Sub-Topic: The Forsaken Basic Doctrines Of The Christian Faith In Contemporary Times And The Consequences Which Follow
Isaiah 28:9-18, Jeremiah 7:1-11, 20-24
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10-18.)
As we continue with this series of study under the second sub-topic — The Forsaken Basic Doctrines Of The Christian Faith In Contemporary Times And The Consequences Which Follow — we can say that the opening text from the book of Romans vividly captures its essence.
Its essence is that Christendom has substituted the true doctrines of Jesus Christ with a totally different, self-serving set of teachings which gratifies the flesh, but not the spirit. As a result of this departure from God’s Word, the church has fallen from grace — except for a few remnants who are still standing by God’s mercy — and therefore has lost her true identity.
The fallen church today identifies more with the world than with Christ her Lord and Saviour: they dress like the world, live like the world, and also follow every trending path like the people of the world, instead of following the example Christ and His disciples set for those who would follow in their footsteps.
Prophet Isaiah wrote: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9.)
From the writings of the Prophet in Isaiah 28:9-18, we shall formulate three questions to help determine what God expects of us as His Church and how our failure to adhere to it has resulted in the sorry state that we have found ourselves in today. The questions are as follows:
1. What is the place of strict Bible-based doctrine teaching among both new and old converts in the church? (Isaiah 28:9-13.)
2. How faithfully have we aspired to truly and correctly teach those pure Bible doctrines to believers in Christ? (Isaiah 28:14-15.)
3. Is the state of the church today a blessing or a curse from God? (Isaiah 28:16-18.)
Let us explore the first question:
1. The place of strict Bible doctrine teaching in the church
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus Christ orders us to “Go ye therefore, and TEACH all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: TEACHING them to OBSERVE ALL THINGS whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Whether we are dealing with the old and steadfast believer in Christ or with the newly saved believer, the place of strict Bible teaching can never be overemphasized in the Church because God’s Word, truly and purely taught, is the life of the soul. If you compromise it with just a little carnality, then you have only a church full of spiritually dead members.
It is remarkable to note what Jesus Christ said to Satan in Matthew 4:4: “….It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”.
We must understand that this statement is a cardinal doctrine of Jesus Christ, given to Him by God Himself, which is that God’s Word is the source of spiritual life and power that gives life to the believer.
Read also the following scriptures: John 6:63; 5:38-39; Romans 10:17.
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
So, to rightly understand and to accurately teach the Word of God to the church is the secret of spiritual strength and of a warm relationship with God.
Therefore, any alteration to this delicate balance of knowledge of the Word and the accurate teaching of it falls short of the acceptable standards of sound Bible doctrine, and would definitely affect our ability to connect with God and draw from Him the power to live as His children.
The departure from sound Bible doctrine is one area where Satan exploits the church the most by raising up false teachers and/or preachers who distort the truth of the Holy Scriptures, because he knows how effective a false doctrine is in ruining a church’s (or individual’s) relationship with God.
However, to help us avoid this satanic pitfall, the Holy Spirit has already forewarned the church of this impending danger so that we are without any excuse if we decide to follow anyone who preaches what is not strictly in line with the doctrines of Jesus Christ and of His early followers, which are contained in the Holy Bible.
See 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Matthew 24:24; Lamentations 2:14; 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
2 Peter 2:1-2 says:
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of”.
The best way to avoid being deceived by false prophets is to carefully and dutifully read, teach and cause to be committed to memory the basic doctrines of the Holy Scriptures in our local churches, in the careful and meticulous manner presented in Isaiah 28:9-13.
“Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little…” (Verses 9-10).
Prophecy is good but it must be strictly judged by the written word of God in the Holy Bible to ascertain that it is truly of God.
We have to understand that prophecy is not just about the revealing of a hitherto hidden truth or a declaration of what shall happen in the future: even sorcerers do those things, so how can we tell a genuine prophet from a Bible-wielding sorcerer dressed like a preacher?
Let us bear in mind that the Bible’s standard is no longer strictly adhered to in some corrupt churches, so in those places anyone can just stand before the congregation and begin to say anything in the name of prophecy, which catches their fancy, knowing very well that their itching ears would compel them to flow along with it.
Probably, with this scenario in mind, God spoke in the book of Micah 2:11 just to show us how much more trust people have put in prophecies than in His written Word which is infallible. Thus:
“If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.”
This is an error!
But how can we tell a genuine prophecy from a false one?
Well, to avoid doubt, we must probe the prophecy deeper than just the obvious truth it seems to reveal, and rather dwell on what the prophecy aims at or seeks to achieve in the audience.
A prophecy which is not relevant to the current heartbeat of God cannot be from Him. Prophecies move in line with the seasons of God’s move in the Church. Therefore, if while there is a need for a revival and a spiritual awakening — as we can now see is evident in the Church today — but a prophet, a preacher or a teacher of the word is busy sweating and spewing saliva, talking about prosperity or any other thing not in line with that spiritual need, it would be considered a prophecy out of season, and much doubt would be cast, not only on its validity, but also on its source.
