music services that substitute loud, repetitious, physical involvement (paganism) for true, anointed worship in spirit and truth.
   Is there agreement and oneness within the end-days, “third wave,” “Kingdom Now,” world-wide hyper-faith movement? You better believe there is! This agreement is held together by a spirit that lacks the love of Christ, compassion, and humility. People who operate with this false religious spirit are looking out for number one. They think very highly of themselves and of what they think they know based on false teachings and their unfounded, counterfeit, religious experiences. It is important to note that their concept of Jesus is always in the extreme; that is, He is either depicted as a mushy, weak, soft, cuddly “sweet Jesus” or He is depicted as a warrior in a grossness that rivals any Star Wars character imaginable.
   What is a Christian to do who truly desires the truth? Jesus gave the answer to this question in Matthew 7:7,8: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek; and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him. He is the living water, the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the image of the Father, the vine, the good shepherd, the baptizer of the Holy Ghost and our example. Worship and follow Him, and Him alone—not your church or your leaders. He is the one who purchased you with His own blood on the cross. They did not.
   Study the book of Ephesians which the Apostle Paul wrote to bring unity within the Body of Christ, especially between Jewish and Gentile believers. In Chapter 4 he beseeches them to “walk worthy of the vocation” to which they were called in “all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” Ephesians 4:2, 3. He goes on to say that there is “one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” Ephesians 4:4-6. We see in these verses that we cannot be one in the Spirit unless we walk in true humility, love, patience and peace.
   Finally, any so-called unity that dismisses Jesus as the way, the truth and the life is an agreement with death and hell. Any path that embraces any or all beliefs as simply “different roads to heaven” is the broad way to hell and destruction. Any joining with another spirit other than the Holy Spirit is a pact with Satan. The choice is yours.