Falling Away - The Progressive Church
Hi Friends,
There is much happening in the world today. We must be careful to guard our hearts and our minds. We must be careful how we listen and what we set our hearts on. Deception and fear are having their effects on people, but we should not be shaken. We need to know who we are and what we believe. “Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7
Today, I have three visions to share with you.
The Visions
The Baby
I saw a baby look up at me. She said a few words that I could not understand, and then looked away from me. She had something in her hand and placed it in her mouth and took a bite.
A baby represents innocence. She has very little understanding. A baby is primarily operating out of instincts, bodily sensations and sensory input from her environment. A baby has certain innate, instinctual fears: the fear of falling, the fear of loud noises, fear of the dark, the fear of abandonment, and the fear of snakes and spiders. I knew about the first four, but was surprised by the last, the fear of snakes and spiders.
I would imagine that this fear probably goes back to the curses that the Lord pronounced on Adam and Eve and the serpent in the garden.
“So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, ‘Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15
The serpent, the devil, is still our enemy. He continues to tempt us and to lead us astray with his deception.
In the vision, the baby looks up at me wishing to communicate with me. But I am not able to understand her words for they are merely “baby-talk.” She has a matter of fact attitude about her. She looks away from me and takes a bite of whatever was in her hand. It is as if with body language, she is able to tell me that she is content to do her own thing and go her own way. She places the object in her mouth as if to say - “So there!”
This is a willful statement. A declaration of “I don’t need you!”
I believe that the baby is showing rebellion, or defiance. However, she does not realize at this moment that she is needy and incapable of taking care of herself. I believe many people act in rebellion towards God and treat him in the same way, saying, “I don't need you!”
They do not realize that God is our creator, who loves us and sees us in our needy condition. In the Book of Ezekiel, the Lord uses a baby as an analogy to speak of Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness to God. I have included just a few lines, but you can read it in its entirety in the 16th chapter of Ezekiel.
“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.’
‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!” Ezekiel 16:3-6
“‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
“‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty. You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them. And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them. Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened.’ declares the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 16:9-19
“‘....I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment. You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!’” Ezekiel 16:30-32
“‘....Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?’” Ezekiel 16:43
I believe that the Lord gave me the vision of the baby with an attitude, to show us the rebelliousness of our nation that was at one time dedicated to God. The Lord uses the baby to show how we can be oblivious to the sin that has brought judgment to our nation. “This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done no wrong.’” Proverbs 30:20
For those outside the church we pray as Jesus did saying, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:24
In the Book of Revelation, the Lord’s message to the Church in Laodicea acknowledges this same attitude toward the Lord:
“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes , so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:17-20
We who profess to be believers can have this same attitude. The Lord is calling the church to repent and to renounce our love for the things in the world. Our passions, activities, and some close relationships can cause us to compromise our faith in him. These things that we desire can become idols in our lives. We need to be aware of our real motives, and what have we valued, more than God.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37
A Cat
In the next vision, I saw a cat waiting patiently for its food. It was not pacing or meowing. It sat quietly watching, and flicking its tail, knowing that food was being prepared.
I believe the cat represents us as believers. Sometimes we are patient, and at other times we are not. But the Lord is asking us to trust him for our provision, for everything that we need. Very often our prayers can be heard in a single moment and the answer is expedient. And at other times the answers take years of faithful prayer to see their fulfillment. But nonetheless, God is always faithful.
When we have prayed a long time, and yet nothing seems to be happening, we must be careful not to become impatient and take matters into our own hands. The Bible shows several examples of the lack of patience causing trouble.
King Saul was to wait for Samuel the prophet of God to come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Saul and his men knew that they were outnumbered by the Philistines. So everyone including Saul grew increasingly fearful and impatient waiting for Samuel. As Saul saw his men start to leave, he called them to bring the animals for the sacrifice. He couldn’t wait for Samuel, so he decided to take on the task himself, and make an offering to God. His impatience showed his lack of trust.
