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Who are You |
Dear Brethren,
Who are you? What kind of Christian are you? What defines your Christianity? Our
faith tells us that God wants us to triumph over life; He wants us to succeed;
God wants us to be in His eternal Family. I would suppose that most in the
Church of God would accept as true that their faith defines who they are. Many,
perhaps most, of the brethren would define themselves as Philadelphians—the brotherly love category of God’s Church.
“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy,
he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts;
and shuts, and no man opens; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee
an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast
kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” (Revelation 3:7-8)
God’s word contains many warnings to us. We are warned of pitfalls and dangers. And we
are told to be overcomers. We have come to the last of the Church eras. A
little introspection and evaluation according to the Scriptures would reveal who
the Church has become. Look at the way the Church has lost its zeal. Consider
how much like the world we have become. Think about how a general malaise has
descended over the scattered and disunited brethren. Recognize that there is a
considerable lack of Christian traits and characteristics being practiced by the
congregations. Though the greater Church would like to think otherwise, the
overwhelming evidence is that the entire dispersed Church is presently of a Laodicean nature.
“Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy
works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.” (Revelation 3:14-15)
Please keep in mind that these verses are from God’s correct perspective. God’s word has
taught us that the conduct of the Church should be of the highest standards—and
yet we see the Church, ministers and brethren alike, letting down in every way.
Laodicea describes the Church brethren's spirituality as being in a state of
severe decline. Is Jesus Christ pleased with our performance, or is He
distancing Himself from what should be the closest association with us? He says:
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that
overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and
am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Revelation 3:20-21)
We have become Laodiceans if we do not come out of the world; if we conform with the
world; if we compromise on doctrine and truth and are not on fire spiritually;
if we do not heed our calling and we do not fill our lives with Christ and
follow God's way. Laodiceans have ceased growing in grace and knowledge; they
do not use God’s Holy Spirit, and they have ceased to be serious about their
calling. They have become blind and unable to see that they are vulnerable.
Thankfully, there are a few brethren who are still diligently striving to keep their eyes
wide open to the lukewarm and watered down nourishment the brethren are
receiving from those who should be faithful shepherds. What do you say to your brethren who are not getting it?
Those who are alert to the dangers facing the Church today must in turn do everything
possible to forewarn their brethren who have been caught up in the downward
spiral. We should reach out to our network of relatives and friends. How do
you alert those who are waiting for some grand signal that everything is amiss?
What can we say to them so that they might hear? What do we say to those who
have had the wool pulled over their eyes—almost precluding the possibility of
their minds being opened to true Christianity? This trap is of Satan’s making,
and he is subtle enough this time not to utilize the big apostasy doctrines of
the ‘Trinity,’ ‘the Law is nailed to the cross,’ or ‘it is okay to eat pork
chops’ heresies to lead the weak away. Satan is satisfied to watch the Church
slowly grow complacent to the point where they forget who Christians are.
To be effective in waking up a Laodicean attitude we must first have some standing
with them. To be an influence in their understanding we must first have a right
relationship with them. They must be able to see our Christianity in action. Who
are you? Are you repentant, forgiving, loving, sacrificing, giving,
merciful… every Christian trait? The way we live our life must be evident to
them before they will listen to us. If we hope to help them, we must be
practicing Christians. When they see our sacrifices—we are letting our light
shine for them.
Our lives—who we are—will give them a contrast that they can actually see. This is
the Laodicean era. Only a few will respond and awaken. The great majority of
this generation is slated to go into the tribulation. Only a relatively small
number will qualify for the place of safety. God has intervened in our lives
once, and He has given us a clear warning of what is immediately ahead of us.
For those we know and love—who have placed a wall of resistance up so that they
are not hearing—we can pray that God will effectively use our lives to clearly
demonstrate to them that there is more to Christianity than what they see every Sabbath.
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