God’s New Breed Of Super-Sheep
(Part 4)
Rock of Offence Commentary
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This is Part 4 of a four-part Bible study.
Click on the link below to continue
with this study.
Part 1
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Part 2
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Part 3
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Two Characteristics of 'True
Faith in Christ' that Separates
It From Old Testament Judaism
Since it's impossible to know the
experience level of any one reading
this commentary, we will, at the
risk of sounding redundant, repeat
some salvation basics that most
already know.
Eternal life provided under Christ’s
New Covenant has two important
characteristics that did not exist
under the Old Testament program.
CHARACTERISTIC #1:
God gives eternal life as an unmerited gift based only upon the confession of a person's faith in Christ and their belief in His resurrection from the dead. This gift carries a very simple requirement outlined in Romans 10:8-13 and is so easy that anyone, even a young child, can satisfy it. God designed it that way because it's His gift to us ... and not a reward for good behavior.
"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:8-13)
CHARACTERISTIC #2:
Next, upon believing the Gospel of Christ and receiving the gift of eternal life, God “seals” you with His Holy Spirit until the day of redemption arrives (the return of Christ at the end of the age). This “sealing” is God’s guarantee that His promise of eternal life cannot be lost. Notice that He clearly calls the sealing “a guarantee” and then tells you what the guarantee involves. Contrary to some very popular church teachings, the New Testament Scriptures reveal that once God gives us a gift, He doesn’t change His mind and take it back - as documented in numerous Scriptures.
"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."(Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 4:30)
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." (The Words of Jesus from John 14:16-17)
"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." (2 Corinthians 5:5)
"But this Man (Jesus), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:12-14)
Note: Read the following 3
Scriptures carefully
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]" (Romans 11:29 Amplified Bible)
"Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteosness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:18-21)
Wolves Always Try to Destroy
the Believer's Confidence and
Security by Discrediting
God's Guarantee
The Scriptures quoted above clearly reveal that the salvation of the believer under Christ’s "New and living way" is extremely secure because it carries the personal “guarantee” of God Himself. As a result, once salvation is received and secured by "the sealing of the Holy Spirit" - it cannot be lost. This kind of "Divinely guaranteed security" did not exist under the Old Covenant system, which is why “wolves in sheep clothing” always seek to invalidate the guarantee by mixing Old Testament Law with Christ's New Covenant program of Grace. Millions of Christians are currently living under this clever deception that occurs through the teaching of false shepherds.
All high-level wolves and religious leaders that practice improper spiritual authority operate through some variation of the Galatian error, which travels under countless different good sounding names and denominational doctrines. Similar to Paul's previous authority as a pharisee under Judaism (before he was called by Christ), wolves must be empowered by the laws and principles of Judaism in order to carry out their agenda. They secretly believe that God’s Grace found in the New Covenant gives the Christian too much freedom - and this Grace must be minimized, redefined or even done away with entirely. This is why they must illegally mix the laws and principles of Old Testament Judaism into Christ’s New Covenant Gospel. This is why you hear many of them use demeaning terms like “greasy grace” and “easy believism” as cliché’s and catch phrases in their Bible teaching. The gospel they preach sounds Scripturally solid and correct to the average church member. Yet, it is actually a counterfeit message that produces a “counterfeit faith in Christ” ... and God does not honor this counterfeit.
This is why Paul sternly warned
the Church to constantly test
and evaluate themselves to
determine whether they were
walking in the true faith of
Christ, or the hard to
recognize counterfeit.
(2 Corinthians 13:5)
Almost no Christian takes this
warning serious today.
This very persuasive counterfeit theology in the worldwide Christian Church seeks to redefine Christ's "forever" sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12-14) so that sin and the fear of losing eternal life continues to hang over our heads - just as it did under the previous system of Old Testament Judaism (or the Mosaic Law). The unfortunate members of these churches will fight to remain under this kind of spiritual bondage. Under this "different gospel", the "forever" characteristic of Christ's sacrifice is removed and the entire New Covenant of Christ is redefined. As a result, if we sin, eternal life can be lost until we sincerely repent - and this cycle of fear and bondage repeats for the rest of your life. Under this brand of theology God’s “guarantee of eternal life” (Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 4:30, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 and 2 Corinthians 5:5) is subtly removed ... because the false religious agenda operating behind the scenes cannot succeed if it remains in force. The preachers of this popular message will never admit that they have made Jesus Christ, as "The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29); nonsensical. Why? The sin Jesus was suppose to take permanently away – must now remain to condemn us in order to satisfy the conditions of Old Testament Law (Judaism). In other words, the 'Jesus' they preach (Paul referred to him as “another Jesus”) failed to complete the work to secure God's plan of redemption. Under this kind of religion (called 'Galatian religion'), you can never know if you've "repented" enough (or lived holy enough) to keep eternal life.
