Visionary (part 3): signs of apostasy

There are numerous signposts, so to speak, that are very reliable indicators of apostasy in the churches.  For the most part, however, those signposts are not as visible or obvious as the one in the picture above - unless, one knows what to look for.  


After completing parts 1 and 2 of this present series, I realized the great need to identify or at least to characterize some of the more important 'signs of apostasy', for those who may not really know what to look for when evaluating a supposedly Christian church (or any other group of professing Christians, for that matter); in order to determine whether or not to join (or remain) in fellowship with such persons.

The fact that apostasy from the truth of God is so pervasive, and so far advanced, among the great majority of churches in America, means that millions of professing Christians either do not know, or they do not care (in which case they are not at all Christian) that their church (very likely) engages in, or otherwise endorses, anti-Christian ideas and practices.  If that were not a true statement, then, could the End-Time Apostasy ever have become so aggressive and debased as it now is? which, the Bible clearly foretold would be the case prior to Christ's return.  Pervasive immorality has corrupted EVERY DIVISION of social institutions, including: government; education; business and finance; and health care.  Such widespread cultural degeneration has only been possible because the great majority of professing Christians have rejected the truth and the authority of God and Christ.  "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate" (Titus 1:16).

It is not the purpose of this blog to 'curse the darkness', so to speak.  Rather, as God leads me, I aim to expose the darkness (Ephesians 5:13); and to warn, instruct, and admonish those who seek to know and serve the Lord in truth.  Here, then, are some of the more important, and very common, categories of deception and error that pervade most churches; which, problems, are signs of apostasy.

1.  BIBLE SUBSTITUTES
The King James Bible is THE Word of God, in the English language.  This is by far the most important bulwark, against deception and error, that must be established in every Christian church.  The true, pure Word of God is the very Foundation upon which the Church is built (the Bible reveals the identity of Jesus Christ as "The Word of God").  Nothing else can possibly take the place of God's Word, which, alone, is capable to bring forth fruit unto eternal life.  Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has tried to substitute some or other imitation for the true Word of God: and in every case where the devil's imitation was received in place of the real Word of God, disaster followed.  Modern Bible 'versions', so-called, are Satanic substitutes for the true Word of God.

Every church and/or Bible study group has (or should have) a leader.  In the church, that leader is the pastor.  Pastors are called by God to be "overseers" - but not 'overlords' - of their respective church.  It is the pastor's duty, therefore, to lead the church in, and by, the truth of God.  That is only possible if the pastor perceives and believes the truth concerning the identity and nature of the true Word of God.  In other words, pastors have the duty before God to discern the true Word of God - from among the plethora of Bible-substitutes (as I call those).  Pastors furthermore have the duty before God not only to faithfully teach the true Word of God but also to warn their flock against the use of Bible-substitutes (every other so-called 'version' of the Bible, besides the King James Bible).  If your church uses Bible-substitutes, that is a sure sign that apostasy is already far advanced, in that church.  

Importantly, if your church is not purposely withstanding against the use of Bible-substitutes, it will not be long before those begin to infiltrate the congregation.

If your pastor uses Bible-substitutes; or, if your pastor uses the King James Bible but refuses to teach and to warn the people against the use of Bible-substitutes: then, you should first confront the pastor regarding this most important practice - which (in either case just mentioned) amounts to deception, on the pastor's part.  Be forewarned, however, that practically every seminary and Bible college in America teaches their students that modern Bible 'versions' are superior to the King James Bible.  Thus, it is very likely that your pastor may believe that the use of Bible-substitutes is not only acceptable but preferred.  A notable example of apostasy related to the use of Bible-substitutes, involves the Nazarene Church Denomination, which has formally adopted the New International Version (NIV) as their 'sacred text' to be used in their churches worldwide.  What an abomination!

If your pastor will not hear you, concerning this subject; and, if the leadership of the church is reluctant or resistant to change the practice of using and/or condoning the use of Bible-substitutes: then, you have no choice but to "come out of Babylon" and seek the Lord's leading, to find a group of faithful Christians with whom you may fellowship and labor together in the truth of God.

2.  PUBLIC SCHOOLS versus CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
The primary mission of the Church is not to evangelize the world but to train up her own children in the knowledge and fear of the Lord.  The churches, generally (but not universally), have catastrophically failed, on the one hand, to protect children from exposure to the soul-destroying effects of a State-run (public) school system - which is utterly, and openly, antichrist in its objectives, functions and methods.  At the same time, the churches, generally, have also failed to encourage and support Christian parents with respect to providing children with a comprehensive, Christ-centered education.

In other words, most churches in America have done what they ought not to have done - by subjecting their children to the public school system; while those same churches have not done what they should have done, that is, they have not sought to provide comprehensive, Christian education to their children.  Thus they have turned the commandments of God on their head!  And, yet, they wonder why it is that 80-90% of children raised in the 'Church' abandon their 'faith' after they graduate from high school - if not before then!

