A Short Word on

Fashionable Christian Anti-Zionism ^& Emergent

Neo-Christofascism

based on conversations I have had with professing christians

 

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Not so long ago, I became painfully aware of the importance of being right about the Jews theologically; were the Jews really God’s chosen people? Even if they were, are they still & what were or are they chosen for? Among professing Christians that I know personally, there are those who are staunchly anti-Israel, but their arguments are largely political. I filtered these out because the politics of the region have little or nothing to do with the real issue at hand, primarily. Policy doesn’t answer the question. As well as this, there’s the fact that some mistake their personal politics for biblical convictions. It’s after this particular question concerning the place of the Jews has been answered that we can then decide to enter into the political debate if we so choose to use our time thus, at least from my perspective anyway. 

Thesis & antithesis do not simply hold each other in a tension because they have nothing better to do. 

If we argue the politics of the so called historic Arab/Israeli conflict, without any reference between the issue’s relative extremes, we’ll find absolutely no resolution whatsoever. Resolution I say; not between Arab & Jew, but rather between those professing Christians who are pro-Israeli & those who are not. 

Personally I’m pro-Israeli, but my stance has nothing to do with my view of middle-eastern politics. The Israel that I stand with are not simply the physical, natural decendants of the Patriarch Abraham. I’m standing with the Jews & Israel as they’re defined biblically & theologically. So, we have those professing Christians who will answer the opening question with a resounding ‘NO’, those who will answer with a defiant ‘YES’ & those who will err on the side of ignorance, sheepishly whispering that they think the Jews used to be. You’ll know those in this last group by the way their lips never, ever move when they speak about Israel. 

For the sake of brevity, I’ll state my reasons for standing with Israel, answering the basic question as it has been put to me & also in response to an almost unbelievable ignorance among certain groups of professing Christians. However, I am not an expositor of Scripture, an expert in any field whatsoever, or a theologian. I’m just just a bloke who loves Israel & their Messiah most especially. 

There is a broader argument that cannot go unmentioned here & it is this; our understanding of Israel & their place in God’s plan will affect our eschatological theology absolutely & directly. However, in this brief open document, I’m not dealing with that. The State of Israel & the state of The Church are inextricably linked & no matter which side of the debate we decide to come down on, we have to ackowledge a few essential, principle things first. Forgive me if I miss anything out. 

Abram obeyed God’s commandment concerning circumcision & in my opinion became the first Jew (Genesis 17:24). Isaac was a Jew. Jacob was a Jew. Later, God renamed Jacob & called him Israel. Jacob’s sons, the heads of the twelve tribes, were Jews. Joseph, who was sold into slavery & who then miraculously rose to power some time later, was a Jew. Moses, the deliverer of the Hebrews from their oppression in Egypt & reputed writer of the Pentatuch, was a Jew. 

Joshua, who led the Children of Israel into the land promised to Abram, was a Jew. The judges of Israel & those they judged, were Jews. The kings of Israel & those they ruled, were Jews. The prophets in Israel & those to whom they prophesied, were Jews. The priesthood & those on whose behalf they ministered, were Jews. The Old Testament as we have it, would not be in our hands today had it not been written down & preserved for & by the Jews. 

Elizabeth, the wife of  Zachariah the High Priest & mother of John the Baptist, was a Jew. Mary, the virgin to whom the angel Gabriel appeared, was a Jew. Her husband to be, Joseph the carpenter, was a Jew. Jesus Christ The Messiah, our Lord & Saviour, was a Jew. The disciples He chose, who would later become Apostles of The Lamb, were Jews. The people He taught in the temple, were Jews. The pharisees & saducees were Jews. The doctors of the law were Jews. 

The prophesies concerning Christ in His first coming were given to Jews & fulfilled by a Jew Who had been sent to Jews. He sent His disciples to minister to the Jews. The early Church at its inception was comprised of Jews. The New Testament as we have it today, with the possible exception of Luke, was written by Jews. 

