Recently we received two things that I believe are inexorably linked and related. A couple of days ago, we received in regular snail-mail an advertisement, an invitation to and an appeal for yet another new “church” in our area. There was a consistent message, it was very artfully and professionally done, and it’s location is on or close to a major university campus. And today I received a PDF teaching called The Astonishing Day of Christ. The relationship between the two was striking.

So as for the “church advertisement,” we’ve seen a number of these “new churches” spring up since we’ve lived here — and more are already on the way. Just on the east side of the TC alone probably no less than five or six of these have popped up and all of them have a very non-denominational feel and appeal. All of them are marketed very, very well. And I would definitely say that I can tangibly sense the earnest and sincere appeal behind them all. So I’m not questioning people’s motives at all. If anything, it’s continued evidence that people everywhere feel there is something wrong with “church” as we’ve classically known it for the last 2000 years. “Something’s missing!!” is one of the silent cries behind the artful invitations and color coordinated, thematic literature. And I understand and empathize with that.

But unfortunately what I also sense is a yoking with the world and the world’s methods to make that appeal. Good, honest, sincere people who mistakenly believe that a consistent marketing message and approach as well as “appealing to the current culture” is going to produce different results. Einstein stated once that “Doing the same thing over and over again and yet expecting different results” was the very definition of insanity. And despite these types of renewed “efforts” at “church,” we see the insanity of pretty much the same fruit.

Again and unfortunately, most of what I’ve seen is a new approach to “church” which now unquestioningly marries some of the world to a genuinely held religious or spiritual concern and what comes out the other end cannot produce what is truly spiritual. “Flesh gives birth to flesh,” said Jesus, “And the spirit gives birth to spirit.” It cannot be any other way. It’s “new church” but in an old, previously used and unsuccessful wine skin. The use of Photoshop, Kinko’s, 30# paper and a new drum set doesn’t change that. It’s still “old church” with a paint job insofar as fruit concerned. Again, sincere — someone sees that an improvement has to be made. But it’s like the restaurant on the corner that has seen all too many attempts at success come and go, someone, somewhere feels they have the “twist” that will make the next restaurant venture a success.1

But as the old adage goes in the restaurant business, it’s “Location, location, location!!” Just as no one seems to understand in the restaurant business, has anyone thought about changing the LOCATION of “church”??!! It’s got to be out of this world. Born from heaven and not merely a new idea, no matter HOW sincere or genuinely or motivated by good intent. Or it’s Ishmael and “of the earth” as Paul says in Galatians 4:21-31. And the “child born of the flesh will always rise up to persecute the child born of the promise” or of the spirit. “It is the same now” as Paul emphatically states (Galatians 4:29).

So… What about this Astonishing Day Of Christ? How does that fit in?

Well, imagine yourself as one of these honest, sincere persons who wants to “start a new church and do it right!!” How immune would you be to anything perceived as criticism of your efforts? Really? You’ve been hurt or you’ve seen hurt and you just want to help. You’ve “prayed about it” and invested a lot of your own savings into this venture. And then someone comes along and says “It’s not God’s way. You’ve married the world to your sincere efforts and it’s only going to birth Ishmael!” — mixture, compromise, a “little hot, a little cold.” Some people who “look like” Isaac because they are half-brothers, but who really don’t care about The Promise. How do you respond?

Well, according to the Word of God, many people aren’t and don’t respond too well to this for a variety of reasons I can’t expound on here — this is already getting longer than I would like. But the type of response to that sort of criticism is often a fair indicator that it’s being built more out of the flesh than one may be willing to admit. Spiritual ambition is still ambition. Peter and Jude talked a lot about how in the last days, one of the spirits that would be exhibited would be “the spirit of Cain.” What was that spirit? It was the RELIGIOUS spirit who, after being told and shown, first by Seth and then confirmed by God Himself that it was Seth (“one in the likeness of his father”) who had the favor, rose up and killed his brother. The word of Christ and the spirit of Christ state emphatically that in the last days, the spirit of Cain will characterize it.

This is discussed in the other thing I received. A PDF called The Astonishing Day of Christ. I won’t re-print the entire article here. You can click here to download it and read it for yourself. But this is the “link” between the “new church invite” I received and this PDF teaching I received. They are inexorably linked because someone abiding in the Spirit of Truth will not able to accept “new churches” built and poured into old wine skins. And, if asked, they will not be able to provide a word of confirmation on such ventures. It’s not Christ. It’s not built “according to the pattern” (which is not “doctrinal” by the way) and it’s not going to produce replicas of Jesus as it’s babies.

Here are a few things from the article I want to highlight and then I’ll leave it to you to chew on:

Before the end, a determined force from Satan will work at bringing all world governments and institutions into favor with the anti-Christ. As his influence spreads and the final day approaches, all outward hope of a deliverance from his grip will seem to vanish — except from those whose eyes have been trained to behold Jesus in the darkness. Believers whose knowledge of Him reaches through the thick veil of deception and oppression will survive to the day of Christ.

