The Daily Word of Righteousness

So Near and Yet So Far!, #8

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15,16—NIV)

I have felt God's anger toward the prevailing hypocrisy. I have witnessed the rejection from the Lord's army of those who are clinging to the old ways of hypocrisy and criticism. They eliminate themselves from the forward movement of the Kingdom.

Such are not thoroughly bad people. Neither were Gehazi, Judas, or Ananias and Sapphira. This is the frightening aspect of the situation. If they were like Hitler or some of the other wicked people of history we could assign them to the "tares" and go on our merry way, rejoicing that we are of God's "wheat."

But these are not obviously wicked, at least not in the sense we ordinarily view thorough wickedness. They are friends, honest, generous, conscientious people, as was probably true to a great extent of Gehazi, Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira.

In other words, what happens to them could happen to you and me! Let us search our hearts and see if we are holding back part of the proceeds from the sale of the property.

I think suffering is on the way in order that a pure witness may be brought forth. This means many may leave the churches because they simply are not sincere and faithful enough to accept the new demands for total consecration.

We usually do not think of revival as being a reduction in the number of believers. We used to refer to a reduction in the number of believers as a "back-door revival." Maybe you have heard this expression. I think we are in for the greatest back-door revival in the history of the Christian churches.

Why is this? It is because the Christian churches, in numerous instances, are in theological confusion. The reports that come back to us are nearly unbelievable. Some of the "ministers of the Gospel" are claiming that all Christians are to be rich and have all their bills paid while the rest of the world is impoverished. Then, it is being stated, the world will know Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Don't you just know this is the true Gospel! Do you understand why God's people are being led into such foolishness? It is because they are not praying and reading their Bible. They are not seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Therefore God sends delusion on them and they believe the lies that are being preached in the name of Jesus.

I never thought I would live to see the day when such confusion would be filling the Christian churches. People are being told that it doesn't matter how they behave because they are saved by grace and never can be lost to the purposes of God. Is it any wonder, given the demonic spiritual environment in which we are attempting to survive, that the United States is filled with sexual lust? We in this country are sick!

I believe the problem originated with the Protestant Reformation when such an emphasis was laid on salvation by faith. We have departed from the Scriptures.

To be continued.