The Christian world today has very little in common with the one established in the first century by Jesus Christ, the apostles and disciples. We talk, and O, how we can indeed! But to do as He told us to do is not possible with this generation of watered-down teachings, outright fanciful notions, personal opinions, faithless acts of worship, lies, and lots of them, pretentious beliefs that have no natural substance and vast amounts of spiritual deceptions. This is the Circus Maximus banner under which the Christian world flourishes today.
We have thousands of ancient documents and texts, archeological evidence, historical books throughout the centuries chronicling the growth and subjection to earthly decrees and standards, but notwithstanding, we have distanced ourselves very far from what used to be the shining city on the hill as the church today wanders in the vast desert of lifeless works based on cherished traditions of man-made faith and blatant disobedience to the law of God and the words of Jesus Christ Himself. And still, millions profess to being believers and act as though they are the glorious saints of the Lord while practicing lawlessness. There is coming very soon that terrible hour of reckoning upon all mankind but especially upon those who abuse either willingly or ignorantly the name of the Lord and His commands.
We have, of course, the Bible of which has been translated into practically every language, and sad to say, watered down in many newer translations. We have the writings of the early church disciples such as Clement, Mathetes, Ignatius, Polycarp and Irenaeus. We have Foxe’s Book of the Martyrs, the written records of the massive persecutions perpertrated upon those who would take a stand against the Romish doctrines and the violent and despicable actions of the Papacy and much more. But today, we have very little in common with those brave souls who loved the Lord more than life itself, for we have turned the church into a worldy spectacle rivaling that of the ancient coliseums peppered throughout that world of days gone by in sofar as actions are concerned. And the faith once preached at the risk of body and limb is now softly spoken, heavily compromised, and rarely taught by the faithless shepherds. And everyone’s beliefs are now placed on the scales of views and opinions while the law has been cast down and trodden underfoot by the lawless ones pretending to be servants of Christ, but in fact are the servants of sin and the devil.
Traditional teachings such as baptizing babies, Easter, Christmas, born-again, the trinity, and the rapture foolishness (in contradiction to sound scriptural understanding), to name a few, have swept millions away into false teachings and heresy, and to add insult to injury, spiritual deceptions have taken over the minds of still millions more as the spirit of this world has replaced the HOLY SPIRIT which will never lead a true believer into sin or rebellion against the words and law of God! By their fruits you shall know them.
Many purport to be teachers of the Scriptures, but in truth, they have little understanding of what they are teaching. Instead, they are simply parroting the works and words of men, passing them off as Biblical truths. And for many of those claiming to have spiritual insight are often found to have spent time on the “line”. Gleaning their understanding through itching ears and wagging tongues and spreading the poison of gossip throughout the body. I have personally lived through that at the hands of the so-called brethren as many of you reading this have also had very similar experiences as well. But in Christ we are called to rise above such wickedness and to walk in genuine love and faith, and it is there that we often fail the most. For if we cannot be faithful in the tiniest of things, the Lord will not entrust us with the larger.
The Christian calling today is a mixed bag of Biblically sounding words, spiritually sounding antecedents to the uninitiated, compromising beliefs and all coated with something called the “personal Jesus” which in truth is nothing more than an idol created to accept a person the way they are with minimal changes demanded or expected. And throughly added into this bowl is love and lots of it. By calling God love, which He is, but by abusing that love and mixing it with the love of this world, a paste is made which clings to the believer, and over time, as would yeast, it infects every part of their lives, closes their eyes to the truths of God and His Christ, and makes them utterly worthless for the Kingdom of God. And like salt without the saltiness, such believers have become worthless, and they live their faith until the hour of accountability in which the fallacy of their version of the Christian faith becomes all-too apparent, and far too late to turn back.
But we have as witnesses to the faith in Christ those who were eye witnesses and the writings of those who were disciples of those eye witnesses, and we are able to read for ourselves their testimonies that have survived down through the ages. And their writings are encouraging and exemplarary to us this day if we so choose to accept and believe their testimony. For the word that was in them was seeded among many and caused the fruits of Christ and His righteousness to grow and flourish even as they suffered persecutions day and night. And unlike us today, they gladly suffered the loss of all things for the glory of His righteousness and the gift of eternal life, and even denied the offer of earthly life if they would deny the Lord Jesus, but instead chose to suffer martyrdom so that they could depart and be in the presence of the Lord.
I ask you, do we have that kind of faith today? Is it not true that we strive for earthly treasures, and contend for positions and authority in this world? Are we not given over to base passions such as jealousy, rage, fornications, gossip, and other divisions that cause many to stumble even as we stumble in our walk? And then where is the light that we profess to shine? It is seemingly very dim, so dim in fact that it inhibits our witness to the effectual power of the gospel and reduces the Lord to a mere speck of light on a distant candle because our witness has brought ridicule upon ourselves, and shows the hypocrisy of our words. And if we have become as fools because our witness is weak and fleshly, then what remains to turn the sinner to Christ? Aye, judge yourselves in this matter, for no man peering into a mirror expects to see something other than himself, but if you look closely into the law and apply it to yourselves, then the image looking back will show itself clothed in Christ's righteousness and the light that is within you you shall cause more than a few to seek out faith in Christ and turn from their sins.
