Brothers, Join with others in following my example, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. (Philippians 3 verse 17 thru 19.)
In the above scripture, Paul is writing to the Philippian Church concerning his fears of the heretics of the early church: But, even today, there are any number of religious occult organizations that have a great void in their hearts. The disciples of darkness, by imparting their idolatrous theology that is centered on self, deny the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life of men that is through the Eternal Light of our Savior Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul further writes to Timothy about the last days, as he says: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady high-minded lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: Have nothing to do with them. (See 2nd Timothy 3 verse 1 thru 5.) Then and now, there are many in the church that have a form of godliness, because they do sit in the pews on the first day of the week, and they do speak loving words such as I love yah, and they are seen to perform good deeds, and they do eat with us, and they may wear the spiritual sign of the cross, but in the whole of their lives, from the first day of the week until the Sabbath, they deny the power of the cross, and the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ. They love their sins, far more than they love their Creator, Who is Blessed and Holy forever. They justify their wrong actions among each other, thinking that with their interpretation of scripture, they have a right to be right in their own eyes, and have been given freedom from moral law, and thereby are justified in their unrighteous deeds. In this case, those that pervert the Truth could use the symbol of the steeple cross to lure unsuspecting members into the broad path of their destruction. They promise their converts liberty in Jesus Christ, but their lascivious teachings imprison their disciples, making some of them, and themselves, twice shackled prisoners of hell.
Also, People, who belong to hate organizations, such as the KKK, the Ku Klux Klan in the United States, calling themselves Christian and yet cloaking their minds in the darkness of their murderous deceit, will also reap the destruction they sow, unless they repent. In an interesting bit of numerology, the K is the eleventh letter of the English alphabet. Six is the number of man, for man was created on the sixth day. Six times each of the three individual K's with each K equaling 11, can sequentially be lined up twice fold as 666 666.
Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who confesses the Name of the Lord, must turn away from wickedness. (2nd Timothy 2 verse 19." New International Version.)
The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. (Romans 8 verse 7 thru 9.)
Make no mistake! God has never given man the liberty to sin, and to maintain this violence in their spirit. Neither water baptism, nor the symbol of the cross nor the Ten Commandments are instruments of self-justification. The disciple is called to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in the Way of His Spirit, where we would mortify the flesh of our Idolatry, and then through God's Holy Spirit, we would glorify God in our earthly being. When we forget the daily cross with the denial of self will, and find ourselves in sin’s death throes, then know that the Holy Father God Almighty has given through His Spirit of Grace in Holy Communion, His Sanctification for our acknowledged sin in the Blood of His only Begotten Son, and for our return to Him and His holy will for us. In the learning process, the disciples are to each examine and judge their own individual selves, so that the person would not be condemned with the world. If we acknowledge our known faults, and follow His instructions, then God will faithfully forgive and cleanse the sin through the renewing Covenant Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the Son of Man. For "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and are not practicing the Truth: But if we walk in the Light, as HE is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the Truth (God's Light of Christ Jesus) is not in us." (1st John 1 verse 6 thru 8.)
We may say with absolute certainty, that in spite of our forgetfulness to His calling, God is patient and full of Grace toward those who continually look to Him for His Salvation. In the true sincerity of the confession of our sin, the immediacy of the Covenant Life Blood of Jesus Christ for God's mercy and forgiveness, is applied by the Holy Spirit of Grace to the conscience, and the cleansing power of the Blood is enjoined by the Sword of the Spirit, to begin to cut off the strangling tentacles of sin, and then the root. However, our confession should be with the anticipation of receiving the Communion New Covenant Life Blood of Jesus the Christ of God, when the community church comes together to worship God in Spirit and Truth. It is, here a little; there a little; as God prunes the Vine's branches to enable us to take control of our earthen vessels for His Glory. For whom the LORD loves, He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives. Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (See Hebrews 12 verse 5 thru 11.)
To proceed to the next chapter, please click on The Beginnings of True Worship of God.