Christian parents turning their children over to the world to be 'educated', is all the same as if, in ancient Israel, the Jews had sent their children into the camps of the Philistines and the Amalekites (God's enemies), five days out of every week, for the purpose of allowing Israel's mortal enemies to 'educate' Jewish children!  Does anyone suppose that such practices would have resulted in those children growing up to reverence and obey the God of Israel, and to cherish and preserve the Jewish culture?

Do Christian parents - and Christian churches - have no DUTY to inculcate in their children a thoroughly Christian worldview and to train them up in the ways of Christ?  How else can Christian parents justify giving their children over to the antichrist public school system, except, by supposing that there is, and should be, a rigid dividing line separating 'religious' instruction from 'secular' education?  But that idea is not only untrue, it is also fatal to spiritual life, as it powerfully serves to falsely segregate the content and processes of learning, as well as all activities of daily life, into 'religious' and 'secular' categories.  Thus, church is religious; whereas, school is secular.  Bible study belongs in church; but teaching the truth related to science and history belongs to the school!  At church, children are taught that their body is the temple of God; at school, they are exposed at a very young age to the most abominable ideas and practices related to human sexuality.  Prayer belongs in church, but it is OFFENSIVE at school.  Open, wholehearted worship of God belongs in church; but don't speak of God above a whisper at school.

The wonder is not that children who are raised in large measure BY the public school system soon depart from the Christian faith.  That outcome, it seems to me, ought reasonably to be expected, in the face of the facts.  The real wonder is that there is not a far higher percentage of clinical schizophrenia, in such children.

Your church may not operate a Christian school.  It may not have the resources even to provide materials to parents who want to home school their children.  But there is absolutely no excuse for any Christian church and its pastor, to fail to preach and teach concerning the awful dangers of the public school system, on the one hand; and, on the other hand, to neglect or refuse to encourage and support by all possible means the efforts of Christian parents to educate and otherwise train up their children in Christ.

The very essence of the human spirit is what is commonly understood as being 'the mind'.  Spiritual development is inseparable from mental development.  Not the acquisition of supposed 'facts', is determinative of moral character: but the Presence (or absence) of the Spirit of Christ in the life is the one prerequisite for spiritual life and growth.

But there is much more to "spiritual life and growth" than the proper development of one's moral character.  The formation of a fully integrated, genuinely Christian worldview involves the acquisition, analysis, and integration of ALL knowledge, in light of the revelation of God's Word.  The word 'secular' means "pertaining to things that have no religious or spiritual basis; what is profane, contrasted with what is sacred".  Secular, then, belongs not to Christ but to the world.  In the Christian life there is nothing that is 'secular'; for, everything in God's world has a "spiritual basis".  Mathematics, physics, chemistry; biology, anthropology, zoology; history, sociology, philosophy: every field and branch of knowledge has a 'spiritual basis', and can only rightly be understood and applied under the tutelage of the Holy Ghost.

Learning is needful, meaningful, and useful.  Moreover, all knowledge MUST be anchored in, and related to, the knowledge of God and of Christ.  Christian education is comprehensive in its range and scope, and it is vital to the development of a Bible-based - and thus a well-rounded - Christian worldview.  It is written:

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge..." (Proverbs 1:7)

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)

If your pastor has very little to say about the dangers of public education; and, if your church demonstrates general acceptance of public education but shows relatively little concern for assisting the efforts of Christian parents in the education of their children in Christ: then, you can be sure that you are dealing with an apostate church.

3.  APATHY and DECEPTION re: SOUL-WINNING and DISCIPLESHIP
Second only to the mission of raising up godly children unto the Lord, is the broader mandate of the Great Commission, which embraces the entire world as being the Christian's mission field.  Soul-winning and discipleship are really two sides of the same coin, as it were.  For, soul-winning is really much, much more than merely leading individuals to 'say the sinner's prayer' or to 'give their heart to Jesus'.  In fact, genuine 'conversion' evidently occurs very rarely these days in America.  Notwithstanding the rapid growth of mega-churches, during the past couple of decades, there seem to be relatively few instances of true repentance from sin accompanied by marked changes, reflecting godliness, in the character and life of individuals professing Christian conversion.

The almost complete abandonment, in the majority of American churches - as well as in most so-called Christian media, of the kind of preaching that exposes and convicts of "sin, of righteousness, and of judgment"; and, furthermore, the sensual nature of so-called 'worship encounters' that increasingly appear to be the focus of church services across America: in view of the widespread extent, and acceptance, of the kind of superficial 'conversion' experience above described: all of those factors powerfully testify to the depths of apostasy and deception that has completely overtaken many churches, while that same spirit of antichrist which produces such spiritual deadness is spreading like a cancer in most American churches.