So far, God has seen to it that the people He raised up for Himself have been substantially provided for in His will; His redemptive plan. A people to whom He gave His Law, Covenants, Promises & Prophesies; with whom He suffered unfaithfulness, rebellion, backsliding & idolatory; through whom He brought forth The Messiah & for whom He shed His own blood. If, by this stage, the Jews were not God’s people, they most certainly ought to have been! 

The question put to me was this; how can the Jews still qualify as God’s people from a New Testament stadpoint, after rejecting Christ as their Messiah? My simplistic answer is because God says so, but this comment on its own proves insufficient. I must say here that in my view, being wrong about Israel isn’t necessarily tantamount to anti israeli sentiment, at least it doesn’t appear to be so in the beginning. However, it is a one way street that travels straight directly to supersessionism, also known as, replacement theology, with no turn offs. Eventually, one becomes essentially anti-israeli in by default; first in theory & then so in practise. 

The term anti is widely percieved as meaning something against or in opposition to. This determination is correct. However, this is not the only thing the term means; it also means in the place of. By definition then, to claim that The Church has replaced Israel, is by nature anti Jewish. Yes, it is. Moreover, it would also mean that God is responsible for this unfounded prejudice & has endorsed it in The Scriptures. This is a dangerous claim to make, but make it some do. Consider this. 

This particular question suggests that God no longer has a historic people called out for His name, unless I’m missing something. Of course, the obvious initial response is that The Church has only replaced the Jews who openly rejected the Gospel & their Messiah. At this point in discussions, I won’t pretend that I don’t become angry with people, especially when I explain exactly what they’re actually saying when they present this argument. You will know this by the actions & reactions of professing Christians who openly condemn Israel’s defence of itself against the Palesthingyuns. Weak ideas often appeal to even weaker minds. Just sayin’. 

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God (Romans 2:28-29). 

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (Romans 9:6). 

Many detractors cite these verses as proof that physical circumcision is nullified & superceded by the circumcision of the heart. Others argue that water baptism replaces it also. Jews who have not experienced this, they say, are only Jews outwardly & as such are not the people of God. The inward Jews, they say, are believers in Christ, who have had their hearts circumcised in new birth. It is these people, they say, who are the true Israel of God. Their insinuation does an injustice & a gross mischief to the text. 

I agree that physical circumcision under the Mosaic Law has been superceeded in the New Testament. However, I suggest people read the entire chapters of Romans 2 & 9 before coming to the conclusion that Israel has been replaced by The Church. As a matter of fact, I would go further & suggest a reading of the entire book or Romans. In Romans 2, Paul makes a very simple case concerning what a true Jew is. He is not making the case that Gentiles who have circumcised hearts somehow replace Israel & the Jews. If this was indeed the case, The Lord got the rough end of the deal. The mainly Gentile Church has proven far worse than Israel in many, many respects. Verses 9-10 of the chapter show us that Paul knows the difference between the two. He also underscores the point in verse 11, letting us know that God does not suffer from the malady of partiality. He is however, a keeper of His Word. 

The Apostle argues that the moralist & legalist won’t escape the wrath of God simply because of their natural heritage, or a successful crossing of the ‘t’s & dotting of the ‘i’s. He continues his treatise, directly addressing the hypocrisy of morality & legalism held in a double standard. ‘Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God’ (Romans 2:17). This, he points out, is laughable to the extent that the Gentiles commit blasphemy because of it. Then Paul delivers a hammer blow in verses 28-29, describing what a Jew is & what a Jew is not. For he is not a Jew which. But he is a Jew which. Paul is saying that true Judaism is of the heart, not in morality & legality. So far, Paul has said nothing anti Jewish. He has said nothing to indicate a replacement of the Jews by The Gentile Church. 

I say again that we must have a correct view of Israel, biblically & theologically. I also reiterate that I’m answering the question as it has been put to me in discussion with professing Christians. 