God’s New Breed Of Super-Sheep
is the Wolf’s Worst Nightmare
Shepherds who are wolves in sheep’s clothing must keep God’s flock corralled in an environment that is completely under their control. This is accomplished through a misapplication of Scripture designed to suppress our knowledge about the liberating power of the blood of Christ, which has forever destroyed sin’s ability to condemn us. As a result, the sheep remain under the tyranny of sin empowered by Old Testament Law.
Paul addressed this danger by saying;
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)
As long as God’s sheep never discover
their true nature as 'new creatures
in Christ and sons of God' - they
remain dumb, powerless and prey for
the wolves.
Once again, here is some additional
information about this powerful
benefit of the cross:
Sons vs Servants
At this point, some readers may think that we’re overreacting. The following Scripture quote from the Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel provides a glimpse into God’s feelings about these matters. Although Ezekiel was speaking about the shepherds of Israel before the crucifixion of Christ, he also says many things that speak to those of us living after the cross.
"And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them." 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: "As I live,” says the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock" -- therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them."" (Ezekiel 34:1-10)
A Change Is Now Taking Place
God is beginning to deliver His flock. In a New Testament sense, I believe this change is being prompted by the indwelling Spirit of Christ in each believer. God Himself is rising up in His people and exposing fraudulent religion in major Christian denominations that’s been deceiving them for hundreds of years. His sheep are discovering that they’ve been misled by the very ones they trusted the most. Many are righteously angry and upset when their awakening occurs. Some of their anger is aimed at themselves for being so gullible and blind. However, they also reserve some of this righteous anger for the wolves. If you happen to be a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, you never want to see one of these “Holy Spirit empowered sheep” turn on you. There’s no contest when God’s new breed of sheep finally awakens and takes a stand on the real liberating, sin-destroying power of the blood of Christ - and the indwelling power of God’s Holy Spirit.
The apostle John was correct when he said;
“Greater is He that is in you
than he that is in the world!”
Jesus responded in righteous anger on several occasions against “shepherd-wolves” that made the mistake of tangling with Him in public. And, if you carefully read the New Testament, Jesus actually took the initiative and went after them. Time after time - He exposed their false teachings publicly for all to see. At one point, Jesus took a whip and went through the temple overturning tables and generally wrecking the place. He was angry that the false shepherds had taken His Father’s House and turned it into a “den of thieves” (Read John 2:13-16, Mark 11:15-17). This is the same Jesus Christ that lives inside every true believer. It secretly strikes terror in the heart of a shepherd-wolf when the “indwelling Spirit of Christ” begins to rise up and turn. Some people get offended and call this a “failure to walk in love” because they can’t imagine Jesus ever being that harsh and confrontational. Yet, Jesus had a special dislike (righteous anger) for wolves and false shepherds - and was easily provoked because they hurt and mislead His flock. It’s all there in the Bible if you care to read it. Even in the first century, some of God's people began to "wake up" to their real identity as powerful Holy Spirit indwelled "new creatures in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). You can almost hear the fear in their enemy's voice as they protested....
“....these who have turned
the world upside down have
come here too."
(Acts 17:6)
Time is running out for the wolves. Many false shepherds, who have a mistaken belief that they are serving God - will learn a very disturbing truth. There is a reason the Bible says that - in heaven, Jesus will wipe away the tears from our eyes. There will be over-whelming joy in heaven ... but there will also be many tears shed by those (including some church leaders) who discover that they were deceived by false Bible teaching and, as a result, lost most (or all) of their rewards. The goal is to change here on earth, while we have the opportunity. Most of us will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to give an account of our life and ministry. When that time arrives, it will be too late to change.