And how can such churches produce Christian disciples?  To be sure, they are making disciples of a certain kind; but not of Christ.

The substitution of make-me-feel-good 'sermons' and 'worship encounters', in the place of truly anointed preaching fueled by a heartfelt burden for souls; and a lackadaisical attitude in the place of a sense of urgency both to win souls and to prepare oneself for Christ's soon return: these are signposts of apostasy that are not very difficult to read and understand - if one's own heart is right with God.

4.  SENSUALITY in the CHURCH
Slight mention just was made with reference to so-called 'worship encounters'.  Fog machines; moving, multi-colored stage lights; stage props; music that is often repetitive, and/or which alternates between a dance-type beat and tear-jerking ballads: - all of that together is supposed to 'create an environment' for worship.  But every bit of that is nothing but fleshly sensuality.  Emotional experiences evoked by means of psycho-emotional manipulation, have been substituted for genuine spirituality (which, genuine spirituality, subsists in partaking of the Word and Spirit of God: and if you don't know what that means, you need to repent and be converted).

Yet, sensuality is by no means limited to 'worship' experiences.  Oftentimes it is seen in a manner of dress and/or of personal appearance that is sensual, worldly.  The Bible says that "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him" (Psalm 89:7).  For Christian persons, the call to godliness includes modesty of dress and appearance at all times - both in and out of the sanctuary.  A spirit of sensuality draws undue or inordinate (carnal) attention to one's outward appearance.  But the Spirit of Christ gives honor and reverence to God and dignity to man, and is evidenced even in the manner of one's physical appearance and dress.

Sensuality also appears in people's priorities and attitudes related to the use of time.  A sensual spirit always seeks to put fleshly comforts and/or convenience ahead of real service to God.  For example, where a sensual spirit predominates in a church, an imaginary bell rings rather loudly in the minds of people who have more interest in beating the Sunday afternoon lunch crowd than they care about feeding upon the things of Christ.  Two-hour services task the patience of most modern-day Christians.  Whereas, three or four hour services are practically unheard of in most churches.  It used to be that churches typically met at least three times per week.  Now, once service per week is the new 'norm'.

Sensuality (carnality), where that predominates, manifests in many different ways.  If you have ever been among a group of truly spiritually-minded Christians who are sincere in their worship and service to God, you should readily discern the sensuality that characterizes most contemporary churches.  Jerusalem was never supposed to look or act like Babylon.  But these days it is hard to tell the difference, in most churches, between the world and the Church.  Such churches as that are not 'culturally relevant', as they suppose, but they are apostate.

5.  CONTEMPT TOWARD the COMMANDMENTS of GOD 
Although in reality this category is very broad, yet, wherever the Word of God and the Spirit of God is not shown the greatest reverence; that is to say, wherever the Fear of the Lord is not truly in evidence, the "spirit of the world" (1 Corinthians 2:12) - that "spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2) - will usurp authority and will predominate in the church, to the fullest extent of the measure to which the truth of God is suppressed and his Spirit is quenched.  That 'spirit of the world' is the spirit of antichrist, which the Bible identifies as the spirit of lawlessness.

Contempt for the supreme authority of God in his Word, is a most serious and widespread problem in the churches, today.  Notwithstanding the outward form of religion, on display in virtually every church, yet, when it comes right down to actually OBEYING God's commandments as those are given in his Word, the great majority of professing Christians, in most churches, will only go so far - that is, only so far as obedience may suit them.

My experiences among many different churches have convinced me that many (most?) contemporary Christians are reluctant - if they are not outright resistant - to receive of truly Biblical teaching.  The Scripture is indeed truth, which foretold that "the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine..." (2 Timothy 4:3).  It doesn't say that they will not be interested to hear; but that they will not "endure": meaning, they won't tolerate those who teach "sound doctrine"!  And who are "they", there spoken of?  The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, was prophesying concerning many professing Christians who, at the end of the present Church Age, would be self-deceived and, in fact, apostate.

I am certain that in most churches in America, there are those who know - according to the Bible, that 'this idea' or 'that practice' - or 'those persons' - don't belong in the Church of the living God.  Yet, the fear of man - either on the part of the pastor, or of the congregation, or both - causes the teaching and preaching of the truth to be suppressed.  Thus, the people imagine themselves to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, abiding in the Fear of God - all the while cowering under, and kowtowing to, the fear of man.

And that is precisely why it is now so necessary - yea, it is imperative, that those who purpose to do the will of God and, so, prepare themselves unto the coming of Jesus Christ, must be willing to "come out of [spiritual Babylon]"; to boldly proclaim the truth of God; and to renew their own Covenant with God in Jesus Christ.