Category: church leaders

The Blind Leading the Blind! #4

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:12-14 KJV).

Do the blind still lead the blind? (Yes, they do!)

In today’s Scripture, the Lord said, “And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” What exactly is this “ditch?” That deep hole into which Israel will fall had already been predicted in Proverbs chapter 23: “[26] My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. [27] For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. [28] She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.” There is something more than physical prostitution here.

Notice the spiritual whoredom in Revelation chapter 17: “[1] And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: [2] With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. [3] So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. [4] And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: [5] And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

Since Israel’s religious leaders had taken her away from God’s truth, the nation would fall for the Antichrist’s false religious system (still future). Likewise, Christendom’s leaders have lured billions of church members into Satan’s trap….

The Blind Leading the Blind! #3

Monday, July 1, 2019

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:12-14 KJV).

Do the blind still lead the blind? (Yes, they do!)

Notice Israel’s religious leaders. They misquoted Micah 5:2 in Matthew 2:6, and were willfully ignorant of other Old Testament passages and truths (Matthew 12:3-5; Matthew 19:4; Matthew 22:31; Mark 12:10,26; Luke 6:3; John 7:52). Even after witnessing numerous miracles, they asked Jesus to perform more (Matthew 12:38; Matthew 16:4). They were content in their unbelief! The Lord exposed the fact that they had set aside God’s Word so as to keep their church traditions (Matthew 15:1-9; Mark 7:1-13).

They pretended not to know the truth, so as to conceal their unbelief (Matthew 21:24-27; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8). On three occasions, to no avail, they attempted to trick Jesus (Matthew 22:15-46; Mark 12:13-34; Luke 20:40). They actually looked for false witnesses to accuse Christ to condemn Him to death (Matthew 26:59-62)! Read His scathing rebukes of them as found in Matthew chapter 23, Luke chapter 11, and John chapter 8. They even lied to cover up His resurrection (Matthew 28:11-15).

Even today, those in “church leadership” are often unfit to lead God’s people. I can honestly tell you that most of the so-called “Christian clergy” I have encountered these past 10-plus years could not identify Christian teaching. In fact, some have taken scoffer’s (!) positions at times—the preacher who did not take the Bible literally, the priest who outright laughed at Scripture, and so on. I recall the “Christian” lady who refused to hear me read the Bible to her. Never will I forget the church members who had attended denominational services for decades and were still biblically illiterate.

Long ago, I too was an ignorant Christian leader—one of the many blind leading the many blind. However, when I learned about dispensational Bible study, I left my denomination and never returned to it! Indeed, the blind do not have to stay blind….

Bible Q&A #625: “Why did multitudes follow Christ during His earthly ministry?”

The Blind Leading the Blind! #2

Sunday, June 30, 2019

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:12-14 KJV).

Do the blind still lead the blind? (Yes, they do!)

The Lord Jesus did not hesitate to tell the truth about the religious leaders of His nation. These educated men had been entrusted with the Old Testament Scriptures, but they were evil. They hid God’s Word from the common people. Frankly, despite their godly appearance, they were enemies of the truth. They claimed to be serving the God of Abraham but were anything but!

Jesus, in today’s Scripture, said Father God would judge those wicked priests, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and so on. According to Jeremiah chapter 23 and Ezekiel chapter 34, corrupt religious leaders had been a pervasive problem in Israel for centuries. Unfortunately, a similar condition has largely crippled the Body of Christ for nearly 2,000 years.

Today, most Bible colleges, seminaries, and denominations train shallow Bible users and perverted Gospel preachers. These graduates matriculated through courses and classes, took and passed examinations, received certifications, and underwent ordinations. Philosophies learned, committees satisfied, and denominations approved. But, does God endorse them? Are they even members of the Church the Body of Christ? Or, just members of manmade denominations? Is the Spirit of God leading them? Or, is it simply the spirit of man? Did they learn the Bible? Or just suppositions, speculations, and hypotheses about Scripture?

Consider the leading “scholars” in Christendom today. They are experts in church history, fluent in Greek and Hebrew and Latin, longtime seminary professors, popular counselors, best-selling authors, members of denominational churches, and hosts to large television and radio audiences. However, how many have actually trusted Jesus Christ exclusively as their personal Saviour? Are they nothing but Christians in name only? Since much of the processing church is clueless about the Scriptures, they exalt non-Christians as Christians and pagan teaching as Christian. Indeed, “they be blind leaders of the blind….”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “As Christians, should we hate our parents?”

 

The Blind Leading the Blind! #1

Saturday, June 29, 2019

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:12-14 KJV).

Do the blind still lead the blind? (Yes, they do!)

We have an English expression derived from today’s Scripture. Physical blindness is not under discussion. It is spiritual blindness. Those in the position of leading others to God have no idea how to reach God themselves. While they may hold a religious title, they are just as clueless about spiritual truths as skeptics!

