Very early on in the history of the body of Christ, the father of lies discovered that he could not eliminate the kingdom of heaven on earth by persecuting it. The more he did so, the more it flourished! So, he decided to kill it with kindness. He cleverly made an earthly counterfeit of the ekklesia of God and called it “the church” and its popularity has continued down through the last 1700 years. In its infancy the ekklesia of Christ were known as the people of The Way, not “the Church,” because they adhered to the One who said, “I AM the Way to the Father.”
According to the New Covenant, we who are Christ’s are God’s assembly of called-out ones. We are called out of the world and all its systems; governmental social and religious. As we follow our Good Shepherd we are pilgrims and exiles upon this earth for just as they hated Him, they hate and reject those who truly belong to Him and are born from above by the Father. Here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one which will come down from the throne of God, the NEW Jerusalem, which is above and is the mother of all who belong to Jesus, not that wicked city that kills the prophets and the Christ. We NOW sit in heavenly places IN Christ Jesus. We have a kingdom that does not come with an outward manifestation like the church systems of today which break up the sky line with their great monolithic buildings and institutions, but rather is hidden from the world’s view as His kingdom developes within us.
With all this in mind is it any wonder that there were no “church buildings” erected by those of The Way until after Emperor Constantine of Rome got his hands on what was left of that faith in about 311 AD and seduced them to fall in line under His rule, promising peace in the place of persecution and made it the new official religion of the Roman Empire? He rapidly converted The Way into another bureau of his government with which to conquer and control the world, the bureau of religion, to facilitate his military conquests and capture the minds as well as the bodies of the subjugated masses! Those conquered nations that would not convert were often put to the sword by this great “benefactor of the church” with the advent of a new theology, “holy wars.” Funny how he took to himself the titles of “the Thirteenth Apostle” and “Pontifix Maximus” (the greatest pontiff or bishop of Rome) totally lacking in humility. What a contrast to the lowly Jesus who came as a Servant in a back-water town in a subjugated nation where He conquered hearts with the weapon of His great love.
Soon the visible church ceased to be an organism with Christ as its Head and only Foundation and became an organization with paid priests (often “converted” pagan priests) and bishops over it with the Emperor as their head as the first pope. The “birds of the air,” demons, began to nest in its upper most branches and tares were sown among the wheat (see Matthew ch. 13) as new adherents to the king’s new religion were either bribed or coerced to joining the his new church. Cut off from its true Head, the body soon died and it was not long until the City on a Hill filled with light became the cause of the Dark Ages as its light went out bringing to mind Jesus’ warning, “If the light within you is [becomes] darkness how great is that darkness.” When salt looses is saltiness it is good for nothing but to be trodden under the feet of men. That living organism born from above that “turned the world upside down” soon became part of the world system.
Since then Church Reformers have come and gone and were often persecuted and killed by the “mother church” and they made some coarse corrections redeeming part of what was lost due to doctrinal changes, but the changes were not enough. Sad to say, these reformers were often just as bloody and hateful as was the mother church they protested against, using force when argument did not prevail. The nut (Protestantism) didn’t fall far from the tree (the Catholic church). The daughters of Babylon never fully returned to having Christ as their Head, but rather chose men to lead them and be the heads and lieutenants of their denominations. They never fully comprehended Jesus’ warning to the disciples when He said, “The kings of the Gentiles rule over them and they are counted as benefactors, but with you it cannot be. He who is great among you shall be your servant and the greatest one among you shall be your slave.” They also never fully embraced the Holy Spirit as the guide and Teacher of each individual believer, but rather chose pastors and bishops to be their teachers and guides. They never left off constructing and supporting Christian temples and “churches” or appreciated what it means to be the Living Stones in God’s holy temple “not made with hands,” but kept on building “church buildings” just like their mother. They still embraced sacerdotalism, seminaries to generate its leaders and Old Testament laws with which they furthered their power structure, lording over the people to keep them in bondage and fear. They still kept the rigid division between clergy and laity — those with the right to rule-over and the subjugated masses — adhering to the doctrine of the Nicholaitans (Greek – to conquer and rule over the people) which God hates. The more that things “changed” in the Reformation, the more they remained the same.
