![Text Box: THE PARADOXICAL GOSPELS THAT ECUMENICAL LEADERS TEACH:
‘Ecumenical’ means, “relating to, involving, or promoting the unity of different Christian denominations, groups, and different religions.” Practically, this means that ecumenicals are unifying all Christian denominations and different religions into a One World Religion.
While the true Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is an unseen Spiritual kingdom, ecumenical leaders use one important tool in this unification process— they direct the attention of Jesus’ believers to their ‘Kingdom Now’ Church here on earth, where, eventually, all the kingdoms of this world will supposedly be under the rule of One World Church.
The following is an excellent example of Kingdom Now teaching.
Franky Schaeffer wrote in ‘Bad News For Modern Man,’ “Infant Doe of Bloomington, Indiana, died because he had the misfortune to be born into a brutal nation of activist barbarians and passive Christians. Born with Down’s syndrome and esophageal atresia, he was a helpless infant ripe for the taking –taken by judges, doctors, lawyers, and parents infected with the acrid and ungenerous spirit of late-twentieth-century America. The killing of Infant Doe caused even a nation, surfeited with the blood of the innocent, to gasp – if only for a short moment – with horror.
“Surgery to repair the atresia, which prevents normal feeding, is almost always successful. Infant Doe’s parents, however, following the logical conclusion of the Wade pro-abortion mentality, decided to refuse to allow the attending physician to perform this simple surgery. The Juvenile Court sustained this refusal, killing by starvation one of the most helpless and innocent victims of its society…
“Abortionists, [doctors and medical staff who swore to uphold life,] inject poisonous saline solutions and prepares buckets to receive the fetal garbage, arranging suction apparatuses and curettes, and whisper soft words about six-month-old “nonviable fertilized eggs.” Parents may, according to the Court, help their daughter decide to have an abortion. But if they refuse, a judge may step in and override their discretion. “The Court deems “best” for the daughter…
“Evangelicals are a lot like jellyfish. They float with the tides… They seem much more interested in finding excuses for NOT involving themselves in the society around them than for looking for ways to better our world. They compromise in the name of ‘spirituality’ or ‘Christian living.’ The clear, loud call for accommodation comes wrapped in the name of the Gospel of Niceness. Sin is the source of all human problems and a call for repentance is rarely made. [Church leaders] admit that problems like abortion are complex with room for differences of opinion. Why this nonsense about “complex issues”? Slavery is not a complex issue. Gassing Jews is not a complex issue. Nor is pornography and abortion…”
Franky nearly moved us to join the rioting mobs; protesting against such unutterable atrocities, shaking billboards and shouting Scriptures, “Thou shallt not murder! Thou shallt not commit adultery! Thou shallt not…”
Then, on p. 165, Franky took us completely by surprise. He wrote, “Biblical faith depicts persons as stewards of life, heirs who are responsible for the care of God’s world… Tragically, many women become pregnant as a result of rape or incest. All too frequently contraceptives fail… There is no point in the course of pregnancy when the moral issue of abortion is insignificant. The decision to terminate a pregnancy may be an affirmation of one’s covenant responsibility to accept the limits of human resources. Because we understand the morality of abortion to be a question of stewardship of life, the responsible decision to choose abortion may arise from analysis of the projected resources for care giving in a specific situation. Abortion can therefore be considered a responsible choice within a Christian ethical framework when serious genetic problems arise or when the resources are not adequate to care for a child appropriately… We must trust in God’s Spirit to guide us in our decision… Abortions later in pregnancy are an option, particularly in the case of women of menopausal age… The church has responsibility to help make acceptable alternatives available to persons struggling with an unwanted pregnancy if they are to exercise their freedom responsibly…”
This is a classic example of the paradoxical gospels that religious leaders teach. Leaders who do not adhere to God’s CONTEXTUAL Word, His Truth. As soon as humanism – human philosophy and mind-sets – enter the scene, Christians lose track of God’s holy commandments, which can only exist in a truly Spirit-led, Bible-based life!
Such humanist philosophies stamp out God’s instruction to “test and prove everything, to see whether it is of God.” – 1 Ths. 5:21; 2 Cor. 13:5.
Blindly, millions of Christians follow the blind.
We condemn NO one, as none of us can say how we will react when faced with the indescribable dilemma of rape, resulting in pregnancy, etcetera. Most importantly, ‘if we confess our sin, God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.’ We do, however, condemn Frank’s view that we may ‘exercise our freedom’ to slaughter innocent babies because of ‘inadequate resources,’ or when ‘contraceptives fail’ – and especially in later pregnancy!
God never gave us freedom apart from that which He declares in His whole, contextual Word. Believers should be the willing ‘slaves of Christ’ - 1 Cor. 7:22.
