Mysteries of God and You
The mysteries of God and the great biblical truths are not easily understandable to churchians. [‘Churchians’’ profess to be believers in Christ’s teachings but in reality are mere believers in church dogmas and therefore not truly “Christians” but “churchians”.]
Like tens of millions you may be wandering in the labyrinths of confused churchianity, wondering what Truth is, what God’s revelation to mankind consists of, what His intentions for humanity might be – and, what specifically, are His destiny and purpose for you personally.
With the diversity of beliefs, practices, doctrines, liturgy, teachings, philosophies, cosmologies, cultures, and worldviews, churchian life can be confusing, stupefying, and in in some circles, result in a dazzling daze of rhythmically sensual euphoric spiritual paralysis. Stop thinking, just beat them drums!
Of course, Christ gave us the answer to the mishmash of “Christian” doctrinal chaos when he stated: “Thy word is truth.” Of course, he meant all of it – not some of it!
In the churchian domain, Christ’s Truth is of little consequence. A recent Barna research report found that in the USA 50% of senior pastors and over 70% of assistant pastors no longer hold a consistent biblical worldview. Only 13% “Born Again Christians” view bible commands and principles as relevant to their opinions and behaviors. (i) Clearly “Christianity” as practiced in seemingly the overwhelming majority of churches is a sham, guided by farcical demonically controlled entities directed by snollygosters, clever but unscrupulous self-serving hucksters, knowing not God nor the scriptures.
Most of those who claim to be Christian have compromised their faith, totally abandoned it, being woefully ignorant of authentic biblical Truth! As an earlier Barna article simply states, “If Jesus Christ came to this planet as a model of how we ought to live, then our goal should be to act like Jesus. Sadly, few people consistently demonstrate the love, obedience and priorities of Jesus.” (ii)
This lamentable condition is directly caused by the churchian ministry who have defiantly abandoned the biblical values and with insolent licentious arrogance teach against the morals, principles and, ultimately, the law of God—the Ten Commandments. These “empty clouds” and woke warriors have big bloody blotches on their escutcheons, but it is not Christ’s blood!
Little wonder then that about 70% of “Christian” men are addicted to pornography! They break the 7th commandment in spirit and reality.
What is it that brings a person to understand and respond positively to the authentic scriptural truths—those sacred truths of the great Godly mysteries “ordained before the foundation of the world”? [1 Corinthians 2: 7]. Nothing but the calling of God [John 6:44-45, 65]. This calling is the divine predestinated selection process enabling one to become a special kind of person within whom the spirit of God can function effectively and efficiently. Such a person will be sown in good “soil” [conditions, circumstances, environment] who, if granted the blessing of falling in rich loamy soil conducive to spiritual maturation, chooses to exercise individual qualities to “grow in grace and knowledge” [2 Pet 3:18] and produce ‘’fruit” according to his or her individual efforts, “some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred” [Mark 4:8, 20].
Wrapped within the great mysteries of God are precious truths not easy to understand nor easily accepted by the majority of churchians—despite being exposed to the biblical narrative and in some cases, endowed with considerable intellect. [I recently learned of a New Testament professor who, after 30 years of tenure, still could not determine nor delineate between Gentiles, Israelites and Jews in the New Testament! ] The intellectually constructed labyrinths to maintain churchian-academic traditions seem spiritually equivalent to the Hamas tunnels—ingenious and well-constructed at enormous cost, with a single objective in mind, death!]
We encounter some of the deep mysteries and precious truths of God via a parable at Matthew 13. [See also Mark 4:11 and Luke 8:11.]
Christ makes it plain that people, in relation to scriptural teachings and the great truths embedded therein, fall into four major categories. Christ delineated these four groups in the parable of the ‘’Sower and the seed’’. There He explained the various individual responses to the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. And the situation in churchianity today remains the same.
Some seed [symbolic of people] just never “get it”. They are a-stonied, but not astonished. The truth of the Word simply does not penetrate at all. Regarding biblical truth their minds are as rocks—genius IQs notwithstanding!
The first group, Christ explained, hear the word of God, but they truly do not comprehend it. It remains a meaningless Mystery to them. The truth, to them, is like desiccated donkey dung particles drifting over dead men’s bones in the Djibouti desert dunes. Expository complexities aside and a dash of poetic liberty … they cannot believe, thus cannot be saved - presently [Luke 8:12]. Satan has them for breakfast.
A second category of people hear the truth but have a shallow understanding of it. However, they respond to that superficial comprehension according to their limited level of understanding as presented by their fast asleep “awoken” ministry. These people are ensnared in a somnambulistic stupor; mere spiritual wanderers wondering in confliction and confusion within the corridors of their “Christian” conviction for a short while. They accepted confused, misleading, and devilish church doctrines [James 3:15] with deep misunderstanding and misapplication of the scriptures. They are nothing more than churchian “stuffing”—numbers for a boast and contributors towards a pastor’s Sunday roast.
This second category hears the truth and quickly accepts it. They understand it to some limited degree. They have only superficial comprehension. They lack personal depth or conviction or deep commitment to scriptural truth. They conform to their denominational “truth” which does not equate to scriptural truth. They are the kind of people who quickly get offended because the acceptance of Christ should, supposedly, bring them, according to many misguided false teachers, bring them a great deal of riches, pleasure, happiness, fun, and joy. However, when trial, hardship and tribulation come—and for these people every pebble in the pathway is persecution! —it demolishes their conviction. They can’t endure or remain true. James 1:2 ff. is beyond their ken simply because their fake shepherds do not educate them in the ways of the Eternal; the non-biblical [if not anti-biblical] worldview pastors maintain and mollycoddle the sheep in Lulu’s Lalaland in a state of spiritual hypnogogic catalepsy. Do not awake oh thou that sleepeth! Truth is tough!