So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
“What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” 1 Samuel 13:9-14
Because Saul did not really understand God, or have faith in him, he made his decision out of fear. Fear is of the devil. Faith comes from God. So, when we have a decision to make, or when circumstances are driving an issue, we need to stop and ask ourselves, are we operating in faith or fear? Let’s choose to trust the Lord, He is faithful! Hallelujah!
There is another example of impatience causing problems. The Lord promised Abraham that he would be a father of many nations, yet his wife was not able to conceive. After much waiting, Sarah his wife gave her servant Hagar, to Abraham, to have a child in her place. Of course this was a dreadful mistake and has caused the descendants of Abraham to be at odds with each other. In the Bible, it states that one persecutes the other.
“But, as he (Ishmael) who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him (Issac) who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.” Galatians 4:29
And to this day, the Muslims are against the Jews. But within this chapter (Galatians 4:21-31), it speaks of children born of the promise, and as in the sentence above, “born according to the Spirit” refers to us who are born again. “Even so it is now,” the ones born of the flesh, (unbelievers) will persecute those who are born of the Spirit, the Church.
What a mess! Impatience brings trouble. And we see the ramifications today. We need to keep this in mind, and be patient and wait upon the Lord!
The Horses
In the next vision, I saw two horses standing on their hind feet on two plastic chairs about 5 feet apart. Their front legs were grasping each other and with their bodies spanning the distance between the two chairs. Their heads were held upright and nearly cheek to cheek. The look on their faces reminded me of two young girls, best friends, clinging to each other as if they would never see each other again. The scene of the horses is somewhat strange or comical, in that at any moment, the two chairs could slide out from under their feet, and they would both crash to the floor.
I have an earlier post that I wrote, entitled “Two Donkeys.” In this post, the vision I saw was of two donkeys, one black and the other white. They stood next to each other in such a way that their legs alternated: white, black, white, black, white, black… What I discovered about donkeys is that they bond together in pairs. They are faithful to stay with each other, eating together and napping with each other’s heads resting on each other’s backs. They are the perfect example of a close relationship. But the vision showed a black donkey with a white donkey. Showing a partnership that was not right.
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’
“‘Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.’” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
By this vision, we see that the Lord does not want us to have close friendships and relationships with unbelievers. He asks us to separate from those whose beliefs are opposed to God’s. We become like those with whom we spend the most time. The Lord is serious about this topic, because our faith, and our walk with him, is challenged as we partner with unbelievers.
We can see that the Lord’s vision of the two horses on the chairs is showing us the folly of close friendships that are not approved by God. The relationship shows that as each leans upon the other for support, they both will fall. In this vision the horses look very much the same. In the former vision of the two donkeys, one was black and the other was white. I believe that what this represents is the unholy union between people of the same sex.
They cling to each other, for they have no one else that will support them in their relationship. Their relationship is doomed to failure, because it does not have the Lord’s blessing. It is a relationship that brings shame, and spiritual bondage.
Years ago, I was participating in a “Convoy of Hope,” event. A friend from church and I were walking the grounds to greet people and offer prayer, while those attending were standing in line. We began to speak to two young women who were in a lesbian relationship. We began sharing the gospel and what the Lord asks of us as followers. As we revealed what the Bible said about same sex relationships, I could see that one of the women was receiving the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and that she wanted to get right with the Lord. The other woman had a look of dread and fear. She could see that her relationship with this other woman was just about to end. She did not want to be alone, I could see that she had a child with her, so she must have been depending on the other for support just as a woman would have received support from a husband.
There are many hurting people that become ensnared by the devil in a trap that offers a false security. It is a shame that they could not simply be supportive friends. Why did the “forbidden” take root? It is the devil who knows how to deceive people and justify what is sinful, that causes the weak flesh to give in. He removes the shame and guilt with friendship and acceptance. Yet the bottom line is this–it is sin, and it is rebellion against God and his ways.