Lamentations 2:14 says:
“Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.”
This is exactly what seems to be happening in the backslidden churches today: they do not talk to the people to warn them about the consequences of sin and how Jesus Christ can set them free from that bondage. All they like to do is to prophesy about the good things of life which they’re sure that their audiences are itching to hear, and this makes it seem as if God is more interested in splashing riches and wealth on people who don’t even know Him or have any desire to experience His saving grace. This is an error! A departure from the doctrine of the Holy Bible!
God’s primary concern is the salvation of sinners and the discipleship of believers. Whatever has the potential to deny them these (like the deceitfulness of riches, the vanity of fame and the idolatrous grip of wealth) He could withhold from them until such a time (if ever) when it could be proved that they cannot be lured by those temporal things of the world anymore.
God is more interested in the weightier matters of righteousness, holiness and truth, without which it is not possible for anyone to see or enter into His Kingdom, and every doctrine taught in any church, which pledges allegiance to Jesus Christ, must reflect this truth.
Jesus Christ emphasized this in Matthew 23:23 when He said:
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
When the weightier doctrines of the Bible are shunned by the Church in favor of the lesser ones, the church suffers: her spiritual growth becomes stunted and backsliding becomes rife; spirituality gets sacrificed for materialism and the vision for heaven may, by and by, become replaced with the quest for financial and material survival.
This is what we see happening right now! It is what we must seek to address by reverting to the strict teachings of the basic doctrines of the Holy Bible. We (both the new and old believers) need it to be able to truly connect with the real power of God for a loyal walk with and a fruitful service to Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Let us now take on the second question:
2. The present role of Christendom in faithfully and correctly teaching the doctrines of Christ.
Isaiah 28:14-15: “Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men that rule this people which are in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves…”
I believe that if Christendom is called to question as to their role in faithfully and correctly teaching the doctrines of the Bible to believers in Christ (especially new converts), they’d no doubt be found to be wanting in this regard.
Just as the passage quoted from the book of Isaiah above says, some preachers have scorned the true God and have rather trusted in the lies of Satan, and have taught their adherents to follow in the same footsteps. What they teach is hardly reconcilable with the age-long sound doctrines of the Holy Bible, which only the upright in heart and true in spirit have labored to uphold and propagate all along. See: Titus 2:1-15.
“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, and sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things”.
Titus 2:1-4, 7, 10.
To what extent have we been seen to be carrying out the instructions of God’s Word in our churches today?
We have become so overly sensitive to just two prevailing needs. These are not even mentioned in the text above as part of the doctrines that we are supposed to teach, and they are:
A. The need to miraculously get rich and/or prosperous without breaking a sweat and,
B. The need to fight and wish death to all those who are perceived to be threats in the way of getting the prosperity we seek by miracles.
Christ didn’t even teach us that. He never fought any man, and His faithful followers didn’t either because they knew it was not a fight against “flesh and blood.” They only wrestled in prayer against “principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.”
They won their enemies to Christ through prayers and an exemplary service of love to the lost. That was their doctrine, bequeathed to them by Jesus Christ. It was a doctrine of nonviolence; a doctrine of tolerance and prayer for the adversary.
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(Romans 12:17-20.)
Saul the persecutor and waster of the brethren was conquered that way; Elymas the sorcerer (Bar Jesus) was convicted and humbled that way; Simon, another sorcerer, was converted that way, the Macedonian Jailer was converted that way, too. The list goes on! That was their doctrine.
They sought the prosperity of the souls of men. They left people better than when they first met them.
What then can we say about today’s church and the brethren who fellowship therein? Are we sincerely desirous of walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and of His holy Apostles and Disciples? No. We fear such total and uncompromising commitment to spirituality might lead to poverty and ridicule before unbelievers. But how come we have such ideas? It’s simple to tell that it’s because we want to win the riches of the gentiles but not their souls; that’s the profane doctrine of the fallen churches of Christendom, who have received a commission of the Lord to win the lost, but who would rather covet their luxuries instead and hide the truth of the gospel or salvation from them.
“They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?”
(Isaiah 5:8-9.)
No doubt we need to change this sorrowful narrative by seeking God’s intervention in bringing a person-to-person revival, until each Christian’s personal revival affects the person next to them.
We’ve prayed for far too long for a world-wide revival without any results to show for it, all because that’s not how a revival begins: A worldwide revival begins with one Christian relentlessly crying for a personal revival.
