Hi Friends,

What I am writing about today concerns the entire the American church. It is about sin in the church, and whether it is addressed or not. We know that there is no sin uncommon to man.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23  This topic concerns the Lord a great deal.  He has given me several visions about sin, and the world’s values and how the church is affected. The vision today, concerns the church and how it deals with lifestyle sin.  The sin that we do, not inadvertently, but the sin we choose as a way of life. God wants the church to be obedient to his Word, and to not choose a path of its own, as many churches have done today,   Christ is to be head of the church and we are to be his body. This vision is for churches and their leaders to align themselves with the Word of God and do what it says to do.  

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”  James 1:22 

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

This is the vision:

I saw a hand with a pair of chopsticks, pick up a “matchbox” size tiny toy car from a serving dish.  The car was painted with flowers and swirls in many colors, very much like a “hippie van” of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  The car was then carefully placed on a square white plate, just like mine at home. I knew immediately what the Lord was telling me.  But first, I have to take you back to yesterday morning at church.

After worship, the guest speaker addressed the congregation.  She brought a message that the church needed to hear, however she introduced another idea that I knew did not line up with entirely with Biblical teaching. I wasn’t overly alarmed until the pastor came up and added his comments, which suddenly took a great swing to the left.  I was concerned. Let me explain:

The speaker began with a short illustration.   There was a pastor who decided to dress himself in tattered clothes to look like a homeless person.  He then sat down near the entrance of his church, and waited for the congregation to arrive. He saw people go in one by one without addressing him.  They did not ask him his name or if he needed some help. They did not invite him in to rest, or to participate in the service. After the worship, the pastor walked forward and revealed his identity.  Then spoke to them about the love of God, and the Lord’s expectations for his people.    

The speaker went on to make her point that if we are praying for revival, we have to be ready to accept people from all backgrounds to come to our church.  We need to treat them with love and respect. Up to this point I agreed with her fully, then she introduced the problem phrase: “When we throw the net to catch fish, we accept them all.  We do not pick through them and throw some back. We collect the fish. It is not our job to clean them up. That is the job of the Holy Spirit.” Yes— but we also have a vital role to play.  

We are to love people and share the gospel.  Jesus said in his last words prior to his ascension, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father. The Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you until the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 

If someone comes to church, it is our responsibility to share the gospel with them.  And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to “make disciples” of new believers. We are responsible to teach them ALL the Lord’s commandments, which means the full counsel of the Word of God. In effect, we are responsible for “grooming” them to be disciples.  In other words, we are to “clean” the fish.

But if this were all that was said, I would not have been concerned.  I was very upset about the opinion that the pastor brought forth. He agreed with the speaker that it was not his job to “clean”  the fish, that this was the sole responsibility of the Holy Spirit.  

So he proceeded to explain with examples:  Years ago, in his congregation, there were several couples who lived together but were not married.  He claimed that he never confronted them.  

He also said that there was a nice gay couple who attended his church.  They had kept a beautiful home together, they were polite, and raised three wonderful children.  He said they were “married” for thirty-five years. He didn’t believe it was his job to bring conviction.  Yet as I understand the story, they came regularly to church but never in their 35 years of “marriage,” did they choose to get right with God.  

I must believe by this testimony, that the pastor didn’t care enough to confront them with the truth, and so keep them from going to hell.  It seems that they may have passed from this earth, and never had a reason to question their lifestyle, because they were accepted by the pastor and the church just as they were.

But it gets worse.  He next told us of a Christian man who decided to open up a coffee shop in a predominantly gay community.  The building he purchased had formerly been used to host an art show which came twice a year. The men who hosted the art show came to him one day and said that they were going to move their show to another location.  The man said, “Oh, please--you don’t have to move the show, I would be happy to host it.”  

The men responded by saying, “I am sure that you will find our art to be offensive to you.”  (Sensual, erotic….)  

The man said, “No it’s okay, don’t worry, I’m okay with it.”

Now as the story goes, three Christian churches in the area, came to speak to this man about his decision to display such artwork in his coffee shop, giving a poor testimony of the Christian faith.  But the pastor was happy to tell us that the Catholic and Episcopal churches stood by him and supported him.”  

Wow!  When I understood where the pastor stood in his values, I knew that I could never agree with anyone who chooses to not follow Biblical principles. Rather than defending the faith and supporting the teachings of the Bible, he has embraced his own idea of what is right.

Many American churches are no longer holding to Biblical truth, but have embraced the secular notion of political correctness. — “I’m okay and you’re okay.”  

