There is so much deception happening right now that it breaks my heart. My pastor stated a couple weeks back "There’s the "spirit you” and the "flesh you” according to Romans 8 and the "spirit you” is pure, holy, and righteous before God. This is the real you and is all that God sees. Therefore, you must remember if you do anything that isn’t of God it’s not the real you, it’s the flesh, and don’t put yourself under condemnation for something that’s not the real you”. Huh??!!???
You may ask why go to this church and sit under such teaching. It’s because I’ve been to most every church within 3 counties from which I live and have found them no different. I initially tried to confront false teachings but found that no one cared and labeled me a trouble-maker. I was told "I am not debating doctrine because it’s doctrine that divides churches”. Divides churches??!!?? I spent almost an entire week crafting a letter to the pastor and fellow leaders in the church expressing this wasn’t simply a matter of the color of the carpet but challenges the foundation of what it means to be a Christian and never received the first response. I left and never returned.
I was asked to teach a men’s Bible study on eschatology at my next stop and was challenged by the pastor as being a heretic. When I asked what passage I took out of context or what was shared that didn’t align with scripture, he repeated something I had said and stated that it isn’t biblical. I read the scripture reference and it was almost verbatim to what I had said. His response was to ask what translation of the Bible I was using. I told him the NKJV. "Well, that’s your issue. Any serious Bible scholar uses the KJV.” I asked "Who has a KJV?” and no one did but I found one in the adjacent room and asked the pastor to read the same scripture and there was no difference. "Pastor, calling someone a heretic is a serious accusation and not one that I take lightly.” He simply responded that if we wanted to know about end times, he could tell us things that would make our hair stand straight. I left and never returned.
One of the greatest Bible teachers I’ve heard in person learned what had happened and called to "help” me and asked that I stop being the "church police” and encouraged me to see the Bible differently as he has. I asked what he meant and his response was in lockstep with Ultimate Reconciliation. "What has happened to you?”, I asked. "I learned that no one was interested in the Bible as we were teaching it so I took all my books, burned them, and started over with just my Bible”. "And, this is what you came up with?”, I asked.
So, I go to church and try to be a light for those around me as I have the opportunity but I no longer cause waves. Do I get frustrated? Of course, but I simply pray and stay as faithful as possible, without grumbling, until He moves me elsewhere or comes back for His people.
I fully understand the current church model can be challenged but if I had a single individual from any fellowship along this journey to care enough to question these happenings or confront me in anything I’ve said, I would be ecstatic. No one did and nothing ever changed. The same people showed up the next service that showed up the last service and the one before that and continued to follow along. "For the love of many will wax cold”…..love for the truth, that is.