Hosea 10:12 says:
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
But if we keep trusting in the deceptive, misleading and profane doctrines that the fallen churches have been spewing out on their congregations, while at the same time applauding our wealth and riches as a sign of the divine mercies of God (not minding the stark reality of the spiritually impoverished souls we see both on the pulpit and in the pew) then we must await the judgment of God which is reserved for the unrepentant. Whoever has eyes can clearly see the ominous signs of God’s judgment looming over the backslidden churches today.
“Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” Jeremiah 5:21-23, 28-29.
May we truly repent and return to the teachings and practice of the truth of God’s Holy Word.
This leads us to the third question:
3. The state of the church today: A blessing or a curse from God.
Isaiah 28:16-17:
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgments also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.”
Ask, if you will, any of the prosperity preachers who cruise around towns in limos and fly around the world in private jets, if the church is blessed, and they’ll say to you, “brother, the Lord has been good to us, hallelujah!”
However, the prosperity of the church is hardly the right yardstick for measuring how good God has been; it is the prosperity of the work which He has commissioned us to accomplish that actually is.
No doubt the church has seen tremendous increase in membership and sizes of its auditoriums in our times, but certainly not in the quality of spiritual life that its members boast of, because just a physical look at the attires of the people filing in or out of churches today will tell you where their treasures are.
They wear what the angels would be ashamed to look at.
These days the emphasis on dressing is on outward beauty, and it is not a secret any more that beauty is now judged by how daring a person is disposed to exposing their nakedness.
Tight fitting clothes which exposes the outline of the naked body, or some slits or generous necklines, which exposes certain sensitive parts of the body that are better covered with shamefacedness than exposed to the lustful eyes of whoever cares to look upon them. That’s the new definition of beauty.
Now, that’s what we can see outwardly: only God knows the level of depravity hidden within the heart. But suffice it to say that the level of carnality which we see outwardly is only a bit of the inner workings of the heart which contrived them.
Those are the people we are supposed to present to Jesus Christ as His bride when He returns to reap the fruit of His Labour in us. They are a people that have long forgotten the Biblical admonition to be modestly attired and beautified with godly virtues.
1 Peter 3:3-4 admonishes, thus:
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
The male folks are not spared this moral decadence either; for while they may easily escape this dress code scrutiny, they will not do so with regards to their weaknesses in terms of material possessions. We know how some of us would not dare come to church if our car breaks down because we shouldn’t be seen using a public vehicle as that would hurt our ego. Some might even change their local church because their aging vehicles have been outclassed by the much bigger and better ones brandished by their competitors.
Some would avoid fellowship for as flimsy an excuse as not having any money to offer when others would dance to the altar to do so. But does God really care after such things?
Of course not!
If there’s a prosperity that God delights in, more than any other, it is the prosperity of the souls of those for whom He gave the life of His Son in order to redeem them to Himself. That’s where all of a person’s effort should be directed at because that’s what counts more with God. As for the rest, God will add to whatever is lacking to us financially and materially to the proportion that our spiritual maturity to handle them allows.
Revelation 3:17-18:
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear: and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
God’s judgment is on the churches who have forsaken the doctrines of His word in favour of the world and its allurements.
Take a look at the world’s scenery and see how Satan has dominated almost everything to our shame and confusion. His servants rule over the affairs of our nations and make laws which are a slap to our claims of being “victors and conquerors”.
See how the church has been manipulated by Satan to support same sex marriages and some other shameful deeds which, only a decade or so ago, we never dreamed could ever happen.
All these are not blessings from God, but His judgment upon the backslidden church, and this because we have refused to hold onto the truth of His word. We need to return to God and repent wholeheartedly.
Joel 2:17:
“Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”
The consequences of abandoning the teachings of sound Bible doctrines in our churches are what we are observing in the churches of Christendom today and in the world at large.
There’s no doubt that the prosperity and motivational preachers have no voice beyond their congregations because out there in the world they are not respected any more. Some of them are on the wanted lists of security agencies not only for the more popular financial crimes associated with them or thier ministeries, but also for other crimes like ritual killings and promiscuous behaviors. They’re now seen more as deceivers and looters of people’s wealth than as preachers and soul winners.
Today only a very few men of God still command respect from the world.
Need we any more proof that we stand in danger of being completely abandoned by the very God we profess to serve? Are the present signs not ominous enough for us to know that we are losing His grace and favour?
These signs seem to be saying to us, as God once said to the fallen nation of Israel in Hosea 5:15:
“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.”
There’s the need for us to arise, like the prodigal son, and return to God in repentance and say:
“Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”?
Luke 15:18-19.
But will He accept the repentant soul? Of course He will. However, to begin with, we must first see beyond our illusion: all this living big and talking big about worldly achievements must first stop. God is interested only in a broken and contrite heart that’s deeply sorry for its prodigalities and willing to begin afresh to walk in His way, in Spirit and in Truth.
Let’s forget about the mad drive for fame, riches and wealth, and face the issues of holiness, truth and righteousness in the church and in our personal and private lives.
TO BE CONTINUED.