The church is meant to be a place of safety, worship, and fellowship. It’s the one place that you do not expect to be judged according to the world’s standard, to see the moral decay of society or meet hypocrites that spew all sorts of profanities. But what if your church has failed you? What do you do?
We are all one Church and the Body of Christ, but Jesus hasn’t come back yet so we are not yet physically united, but we are united in spirit, or at least we should be. For the time being, we are scattered all over the globe and we all have our own churches (a building of some sort) that we go to have fellowship with other Christians. It would be a lie if I said that all churches share the same agenda of worship, preaching, loving, admonishing and encouraging one another, because they don’t. Some churches are there to destroy the faith of Christians, to have them cleave to the world and to get rich by extorting the struggling and the poor. Other churches have good intentions, but there are a couple of goats among the herd of sheep that do not belong there and are causing wave upon wave of problems within the church. Although there are many good churches, the rate of questionable ones are growing and the population of name-only Christians is growing as well.
What if you attend one of the more questionable churches? Your church could be filled with pastors who give false doctrines, backbiters, idolators, gossipers, people committing adultery, having sexual relations out of marriage, occultic practices, lovers of money and haters of generosity, truth, love and the powerful Word of GOD. Maybe you were judged and rejected by members of the church. Day by day your faith starts to weaken. You start to question the foundation of your faith that is Christ Jesus. Can GOD really exist when these people do all of these sins? You came to church to learn about GOD, the Almighty GOD that created the world and created man in His own image. The GOD that sent His Son to earth to die for the sins of man, so that whoever would believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. You wanted to experience the presence of GOD, to find your purpose. Instead, you walked into a den of liars and people who seem lost, doing everything but what the Scriptures command. What are you to do? Do you abandon your faith? Do you walk away from your church?
Consider the following five steps before making a decision.
Step One: You identify that there is something legitimately wrong in your church. There will always be some people that are destructive in the church, but that doesn’t mean that the whole church is bad. Make sure that you’re not judging the whole church based on a few people.
Step Two: Read GOD’S Word to find out what He says about the people who follow His commands and those who do not. You will find that the fruits of the person will indicate their position with GOD.
Step Three: Understand that there are people who call themselves Christian and yet their hearts are far from GOD – these people have either backslidden or were never true Believers, to begin with. Be wary and watch out that you do not become influenced by them.
Step Four: If you are certain that the whole church goes against GOD’s Word, then leave the church and look for another church that is obedient to GOD in ALL things.
Step Five: Never lose your faith in GOD because of a couple of ‘goats’ in the church. Follow your Shepherd who is Jesus – He will never fail you or contradict Himself.
Whether you are a teenager, a seasoned Christian or an elderly person, GOD has a purpose for you. There will be many opportunities for you to question the validity of your faith, the grounds for your belief in Jesus, the necessity of the Scriptures, and even GOD’S love for you. Never allow doubt to take away your gift from Him- eternal life in Jesus. Rather than leave your faith, delve deeper into the Scriptures, look for answers, don’t just give up. Jesus is coming and He needs warriors, not lukewarm people who doubt His Word. Time is running out.
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Congratulations,
Ursala
Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement. I walked away with my children from the church but not from my faith. Good Almighty and Father of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, remain the center of our lives. But, I just wondered why the church is failing the same body of Christ that build the foundation of the love of God. I just wondered.
Remnant of Christ 33 AD You might like this blog.
The remnants of Christ what does that mean ? Has it ever crossed your mind that when Christ was crucified that their was only a few people there watching the event. Â Were you one of the ones watching Christ die? Â Or were you part of the multitude buying spiritual items from the Guardians of your Galaxy in the temple. Â While this historic event was taking place. Â Well let’s see if you were part of the remnant at the crucifixion. Â
So curl up at on your favorite sofa make sure you have room for the Holy Spirit. Grab yourself your favorite drink and open your Bible to Romans 9 and read 1 thru 33. Â This concerns the calling out of the Jews and the Gentiles. Â We are going to focus particularly on the following verses, 5,6,7,8,24, 26,31,32,33 not forgetting the totality of Roman 9. Â Remember the author’s intent and logic concerning his concern.
While you and the Holy Spirit are contemplating what you are reading. Â It has been about 20 yrs since Christ was crucified. The Jews and Gentiles were drifting away from the Truth of Redemption of your soul to the Father (circa 57 AD). That message was still being proclaimed by the Apostles and disciples of Christ only a few received the message and acted on it. Â Are you listening? Â Anyway.
To understand the word remnant you have to leave Jerusalem  cross the bridge leading to the Old Testament the lands of ancient Mesopotamia.  This is an area that comprises of modern-day Turkey , Iraq and Syria.  The journey takes 2200 years.
I see you made it to the land of Shinar. It is hot today about 2 in the afternoon. Have some ice tea and let’s sit under this grove of olive trees and rest awhile. Â What year is it you ask, about 2200 BC. Â It will take Christ 2200 years to meet his destiny with mankind. Wow!
In the shimmering heat of the wasteland you observe a caravan approaching. Â They consisted of three families from the generation of Noah. It has taken them hundreds of years for them to travel from Mount Arafat ( Turkey) to reach this oasis of olive trees. The head of the families are Shem, Ham and Japheth. Â They arrive at your location and that evening and pitch camp. Â In the next few days some of the men decided they would build a city and monument to their achievement for surviving the long trek across the desert. Â Instead of giving praise to the Lord for a safe journey. Â Â
They start cutting down the olive trees to build their pride to the heavens. Â Every olive tree, except the tree you are resting under to escape the heat, will be cut down. Â The city became known as Babel according to the scribes. Â Shem was the only family that heard the voice of the Lord.
