Evil Assemblies
Writer Author Sylvia Huffnagle
Christian Article
:
Prayer
- Fiction No
I am reading another book teaching that all Christians should join a local church and serve it and the pastor. Let me quote him: “A Christian owes support to the true church and to the organized denominational church as well. With all its apostasy, its failure to meet human needs of the day, its failure to present the true and living Gospel as it should be presented, yet the church is the best that our Lord Jesus Christ has to represent Him here and now. You will see apostasy, unfaithful pastors, false doctrinal teachers, watered-down liberalized Gospel, and other shameful practices brought forth in many places. Yet as you look at it objectively, tell yourself, the church is of God. Jesus loves it and gave Himself for it and me.”
This writer and all the others do not quote scripture to back up this teaching. But I can tell you where to find scripture that truly shows how Jesus feels about this kind of church--Read Rev: 1-3
The Psalms and the Proverbs have may verses telling us to avoid foolish counselors and harmful company.
In the New Testament in 1Cor: 5 and in 2Tim: 1-6 we are told not to associate with the kind of Christians named above.
Texts from the Old Testament that show how God feels about an apostate church:
Isa: 1:12-16: When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13: Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14: Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 15: And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. 16: Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isa: 26:17-21: Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. 18: We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19: Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 20: Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21: For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. (The rapture)
Isa: 57:1415: And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people. 15: For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Jer: 15:16-21: Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. 17: I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation. 18: Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail? 9: Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. 0: And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 21: And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
Jer: 23:29: Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Amos: 5:21-23: I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
22: Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. 23: Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
Mal: 1:10: Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
Yes, God did say this about the church:
Isa: 54:13-17: And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 14: In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. 15: Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. 16: Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
But the church He was referring to is the one below:
Jer: 32:37-41: Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: 8: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 39: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: 40: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. 41: Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
God does tell us to be charitable and long-suffering, but it is clear that He is talking about being that way toward the true church. And yes, the true church is making many mistakes as the believers grow up, but they are not living in and will not live in sin.
1Jn: 3:4-10: Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5: And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6: Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7: Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8: He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10: In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
Sylvia Huffnagle
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