The hour is now come where Jesus has had enough. He is no longer content to stand outside the Laodicean church system, knocking on its doors, asking them to join Him while those inside this closed door system are oblivious to the fact that He has left “the building” and that they are “poor, miserable, blind and naked” — the only state a body can be when each member no longer looks to the Head for its supply! Jesus is now seen standing in the heavens, as the next passage in Revelations reveals, calling to us through an open door! Didn’t He say, “I am the door to the sheepfold. By me they come in and go out and find pasture”? He is calling and saying, “Come up here and I will show you things…” It is as we seek Him as our ALL in all that He administers eye salve that we MIGHT see and clothes us in His white raiment, the garment of His bride who is being made ready. It is here that we are made rich with gold (His righteousness worked within) made in our fiery trials as we sit with Him in heavenly places with the Father, where we have only ONE Mediator who ever stands before the Father to make intersession for us, not an earthly priesthood of paid professionals.
Saints, what will we say to Him if “we neglect so a great salvation” and continue to settle for the kingdoms of men which call their organizations “the church” and ignore His upward call? God help us!
Therefore, having left the discourse of the beginning of Christ, let us go on to full growth… And this we will do, if God permits. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come, and who have fallen away; it is impossible, I say, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify the Son of God afresh to themselves and put Him to an open shame. (Heb 6:1-6 MKJV)
And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird; for all nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of her wantonness.” Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Rev 18:2-5 RSVA)
A Wilderness Voice 
th Lord revealed to me that His have always been th called out ones…from abraham, sarah, david, th prophets, mose, job, paul, samuel, peter, jon, james, lydia, and th rest…each and every one who belonged to Him were alwayscalled out…so this whole brick and mortar stuff was never of Him and im not even sure where the word ‘church’ camefrom or by what translation it replaced th called out ones…there was those who were of th nation of israel but they werent all israel then or now, as been revealed…but mose was…all israel was brought outta egypt but not all entered into th promise…Jesus Christ IS th promised land, th true israel of God, th city and temple of th Most High God…not all entered into Him but only who are called out, drawn by th Father to Christ and given by th Father to Christ…it was always so…Jesus Christ is th same yesterday to day and forever…
when i think of th brick and mortar churches, i remember israel makin bricks in egypt, wit a doubled quota and havin to get they own straw…it was bondage back in th day and its still bondage now…
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So true, Gianna. God has continuously called His people out of the world to Himself, always to be sojourners and exiles in this world, but alive unto Him in HIS spiritual kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. This is what Stephen, the first martyr of the church was saying that upset the power brokers in front of their temple so much that they killed him. He ends by quoting Isaiah saying, “The heavens are my throne and the earth is my footstool. What house will you build for me?” “You do always resist God’s Holy Spirit!” When we put down roots and start building our “holy buildings” God is not pleased for it is there that we cease to follow His Spirit and refuse to be moved any further. To quote a friend of ours, “The opposite of the Spirit wind is bricks.”
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love that…the opposite of the Spirit wind is bricks…
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oh…and forgot to mention…they were called out bc they heard Him…bein led into all truth by th Spirit of God bc we hear Him…
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Love your posts, Gianna! Didn’t see your words when writing mine… and now it looks we got the same thought! 😀 YES, the “called out” heard Him… heard Him directly and personal… and no matter the burden and troubles coming with it THEY’RE FOLLOWING HIM!
They seek no glory for themselves, never will build “brick and mortar” buildings… but will always follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They need no teachers (they have ONE only) and IN Him they’re one functioning body, loving each other dearly (as they love Him!) all over the world. Let’s forget about the cheap “knock-offs”… and let’s display the real deal “Jesus in us”!
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Reblogged this on Ekklesia Koinonia "Fellowship of the Called-out ones".
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As so often after reading your posts my thoughts go on, my dear bro ;-)…
You’re definitely right with your description of the fake church prevailing. Reading it the words of Jesus came in my mind who said (Matt. 13:24 ff):
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
So the “Good seed” always existet beside the “Bad seed”. Jesus knew this… and it has to be so! I know it is very hard to understand but it is God’s will that the weeds grow with the wheat. Jesus said it in following verses:
The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
‘NO,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.