Long ago, there was an evangelist who had “preached the Gospel” for over two decades in his particular denomination. Now facing death, he paced the floor, worrying aloud, “Am I going to Heaven when I die?” (Where did all this man’s followers go upon death? In all those years, had he ever preached to them a pure Gospel of Grace? That is quite scary! If he was worried about eternity, what peace had he offered them?!) Stop and think, dear friends, of how damaging denominationalism truly is. It does not matter what group or sect. People are so confused about even such basic Bible facts as a clear Gospel message. Yet, they would not hesitate to say, “I am a Christian, and I know Jesus!”

The Gospel of the Grace of God (Acts 20:24) is found mostly succinctly in 1 Corinthians 15:3,4: “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” We do not have to wonder if we will make it to Heaven. If we rely on or trust the simple truth that Jesus Christ at Calvary paid our sin debt in full, that makes us fit for Heaven. We are showing God we as sinners cannot please Him. We are admitting that He had to do for us what we simply cannot do for ourselves.

Alas, leave it to sinful man to complicate it….

Redeem the Year!

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV).

What great advice for 2019!

Despite 2,000 years of Bible schools and seminaries, 2,000 years of a completed Bible canon, 2,000 years of Bible reading in churches, several decades of “Christian” television and radio, and just over a decade of widespread use of “Christian” websites, how sad that Bible ignorance is still quite extensive (it is as if God never gave His Word to start with!).

Frankly, the Church the Body of Christ needs to wake up! The verse previous to today’s Scripture says, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (verse 14). Paul, loosely quoting Isaiah 60:1, reminded us that the spiritual ignorance that gripped Israel in Isaiah’s day seized Christians in his day—and it still grips Christians 20 centuries later. Feel-good sermons, enjoyable “worship” services, and rites, rituals, and ceremonies will NOT solve this problem—they exacerbate it!

“[God] will have all men to be saved…” (1 Timothy 2:4a). Do you want this New Year to count for God’s glory? First, you need to get saved from sins and hell! You need to become a Christian by trusting in and relying on Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). That is only part of God’s will for you, for 1 Timothy 2:4b continues, “[God] will have all men… to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Now, God’s will for your Christian life is daily, personal Bible study to renew your mind, so your faith in those verses can cause God to work in your life—it will be His life, thus making you “perfect [spiritually mature], throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Today’s Scripture urges us to buy back the time Satan has robbed from God (time created for God’s glory). By faith, we need to make that time glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by applying His Word, particularly Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon, to our lives. Have a good year in Christ! 🙂

You can download our free “One-Year Bible Reading Schedule.”

See our archived Bible Q&A: “What Scriptural advice can you give me for the New Year?”

Stand It As Long As You Can! #2

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:25-27 KJV).

Is anger ever appropriate?

Before we came to Christ, we were spiritually darkened (verses 17-19). In the Gospel of Grace, in Jesus Christ, we were enlightened (verses 20,21). Verses 22-24: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Now read today’s Scripture.

Having escaped Satan’s dominion, “delivered from the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13), does it make sense for us to return to it? No! Therefore, when we see our Adversary using lies to work in our lives, we should be angered. Anger is not sinful if caused by the right reasons (see Matthew 5:22 and Mark 3:5). “Be ye angry, and sin not.” Today’s Scripture continues, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” While commonly taken to mean, “Do not go to bed angry, settle the dispute before sunset,” the more probable admonition is, “Do not let your non-sinful anger dissipate.” Brethren, if we do not constantly respond negatively toward sin—especially lying (see context)—it will dominate us. May we not soften our opposition to sin, for Satan will gain the advantage.

Righteous anger should cause us to deny sin (see Galatians 5:19-26). “Sin is not who I am! I am a saint of the Most High God, not a sinner!” We are not making ourselves holy; we are simply being whom Father God has made us in Christ (Romans 12:1,2). Whenever religious tradition obscures or refutes that truth, we should be angry and separate from the tradition, lest Satan keep entry to us. However, only Christian believers mature in grace fully grasp that. Until then, they will keep “experimenting” with their denominations. My advice to them is always, “Stand it as long as you can!” (It is their choice to flee, and I never make the decision for them.)

Stand It As Long As You Can! #1

Monday, November 19, 2018

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:25-27 KJV).

Is anger ever appropriate?

A dear brother in Christ just informed me that he was angry regarding the denominational church he was attending. He understands that it promotes almost no sound Bible teaching, but he has not yet formally divested from it. Like many Pauline dispensationalists endure at one time or another, he sits in “the trying transition” (I speak from experience).