Some readers may think that the things written in this commentary are dangerous. Yet, the danger only applies to the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” - who keep God's flock under an Old Testament yoke of bondage. The shepherds who conduct their ministry under the Grace of God (the New Covenant) will not feel threatened by these writings. We should always seek to be balanced and Christ-like in our attitude. There’s a time and a place for everything. When inexperienced Christians get emotional and use these issues as a weapon against a church leader, it always does more harm than good. Scripture instructs us to “walk in love” and to be patient, kind and forgiving toward one another (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, Ephesians 4:30-32). This kind of loving attitude quietly watches and asks questions in an effort to learn the truth. A believer motivated by love understands how easy it is to be wrong about a situation when your knowledge is limited. We cannot see into the human heart. But, at other times, love may be vocal and confrontational when truth is compromised - because Scripture also commands us to “contend for the faith”. The word “contend” means to argue, battle or challenge.
Most shepherd-wolves are well meaning individuals who were taught to interpret the Bible incorrectly - and intensely believe they are "preaching the truth and serving God". They are usually not aware of their spiritual condition. For this reason, most of them are not seeking to deliberately deceive their flock. They teach the Bible as they understand it; whether it’s right or wrong. Any believer can easily find themselves in a similar situation. We should keep this possibility firmly in mind.
"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:3-4)
The key is learning to be “led by the Holy Spirit” - and this kind of discipline usually takes years to master. It involves learning to allow the indwelling “Spirit of Christ” to be in total control of your attitude and response at all times. Jesus was loving and kind, even toward those who hated and opposed Him. But, He was also offensive and confrontational depending on the situation. God’s goal is always recovery, change and restoration. It's never right to respond in anger in order to make yourself "feel good". Whenever a believer acts with a prideful know-it-all attitude, it rarely comes from a heart of love.
Another Great Awakening
God has recently started to wake up His sheep concerning their true identity. As a result, some church leaders are labeling them as “disgruntled and rebellious”. But today that number has exploded to the horror of the high-level wolves that are losing their long enjoyed authority and resources. The sheep were abused and fleeced in their churches by the ones who falsely claimed to be “the guardians of God’s truth”. Yet, like the early Christians in the church at Ephesus, many of these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” are now being exposed as liars (Note: Jesus used the word liar in Revelation 2:2 ... we're just repeating what He said).
The herd is beginning to head for the exits, returning to small group meetings and home churches, similar to the ones that existed in the first century. A newspaper commentary recently lamented the tragic drop in church attendance, which was said to be caused by people who were backsliding away from God. Some of this is nothing but “wolf-propaganda” - and the rest is a warning that society is starting to reject the dead counterfeit religion of false shepherds. Another commentator reported how some church buildings are literally falling apart because there is not enough money coming from the remaining members to do the repairs. Other church buildings are in foreclosure. Yet, I can’t help but think that these congregations would be thriving if they had heard the voice of Jesus - the good Shepherd within its walls. Jesus said;
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." (John 10:1-5)
Some of the material in this article is focused on the very negative and emotional problem of high-level wolves and the dangerous methods used to suppress and take advantage of God’s flock. Their practices carry eternal consequences for the sheep, which is why Jesus and Paul gave such stern warnings. It's an irreconcilable problem, where many good, honest, well-meaning people in the ministry were taught to interpret the Bible incorrectly. It’s tragic, but nothing can generally be done when such individuals are convinced that God ordains his or her ministry and message.
Teaching wrong things from the Bible does not automatically make someone a wolf. If it did, we would all be guilty. Yet, it does set up an environment where a gradual move toward "wolfism" occurs over time if the church leader isn’t teachable and humble - possessing a servant's attitude as Christ stated. It happens far more than we know. Some congregations start out with a good pastor only to discover that they slowly changed over the years. When you place a church leader with a charismatic personality into this environment - especially one who can attract a large following - you’ve got all the ingredients for a spiritual catastrophe. Power and popularity are incredibly corrupting influences that few can resist. That doesn’t mean something bad will always happen. Such a person can emotionally move large crowds and twist Scripture any way they choose because their “following” has idolized the leader - and will believe whatever he or she teaches. We also have an enemy who is more than happy to light a match and ignite the process. This is how Christian cults and abusive movements begin. Regardless of these problems, we continue to appreciate the work and sacrifice of Godly New Covenant shepherds and the congregations they oversee. These church leaders make great personal sacrifices and often perform a thankless and frustrating task. Most of us wouldn’t be where we are today without their labor and love.
Conclusion
We’ll close with Saint Paul's Scriptural
prayer for all our readers:
"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21)
May God continue to give us insight
into the incredible New Covenant
salvation of Jesus Christ.
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This is Part 4 of a four-part Bible study.
Click on the link below to continue
with this study.
Part 1
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Part 2
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Part 3
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