The faith that is practiced today is very weak compared to what the faithful presented to the world over two-thousand years ago, and not all were able to be witnesses, but only those whom the Lord had chosen. For a few had cast their faith aside as did Judas who betrayed our Lord, and as a result, forfeited eternal life for the sake of temporal gain which endures but only for a brief moment of time before justice is executed upon the unfaithful. And we must take the more heed to the faith once preached to us through their witness, for ours today is weak and sin-laden with compromises and spiritual betrayals. And we should not be this way, but our examples must be those whose faith has proven their testimomies unto death as called. Today’s faith is soft, indulging, compromising, pandering, accomodating, and not holding to the word or the law, but has become invalidated through the words and works of godless men and godless women who show neither fear nor regard and neither give honor to the Lord, but more to themselves and others like them. Such are to be exposed, and their teachings refuted in truth, love, and humility. Notwithstanding, we are to be bold and courageous in the defense of the gospel and the word of God and to stand firmly against all who would teach or speak other words contrary to the Scriptures and sound doctrines.
But all too often defending the gospel means defending entrenched traditions supplanted with plentiful scriptural reasonings taken cleverly out of context, and presented as truth, which in light of the words of Christ, are tares seeded among the wheat. And then one wonders why the body is so divided and at open arms against each other. Just because you are the eye, does that negate the toe upon which the entire foot is balanced? Or the boasting tongue denies the role of the little finger as unimportant when playing Bach? The body today has become very opportunistic and selfish in its perceived role in spreading the gospel if the truth of the gospel is truly presented at all, and the crowd of born-again believers will believe whatever fish meal they’re fed as long as it sounds scriptural. And this is the sad state of affairs today, which one may easily observe in any of the many churches that claim to be Christian. In form perhaps, in truth, negligible.
How many pastors deny the law and teach their congregations to deny the same? How many pastors see themselves as a little Moses and to oppose them and their words brings about a rapid dismissal from the flock? How many franchises have been built around the persona, not the Lord Jesus? How many churches have embraced entertainment and ritzy “sermons” which tingle the senses but leave the soul empty? Where are the men of God who will stand for the Lord today? Where are the daily prayer meetings for the lost and starving? Why can’t they keep the Sabbath as the Lord showed them? Because they are servants of men and not the Lord, and the truth is not in them. I am not judging them, but the Word of the Lord is, and if they do not repent of their disobedient ways, then they will not inherit the kingdom of Christ, but will be cast into outer darkness where teeth are gnashing and eyes running with tears of bitterness.
We call ourselves believers in the Messiah of God, but the more we claim Him, the more we deny Him through our acts of disbelief and outright dismissal of His words as not being applicable to our standards and understanding as we INTERPRET them. Notwithstanding, we have the Scriptures, but having so many variations opens doors wide to misinterpretations and societal expectations. And thus every man and woman believes what is acceptable to them and their personal views. And when the law is cast aside which it obviously is, then spiritual chaos comes into play and the deceptions multiply with ease as most believers seem to be endowed with the spirit of anything goes!
But the true worshippers of God know the voice of the shepherd of their souls and will not follow the voice of those denying the Lord, His law or His commands, but they will flee for their lives from the apostate preachers and their lies. And as for those who have chosen to follow them and their teachings, let the blind lead the blind, but you are called to follow Jesus Christ, the true shepherd of your souls. You know what you have been taught and believe with sincere hearts, and that truth you must adhere to with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength knowing that many have fallen away and many more are to come, and should we become careless in our vigils, the same would happen to us as well.
Do not allow yourselves to become enamored by descriptive slogans, catchy phrases, showmanship, entertainment, sexual allurements, and newly found discoveries and revelations, and neither from mans fleshly talents. The written word as placed before us without all of the contraptions and connivngs of men is more than sufficent to establish His truth and grace in our hearts, if we hold firm to His words and those of His apostles and disciples. It is not easy to stand with the Lord and the truth when most others seem to sway with the crowd and you are seen as troublemakers or legalists. But you do what you know is right, not what you think because in all truth, our opinions are moot in the light of His commands, and we are to do as He commands because we are His servants if we hold fast and falter not.
Read faithfully His word daily, keep watch and pray, and be faithful in all things so that you are not found wanting at His coming. Serve one another in love, patience, and humility, for these things are good and right in the eyes of our God.
May the peace and blessings of the Lord our God and our savior, Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, be upon you and may you be strengthend in His grace and mercy.
I remain a brother in the Lord to those called in Christ Jesus.
Edward L Ordway