As he has matured in God’s Word rightly divided, so false teaching has become more annoying to him. What he is hearing at church is often “Scriptural,” but it is not “dispensational” (and he knows it). He is conflicted inside: the flesh (old nature, or sin nature) gravitates toward the religious doctrine whereas the new nature cannot tolerate it. Read Galatians chapter 5: “[16] This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. [17] For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” The Holy Spirit and our flesh—both natures residing in us Christians—fight. Both religious sins and worldly sins oppose the working of God the Holy Spirit within us.

The above struggle is an indication that Christians are indeed saved unto eternal life, possessing God’s life. No lost individuals would ever find themselves opposed to “being good” and “hearing nice words” at the local hotspot for the traditions of men. This will be most harsh, but let it be said. Denominations lie. Whether deliberate or oblivious, cruel or sincere, denominational preachers are doctrinally dishonest. They distort Israel’s verses, pretending like they are written to and about us, the Church the Body of Christ. Today’s Scripture declares most authoritatively that we should eliminate lying—both in our lives and in our pulpits! The mature grace saint will come to a crossroads at some point: leave the denomination altogether, or cave in to the overbearing pressure and compromise….

Bible Q&A #555: “Does John 15:6 discredit the notion of ‘once saved, always saved?’”

The Hottest Places in Eternity #9

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

If God caused a war, and the “watchman” (guardian) alerted the city that he saw danger approaching, those not taking heed would be responsible for their own fate (Ezekiel 33:1-5).

The LORD God continues in verses 6-9: “But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou [Ezekiel], O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

In Acts 20:26-27, Paul, God’s spokesman for the Dispensation of Grace, announced he was “pure from the blood of all men.” As a watchman, he had preached the Word of God’s Grace to lost and saved alike in Ephesus. The warning had been sent to the unsaved—Jesus Christ’s shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection as the sufficient payment for their sins. If they died in unbelief and went to Hell, it was their fault. The admonition had been issued to the Christians—God’s Grace, not Law, was the operating principle for victorious Christian living. If their spiritual lives were wrecked, they would be responsible. Paul, however, was guiltless!

Similarly, in eternal judgment, God holds unsaved leaders liable for not warning their people about Satan’s lie program….

The Hottest Places in Eternity #8

Monday, October 1, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

The second factor in determining the intensity of eternal judgment a lost soul will experience is how influential that individual was on the world stage. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation” (Matthew 23:14). “My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” (James 3:1). Religious leaders will be more accountable to God than the congregations they managed.

While religious figures will be most harshly judged out of all leaders, do not suppose that kings and queens, presidents, prime ministers, judges, schoolteachers and professors, media executives, and authors and book publishers, will get off scot-free. These unsaved souls actively and willfully advocated elements of Satan’s evil world system: their programming, legislation, curricula, literature, and policies disseminated and perpetuated his lie program. The Lord Jesus Christ will take all of this into account as each damned soul stands before His throne of judgment.

Of particular note concerning harsh eternal judgment are popes, mega-church preachers, seminary faculty, corrupt Bible editors and translators, and founders of world religions and cults. Doubtless here are Israel’s religious leaders and Rome’s politicians directly involved in Christ’s crucifixion. Judas Iscariot, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet—Satan’s most useful human tools—are punished most severely.

We tremble to consider it, friends, but we must expressly warn. Unsaved husbands and fathers, those whom God commanded to guide women and children in His truth (Ephesians 5:23; Ephesians 6:4), will meet a particularly dreadful fate. For thousands of years, they utterly failed as spiritual leaders. They—more than any other class—contributed to the world’s problems by not training the younger generations. Consequently, those newer generations wreaked worse havoc. Again, to the degree they misled the masses, so is the severity of their everlasting penalty established….

Edifying #7

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” (Ephesians 4:11,12 KJV).

What does “edifying” mean here?

According to Romans 16:25-26, God uses a three-fold method to “stablish” us the Church the Body of Christ. Without Paul’s Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), without his epistles (Romans through Philemon), and without the Bible in light of that Pauline revelation, we will not be spiritually stabilized.

Paul ordered Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 1: “[3] As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, [4] Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.” Those teaching “other doctrine” are legalists, law advocates (verses 5-11). They do not embrace God’s grace, fully and freely, but rather mix law and grace, which thereby abolishes grace. They are not “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Grace is all that God does for us through Christ’s finished crosswork. However, law is our performance to please God. These systems cannot mix; otherwise, confusion and frustration will result. So many professing believers have failed to keep pure grace as their operating system. Consequently, their spiritual lives have been greatly weakened or totally destroyed (cf. 2 Peter 3:15,16). Since they lack a proper view of the Scriptures, they cannot understand those words of God. Non-dispensational Bible study has rendered them impotent. They need to be edified, built up!

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6,7). “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22). They need to be taught the Scriptures according to Pauline edification! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Does the Bible contain a contradiction about Solomon’s molten sea?”