By Glynn Adams
December 1, 2024
Jesus set the example for us as He did not waste His time on religious people who had their own way to heaven worked out. We are now living in the time of the great falling away. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ) shall not come except there came a falling away first.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
“Falling away” simply means that people turn away from faith in God and begin trusting other things. These other things become idols in their hearts, “golden calves,” which they depend upon to lead them through this life and then into heaven.
People who have fallen away begin calling something church that is not the church. They begin calling people Christians who are not Christians. Almost every funeral service preached today as though the person who died has gone to heaven. But the Bible says, “Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14)
The hearts of unsaved church members by the millions blindly trust their church doctrines and programs, which have become their idols (golden calves), to lead them to heaven. By so doing they have blinded themselves to many of the truths of God’s Word.
Religious people whose hearts are set on pleasing their flesh nature need a physical tangible God. Today this need is fulfilled through a form of godliness manifested by many religious organizations. These like Aaron’s golden calf, have been fashioned by the hands of religious leaders of the past to please men, and they are protected by the religious leaders of today.
The hearts of the people are captured by partial truths and religious slogans. Years of teaching Scriptures that fit into a doctrinal structure have blinded them to the other parts of the Gospel and have given them a false security. They can only see in the Bible the parts of the Bible that fit into their particular religious structure. Like the Pharisees, they are offended when they hear the other parts of the Bible.
When the Word of God is resisted, Jesus becomes a rock of offense and a stumbling stone!! “The stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the Word.” (1 Peter 2:7-8).
When anyone looks at the Word of God from any standpoint other than God’s point of view, they have tunnel vision. Tunnel vision causes them to gather around only a part of the Word of God rather than the whole counsel of God. They will also have a Pharisaical attitude of “we have all the light.’
Then their religious structures become an idol in their hearts. They cannot be led out of darkness because they will not receive any truth that conflicts with their doctrine. This is exactly how an idol in someone’s heart causes a veil to be over their face today. They do not have spiritual eyes to see, or ears to hear, and they cannot understand God’s Word.
Jesus explained this to His disciples in Matthew 13 in the Parable of the Sower. “To you disciples it has been granted to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven but to them (the multitudes), it has not been granted.” Therefore, I speak to them in parables because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9, is being fulfilled which says, “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand. And you will keep on seeing and will not perceive. For the heart of these people have become dull and with their ears scarcely hear. And they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return and I should heal them.”
Jesus had multitudes (in the Greek language “multitudes” are more than you can count. But Jesus left the multitudes right there where they stood and He went on. They were not interested in following the way of Jesus.
When Jesus went up, the Holy Spirit came down, and the disciples of Jesus went out!!! Jesus had demonstrated with His life, plus He gave all who would follow Him, instructions on how to continue His ministry on this earth.
Jesus said, “If I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (John 12:32) “And I say to you that you are Peter, I will build My church (ekklesia – those who assemble in My Name) and the gates of hell shall not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:18) I will draw all men to Me and I (Jesus) will build “My” church; not the pastor, not the professional religionists, and not anyone but Me.
But His disciples have a part. Jesus commanded us to go “make disciples” and “teach” them to observe all that I commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20) Jesus also gave the twelve power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to preform healing (Luke 9:1). In case anyone thinks Luke 9:1 is just for the twelve and not us, in Luke 10:1, he sent out seventy others.
The gospels show us what Jesus did to make disciples while on this earth. The Book of Acts is what the disciples of Jesus did in the First Century and the remainder of the New Testament is expanded revelations by Paul and company to help us better walk as Jesus walked and to minister like the disciples that Jesus trained. When did all this change? The disciples of today are to be doing the same thing Jesus’ disciples did in the First Century. Has anyone heard from Jesus that this has changed?
We must get out of our comfort zone and obey Matthew 28:19- 20. The early disciples in the First Century had no building to contend with plus they met in houses to minister to one another and prepare to go out to where the people were to make disciples to establish Kingdom Colonies who obeyed the ways and rule of Jesus Christ.
God bless, may you be fruitful and multiply many disciples of Christ. I remain His warrior and watchman, Glynn Adams (Thanks to the late Milt Green and his book The Great Falling Away Today and Ekklesia by Joe Nicola)
© 2024 Glynn Adams – All Rights Reserved
E-Mail Glynn Adams: glynnadams@sbcglobal.net
