" WARNING, Savage Wolves in the Church !!! "

     Acts 20:26 thru 31  Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of GOD. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the HOLY SPIRIT has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of GOD which HE purchased with HIS own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day, with tears !!

     Paul gave us this warning nearly 2000 years ago and if he feared this on slot of heresies, apostates, false gospels, evil men, skewed doctrines (or as he put it, deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons in 1st.Tim.4:1) that long ago, what would he be saying about today's hoard of deceptive and outright false ways.  I personally have been conversing with people that are so blinded by false gospels and false doctrines that even if the WORD of GOD is plain and to the point, no other way of reading what it says, it is totally ignored in preference to more obscure and harder to discern Scriptures which can be skewed to mean whatever you want them to say per 2nd Peter 3:16 thru 17 which says - As also in all his (Paul's) epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

     For instance there are clear instructions, for the running of the physical church assemblies and those who are the undershepherds and deacons, in 1st.Timothy Chapters 2 and 3.  It gives qualifications for the office of undershepherd ( also known as the Bishop, Pastor, Preacher, Elder, Minister ) and nearly the exact same qualifications for the office of deacon. This is written clearly and to the point, there is no confusion on what is written in the Scriptures about these two offices within the local church assembly, but it is being completely ignored by many if not most of the mainline denominations, and is a huge reason why there is a fracturing of our churches.

     GOD is not an AUTHOR of confusion, HE has not and will not write contradicting verses of Scripture. So if there is an easily read, easily understood Scripture pointing to the way local assemblies are to be undershepherded and run, then where have all these unqualified and wrong gendered people come from that have inundated our pulpits ???
     WOLVES have not only penetrated our assemblies but they are spewing forth their false gospels and false doctrines that Paul and Peter warned about, from the pulpit. Galatians 5:7 thru 9 says - You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth ? This persuasion does not come from HIM who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.  Paul's Epistles and Peter's also, are replete with warnings about what would happen if just a small " turning away " from that which is true to that which is man's tradition or even as far as fables and doctrines that pander to itching ears of them who preach a " feel good " gospel.

     We have gone " way past " a small turning away ! For the most part, if you were to really check into and check out, the vast majority of mainline churches, they are no more Scripturally run than the religions that we consider cults. This is why you are finding people running from one church to another to find the one that they " feel comfortable " in, or that have " lots of programs " but have no Spiritual backbone, which are the doctrines that Paul, Peter and John, risked their lives to pen as the inspiration of GOD moved them.

     Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:4 thru 6 - There is one body and one SPIRIT, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one LORD, one faith, one baptism; one GOD and FATHER of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all. He did not say that there are various gods, or various ways, or various spirits, just one.  So if you are curious enough to check out, just one of the ways, that your church may not be Scriptural, see if they are running the office of Pastor, Preacher, Minister and Deacon as Chapters 2 & 3 of 1st.Timothy. Is there women, in authority, over men ? Are there men in the pulpit that are divorced ? 

     Other things that may be noticed would be if anyone in the church calls themselves by the title of Apostle ? The qualification for an Apostle is that they have had to see the risen SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. Most of the known cults of the day ( Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, 7th.Day Adventists, Moonies etc.) have only been around since the late 1800's and that in itself should raise a red flag as to its legitimacy, unless you could possibly believe that there have been no Christians on this earth from 95 A.D. to the late 1800's. These cults rose up because there were men who wanted certain doctrines either erased from Scripture or changed to suit what they wanted it to say. Many started out as fable like stories being passed from person to person and then out of that a cult was born.

     But there is just ONE TRUE WAY of Salvation and it is not by anything that we can do, but it is ALL by what has already been done by the ONE TRUE GOD through HIS only begotten SON, the LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. We are sinners, the Bible is unmistakeably full of examples of this fact and GOD said that we are born sinners and have no way of saving ourselves. Romans 3:23 states - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD. As sinners, we cannot wash away our sin, through water baptism nor can we partially pay for our own sin through purgatory (no such place, completely unscriptural). Romans 6: 23 states - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of GOD is eternal life through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. JESUS's death on the cross was to pay for your sin and mine. Once we accept that we are sinners in need of a SAVIOR to pay our sin debt, then Romans 10:9 thru 13 states - That if you confess with your mouth the LORD JESUS and believe in your heart that GOD has raised HIM from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. For the Scripture says,"Whoever believes on HIM will not be put to shame."  The Gospel is also spelled out in 1st.Corinthians 15:1 thru 4 which states - Moreover brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that WORD which I preached to you - unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that CHRIST died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that HE was buried, and that HE rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.

     Lastly, but not any less important, there is John 3:16 which declares that, " For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten SON, that whomsoever believes in HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life.  I have done one other blog warning of false churches, false doctrines and things to look for as a red flag of warning. Watch, therefore, for those SAVAGE WOLVES will not always be easy to spot, but if you have an uneasy feeling in you Spirit it may be GOD's SPIRIT warning you to beware !!!
Just send me any questions you may have to help in your search for a truly Scripturally run church.
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie