Category: religious bondage

“Christianettes” #9

Friday, June 11, 2021

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV).

How can we prevent ourselves from being “Christianettes?”

“God wants the very best for you!” “It is a sin to be sick and poor!” “Jesus wants you to fulfill your dreams!” As ear-tickling and motivational as they sound, the shallow, puerile dictums of modern Christendom are void of God’s wisdom for the Dispensation of Grace. They do not provide us with any victory over sin or insight into the Lord’s current dealings with man.

Contrariwise, 2 Timothy chapter 3 informs: “[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” “Doctrine” is teaching we are to believe: Romans (basic), Ephesians (advanced), and 1 and 2 Thessalonians (super-advanced) fit here. “Reproof” identifies what we are doing wrong: these are 1 and 2 Corinthians (basic) and Philippians (advanced). “Correction” tells us how to adjust erroneous thinking: Galatians (basic) and Colossians (advanced) go here. Again, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon are guides to administering a local grace assembly. Even the layout of Paul’s 13 epistles, from Romans all the way through Philemon, brings the saint from spiritual infancy to full adulthood.

The Corinthians and Galatians knew Pauline truth, but they did not appropriate it by faith. Read 1 Corinthians and Galatians. These are some sinful saints, especially in Corinth! A believer without edification is actually a child of God who thinks and behaves like a child of Satan. Such souls are no threat to the Devil; they may not be going to Hell any longer, but they are still his vessels to send many millions there in their place. Their lack of spiritual growth inhibits them from sharing a clear Gospel message and other Bible teaching: too confused to clearly articulate what they believe, any lost people they could have potentially reached stay lost, and any fellow Christians they could have possibly taught remain ignorant. Whoever is watching them responds, “Whatever that ‘Christian’ believes, I want no part in it! Let me stay in my world religion, philosophy, non-Christian worldview, et cetera.” If we follow Pauline edification, that will not be said of us!

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Can you explain Acts 19:13-16?”

“Christianettes” #8

Thursday, June 10, 2021

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV).

How can we prevent ourselves from being “Christianettes?”

Christ Jesus asserted: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me” (John 13:20). As He sent the 12 Apostles to be His spokesmen in the prophetic program, so He sent Paul to be His spokesman in the mystery program. Under the Holy Spirit’s leadership, Paul thus declared: “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office” (Romans 11:13).

First and foremost, the Apostle Paul reveals “my gospel,” the initial step to being “stablished” or stabilized (Romans 16:25,26). “The Gospel of the Grace of God” (Acts 20:24) is clearly defined in 1 Corinthians chapter 15: “[1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,…. [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:….”

Romans, Paul’s first epistle in the canon of Scripture, describes the Gospel of Grace by which we receive forgiveness, justification, sanctification, redemption, eternal life, et cetera. His next three epistles—1 and 2 Corinthians plus Galatians—expand on Romans and correct any misconceptions or confusions. Most church members, if they ever (!) grasp Romans through Galatians, never get beyond here. Remember, the Corinthians and Galatians failed to learn and apply Romans truth!! Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians are a higher plane of understanding.Very few gain this maturity, “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery” being the second step to establishment as per Romans 16:25,26. Finally, 1 and 2 Thessalonians are “the scriptures of the prophets:” all of the Bible in light of Pauline revelation. Practically no one gets to this final phase of maturity (Romans 16:25,26). Paul’s last four epistles—1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon—are handbooks for running the local church efficiently, also rarely mastered.

Following the Lord’s pattern through Paul, as shown here, we avoid becoming “Christianettes….”

“Christianettes” #7

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV).

How can we prevent ourselves from being “Christianettes?”

As touching the nation Israel’s spiritual immaturity, the Holy Spirit through the writer of the Book of Hebrews commented in chapter 5: “[11] Of whom [Christ] we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. [12] For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. [13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. [14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

When Hebrews was written—the latter half of the Acts—the seven years of Tribulation should have already passed, Christ should have already returned at His Second Coming, and He should have already established Israel in His earthly kingdom (thus evangelizing Gentiles). By this time, however, the nation is unable to teach God’s words to non-Jews. The Jews themselves must first learn fundamental truth before they can share it with others. Like the Corinthians, they have responded poorly to the spiritual light given to them. Hence, they are “unskilful in the word of righteousness”—like a baby sucking on a milk bottle! They are not spiritual adults, “them that are of full age,” so they cannot eat spiritual meat (solid food): essentially, they are useless to God’s ministry. Hebrews is the Holy Spirit re-teaching Israel the basics, preparing them for Christ’s return and kingdom once our mystery program terminates.

Likewise, Father God would like us members of the Body of Christ to move from “babe” to “full age”—milk to meat, unskilful to experienced, students to teachers! Most importantly, He wants us to grow up now (as opposed to waiting to reach maturity in Heaven). The Pauline Epistles are the means whereby we undergo this transformation….

“Christianettes” #6

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV).

How can we prevent ourselves from being “Christianettes?”

God’s current dealings with mankind, His present will, is “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Ephesians 3:2). This is the information He has in effect today: what He believes and expects us to believe, and what He is doing and expects us to do. He has dispensed or distributed this body of truth via the Apostle Paul’s ministry—particularly the 13 Pauline epistles, Romans through Philemon. Ephesians chapter 3 opens: “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;….”

Every church member knows prophetic truth: “[19] Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. [20] And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: [21] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21). However, practically no one in any church is aware of mystery truth: “…the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest,…” (Romans 16:25,26).

Church traditions taking preeminence for 2,000 years, Paul’s unique apostleship has been diminished or totally ignored: it is considered to be nothing more than an extension of the 12 Apostles’ ministry/message, or viewed as completely illegitimate and therefore worthy of exclusion from Scripture. We have failed (!) to follow the pattern of the edification of the believer outlined in Romans chapter 16, so believers are mere “Christianettes,” weak and confused, not much better off than they were before coming to Christ by faith….

“Christianettes” #5

Monday, June 7, 2021

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV).

How can we prevent ourselves from being “Christianettes?”

Father God intends the Church the Body of Christ to grow up, to move away from sin’s power (man’s two natural extremes) and submit to grace: “And he [Jesus Christ] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting [equipping] of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 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: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).

The outline as to how God accomplishes this is found in Romans 16:25,26: “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to (1) my gospel, and (2) the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and (3) by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:….” We are to be “edified” (built up) and “stablished” (spiritually stabilized) via a three-step strategy. This design for the edification of the member of the Church the Body of Christ is the key to maturing in grace and avoiding both extremes of fallen human nature—asceticism (human good) and lasciviousness (human evil). Since churches, denominations, cults, et cetera, have failed these last 2,000 years to follow this pattern, “Christianettes” have resulted….

“Christianettes” #4

Sunday, June 6, 2021

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV).

How can we prevent ourselves from being “Christianettes?”

In our fallen, natural, or sinful state, we humans have a nature divided into two extremes. There is asceticism on one end and lasciviousness on the other. Asceticism is the strict, legalistic, “self-disciplined” crowd, people obsessed with religious rites, rituals, and ceremonies; they fight the urge to engage in wild living by “managing” their sin with some prescribed denominational, religious, or spiritual routine. Lasciviousness is the loose, rowdy, “worldly” crowd, people fixated on doing whatever they want to do without any regard for boundaries or moderation; they fight against the inclination to pursue strict living by “managing” their sin with actions that defy prescribed religion.

A “Christianette” is someone caught in the above spectrum. Whether a genuine member of the Body of Christ, or just another lost person joining a local church, they are conducting themselves somewhere between asceticism and lasciviousness. They have not matured in grace principles, so they are involved with the “sins of the spirit” (works-religion) and/or the “sins of the flesh” (worldliness). In the case of the member of the Body of Christ, he or she is a living contradiction: a sinning saint does not make sense at all. As for the mere church member, we would expect a lost person (non-Christian) to act like a lost person (non-Christian): there is nothing surprising there!

Considering the two aforementioned erring Christian groups to whom Paul ministered, it is no coincidence we find one extreme of human nature dominating one crowd and the other extreme of human nature controlling the other multitude. Regarding the predicament of Galatia, they are the rigorous religionists, Moses-oriented (Galatians 4:21): “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?” As touching Corinth, they are the lax humanists, man-oriented (1 Corinthians 3:3): “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”

All these centuries later, the Body of Christ as a whole is still wavering between the sin of Galatia (strict) and the sin of Corinth (loose). Individuals thus suffer the effects….

Tongue-Tied! #4

Saturday, May 15, 2021

“And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him” (Mark 7:32 KJV).

What can this tongue-tied man possibly teach us?

If a Christian is not skilled in the Word of God rightly divided, it will be evident in his or her speech and writing. Denominationally-minded souls have no real understanding of spiritual truth, so they can do nothing but prattle and babble. It is nonsense, foolishness, tripe. They are completely unable to teach someone valuable spiritual information. Sadly, they themselves must first be taught. That was Israel of old, possessing the Hebrew Bible for 1,600 years and yet still confused. Hebrews chapter 5: “[12] For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. [13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. [14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

The professing church, and even the genuine Body of Christ, is actually in worse shape. Despite the fact of possessing a complete Bible for 2,000 years, it cannot adequately express Christian truth to others because there is such a lack of Scriptural proficiency even among so-called believers in Christ. They can mindlessly recite facts about church history, comprehend the original Bible languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek), devise complex denominations and theological systems, and defend religious tradition; they can engage in lengthy prayers, stirring “praise and worship,” humbling water baptisms, and exciting missions trips; but can they tell others about how to have eternal life in Christ and victorious grace living? No! Like ancient Israel, we have hearts of sin and unbelief. There is almost no preaching of the clear Gospel of Grace, almost no preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, almost no sound Bible doctrine. Precious few believers are mature and founded in the truth; the rest utter gibberish. Like Israel, we also suffer an impediment in our speech….

Something in Which to Glory!

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

“As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:12-14 KJV).

In what shall we glory? About what shall we boast? In what shall we find value?

Religion produces people who enjoy bragging all about their “dedication to God.” “Look what I did—the ceremonies in which I have participated, the many prayers I faithfully recited daily, how much I put in the collection plate, see how many pleasures I gave up to please God! Come, see how much I love Him!” Dear friends, the Apostle Paul found great value in something—but that something was not what he did. All that human flesh can accomplish pales in comparison to the work in today’s Scripture.

As Lent begins, the time when religionists temporarily (a mere 40 days) relinquish some pleasant food or activity, let us remember that our performance is often non-performance. Once we place ourselves on that treadmill of “do, do, do,” we are guaranteed to fail at some point. Human flesh is simply too weak to maintain 100 percent—that is sin! Even concerning one rule, we cannot keep it perfectly. We mess up eventually.

If ever we believe that our puny works are worth bragging about, let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul in today’s Scripture. While some boast in their religiosity (in the passage, the Judaizers applauding their rite of physical circumcision), and such denominationalists today urge us to obey their church’s instructions so they too may boast in our ability, let us eschew such foolishness. Being imperfect, all their works do not measure up to Christ’s finished crosswork. At Calvary, we find the only sacrifice that will ever please the God of the Bible. If we must boast, let us brag that He did what we could never, ever do!

See our archived Bible Q&A: “Should Christians observe Lent?”

Thieves in the Temple

Monday, February 15, 2021

“And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Luke 19:45,46 KJV).

There were swindlers in “God’s house” then—just like today!

Recently, I heard from a man whose elderly father had just died. The late man had a clear testimony of salvation in Jesus Christ. (I talked with him years back.) Yet, a cult had captivated him, and he had moved far away from his family to attend “church services” there. For over a decade, he supported that woman preacher financially. When he graduated to Heaven, his son took over his estate and went through his personal records. As it turned out, that dear soul was giving a mandatory 25% of his annual income to that church. According to his last will and testament, 40% of his remaining fortune will go to fund the “church”—leaving his son very little inheritance!

Sadly, religion is “big bu$ine$$.” The amount of wealth taken from people under the guise of “church,” “Bible,” and “God” is far greater than the sum of every bank heist, every company embezzlement, and every purse-snatching. Surely, the Lord will absolutely not let people get away with such dishonesty. In fact, according to today’s Scripture, He exposed them in—and evicted them from—the Jerusalem Temple.

They were charging outrageous amounts for sacrificial animals… the very offerings the poor people needed to purchase for worship as per the Mosaic Law. Furthermore, officials working under the priests exchanged foreign currencies for the Jewish shekel—and they gave back far less than the equivalent. That is, “Do not defile God’s house with your pagan coins bearing idolatrous images! Come ‘exchange’ them for the shekel, and buy your sacrifices from us. Our fees are ‘quite reasonable!’” (Such hypocrisy.)

Hence, after today’s Scripture, “And [Jesus] taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.” How furious they were once Jesus put them out of bu$ine$$!

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #35

Friday, February 12, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

In the context of intense social difficulties, including religious deception, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul penned in chapter 3 of 2 Timothy: “[14] But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; [15] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. [16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (Read the whole chapter for the contrast.)

Proceed into chapter 4: “[1] I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; [2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. [3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Christians should “continue… in the things” they have “learned,” remembering these “things” are Pauline doctrine, the grace principles of Romans through Philemon. The very reason the professing church is in such shambles today is because it refused to heed this advice 2,000 years ago (cf. 2 Timothy 1:15). Believe and preach the Word rightly divided! If we believers in Christ save ourselves from the erroneous teachings of Satan’s evil world system, then we have a pure message to share with lost people, that they might also believe and pass from death to life, that their sin not find them out in eternity and perpetually fracture them in twain.

-FINIS!-