Please do not dismiss this, until you have read my full explanation of how this teaching departs from scripture.

I am all for us accepting, and having  as brothers and sisters in Christ, people of all races, the poor and the homeless.  We should make room for the handicapped and those who need deliverance. We need to provide shelter and help them to get on their feet.  We need to disciple them, teaching the Word of God and helping them to get rid of the things that bind them and hinder their walk with God.  This is the work of God to which he calls us.

But there is a doctrine which seems to be overlooked. Yet it is imperative to the Christian walk.  It is the doctrine of spiritual separation. Every believer is to separate himself from the world and the world’s values.  What I see in the church is a shift from sound doctrine to a more casual “buffet style” doctrine: “just take what you like and leave the rest.”   

Paul addressed the necessity for believers to separate from the world’s view and the things in the world for they are in direct opposition to God. The world and what it offers is a constant enticement that lures people away from the Lord.  The main purpose of separation is to protect the faith that resides in the believer, and to dedicate one’s life to the Lord.

Paul speaks out:

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.  And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?  For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.   So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,  hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.  1 Corinthians 5:1-5

Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?   Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. I Corinthians 5:6

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.   But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside.  Expel the wicked person from among you.   1 Corinthians 5:9-12

Notice, Paul is concerned for the eternal destination of the man: “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” 

You may say, “That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?” 

But what happened to the gay couple spoken of earlier?  Wouldn’t it have been better, to present them with the truth?  Hell is the destination for all the sexually immoral. Heaven is for those who choose to leave their lives of sin and live for God now. When we deny ourselves and choose to follow the Lord’s ways, we will have the pleasure of the Lord’s presence for all eternity.

If we do not turn people from their sin, aren’t we missing our purpose?  Has the American church lost its compass? If people are not confronted, but are allowed to remain in the congregation, what is assumed?  Sexual immorality is condoned; it is acceptable by the church’s standards. Do you not see that there is no impetus to repent? People in general want to be accepted.  They want to be respected and affirmed. But if they are living in sin, contrary to God’s will, and no one says a word—someone will be held accountable. 

“When I say to the wicked, “O wicked man, you will surely die, ‘but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.”  Ezekiel 33:8 

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”  James 3:1

“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”  Titus 1:7

Returning to the Vision:

The hand that held the chopsticks is that of the devil. It is his plan that is revealed in this vision. The chopsticks represent something that is “foreign,” something that is unfamiliar, totally contrary to the Bible.  The chopsticks can also represent the pastor who brought the message, “Don’t offend anyone by pointing our their sin. It’s not your job. Leave it up to the Holy Spirit!” Without realizing it, he allowed himself to be manipulated by the devil. He was the instrument that carried the message. 

The car is that “foreign” message.  A car represents a way of life, the way that one goes.  It was covered in flowers representing the rebellious times of the 70’s.  “Make love not war.” was a well used expression. It characterized a cultural shift—a time of throwing off all restraint.   “If it feels good, do it!” It was a time when psychic drugs were used for entertainment. “Lucy in the Skies with Diamonds,” was a popular song by the Beatles.  It’s lyrics expressed the pleasures and the psychedelic sounds and visual phenomenon of using LSD. The flowers represent the rebellious people and their rebellious ideas, “the flower children.”   It was a time of “Enlightenment” or the “New Age,” introducing eastern religions like Hari Krishna and Buddhist philosophies into mainstream American culture. It was a wicked time. We knew it.  

But now we are living in a culture that has accepted all that I mentioned, and it is no longer seen as evil.  It is now politically correct to accept all things as equal. There is no right and wrong it is merely how you as an individual, determine for yourself what is right or wrong in your own eyes.

In the vision, the hand with the chopsticks took the toy car from a serving dish and placed it on a white plate which belonged to me.  The Lord used this vision to show me that the devil was serving up something saying, “Here, swallow this one!” I refuse.

We have to know the Bible and what it teaches.  The Bible is truth. It is the revealed will of God for us today.  “All scripture is God-breathed, and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  2 Timothy 3:17

We cannot compromise the Word of God, or disregard sin.  We cannot ignore it, or sweep it under the rug. How did Jesus handle sin?  Do you remember the woman caught in adultery?  

The leaders brought her to Jesus, for their intention was to entrap him in his words, giving them a reason to bring charges against him.  Jesus knew their thoughts, and knew that they had set her up, for they “caught her in the very act.”  Notice how they let the man walk.  Her lover should have been caught too.  I know many people have given their thoughts about what Jesus wrote in the sand, but I bet it was her lover’s name.  By that they would all know that nothing was hidden from his eyes. 