Certainly it’s clear from these remarks that some will have insight into the untruths that are being manifest and built into the world and some won’t. That contrast will infuriate those looking to build out of merely “good and sincere” motives but who aren’t willing to shed the motivation of their flesh and the “me” that is in it for them, be it fame, recognition, glory, money or just a “feel good” feeling knowing you “did” something. Christ’s “accomplishment” on the cross did not leave Him with that “feel good.” He was slaughtered like a farm animal in the flesh and spiritually was separated from God for the first time in eternity, which to Jesus, was the worst thing of all. He sweat blood over it.2

Another thing that passage above provides some insight into? It would seem — I can’t say for certain — that there will be a bit of a “convergence” of “world governments and institutions” as stated above. There will be a “religious majority” that is validated by our culture and society which will “seem” right. We may even be left with a political system that seemingly has had expunged from it all vestiges of compromise and corruption. It may become “religious.” But this will only be part of the deception. And those who not just openly oppose this but who in meekness try to live a life Paul encouraged of “minding one’s own business” but who will not be able to provide a word ot support, but instead will need to necessarily condemn this system if asked, will find themselves at the eye of a storm of hate and controversy. “Intolerant! Haters of good! Racists! Domestic Terrorists!” will be the cry as the fetters are fitted and the fagots under the stake are lit.

How this gathering together unto Him at His Parousía will take place I cannot imagine. It is beyond the scope of my mind, so I won’t even try to tell. We can know some things, however. The Spirit will connect all believers, everywhere, to the power and government of Christ’s Throne. There will be no more movements of the Holy Spirit known only by some few earnest believers, but not by others. The power of this gathering and of Christ’s Parousía will reach into the most remote darkness the earth knows with a magnificent bond that will include every believer.

(You will need to read the article to understand that author’s use of Parousia in the quote.)

Again, there is an insinuation here as is clearly indicated in the scriptures, nearly everywhere, that there will be those who are “clued in” and who will reject what has and is becoming “normative” and there will be those who are lost or swallowed up by what is going on around them. What will be the determining factor? Love of the Truth. What will this “love of the Truth” look like? It won’t be so much a “having” or a here-and-now understanding or “possession” of the Truth as much as it will be a love, a passion for, a desire, a thirst for the Truth and nothing but the Truth no matter what the cost. It will be an ATTITUDE and a DISPOSITION more than an actual “possession” of the Truth as “facts” or “doctrine.”

(So in some ways, those with this disposition, this attitude, this posture, will be even more infuriating to those without it because by it those unable to completely and adequately satisfy the questions and finger-pointing, jeering and accusations will seem all the more merely intolerant and without just cause. When the defining and dividing issue will be one of POSTURE before God and not one of “possession” of Truth per se.)

You need to decide whether you’re hanging on the cross… or banging in the nails.

(a recent movie quote taken from the preview of a movie which I have not seen)

And as in Jesus’ day, so it will be just before His return, the “nail bangers” are going to be religious and will sound very “right” to most people who have been neutralized and relegated to the middle ground of indecision through slander, lies, coercion and half-truths. Those who are under the yoke of deception.

These are the things that have been on my mind. First in receiving the invitation and appeal to this new “new church” (one of about five or six just in our neck of the woods — think of this going on in every city in America, “new churches” sincerely and honestly poured into old wine skins and maybe the Astonishing Day of Christ comes into clearer view.) I hope you are able to take these things and “change your location” — change your posture and your stance, approach and attitude. Because it’s only from this location can you ever be assured of any future, spiritual success. Those without this location will be opened to and participants in a great deception as the Astonishing Day of Christ indicates. This deception will come to be over motives and desires. So those who want to stand will do well to prepare themselves for these things.

“Above all else guard the heart, for in it is the wellspring of Life.” –David

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Footnotes

1 This is aside from the fact that either unbeknownst to many or largely ignored, again largely due to “sincere and honest efforts” I suppose, people feel anyone can take on the role of a “church planter.” According to the bible, not just “anyone” can “plant a church.” This was and is still a gift given to only certain men and it was not the “gift of church planter” which is no where to be found anywhere in the bible. There is a gift which allows such a man to plant churches, but it not the gift of “church planter.” I’ll leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine what and who this gift belongs to.

2 It’s very unlikely Jesus sweat blood over His eminent death or even His destination for 3 days “as in the belly of the fish.” He sweat blood and bullets over His separation from the Father in the Spirit That is what He cried out in agony over on the Cross. “My GOD!! WHY have you forsaken Me!?” Abandoned by God. Betrayed and abandoned by “friends.” Cursed by family members. And left for dead by God. This was no “feel good” and it never is when things are properly built.