8 Ways to Identify Apostasy
Jude 1:3
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Commentary
I recently posted a fantastic article by Joseph Mattera about how to identify a compromised apostate church. The article was so good that I want to highlight it to ensure that everyone reads it.
I also recommend that you forward this article to everyone you know, so we have ammunition to confront the apostates. I see those that compromise the faith as “tares amongst the wheat”.
If anyone reading this realizes that they are compromised, you must repent before the Lord and ask Him to cleanse you of this mindset. Ask Him for the power to live according to the word of God. It is very serious to the Lord to live compromised in this corrupt world. People who are compromised deny the faith and bring much confusion to many people.
I also suggest that you confront any preacher that is compromised with this truth, and offer him the opportunity to repent before the Lord. With the clarity of this article, no preacher has an excuse for promoting a compromise version of Christianity.
Philippians 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
The article quoted in full follows:
8 Clear Signs of a Compromising Church
“During the days of Nazi Germany there arose a Confessing Church movement that rose against the German Church movement, which became the religious arm of the Fascist Nazi Socialist movement. Of the 18,000 pastors in Germany during that time (from 1933 to 1945), less than 5,000 were aligned with the Confessing Church. Hence, only a remnant held fast to the biblical position with about half of the churches conforming due to political and societal pressure. Unfortunately, this demonstrates that, when push comes to shove, a large percentage of pastors, churches and so-called Christians will probably bow to pressure and allow the norms of culture to become their credo for Christianity.
We see the same thing today in churches in the USA and beyond. With the accelerated pace of the attack on religious liberty today, there could develop a great divide in the church between confessing churches and compromising churches similar to what happened in Nazi Germany. This will not be a divide based on denominational affiliation but based on the degree of loyalty to biblical fidelity. It is sad but true that more and more believers will be compromising core biblical values and standards rather than be stigmatized or persecuted, and lose influence in society.
In John 12:42-43 we see that many contemporaries of Jesus believed in Him but would not confess Him because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The following are contrasts between the confessing church and the compromising church.
1. In the confessing church, Christ is over culture. The compromising church accommodates Christ to culture. The confessing church believes Jesus is Lord over all creation. Hence, they attempt to reflect Christ in every area of culture. The compromising church has a posture of accommodation. Hence, the Christ they believe in and preach is shaped by the culture they live in.
2. The confessing church holds fast to the Word of God in spite of opposition. The compromising church alters the Word of God because of opposition. Soon in America it is quite possible that it will be illegal to preach from certain passages of the Bible dealing with human sexuality. Because of this, many will alter their theology to fit the culture while the confessing church will preach the Word of God in spite of governmental fines, penalties, lawsuits and even serving time in jail.
3. The confessing church puts the kingdom of God above their culture and ethnicity. The compromising church puts their ethnicity before the kingdom of God. The German Church during the Nazi era put nationalism and their Aryan heritage above the Word of God. Many pastors and believers today view the Scriptures more through the lens of their ethnicity and national heritage than through a proper exegesis of Scripture.
When, and if, our nation officially makes biblical Christianity illegal, we will soon see who will be the confessors and who will be the compromisers. In many ways, practicing biblical Christianity is already illegal when it comes to believers attempting to walk out their faith in the marketplace because private Christian-owned businesses do not have the same level of protection today as do local churches.
4. The confessing church alters their methods of preaching. The compromising church alters the message they preach. While it is wise and biblical for the body of Christ to be relevant to culture regarding the preaching of the gospel, it should never put being relevant above being faithful. The compromising church puts being relevant before biblical faithfulness. Hence, they not only change the method of preaching but also the message they preach.
5. The confessing church is a remnant in the minority of church and state. The compromising church wants to be in the mainstream of both church and state. The confessing church endures long seasons of feeling like aliens and strangers in their own communities. The compromising church wants to be in the mainstream of culture more than living in the divine flow of God’s favor and presence.
6. The confessing church is penalized by the state government. The compromising church is applauded by the state government. While the confessing church is hunted down and ostracized by the humanistic state, the compromising church is celebrated by the far-left radicals and used as a model of how church and state should function together.
7. The confessing church prophetically speaks truth to power. The compromising church conforms to those in power. The confessing church knows that at various seasons in their existence they will not gain a lot of converts and/or experience societal transformation. The best they can do is to maintain a prophetic witness to the cultural elites and surrounding communities. Since the compromising church enjoys the power and prestige the elites grant them, they always conform rather than confront.
8. The confessing church desires the praise of God. The compromising church desires the praise of men. Ultimately at the end of the day it boils down to this: Are we living for the praise of men or the praise of God? If things don’t change in the coming days, we will be shocked at how many megachurches, mid-size churches and smaller churches compromise the word of God so they could continue to keep their doors open.
At some point we will all have to stand the ultimate test, which is whether we desire God more than we love our lives, or whether we love our pleasures, conveniences and material goods more than God. Truly, if we confess Christ before men He will confess us before His Father in heaven, but if we deny Him before men He will deny us before His Father in heaven (Matt. 10:32-33).