Jesus rests in the souvereignty of His Father. He doesn’t fear for the wheat at all! He knows that no one the Father gave Him He will loose… BECAUSE HIS RESURRECTION POWER IN THEM IS STRONGER THAN THE ONE RULING THIS WORLD (1.Jo. 4:4)
Throughout the decades, in times of utter deception God always had His “chosen ones”… the ones He called out and set apart from this world.
They always had a personal, direct Jesus encounter… and afterwards He taught them His truth.
(No, it’s not about following some altar-call, being baptized or having joined some group claiming they’re the true ones! It’s having met Jesus directly and personally… and not by what we got handed down by other men).
God had them throughout the ages. He said that He will build His church… and so He did it. He isn’t bound to the doctrines of man and never the “realm of this world” can hinder His plan to come true.
Jesus says even NO today to engage in fights against the prevailing darkness. Wheat is wheat… and always will be wheat by its genetic code. A truely born of God will always make it to the promised end… just the ONE giving true life won’t fail… for everyone born of God overcomes the world (1.Jo. 5:4)
Jesus said His disciples He even destined the fruit their lives will bring… and so we can rest in Him while this world goes its destined way.
The time of the harvest will come… and then just the wheat will be gathered.
All over the world God has His chosen ones today. They hear His voice and they follow Him wherever He’ll lead them. They’re not afraid of this time just they know their salvation isn’t coming from them but is secured by His election before they had been made in their mothers womb.
They clearly know it’s NOT from them… no, it’s not their rebellion against the rule of men, it’s not their negative experiences… but JUST HIM SHOWING UP IN THEIR LIVES ONE DAY AND SINCE THAT LEARNING TO FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS.
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Markus
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned.” Actually they are tares, also called wild oats or bearded darnel. They in themselves are not poisonous, but they play host to the ergot smut fungus which will kill you if consumed. So you see why the darnel had to be sifted out from the wheat. It is still done this way at harvest time to this day. Notice that the tares are bound together in bundles first. I think that this is what is going on right now all through the church systems of men. People are making their choices to love the Truth that they might be saved or believe the lie of the wicked one, taking pleasure in unrighteousness, that they might be cursed (see 2 Thes. 2:9-12). The delusions they choose are the bundles that bind them. Also notice that Jesus said that He will gather His wheat into His garner… no binding and no fire mentioned here. It is interesting that our English word “religion” comes from the Latin that means “to rebind.”
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I agree, Mike! Yes, the weeds are bound to bundles first… and then comes the harvest! God is making a separation… and always made and will make a separation… between His seed and the evil seed.
Men thinks separation (calling out the true ones) is negative but God sees this different. There can’t be “unity” between “the flesh” and “the spirit” and so Paul says in 1.Co. 11:19:
No doubt there HAVE TO BE differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.
The “knock-offs” have no true life… but they so love to usurp the fruit of the “true ones”… yes, they love to print and reprint the blessed writings of true servants of God… and even make movies about their life… just they can show to the unknowing some importance they don’t have actually (… and earning some money from this “business” of course by fleecing the sheep).
Jesus says we can’t be unequally yoked… and so the separation happened throughout the centuries… AND IT HAPPENS TODAY! Hallelujah! He is building His church (ekklesia) and the gates of hell won’t succeeed with their schemes! Our God will win… and He will do so even there would be just one weak and broken vessel of His glory remaining here on earth! IT JUST NEEDS ONE WORD… ONE WORD ALONE… TO ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM VISIBLE FOR ALL OF US TO SEE. He alone is the LIFE of His body… and as He created everything out of “non-existence” so His ekklesia will be build by His action alone!
We can rest in our recliners… enjoying His presence listening to His words… just doing what He tells us to do (and then returning quickly to this blessed place!)… knowing that “without Him” we’re nothing… but “with Him” nothing is impossible!
So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,’ says the Lord Almighty.
“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel YOU WILL BECOME LEVEL GROUND. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ” Zach. 4:6+7 NIV
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Bingo, bullseye, cut and dry, you nailed it. I was thinking, the calling out happens in Rev 18, are we near the end? I’m so weary!
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Mike, hang in there. His grace is sufficient for each day we have to go through this until He returns. “Looking unto Jesus, the Author and the FINISHER of our faith.”
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A brother once pointed out to me that Jesus said it was His meat to do His Fathers will…. meat gives us strength and energy to do The Fathers will. His will is like meat to us. This is how we overcome and not grow weary.
