I am pleased to hear that you are a seeker of truth; that always impresses me.

Today if a person would find truth they must seek it diligently, as if their life depended on it, because, you see, it does. Truth has always been a rare commodity, never recognized by the world or the religious elite. You will, no doubt, break a few nails and receive some bruises in its pursuit; not to mention losing friends and sleep. Once you sign a membership roster or join a denominational organization you will begin the compromise that the “Church” has become famous for. Follow Jesus and obey Him, void of any allegiances to anything other than truth, as the Spirit promises to unveil to the faithful.

The Protestant Reformation was the breaking away from the premiere prostitute of Christianity, Rome. Today the Protestant Church is headed back to Rome. The Roman Catholic Church has always committed itself to any and all methods, even murder and genocide, to bring back all their lost sons and daughters, and is now committed to “peace and love” to unit all religions in their ecumenical move for a one world organized religion. The bottom line in all of this is that none can be trusted to present truth as outlined in Scriptures, especially the highly publicized and marketed commercial Churches you mention here.

You have every right, and obligation to be concerned, because the danger is very real, and the consequences eternal. Jesus said the way is “narrow” and that “very few would make it” for a reason, and that reason is, because it is true. Those who He says are traveling the “broad way” and will be lost are those who are professing to be His followers, not the world. Getting involved with institutional religion may be most dangerous thing you can do. Almost all of them have great wide doorways that enter on to the “broad way.”

How can so many so called Christians be wrong? Strong delusion is the answer. God, Himself, said He would send it, and that they would believe it. You will search in vain to find today’s modern Church in the Bible. Only by a stretch of your imagination will see the modern Christian religious establishment in the Bible; it simply is not there, nowhere. But, try to find the apostasy of the Church in Scripture and you will see it everywhere from Genesis to Revelations. Why do we ignore the abundance of truth concerning the Church and choose rather to follow fabrications? It is because we are a deceived and blind race of creatures; the Bible says so plainly.

You ask about “good links”. Lighthouse Trails Research is a very good place to research what is happening in the Church. All of their information is well documented and can be trusted; but even they must be weighed in the balances with the Bible. No one can be accepted carte blanche as the final word concerning the Church. Be careful where you get your information, it cannot all be trusted. There are many wild beast roaming this desert wilderness preying on the weak and young; they come with words of wisdom, dressed in white like a shining light, unlocking the mysteries of the ages, promising great things, and a bright future; but they are liars and false prophets who shackle their catch and lead them away to death.

God’s truth is shining brighter and brighter as the end nears; but only to those who have been given sight. As truth grows, so will evil increase. As you become more aware of the evilness of the world, know for a fact that the Holy Spirit is opening eyes of ever increasing light and understanding to those few who have set their will to know the truth. We need not pray for restoration or revival, but that God’s will be done. It may be God’s will to bring darkness and delusion on the whole world, as He said He would do, and if that is God’s will, then so-be-it, that is my will. God’s truth will prevail, as it always has, even during time of immense suffering and persecution. God has never prevailed His truth onto unbelievers except in judgment. Jesus’ explanation to His disciples, concerning who He is, and how they can know for sure who He is, is stated in John 7:17. In this verse He lays the burden of knowing the truth squarely on the shoulders of men, and that “truth” would not be forced on anyone, by stating, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”

I am thankful for your earnest search for truth; you will not be disappointed, if you stay the course.

In His service

Steve Blackwell

 
Thank you
 

When you say say that Noble and Driscoll don’t preach repentance and the cross, that is simply incorrect.

Those are your words, not mine, I never said that. You have jumped to a conclusion in your reasoning and assumed that I would say something like that. I do not doubt that they both give speeches using those very words. Satan’s most successful deceptions, after-all, come from the preaching pulpit. Satan has always used God-words, they are the foundation of his methodology, remember Eden? If a talented Christian can effectively use God-words, why, he can rape, pillage, and commit all kinds of sacrilege and receive the redemption of men, the world, and whole congregations of ignorant little lambs.

You cannot see Perry’s defect because you may be too close to the source and do not want to see it. Congregations are blinded because they do not seek truth, but rather want to be accepted. When people invest themselves in a program or association they cannot allow truth to do its work, because it divides and brings criticism, and it most often, separates the truth bearer from the truth receiver. And, nobody like wasting their investment. Perry’s defects are obvious to a few, but to others his actions are the normal ways of Christian living today.

As far as Mark Driscoll, it is even more apparent that he has left the path. These Christians (so called) make Satan’s work far too easy, when we can’t see what is plain before our eyes. You see, it doesn’t matter that Perry or Mark preach from the Bible, Satan is a very apt preacher, and he is found with a Bible under his arm wherever he goes. These men show forth the fruit of this world, and not of the Heavenly Kingdom, but rather the kingdom of this world. This world with its vulgarness and it violence are not of God, obviously, but is an offering like Cain’s, that God rejected. Don’t fool yourself, Cain was a worshiper of God too, but he was rejected.

You need to weigh these men’s actions against Scripture, and desire truth in the inward parts, as David says, then separate yourself, from not only them, but all who love them and applaud their evil ways.

These men are the easy ones to detect. They are the trash that has floated to the surface. Others who are not so public may take a little more work.

What I have put here is not generic rants. Other, much more credible sites, have done in-depth research into these men, and many other men also, and they are accurate accounts of what these men stand for. But, if you do not want to hear it, then you will not hear it, and you will be in good company with many who fill their religious establishments, giving them what they want; unfortunately it will be more of the same; can a leopard change its spots?

Good luck

It is a wonderful thing to dream, but we must wake up some day to the facts of Scripture. The Bible paints a different picture from the ones presented to us from most pulpits. But, for the sake of argument let’s say that a few of the thousands you mention were saved, is God limited in the methods He uses to save one of His children? God uses hirelings to shepherd His flock. Pharaoh was used by God to teach a whole nation. Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar were called God’s servants; God spoke through the mouth of a donkey; or God can use John 3:16 printed on a baseball cap to deliver His message.

It is nearly impossible to argue against a changed life, especially if the change was for good, but change alone is deceptive. What about the millions of changed lives in the Mormon Church, or the Jehovah Witnesses, or the Christian Scientist, or the Muslims, or even the followers of Adolph Hitler, or for that matter, Mickey Mouse? These would argue for a changed life, so, is it a changed life we are looking for, or is it Truth?

If there is one thing that is perfectly clear from the beginning of the Bible to the very end, it is that the human race is a deceived race of people and that we look for God where He does not exist. The Bible is clear that very few will be saved: He takes one from a city and two from a family; it is like a shepherd that takes from the mouth of a lion a leg bone, or an ear, or a rib, so shall Israel be saved; the way is narrow and gate strait (as in difficult) and very few will enter in; or, on that day many will say Lord, Lord, but He says He never knew them.

But, let’s not forget what the bible say about the end day Church, He says there will be a great falling away, an apostasy from the truth. The Church over the couple of thousand years it has been around has morphed into various shapes of which the Bible calls prostitution. The Prostitute has changed her wardrobe many time in two thousand years, and her followers love it. The crowds love a good show.

You say my post is ridiculous, and it may be so, but it is much closer to the truth than your comment.

Remember that the truth that Jesus spoke appeared ridiculous to the organized church of His day, and they murdered Him for His seemingly ridiculous statements. What He said just could not be true to the status quo. The truth did not fit in then, and it does not fit in today. The truth will always offend.

Steve Blackwell

It is striking how children take on the characteristics of their parents. The branch is fed by the root, and in this case the root reaches into Hell.