Fans of Romans 2 often forget Romans 3, where Paul’s opening salvo states, ‘What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God’(Romans 3:1-2). The implications here are enormous if The Church has replaced Israel. God made His covenent with the Jews & no one else. The Gentile Church has no covenent, apart from them. 

In Romans 9, Paul discusses God’s relationship with & election of Israel. He does not discuss the election of the Gentile Church, but rather, their inclusion by the same exercise of faith in Christ Jesus. He states emphatically, ‘Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed’ (Romans 9:7-8). They are not all Israel which are of Israel. 

Again, The Apostle’s statement reveals the true Israelite as one who is more than simply a child of Abraham according to the flesh. He says nothing of The Gentile Church usurping the promises God made to Abraham & to his seed. The Jews who believed the promise given to Abraham, a promise reiterated time & time again throughout Scripture, these are the true Israel. These are the true Jews who recognised their Messiah. The Gentile Church is not the Israel Paul is speaking of here. He is speaking of his fellow Jews. 

In the opening verses of Romans 9, Paul states his burden for the Jews quite clearly. He refers to them as his brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh & Israelites (vss 3-4a). He then goes on to catalogue what God has given to said Israelites. The adoption; the glory; the covenants; the giving of the law; the service of God; the promises; the fathers & Christ Himself (vss 4b-5). These things have not been taken away from Israel & given to The Church. Rather, the Gentiles have been offered inclusion into these elements & their fulfilment by faith in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. (vss 23-26). 

Those Jews who have so far failed to follow through to faith in Christ, although they possessed every means to do so, may not have attained the righteousness of God, but they have by no means been supplanted by a spiritual Israel. Viewed biblically & theologically, the Jews are still God’s people, although they haven’t yet in their entirety accepted Jesus Christ as Messiah. Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. 

Paul’s lamentation continues in Romans 10, where he says ‘My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved (Romans 10:1). They have a zeal of God; they are ignorant of His righteousness & consequently they have not submitted themselves to it (vss 2 & 3). The Gentiles however, have responded to the call of the Gospel. Concerning the Jews, Paul asks, ‘Have they not heard? Did not Israel know?’(vss 18a & 19a). The answer is yes & yes. Does this disqualify Israel from their position before God? Does this mean that they are somehow systematically replaced? The answer is no & no; not biblically & not theologically either. 

In Romans 11, The Apostle uses very plain language. ‘I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elijah? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace’ (Romans 11:1-5). 

If Israel had been cast away & replaced, Paul himself would have been cast away also, along with every other believing Jew. This was not the case. God’s covenant was cut with Isreal, not with the Gentile Church. He identifies himself as an Israelite, of Abraham’s seed & a Benjamite. In Acts 22:3 he calls himself a Jew. In his epistle to The Church at Philippi he lists his natural heritage. Ritually circumcised; of Israel’s stock; a Benjamite; a true Hebrew; a Pharisee; demonstrably zealous; blameless concerning the law (Philippians 3:5-6). When defending his ministry against that of the so called super apostles, he states, ‘Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I’ (2^nd Corinthians 11:22). 

He continues through Romans 11, demonstrating the grace of God in giving the Gospel to the Gentiles, using Israel’s partial blindness as an opportunity to accomplish this. The Jews are the natural branches of the olive tree & the Gentiles are grafted in through faith in Jesus Christ. Yet we are exhorted not to be highminded, but fearful, because God is well able to graft them back into their own tree. How can this be accomplished if God has finished with Israel & the Jews? 

Don’t be confused by the language Paul uses here. Some ask, ‘if God can graft them back in, doesn’t that mean that they were removed?’. Paul speaks of branches being broken off because of unbelief (Romans 11:14-24). Broken branches do not equal the removal of the tree, otherwise The Gentile Church has nothing to be grafted into. They Gentiles may act as if they’re their own tree, but they are not. We will come to see this as we progress. 