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You all express my sentiments exactly. I have seen the apostasy grow over the years into a monster of people pleasing, works and false hopes. I also can relate to feeling weary. It is so much easier to talk about how the churchianity folks are deceived and wrong, but I want to know how to operate as a member of His body. I have already come to the negative conclusion about many of the apostate rites in the pointed buildings, but how do we do it right? How do we fellowship with one another when the true believers seem so far apart and few in number?
The early ecclesia had a blossoming growth rate, while now I see a trickle of people waking up to the fact that they are in the apostasy. To balance this I have tried to help my fellow church goers wake up, but it is very time consuming, tedious, and most of the time they get annoyed and would rather continue as they are and remain asleep! Therefore, I am usually alone unless I occasionally go to an event at a church just to see some acquaintance/friends. They can’t handle sound doctrine as I am sure you have experienced when trying to tell die-hard church goers the truth, so deep communication almost never happens at these events.
I have found a handful of blogs with people who speak like you and I, but we are spread far apart over the US and even the world. In this day and time, how do we operate as the Body of Christ? It is difficult to imagine that Jesus foresaw the ultimate fellowship of the Church as blogging. Don’t get me wrong. I am so thankful for these helpful blogs, but we can’t really put our personal struggles and needs, hopes and prayers out here on a public blog for all to see. Isn’t there something more for a true believer to experience in terms of Christian family?
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MissDebra,
I hear your heart in regards to having to go without fellowship. This is not only happening with you, but with most all of His saints that have answered His call to go out to Him outside the camp. The first thing that God does with us in obedience to this outward call is to isolate us unto fellowshipping with Christ alone so that they can find Him as our All in all and know HIM as our sufficiency. I can tell you from experience that this is not a fun time when we have been used to having “fellowship on demand” in the church system with all its programs to keep us entertained all week long. Like it was with Elijah, we must be isolated for a season from all the “earthquake, wind and fire” of the worldly systems of men that titillate our human senses to the max so that we can finally hear His “still small voice” within. It is here that we finally discover that He prepares for us “a table in the wilderness” even in the midst of our enemies. This is part of us finding Christ’s Spirit as our Teacher as John promised in his letter to the church (1 John 2:25-28) and also coming to where we recognize more easily the voice of the Deceiver.
Eventually we will find others who have a like mind and are hearing the Spirit say the same things we are hearing. I took me 20 year to find one who was hearing the same things that the Lord had been saying to me and who had gone through the same wilderness as I. That was 13 years ago and since then, especially in the last couple of years, He was broadened the circle and put us in contact with many hundreds of people who are crying out to the One who they have found as their Provider of everything that is expedient for their growth in the Son.
Where Hebrews say that we are to go outside the camp unto Jesus, it is harking back to a passage in Exodus where God commanded Moses to put the tent of meeting outside the camp of Israel because of their sin. Then it was there that God agreed to meet him, for Israel had become a nation of rebels and complainers.
“For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, you are a stiff-necked people: I will come up into the midst of you in a moment, and consume you: therefore now put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what to do unto you. And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb. AND MOSES TOOK A TENT, AND PITCHED IT OUTSIDE THE CAMP, FAR OFF FROM THE CAMP, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. AND IT CAME TO PASS , THAT EVERYONE THAT SOUGHT THE LORD WENT UNTO THE TABERNACLE OF MEETING, WHICH WAS OUTSIDE THE CAMP. And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.” (Exo 33:5-8 KJ2000)
Even in the wilderness they had to go outside the camp to seek the Lord. So it is today. Sister there is a private “closed” FaceBook group I know about that I could recommend that is made up of like minded saints who are where you are at. Write and send me your email address and I will send you the info so you can be included. Are you on FaceBook? You can find my contact info here: http://awildernessvoice.com/Contact.html
Your brother IN the Son,
Michael
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Hello Michael. Thank you so much for explaining the wilderness experience in more depth. I am understanding it better now. It is not so strange after all, but a necessary progression from immaturity to maturity, from child faith to adult soldier for Christ. In this case, the organized church represents the Peter Pans, those who may have come to a born again experience, but little by little decided they did not want to grow up into the maturity of the Christian walk. Isn’t that what Paul said, they want milk and cannot handle meat? To mature we have to take up our cross, and most would rather stay coddled and pretend to be mature, like little children trying to wear their parents clothes.