We need to pray for these people and we need also to pray for the churches that are accommodating these practices. Can you believe that there are churches that validate these practices? They are part of a new church movement called the Progressive Church.
Everyone wants to be accepted. And gay and lesbian people are no different in that respect. Because the Bible, God’s word clearly states that to engage in sexual immorality is spiritual death, and that the Church should not tolerate or condone such behavior. All those engaging in sexual immorality are not to be included in the body of believers.
“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.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-7
If sin is given room among believers, if it is ignored, it will certainly become a catalyst for more and more sin. There will be no restraint; there will be much trouble. It is simply the truth - a cause and effect.
But when these people are rejected by the church that upholds the word of God, they seek churches that are more lenient and more accepting of their lifestyle. They seek churches that have a better “fit” to their own sense of morality, and determine for themselves what is “good.” This is the sin of the devil, to make one’s self equal to God, to declare for one’s self what is good and what is evil.
For these people and their churches, the truth of God’s word is not the truth that they embrace. It is what appears to be truth to them, that they choose to recognize. The Word of God is no longer a standard. They use it when it agrees with their values and ignore it when it confronts their opinions. There are churches that are willing to compromise the word of God to be more inclusive. Their priority is to love all people, and accept them just as they are. Their priority is not to please God. Somehow these churches have embraced the lie that “We should accept them because God made them this way.”
These are not true churches, holding to the word of God. They have departed the faith. It is apostasy. I believe that the “falling away” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 has already begun.
I am amazed by the numbers of churches that have become accepting of sin especially lifestyle sin and sexual immorality. It is not “politically correct” to confront people with sin. Years ago, when I was looking up the doctrinal beliefs of a particular church, I came upon a chart. It showed the many denominations and how they considered the topic of gay relationships.
There were some denominational churches that were standing firm in the Biblical teaching on the subject. And there were some who allowed gay people to attend services but they would not affirmed them. They believed that the Holy Spirit would convict them of sin and that they did not need to be confrontational or mention sin and the need to repent. And there were also churches that accepted and affirmed gay couples, believing that it was perfectly acceptable. After all, God loves all people.
Some churches would not only affirm these relationships, but they were also willing to ordain these people into the ministry.
Yes, this is apostasy. It is a departure from the true faith. The great falling away and the teaching of false doctrine is already here. It seems that young people have bought into the world view. They are disinterested in God, and in the Christian faith. They willing accept the narratives of the world and stand in judgment of God. We see small churches closing and larger, “seeker friendly churches,” growing. What appeals to this younger generation influenced by the world, is a church that does not conform to sound doctrine, but is more “inclusive,” attempting to make the gospel more fluid and more attractive. A church that does not preach sin and hell, does not bring conviction, for the Holy Spirit is not in it. This church is all about “love” and “acceptance,” not about adhering to the word of God.
Churches, whose leaders refuse to confront people about sin, do these people a disservice. They extend the hand of fellowship, but do not really care for them, because if they really loved them, they would speak to them about the need to repent. Without repentance, they will go to hell. A pastor I knew used to say, “Friends don’t let friends go to hell.”
So as the true church of Christ, we need to follow Biblical principles and the example outlined in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 5.
“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
“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 or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or 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 5:9-11
The Lord is coming back for his bride, without spot or wrinkle. We cannot pick and choose what commands of God we will follow and what commands we will ignore. “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16-17
We are in the last days, so we must recall the Lord’s words: “When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8
Please, do not align yourselves with churches that are “seeker friendly,” and “progressive.” They allow the world view and liberal social values to dictate their messages and promote a false sense of security. There is no security in sin. There is only one way to salvation, and it is the way of the cross. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
And there can be no salvation unless there is a conviction of sin and the godly sorrow that accompanies true repentance. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10
We also remember these warnings from the Apostle Paul:
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4
We need to be in the word of God and know it, understand it, embrace it and live it. God bless you! Keep the faith!
Please share this with all those who need to understand. God bless you!