Joseph Mattera is overseeing bishop of Resurrection Church and Christ Covenant Coalition, in Brooklyn, New York.”
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Excellent article brother John, excellent…
I believe we are almost there.We are at the precipice of the ‘cultural church’ turning on the true Church.We believe truth trumps tradition,’they’ hold tradition as equal to,or greater than truth.We believe truth is truth because it is always constant,and changes not.’They would say that truth can evolve,or mean different things,using the end justifies the means approach.We take Christ at His word,’they give Him lip service,calling Him great,but not reverencing Him as God.We don’t ‘go to church’…we are the Church.We don’t meet Christ inside,but He lives in us,we are His temple.All through history,religionists of all stripes have persecuted the true believers..and so it is today.Watch and you will see house church meetings on the rise.because the Lord is with His people.He has been banished in large part from organized,institutionalized,ritualized dead as wood religions,because there has been a departure from truth.Jesus is not a ‘wafer’,to be called down to die again and again.Once is enough.He paid all of our sin debt.past,present and future in one fell swoop.We must apply His payment to our sin and believe Him that, that was sufficient.God bless all of you.One way to spot a religionist is to ask if they were ‘born again’.Someone lost in religion usually relies on something other than Jesus prerequisite…such as they working to gain God’s favor,instead of what He has said.
As we speak,..all the world’s religions are coalescing,being drawn together,as the Scriptures declared they would in the last day’s.That is how far along we are.That is how far down the road from prophetic indications.we really are.That is how close we are to the Rapture of the Church .While much of ‘christians.are they really?.sleep,.we move at great speed.Why is the ‘church so silent’?Has satan put a muzzle on her?,or is just the cultural church silent?Sadly,some in the Body,succumb to fear,maybe they are numb and shellshocked at all that is happening so fast.Friends,now is our hour.We must raise a voice,a standard,if you please,a contrary sound to the one being played and embraced by today’s world.We are running out of time to tell a lost world that our King is coming.Is this America the same one your parents grew up in?Of course not.It is not even the same it was even a year or two ago.This world,and it’s system is fadind fast.Let us live for the Kingdom come,and bring many souls to know our Savior/King.Hope I inspired,[lit a Holy fire]..to prompt all of us to step it up.A lost and dying world waits for someone to tell the about Jesus.Will that someone be you?
Amen, Brother Dan.w. Well said! May God bless you and your family.
Maranatha
@Dan … Exactly ~ We ARE the Church … We don’t need to “join” a church. We ARE the Body of Christ … and we are forever His, Danielle
AMEN Brother Dan! Glory to God! We sure do try hard here in this dark part of the United States / Vermont, a totally liberal state that wants nothing to do with Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. Rarely do we meet anyone who wants to hear the good news, most are mockers and scoffers. Very sad… May the Lord bless you in abundance Brother Dan for the urgency in your spirit. GO GET UM BROTHER, As we shall continue to try ourselves.
I pray all who visit/live here in Christ be blessed,encouraged,emboldened with a Holy boldness,hunger for the Word,which is Jesus.May each step you take be ordered of the Lord and used of Him to further His Kingdom.We have so much to do,but more accurately put,the Lord wants to have us fully surrender to Him and His will/plan.We have before us,great opportunities to reach the lost.I pray also,that God would put someone that needs Him but hasn’t accepted Him yet as Lord right in each of our paths personally so we cannot avoid them,but give them the truth in love……….no need to say thanks.[smile].Take care all,yours in His service,Dan.w
This article could not be any clearer, concerning the truth that you cannot serve both God and mammon. It is either one or the other, no compromise.
My brothers & sisters, A big AMEN to all of you!
I do have a praise… The other day my husband and I were shopping and as we were exiting the store I heard a greeter say, “yes, Merry Christmas, this is the time of year we celebrate our saviors birth”. He was busy talking but I went over to say AMEN, me too!
Please pray for my husbands salvation; he has a very hard, bitter heart… 1st cancer and now Parkinson’s Disease.
Thanks for the continued updates, John. It’s sad to realize that these characteristics are so easily recognizable in today’s church.
Loretta, please call in to blogtalk, on a Friday night. We will pray as a group for your husband. The prayers of the family on here are the best, and they get heard and answered. I am proof! Please do call.
God Bless us all,
Joni
Amen! And when we have done all…STAND! We must be still before the Lord in intimacy and know his heart and mind to abide and move with Him alone. Brothers and sisters the time is short. Get alone with the Lord and then go forth as He leads with boldness and confidence knowing that you stand before the mercy seat and are victorious! Set your faces as flint and hold firmly to the gospel that was preached to us in the Word and quickened in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Jesus revealed the Father to a lost world and loved not His life to the death ….and so must we. Fear not. He is with us always. ..even to the end of the age. Thank you all for your words of faith and prayers. We are one.
To Loretta,Before I was saved,I ran as fast and as far as I could from God..He had other plans.Hope that encourages you some,brother Dan.
Solid post,Beth.May the Lord bless us all here with His continued mercy and presence,Amen.
I just came by the local baptist church celebrating halloween. I posted this as a link, maybe some might hear.