Well, I want to mature. Mostly because the more I yield the more I get a glimmer of that heavenly experience of close relationship with Him that can be had right here on earth. That is the heavenly invasion I seek, Jesus invading my life and drawing me closer and closer to Him. He certainly is more than this fickle world can offer…
Your sister in Jesus, Debra
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This is a good word Michael and certainly dear to my heart as the Lord has been continually driving this point home. As Hebrews says to go outside the camp where Jesus is and as the discontented came to David in the wilderness, so we who are called and taught in God’s school must do. Thank God for the “eye salve” that allows us to see the truth of who He really is and His body that is a living organism, as you stated.
May we have the courage and stamina of Christ to resist the enemy and his “spirit of religion” to be “Davids” after God’s own heart in these last days. Thanks for posting this!!
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Mike, Thanks for your comment. It is always good to hear from you my brother in Christ who I have known for 43 years… years in which we have both have actively pursued Christ and all that He has for us as joint heirs of the Father IN Christ. I have never seen before the parallel between David’s exile from that wicked King Saul (who the people had demanded when they rejected God from being King over them) with the verses about going outside the camp or religion unto Jesus. Of coarse it makes perfect sense in that David was a prototype of Jesus the Son of David. David was persecuted by Saul and his establishment just as Jesus was rejected by the religious establishment in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Thus it is today with so many of us with the heart of David who have been persecuted by the religious establishment that has taken the place of Christ when we dared to try and fit into something that has become totally extra-biblical while claiming to represent Christ! Oh the confusion it has caused in His saints. As we have sought to walk more perfectly in Christ and to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, instead of being welcomed in these congregations as lovers of Christ, we have instead been rejected and persecuted by those who lord over the flock of God and the members who idolize them. It is so good to find Christ as my sufficiency and other saints out here with Him outside the camp that are of the same Spirit who has called us out. Stay in touch, my brother, and keep playing your harp.
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The system is broken and HE is not about to fix it. Time to head outside the camp while you still can. You have spoken truth in love once again Michael.
I love it!
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hello saints,
missdebra, I think I know where you’re coming from. The beyond-repair condition of the religious system, coupled with the utter blindness of the captives of that system can be quite taxing.
For me it boils down to this, John the *sent one* begins his first letter in a very peculiar way, and then goes on to tell the readers of that letter, that “what we’ve seen and heard, we declare unto you, so that you might have fellowship(this word is so overplayed, yet so misunderstood….it means a FULL JOINT PARTICIPATION) with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
I can’t get past those words. Just what is John inviting these folks to? Is it discourse of the things that are and the things that are not? Or is it something much deeper. I believe the invitation is this, “come and be part of the joy, love, and glory that the Father and the Son have always had, of which, I, John, have been invited to, and to this very day enjoy.”
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Thank you for replying Bill. It seems that a reevaluation of the meaning of fellowship is in order. I have always thought of it as spending time with others who love God, like a family, as in the early Church. Perhaps things have changed for the end times Church? God knows I have tried and tried to get something going in terms of a tangible prayer meeting or fellowship for years, but people are so stuck in their churches. Running around in a frenzy doing “God’s work,” as they call it, but no time to really relate to one another.
Here at Word Press we have the cyberspace church! Strange, but it is helping me considerably to connect through blogging and read what others like me have to say. I guess I should stop moaning and groaning that it is not like the early church, although I bet they had some great meals together!
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“come and be part of the joy, love, and glory that the Father and the Son have always had, of which, I, John, have been invited to, and to this very day enjoy.” I am thinking about this Bill and it is expanding my mind.
John ended up exiled to the Isle of Patmos. What tangible fellowship did he have there? Yet he did not retract his words. Full Joint Partnership! Whether or not we have someone to talk to, we do have fellowship with one another, our great cloud of witnesses, and God Almighty. We are never really alone because fellowship is a state of being, not an event. Thinking of it this way helps me to reconcile myself to the fact that I am not missing out on anything!
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That’s true, Debra. What you said about people busy doing work for God, with no time to relate is something I observed.
It seems that the only relating is around the “doing”. Praise team members relate to other praise team members .. ushers/greeters relate to other ushers/greeters .. paid staff members relate to other paid staff members, etc….. and once people stop “doing” they stop relating.