Perseverance in the faith through: 1) a deeply rooted belief system and 2) a personal dedication based on 3) a desire to fully understand the true teachings of Christ, not churchian thistledown, and 4) the conviction that one has the responsibility to act upon [obey] such truth. These elements shape, inter alia, the basis of a sound Christ-linked relationship.
Superficiality—airy fairy demonic doctrines—resulting from pretentiously pious but morally perverse religious practitioners, engendering quick “conversions” [“Just-accept-Jesus-and-be-saved-this-instant!”] created a churchianity devoid of knowledge, insight, understanding, and wisdom. Serious consideration of the eternal consequences and the present duties associated with the mysteries of the truth are ignored to the peril of both teacher and disciple.
For the mystery of the gospel to take deep root and produce eternal spiritual fruit demands profound personal commitment through regular and regulated study, dedicated prayer seeking Godly insight and answers.
Quick responders are usually quick quitters. As quickly as they accept it with undue consideration, so quickly they quit without due consideration!
The third segment of respondees may persevere a bit longer. They may be faithful for years [Mark 4:18-19]. Yet, their demise as believers is a slow process.
Like Hydra, the serpent of Lerna, continually growing new heads as soon as one is lobbed off, so Satan ensures that persistently ever-increasing evils surround their lives. It encroaches upon their character and their inconsistent desire to “do better”. The soul-essence is incrementally vitiated and then totally violated.
They fall among ‘’thorns” and “weeds”. Wrong types of “friends”, worldly circumstances, corporate temptations, enticements and attractions overpower them—gradually, but with Lernaean Hydra’s relentless purposefulness, they are dragged into a toxic spiritual swamp.
The “lust of the eyes”, the “cares of life”, the inordinate desire for and remorseless pursuit of wealth overtake them. It chokes out the word of God and finally destroys whatever faith and loyalty they may have had towards God and his truth. Their faith erodes under the pressure of the world around them. They lose faith. They lose hope. And they depart into spiritual despair and meaninglessness. Life is no longer of any consequence. They die.
To succeed as a true believer requires perseverance [Matthew 24.13]. Perseverance within and through faith. The decapitated heads of Hydra regrow and return with an insatiable vengeance. Even Christ had to constantly contend with the recurring evil forces arrayed against Him. Luke 4:13 explains that the serpent left Him for a short while before attacking again through further trials and tests. But He resisted, overcame and endured it all to the agonizing sacrificial end [Matthew 24:13].
Some Hydra heads may be family betrayals [Mark 13:12]; government oppression [Matthew 10:17] and social rejection [Mark 13:13]. Eventually the cumulative pressure of the trials decimate faith and a biblical worldview, the once firmly cherished belief system. Eventually they, too, disappear in the murky swamp of Lerna to become Hydra-food.
The serpent is persistent. He is determined. But to the called Christ says: “He that endures—overcomingly!—to the end shall be saved.”
To fully understand the true teachings of Christ and be able to respond to it victoriously requires conviction. Passion. Persuasion. And the firm belief and understanding that one must act. That means to obey the instructions—the laws—as found within scripture. All of it!
This brings us to the fourth and final group of respondees to the mysteries and truths of Scripture. This fourth group constitutes the real believers, the true saints! They are sown in the deep soil. They accept responsibility and respond obediently to the truth of the mysteries of the God-Kingdom. [Mk 4:11-20. See also Matthew 13.]
This last group of people “grow and produce fruit”. They grow spiritually in grace, knowledge and wisdom. They mature spiritually and know they must contribute to the advancement of the gospel of God’s Kingdom. In that way, by committing their physical and spiritual resources, they demonstrate their love for God and His great truths. They marvel and rejoice at the deep mysteries of God, and manifest love towards their fellow humans by seeking opportunity to share the great God-truths with them, and if they can’t do it directly they assist those who can.
Such committed people desire everybody to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God—those great, eternal truths parceled in the pages of Scripture which all true saints seek to promote by their serious and significant spiritual efforts inspired and generated by their dedication to the truth of God.
This fourth category of people give freely because they have freely received [Matthew 10:8]. In this way they produce fruit for the Kingdom of God, some more than others, all according to their commitment and means.
All of us have certain choices to make regarding our spiritual lifestyle. Choices which will determine our status before Christ in the kingdom realm. Our choices will determine whether we will fall by the wayside, or fall into shallow ground. Will we be choked by the surrounding Evil Society, or will we take deep root in fertile soil?
The choices are ours. We must not allow any circumstances, people, concepts, teachings, beliefs or traditions to impede our progress. Carefully study the word and prayerfully seek God’s guidance and understanding about what you are reading and contrast that with the confusing array of teachings of churchianity.
May God help you to become “deeply rooted” in the truth of the mysteries of the kingdom of God and not in the misgivings of churchianity.
Should God’s predestinated election [*] be extended to you, the Holy Spirit will help you to make the right choice so that the mysteries of the kingdom remain no longer a mystery to you.
[* Read our companion blog on Predestination for deeper understanding of this Great Mystery of the Kingdom of God. The mystery that plagues millions of church-going folks. Find out if you are predestinated by God for damnation, or salvation!]
References:
Comments