True, God did make us custodians of His planet. God did not, however, give us authority over the life and death of human beings – apart from that which the civil government is supposed to execute as ‘a servant of God,’ in order to protect their other law-abiding citizens against dangerous criminals such as rapists, child-molesters, murderers, and armed robbers, Rom. 13:3-8.
God assured us in Gen. 9: 5-6, “For [the lifeblood of the innocent] I will require an accounting; from every beast and from man, from every man who spills another’s blood… for in the image of God He made man.”
God said in Jer. 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew and approved of you, and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you...” And in Job 31:15, “Did not He, Who made me in the womb, make my servant? And did not One fashion us both in the womb?’
We have a friend who was dumped on the stairs of an orphanage when she was 7 days old. Today, she is one of God’s rays of light in this dark world – a social worker, a sincere believer – and she honestly declares that she has no desire to meet her biological parents. She was cared for in the orphanage, she says, and by the grace of God her caretakers taught her to know her real Father!
The One Who will never ‘leave her, nor forsake her,’ nor reject her: Heb. 13:5-6.
GOOD WORKS WILL NOT SAVE US:
Frank continued, “In 1982 a ‘yellow-rain’ attack was launched from a Vietnamese airplane on Ban Nam Jao, Nam Ngao, Pa Mon, and Non Chan. Authorities later obtained samples of infected soil and vegetation, blood from victims and the autopsy photographs of scarred and burned victims of chemical attacks, which remind one of Hiroshima. At least 15,000 Hmong have been killed in these attacks. But the West is silent… Christians naively believe that they can retreat (note all the retreat seminars and Christian retreats) into a zone of social and political impotence and irresponsibility. Can we really afford to sit back and do nothing?”
As with all the other holocausts that shook planet earth, one can instinctively cry out, “No! Of course not! We stand guilty before God if we turn a blind eye and keep silent about such atrocities!”
While this is true, one should always approach humanitarian issues with caution.
Of course believers should do good works as well.
James wrote in 2:14-17, “What is the use for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no good works to show for it? Can such faith save his soul…?”
In effect, James said that good works do not save us, but good works prove our faith, our sincerity; our Godly character. Therefore we must do our best, (in the leading and power of the Holy Spirit, and according to the full context of the Word,) to be God’s instruments in this world. Mere instruments, through which the Holy Spirit manifests Jesus’ Spiritual Kingdom of Light, Love, and Truth in this deteriorating dimension. As such, we have to stand in the power of the Spirit, speak out in Scriptural truth and Godly love, and care for the needs of others - especially the real needs of sincere believers in Christ, (Rom. 8:28.)
However, we can never allow Satan to move our priorities from the Spiritual Kingdom of God to the physical kingdoms of this dimension, for that is converting to a humanist gospel which attempts to ‘save’ this decaying world by ‘ridding’ it of social dilemmas. We need to preach the true Gospel of Christ to save souls spiritually from this world, but the world itself can never be saved or improved in its fallen, sinful state. It is destined for the fire, (2 Pet. 3:7.) Thus, John wrote in 1 Jn. 2:15-17: “Do not love or cherish [or focus on] the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him… The world passes away, and with it the forbidden cravings of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life remains forever.”
While we aught to ‘love our neighbor as ourselves’ and always do good in the leading of the Holy Spirit, we cannot ‘love’ anyone into the Kingdom of God. We are not saviors; there is Only One Savior, and His Name is the Lord Jesus Christ. Without proclaiming His real, contextual Gospel of eternal salvation to the lost and dying world, no one will ever be saved, (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5.) And so, Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 13, “Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, [Christ Himself,] it profits me nothing…”
THE KINGDOM-NOW THEOLOGY OF HUMANISM VS THE REAL
SPIRITUAL KINGDOM OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:
The teaching that God extends His spiritual Kingdom by saving every person on earth; restoring this world to its former glory in the here and now, is false.
When we pray, “Let Thy Kingdom come, let Thy will be done here on earth, as it is in heaven,’ we are not asking God to turn this ungodly physical world into a Godly world. We are asking God to prepare every human heart, and to make a way for His Spiritual Gospel to be preached to the people of every ‘tribe, and tongue, and nation.’
Sadly, the entire world will NOT turn to Jesus Christ. According to Jesus, “narrow is the way and few are those who find it,” because ONLY those who willingly accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and follow Him wholeheartedly, will be saved - Mt. 7:13-14; 21-23; Jn. 1:12-13; Gal. 4:6.
The spirit at the heart of the Kingdom-Now theology is humanism, as this theology is suppose to ‘delegate’ God’s special ‘anointing’ or supernatural power to Christian leaders, subtly making them into god-men. Instead of being God’s humble servant-leaders, they become elevated ‘mediators’ - ‘priests,’ ‘Calvinist dominees’ and ‘ministers,’ pastors, and ‘restored prophets and apostles’ whom the people pamper and revere, and through which ‘god’ establishes his physical kingdom here on earth.