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Rebecca,
Once about 25 years ago, my wife was the church secretary and I was a deacon. I finally got fed up with the empty money-grubbing politics I saw on the inside of that system while they felt no compasion of the Lord for the poor and needy that came to them for help and I resigned. My wife stayed on as the secretary for another year and I quit going to the Sunday services all together, but she hung in there. She would have people walk up to her on Sundays and say, “How is Michael doing? We really miss him.” To this she would replay, “Why don’t you call him and tell him so?” Well, they never called much less ever came over to take me out for coffee or any such thing. Yes, when I ceased to participate in the church “doing” the fellowship ceased.
God bless you, dear sister,
Michael
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I am so privileged to be able to read the blogs on this site. Thank you, Michael, and the other saints who respond. As I am totally unworthy of salvation, I am also unworthy of the jewels that you write. I thank God for His grace, and the writings of the saints.
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My dear Patricia, if you are a born again daughter of God, you are no longer unworthy. God our Father sees every lover of His son as He sees Jesus. We take upon ourselves the righteousness of Christ, and Jesus never saw Himself as unworthy. You are a King and a Priest, you sit with God in heavenly places. If you know our Lord with sincerity, you need not see yourself as unworthy. You are worthy by the blood of Jesus. As for the flesh, that is always unworthy, and not salvageable, so it need not get any extra attention. The I of a Christian is not the flesh but the spirit which is alive unto God and worthy by Christ’s blood.
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Hey, Patti, whom are you listening to? Has your SAVIOR ever told YOU this???
CAN’T BE HIM AT ALL!
A heartfelt WELCOME from ALL of us here! Feel at home in this “exquiste club” of dearly loved NOTHINGS! We missed it all! All are completely unfit… and have a legacy of bloopers, misses and blown opportunities.
Nobody runs around with a halo hovering six inches above the ground… and if you would know us perhaps you would be utterly disappointed! We’re very normal men and women!
But let me tell you something… and I’m so glad to be able to tell you this first hand… as a direct encounter I had with this Savior:
Though absolutely unworthy He pursued me with His LOVE. Yes, He wasn’t impressed by my unworthiness at all… He just grabbed me and poured His LOVE over me.
I didn’t know why He chose me… He gave me no explanation… and He didn’t listen to my “buts” at all… just showed me He justified me NOT because of my perfect performance but by His sovereign choice alone!
And I’m pretty sure He is pursuiing YOU, too… other you wouldn’t have shown up here. Just run to Him and tell Him all where you have failed… yes, you can tell you feel unworthy and all the mess of your life, too. If you have to cry… then cry… but run to Him! He’s waiting for you to come… and know we so love to see you joining us in our unworthiness.
Be blessed… and run, run, run to HIM alone! And if you can’t run in the moment… then just look up! You’ll see Him running at you!
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Dear Patricia
We are all unworthy to be saved with me the most unworthy. I would love to walk alongside you to help you see the greatness of your Father’s love for you. He is the best and greatest Father ever and loves you more than anyone else in the whole wide world.
Please, if you need help and support, you can email me at meraai.devries@gmail.com.
It will be an honor for me to be there for you.
Blessings, dear One
Mia
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Patricia,
I thank God that salvation and the calling of God is not based on our worthiness. We are mere men and women on here. Paul is nothing, Appolos is nothing nor is Peter, just servants of the Lord and His saints. Christ is everything and because of Him and His salvation which brings us into the family of God, ALL things are now ours and we are Christ’s and He is God’s (see 1 Cor. ch. 3). All things come into perspective when we keep our eyes on Jesus and realize that because of Him we are now IN Him and sit with Him in heavenly places as the sons and daughters of God. He is worthy to receive all praise, honor and glory, but He has decided to share His glory with us worthy or not as WE rest in the Father and the Son.
Love you IN the Son,
Michael
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Please Michael, I would love to also connect to the Facebook forum you are talking about…am I welcome? …agape
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Hello Brothers and Sisters,
I found your blog by looking at the stats on my blog, which led me to read the great article about our “Calling Out”, loved it, and then read the comments, it is so good to hear the comments of like-minded, or Christ-minded people, as someone said we are indeed far and few between!
