An Epistle Written unto Christians regarding
“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2
The minds of Christians throughout the land are held in captivity even now by the idols in their hearts. These idols are men. The so-called great men of God of yesterday are here to be little gods today. These gods eat Christians. They eat their spirit while they hold their minds in a vice. The Christians cannot get free because they want a man, and Christ is not enough. They want a hero, and Christ is not enough.
The opening scripture is one of the most pertinent scriptures of this age, for if Christians read it they can glean that the Apostle Paul told the idolatrous Church at Corinth that the job of a preacher is to proclaim Christ. Yet glean again, dear reader, and you will find that he said AND HIM CRUCIFIED! Why? Because there are many false christs in the world today, “for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:13). Paul was making a difference between true Christ and false christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ was made “to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is him crucified. These other christs are antichrist, for they take the place of Christ in the minds of men.
Think about your understanding of Jesus. Don’t you believe that his word is true? Don’t you believe that his works are righteous? Why? Was it because of his excellency of speech or his wisdom? Christ put on the frailties of human flesh, “who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared” (Hebrews 5:7). His words were in the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit, that “your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul determined not to know any thing among the Church except Jesus Christ, and so he ministered unto them as Jesus Christ would. They had one job, and that was to determine if Paul’s spirit ministered unto their spirit IN THE Spirit.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
This commandment from God, explained by the Apostle John, is neglected by lazy Christians who believe the spirit of man more than that Spirit of God. If the preacher-man is popular, he is believed. If the theologian-man has prestige, he is believed. Yet the Spirit of God is not in their message if they preach foolishness, lies, hypocrisy, and evil speakings. These things should not be so, “can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh” (James 3:12). So should not the man of God mix the holy and the profane. The spirit in the Churches that come from those men who mix the holy and the profane is satanic. And it pervades because God’s people do not try them, they simply believe them, against God’s commandment through the Apostle John.
In the 42nd chapter of the book of Jeremiah, the remnant of Judah ask Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD what they should do. Should they stay in Judah? Or go into Egypt? This is an age-old question, as God’s people seem always ready to ask if they may partake of the world and still have fellowship with him. Regardless of the answer, they usually partake of the world anyway. This is exactly what happened here, as Jeremiah came back to tell them that the Lord told them NOT to go into Egypt, as they would see nothing but death there. The captivity they must needs become subject to was God’s ordained captivity in Babylon, for the chastisement had come, and the child must not despise the chastening of the Lord (Hebrews 12:5). But these were under captivity of the mind, and so any truth that went against their own understanding was deemed an attack on them. They said to Jeremiah, “Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there” (Jeremiah 43:2). Then they ranted about how Baruch told Jeremiah to say this, because he wanted them to die in the hands of the Chaldeans and blah blah blah blah! Fools! The Lord has spoken according to his word regarding false teachers in the Church! He said many false prophets shall arise (Matthew 24:11), that there would be many that corrupt the Word of God (2 Corinthians 2:17), many enemies (Philippians 3:18), many unruly and vain talkers (Titus 1:10), many shall follow pernicious ways and cause the way of truth go be evil spoken of (2 Peter 2:2), and many antichrists (1 John 2:18)! Where is your discernment dear reader?
“For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me” (1 Corinthians 4:15-16)
Be ye followers of good men, dear reader, not great men. Do not look for excellency of speech while disregarding apostate heretical garbage. Does your hero preach Christ? Amen. Does he preach foolishness? Not amen. Yet you shall love him still, because his name is great? Does he preach lies? Does he teach lies? Does he ask vain questions? Does he publish his lies and vanity? Does he make merchandise of you? Is he lifted up in pride? Does he receive new revelations? Beware, for many false prophets are in the world, but you have not many fathers. Their works may look great, but consider the end of their conversation, is it Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever? (Hebrews 13:7-8). Paul determined to know NOTHING BUT CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED. What is your “father” determining for you to know?
Listen dear reader, I could name names. Look, Ruckman is a false prophet because he does not determine that Christ is all that his readers know. Hyles is a false prophet because he does not determine that Christ is all that his hearers know. I could go on and on about many others. Do they count souls? Profane. Do they count works? Profane. Do they spread hate and division? Profane. And before you claim that Christ brought a sword, of course he did, but the sword was not in arrogance and lust. Christ’s sword is a pure sword that has nothing to do with aliens, cursing, wild stories, false conversions, counting souls, treating women like second class citizens, merchandise, filthy lucre, adultery, heresy, or any other things that comes from men like these. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Christ does not save sinners to follow men, but to follow him. Your Heavenly Father may bless you with a spiritual father, as Paul was to his flock. So look and pray for a laborer like Paul if you so desire a man to hear and learn from. But as Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). When you try the spirits and see that they are not of God, it is right to cease following the false teacher.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
But I know you have itching ears, for the whole of Christian history is characterized by teachers being heaped up because of itching ears. You want to believe in the fable of the “great man of God”, who wins the souls by being a car salesman, who teaches things he ought not, who says things to inflame without exhortation. It is because you have itching ears, and these men scratch the itch. They have your mind in captivity, and you do not want to be free from their influence. They teach that if you win enough souls you can be merited by God when you sin. They are gatekeepers who hold back the word of truth, claiming you won’t hear it unless it comes from them. They do not preach Christ, they preach their own brand, and you buy it because you are turned away from the truth.
And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. (Acts 18:6)
Paul did quit, many might say, when he finally gave up preaching to the Jews. Their hearts were hardened, and their minds were closed. Christians in America have such blinded eyes that it has made me give up telling them as well. Yet, giving up is not giving in. I give up in Christ, where this burden has poured over into prayer, for it is God that must open their eyes, it is the Holy Ghost that must convict. “I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart,” Paul said, “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:2-3). So we see he did not give in, his sorrow would turn to joy, he knew.
So I leave you with Psalm 126.
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
May the Lord turn again the captivity of your mind!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
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