The terse and truthful answer is essentially of a rude, unkind and unwelcoming nature: The Church has not clearly and in unison showed them where the exit door is…and worse yet, the itching among us (of which I was once inclined through my naivete and compromise of thought) continue to welcome them in through both front and back doors. Yes for a plethora of reasons we welcome in those who deceive us.
The more gracious answer is essentially that we are often unsure what we are seeing or are not grounded enough in truth (or are unaware of where the off base theologies are coming from and are pushing toward) to recognize and nip it in the bud or prune it out when it bears its terrible fruit. We also may be caught up and pressed by personal situations that seem to demand our adoption of belief systems that go against what we know to be true…at severe penalty of non-compliance.
For readers who may not have started with the beginning of this series, here are some links.
Part I: “I AM HE”: THE PRONOUNS OF YAHWEH (PART I)
Part II: “I AM HE”: HUNDREDS FELL BACK BEFORE HIS SINGULAR PRONOUN (PART II)
Part III: “I AM HE”: RECOGNIZING SORCERY AND FEMME-PAGAN PRACTICES IN AND OUT OF THE CHURCH (PART III)
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Essentially, there is something inherent in the question of “why don’t they just leave?” which must be addressed by scripture passages such as found in the Book of Jude.
They don’t “just leave” because their inherent mission is to to be among the biblically faithful followers of the biblical Jesus. They are infiltrators (or naive, low-level pawns in the hierarchy of the intentionally false teachers) and most will likely stay as long as possible, being used by the evil one to his purposes.
The role of biblical shepherding of God’s people should necessitate being at the forefront of discerning spiritual danger, and being able to protect the flock from falling prey to deception. Today, too many leaders, even though well-intended, have given themselves over to the pursuit of “relevance” and “justice” and “new and better ways of reading the bible” and “new imaginings of ‘how to do church'” which overtly, covertly or perhaps ambiguously have a negative effect on the spiritual well-being of those in their spiritual care.
Additionally, there are exponentially-increasing, inter-connected “globalizing networks” that are driven by political agenda and other entities, that are attempting a streamlining of the worldwide Christian Church through online methods and even AI software. The continued propulsion of the Church–and especially, naive or otherwise ungrounded people who want to follow Jesus–into realms of deception and proselytization of alternate religions with “Jesus-izing” linguistics, is a matter that warrants our full attention.
I’m not sure I can say these things any better than putting forth relevant, timeless scriptures below and allowing them to speak to any reader’s heart and mind. Yet, I am attempting to speak specifically to this pattern from the Book of Jude that is currently at work in today’s world. Following the texts, I will leave readers with a confounding collection of videos (I am very audio/visual) for browsing, and to communicate that these are not outliers of what is coming for our churches, but the tip of the iceberg.
Question: What is needed now in order that by the year 2030, the historic Church is still functioning according to the true gospel and is recognizable as following the Jesus of the bible?
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The Book of Jude (NIV)
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for[a] Jesus Christ:
Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
A Call to Persevere
But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
Doxology
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
I Timothy 4 (NIV)
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Galatians 1:6-10
No Other Gospel
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
(Note) This Part IV concludes my series of response to the “Sparkle Creed” (contained in the first video) and should be contemplated alongside the content from my first three segments:
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For further contemplation, these two video conversations are excellent:
“False teachers don’t announce themselves. Hi, I’m ______ and I’m a false teacher.”
Thank You For Reading
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