This is exactly what the pope of Catholicism has been claiming for nearly two thousand years. Even leaders of other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Jewish Cabalism, Buddhism, etc. subtly become ‘god-men’ in order to rule ‘god’s physical kingdom’ here on earth.
But the writer of Hebrews wrote in chapter 1 v. 1, “God, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past [during the Old Testament dispensation,] to the people by the prophets, has in these last days [the New Testament dispensation,] spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed Heir of all things…”
The humanist idea that man is a god can be traced to that day in the Garden of Eden when Satan assured the woman, “If you eat of the tree you will be like God…” In fact, Satan promised, ‘if you disobey God, you will be god!’ Gen. 3:3-5, “You shall surely NOT die. For… like God, you will know the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.”
The deceiver was lying, of course! Man is a pathetic ‘god;’ exercising very little, if any, discernment between good and evil, and blessing and calamity. As humankind had inherited the evil nature of Satan when they ate of the forbidden fruit, all of their thoughts and actions are completely corrupted: Rom. 3:9-31.
Everything man touches is in danger of destruction: Gen. 6:5-6; Mt. 15:19.
For this reason, it was never God’s intention to supply fallen man with political- and/or religious structures to keep his demonic nature ‘in check.’
God gave fallen man the spiritual rebirth through faith in and acceptance of His Son and His atonement, thereby renewing the innermost ‘heart’ or spirit, and transforming the fallen mind of those who choose to accept and follow Him: Rom. 12:1-2.
NO religion or political power can bring fallen man to a living relationship with God the Father. (And anything can be a religion - the love of money, of self, of power, etc.; Buddhism; Satanism; Hinduism… even disobedient Christianity.)
Only the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and the power of His Holy Spirit can accomplish the spiritual rebirth, and lead humankind to truly worship, know, and obey God, Who is Spirit, in spirit and in truth: Jn. 4:21-24.
For this reason Jesus said in Jn. 3:3 & 5, “Unless a man is [spiritually] born again, he cannot see, [that is, know and be acquainted with, and experience] the [Spiritual] Kingdom of God… Unless a man is born of water [the Word of God, Who is Jesus Himself,] and of Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter into the Kingdom of God.”
What is born of the Spirit, is spirit; what is born of the flesh, remains flesh.
For this reason, the ONLY commission Jesus gave His born-again believers is to proclaim His real Gospel, His atonement for fallen mankind, to a world dead in sin; to baptize His sincere believers, and to teach them everything HE has said: Rom. 3:23-24; Jn. 1:12-13; Rom. 12;1-2; Mt. 28:19-20; Jam. 2:14-20; Eph. 4:28.
This is the Truth of the Gospel; this is His Word, which is spirit and life – Jn. 6:63.
God NEVER commanded His believers to change the political structures of this physical world; to war in the ‘flesh,’ or to build Him a physical ‘kingdom’ here on earth! - 2 Cor. 10:3-4.
Jesus declared in Jn. 18:36, “My Kingdom belongs NOT to this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My followers would have been fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, My Kingdom is not from here; [it has no such origin or source.]”
Through humankind’s fall in Eden, Satan became the god of this world. He is not the OWNER of this world, but he is indeed its RULER.
As a result, the devil could say to Jesus in Mt. 4:9, “ALL these kingdoms of the world and their glory I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
Accordingly, Jesus answered the Pharisees who asked Him whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not, “…Pay therefore to Caesar, [who governs the physical kingdoms of this world,] the things that are Caesar’s; and pay to God, [the Most High Spiritual King, Judge, Owner, and Ruler of His entire universe,] the things that are due to God.”
There will come a day when every Caesar will have to render an account of his affairs, and bow the knee to the Living God. Ultimately, the Just and Righteous Judge of the universe will bring order OUT OF all the chaos. But until that Day, history has proven that the Caesars rule their physical kingdoms any way they choose – and God allows them that.
Continue with this discussion
Part 1, The Weird Truth About Nazism
Part 2, The Global Destruction of Socialist & Communist Imperialism
Part 4, The Jewish Holocaust: Truth or Lie
Repent from false doctrine and accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior](image354.gif)
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THE SPIRITUAL DANGER OF ECUMENISM IN THE CHURCHES, part 3 of 4, Nazism, Communism, & Ecumenism in the Churches Renette Vermeulen Courtesy, NOW UNBANNED PUBLICATIONS c.c. |
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It seems as if we will never be able to reach the end of the list of deceptions that Satan has devised for us. For this purpose the Lord Jesus Christ promised in Mt. 28:20b: “Behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the very end of this world.” (Amplified Bible.) We hold on to our Messiah’s promise while we journey through this discussion. |