From Abraham to each of us heeding His call to come out of the devil’s kingdoms His purpose has never changed, we become the Israel of God, and look forward to the New Jerusalem, of course not Satan’s counterfeit Israel that so many have been deceived by. I look forward to reading more of your blogs when I get the chance.
If anyone wants to fellowship I like to use Skype, free for calls from computer to computer. I’m dmark2012 send me a contact request, love to hear from you! God bless you all 🙂
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For some time now, and it’s been confirmed by things I’ve read over the years and heard others say — there is a distinction from the Bride of Christ and the church. There were 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins. The 5 wise were invited to the wedding feast, while the other 5 were left outside. So, I’m not referring to a salvific issue. All were virgins (speaking of salvation).
I don’t want anyone to think I’m speaking about being “elite” and better than others. That was one of the things I detested inside churchianity. One group thinking they were more spiritual than another, because of the revelation knowledge they had, or manifested more of the gifts of the Spirit than others.
About 5 1/2 years ago (after 30 years of faithfully serving in any way possible) I was led to follow Jesus outside of the institution that I’d grown to love … in order to preserve my faith and return to my First Love.
During this season Holy Spirit opened my eyes and revealed that “for the most part” the church system and ministries (even though they seem to do “good” things–and this is why it is difficult to see the truth) were caught up in making a name for themselves. He told me that “church as I’d know it” was just like the tower of Babel.
It was then I understood that the Tower of Babel and Babylon represented a religious system and that perhaps the “church”was no different, and that we are called to “Come out of her My people” (Revelation 18). We have this “christian law” operating among us that we have called the church, and it’s meaning and it’s gathering.
I’ll have to be honest, many times over the past few years, I wonder if I’m missing God, because I am not convinced that I’m where He wants me to be. Better said, I don’t think that where I’m at right now, is where He would have me stay.
I realize this time in the “wilderness” was necessary to purge a lot of man-made doctrines from my mind. It’s important to “detox” from the churchianity and lay down the sacred cows and allow God to set fire to them, however after a number of years, I feel a bit like I’m standing on the sidelines doing absolutely nothing, as I witness so many people running hard and doing so many great things for God “inside” the institution.
I don’t want to be critical and cynical and only see what’s wrong or say that it’s wrong to gather together. Anybody else understand what I’m talking about? I know I had to be called out to see the truth; yet, it can feel rather lonely. Perhaps, it’s me the Lord is waiting on. I’ve considered opening my home to gather with others on the same path … but the last thing I want is to start a “mini-version” of what I came out of.
The true Bride of Christ will have the LORD or nothing else. This is where I am, and it’s not easy to locate others that are pursuing this path. I just want Jesus!!
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A well thought out article that has everything anyone needs to understand the reality of what is happening with the church system and the “day and night” difference between the church and the called-out ones of the Lord’s ekklesia.
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kill it with kindness……. very apt Michael ….. can you remember that song by Carly Simon ‘killing me softly’ …… it reminded me of that …… squeeky clean but just don’t rub any further! There is this perception that Jesus is ALL kindness but it isn’t true, yes He is kind but his holy and truthfulness shine forth like a beacon, His Word burns in our hearts and sometimes it hurts as he removes the dross from us bit by bit. I have had to walk out of many ‘kind killing churches’. Lukewarm and the words in Revelation come to mind ‘I will vomit you out of my mouth’. Now that word is NOT kind at all. No Jesus never minces His Words and many cannot stomach the Word which is sweet to the taste and bitter in the stomach. No ….. give me God’s Truth any day, if it’s gonna hurt let it hurt ….. I’m on my way and in His Kingdom. Loved the post Michael ….. Annie x
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Thanks, Annie. Yes, Somebody once said a good preacher comforts the miserable and he makes miserable the comfortable. That is what Jesus did in the gospels and He still does it today. The Lukewarm Laodicean church is asleep in the light as Keith Green put it, “Jesus rose from the dead, but YOU can’t even get out of bed!” Jesus will not be knocking at that church’s door forever, though, He is moving on,
After this, I looked and saw a door that opened into heaven. Then the voice that had spoken to me at first and that sounded like a trumpet said, “Come up here! I will show you what must happen next.”
(Revelation 4:1 CEV)
The question is, will we leave our carefully decorated Christian nests and obey His upward call?
Bless you Anne!
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