“He straightened up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  

Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?’

‘No one, sir,’ she said.  

‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’”  John 8:7-11

Jesus showed the woman love and compassion.  He forgave her sin, and gave her instructions to “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

He restored the woman, and gave her a second chance.  She knew that her life had been spared by the Lord’s willingness to defend her, forgive her, and restore her.   Importantly, the Lord told her to go and sin no more.  

If we do not confront others with their sin, then we cannot possibly say that we love them.  It is the truth that sets us free. When we confront someone in love, we give them an opportunity to make a choice.  They may choose to continue on the path of sin, because of the rewards, the pleasures, or the comfort they experience in the now.  However, If they want true freedom, if they want to be right with God and be rid of shame and guilt, if they want to know that heaven is in their future rather than hell, then perhaps they will make the right choice.  But it is our responsibility to offer them that choice.

“My people perish for lack of knowledge.”  Hosea 4:6

The Lord wants none to be lost.  That it why it is so necessary to speak to people about their sin and offer the love of God. 

Last night, I asked God to tell me what I should do. I asked him for a confirmation regarding the  topic. So I opened my Bible and found the story of a man named Micah—not to be confused with the prophet Micah.

“Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”

Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son!”

When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.”

So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house.  Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”

“I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.”

Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food.”  So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him. Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”

There is a key phrase in this passage that explains what the Lord wants me to see in the church:  “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.”

I would like to share these study notes from my Bible, concerning the passage above:

“If God’s word and sound moral principles are disregarded, both individuals and society as a whole will be destroyed (cf. Pr 14:34; 21:7).  Twice the writer observes that ‘everyone did as he saw fit’ (17:6; 21:25; cf. Pr 14:12). God’s way was rejected, resulting in despair, disorder and death.  Because Micah did not submit to the authority of God’s inspired, written revelation through Moses, he deceived himself and did what was right in his own eyes (v. 6; cf. Dt 11:18-25; Jos 1:5-8).  He deceived himself into believing that he could receive God’s blessing (v. 13) and at the same time break the clear commands of Scripture. His sin involved stealing (v. 2) worshiping idols (vv. 3-5), disobeying God’s commands (v. 6) and appointing his own son as priest (vv. 5-13; Nu 16:17; Dt 21:5; cf. 2 Ti 4:3).  Proper discernment and sound moral judgment were lost in Israel when the nation departed from God’s covenant.” (Footnotes pp. 362-363, 17:1 and 17:5. The Full Life Study Bible, Donald C. Stamps editor, 1992)

Everything Micah did that he thought would please the Lord was in fact an abomination to him.  The parallel that I see with this passage and with the pastor of the church, is that both men are doing things that they think will please the Lord, when in fact, they are entirely contrary to his ways.  The pastor believes that he should allow people that willfully choose to live in sin, to become fellow members of the church. He believes that he does not have to confront those who profess to be believers yet live in sin.  He does not recognize this as rebellion, because he is making a deliberate choice to not follow the Biblical pattern to exclude immoral people from the congregation. He believes that his way is better, and that this will please God, rationalizing that they MAY eventually come into the kingdom of God, if they continue to sit in the pews week after week.

He himself said that many of the couples who were cohabiting did not change, nor did the gay couple who lived together for 35 years.  The pastor is going against the will of God. This does not please God. I have received other visions regarding spiritual separation and so I have written several other posts.  If you would like to read more on this subject you can check out these posts:

Spiritual Separation       Two Donkeys        Forgive Us      First Fruits and the Harvest of Souls

God wants us to separate, to come out from the influence of the world, to not partner with these people.  I am not saying the homeless and less fortunate, please understand God wants us to take these people into the fold.  But he wants us to separate from those who are not interested in changing themselves, but merely want their sin to be accommodated, validated, embraced and given the sign: “You’re okay with us.”

There are many reasons why churches are not following the Biblical pattern.  Some feel that they don’t want to be “in everyone’s business.” Some say their congregations are to big to know everyone.  Some are just hoping that the sermons and Bible studies will be sufficient to save them. But I must say that I hear very few sermons on sin and repentance.  Very few churches have altar calls to come forward and receive Christ and salvation. How will the congregation have the fear of God, if the pastors and leaders do not? 

Let us not be the blind leading the blind.

Thanks for reading.  I know this has been a long post, but I would rather be through than incomplete.  God bless you. Please pass this along to your friends and those who may appreciate it.  Thanks again!