The Spirit waved his hand and scattered the families into the wilderness, before your eyes and as it is written. Â Then the Spirit took your hand and whisked you away and you found yourself sitting under another olive tree. Where are we? He said, You are in the camp of Abram located in Egypt. Â There are not many people in this camp either, why? Â The spirit looked at me and spoke since the days of Noah only a few hear the voice of the Lord.
The spirit then took me to the city of Sodom and Gomorrah and I watch how it was only Lot and His family leaving the city and again there were not many people who heard the voice of the Lord. I could see the fires and smoke the stench of sin spiraling up to the heavens. Â Â I told the spirit I think I understand that only a few will enter the Kingdom, Jews and Gentiles alike.
The spirit then took me to the cruxification of Jesus.  I stood in the crowd watching the blood dripping down the face of Christ.  I looked around and recognized some of the women. there was Mary the mom, Mary of Magdalene and Mary the wife of Clopas plus the women that followed Christ out of Galilee.   In the multitude there was a Disciple who I did not recognize and of course the Roman Centurions.   All the women were wailing over the loss of their begotten Son.  You asked the spirit sitting next to you to explain what all this meant.  Why  there were more women wailing for Christ then men?
The spirit spoke, since the days of your forefathers the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob they have always kept their marriage covenant with the Lord. Â Your forefathers always heard the voice of the Lord. The women you see are the body of the church in all their beauty. Â They are co-councils to the disciples the sons and daughters of the Lord. Â There is only one unidentified disciple that truly listens; the rest have become like the Pharisees you see before you a generation of vipers who constantly break the covenant of the Lord, sell their merchandise in the temple and teach their carnality to the children. Â As soon as he spoke these words to me he was gone.
You closed your Bible got up from the sofa went over to the window and looked out across the your wilderness and you could see the fires and smoke of the sins drifting to the heavens. Â You like me have watched the Pharisees and there sons and daughters sell their merchandise in the temple spilling it out to the courtyard. Â You like me have been a part of that for a long time. Â Perhaps you should go across that bridge leading out of Jerusalem and return to the land of your forefathers and listen to there voice. Â Then return to Jerusalem and the cruxification of Christ then you will understand the simple prophet from Nazarene. Â Things will become clearer to you. Your forefathers are not dead their alive. They are just biding their time till Christ comes back a second time. Â
For the women that live out across the wasteland.  Remove yourself  from the temples of the Pharisees and their deceit, the antichrist, outside your house.  Father hears your wailing and is sending His Son to claim His bride. You.  You have heard the voice of the Lord before after you were talked into committing a sin by the sons and daughters of the antichrist that flowed like water from the Garden.  You heard His voice afterwards. I know that because the Spirit spoke these words to me.
So prepare yourself as a bride for your marriage to the Lamb (Christ) you are to be dressed in fine linen, clean and white. Â Let no man dress you in fine linen; for fine linen is the righteousness of the saints whose lineage goes back to your forefathers. Â So the next time you lift your veil from your eyes you will be at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
For the men out there, I would have to ask, How come you were not witnessing the death of Truth in Jerusalem today? Where were you? Â I know most of you were putting your tables back together to go back to selling your snake oil and merchandise to the children. Sweeping the truth out of the temple into the dirt to let your pride shine again.
Perhaps you should go back to the ancient lands of Mesopotamia to the Garden.  This is where in your arrogance you ignored the voice of the Lord.  You saw the beauty of the woman in all her nakedness and violated ,the Bride of the Lamb, the Body of Christ, the church with your hands.  Your carnal nature ,rose up like a viper,and slithered out of the Garden like water till it engulfed the world you live in.  Father gave you a second chance again you ignored His voice.  You left Mount Arafat and you moved to the city named Babel.  Stayed there till the Lord’s  hand came down and dispersed you.  Again you did not hear the Lord’s voice.  You decided to move down to Jerusalem and along the way you saw the great fires and smoke that lit up the night sky.  You asked some travelers along the path to Zion what you wore looking at.  This is the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.  The fires are fueled by the sins of the children of the Father and they have been burning for thousands of years. The flood of man’s sin cannot quench the fires of judgement.  Hmmn you thought that is why I am going to the temple of the Pharisees and learn their ways located in Jerusalem. It is usually a 4 year school of thought. Anyway.
 if you are hanging around the church of the Pharisees partaking and enabling their deceit.  Perhaps you need to cross over the bridge in Jerusalem and return to the ancient lands of Mesopotamia to see your Father.  The Gods of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Perhaps you were the unknown disciple that was watching Christ today on the Cross. Â Not for me to say.
Conclusion: Â As Paul writes in Romans 9 there will only be a remnant that hear the voice of the Lord. Â The waters of the great flood are starting to rise again. Â They never really went away. Â The fires and smoke across the wilderness are ever-increasing in intensity. Â Mans water of sin will never put out the fires of Christ and His judgement.
You can either contribute to the darkness or you can bathe in the glory of righteousness simply your choice. Â You can either be a partaker of the crucification of Christ or you can look from afar.
You wrote a great article. It is time the women stood up to co-council the body of Christ.