Any theology that attempts to spiritualise the place God has for Israel in His plan & replace them with The Gentile Church, is nothing more or less than a misguided, ill informed & ignorant anti Jewish sentiment. Even the cursory overview we have here ought to remove the notion that God has in any way, shape, or form, removed Israel from her place in theology, history, prophecy or the world. 

copyright Ó by david Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 the New

 Word order

 
a clarion call to defending the faith once delivered to the saints

 

 

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Something very troubling is happening. Something very troubling indeed. I realise that what upsets me may not disturb others, but in my opinion it ought to be noteworthy at the very least. When men take it upon themselves to defy Scripture because of their own sensibilities & attempt to pass that off as biblical by appealing to the susceptibility of their audience, it offends me. It offends me to the core of my petty & grossly insignificant little being. When men take it upon themselves to accommodate the world & seek to justify that accommodation from the very Scriptures they defy, it offends me. It offends me from head to toe & turns my stomach. When men take it upon themselves to actively make a name for themselves, erect a platform for themselves & use any & all means necessary, including a direct defiance of Scripture & an accommodation of the world, in order to accomplish their dreams, ambitions & goals while enriching themselves, it offends me. It offends my love for & growing understanding of The Word of God. Paul speaks the truth when he states, ‘For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.’ (Philippians 2:21). The not so subtle displacement & replacement of God’s Word as supreme authority in The Church is leading to an eventual avalanche. We have been given an immovable object. It’s The Gospel. However, there is a name-making-Word-defying-world-accommodating generation of men & women today, who are masquerading as an irresistible force. They represent what I like to call a New Word Order. We are told that we are to be ‘..steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord..’ (1^st Corinthians 15:58). Why aren’t we? 

These are they that are rewriting & reinventing Doctrine to suit themselves. Brethren, we are in an era when something’s got to give. While people like me may wax lyrical & reminisce about the good old days & the way things used to be, others are using every resource available to them to perpetuate their Gospel. I’m not talking about the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’m talking about professing Christians within the professing Church. This is to say nothing of a corrupt leadership who are drowning in their own pathetic ineptitude. 

The 20^th & 21^st centuries have seen & are seeing, larger advanced strides in a multitude of fields of endeavour, than at any other time in the history of the world. Science fiction, with all of its fantastic & imaginative innovations, is fast becoming science fact. Information technology & electronic communications are enabling the exchanges of all manner of data at unimaginable speeds. The Scriptures have already told us that in the last days, knowledge would be increased (Daniel 12:1-4). Well, knowledge has increased & at an extremely alarming rate. Almost anything that we want to see or know, is quite literally at our fingertips. How much we take for granted. 

I grew up in an era when none of this was offered, yet now, we cannot live without regularly updating our statuses on social media. The idea that every home would have a telephone in it was once laughed at & the suggestion that all households would have a computer was once considered a stretch. Mankind seems to be able to do whatever he imagines, but the last time that men did that, The Lord stepped in & stopped them. Will He do it again? 

Knowledge, technology & information are not negative things in & of themselves. They can be used to our advantage in the spreading of The Gospel. The ability to store, access & transmit large tracts of data, frees both space & time. Instead of buying & transporting hundreds or thousands of volumes of books, stacks of CDs or editions of editorials, we can now download whatever we need to a simple & nondescript USB flash drive that is able to hang inconspicuously from a keyring. It’s what we do with what’s available to us that raises the question of its validity & it also challenges us concerning the propagation of the truth. In taking The Gospel to this post-modern & neo-pagan generation, we have to be careful. 

Some within The Church are seeking to redefine what we believe & Who we believe in, under the guise of contextualisation. However, as we will see, this comes at a price that, sadly, some are all too willing to pay. 

The fashionable trends that seem to have come to dominate Christendom’s contemporary landscape, are little better than the slick advertising campaigns assembled by fast food chains. The Church might as well go right ahead & print dogma discount vouchers & coupons. Cheap Grace has been given a whole new meaning. McDoctrine & Kentucky Fried Christianity are the order of the day, with Chicken Nuggets of teaching, a side of Fresh Fire Fries & a skinny shake that’s extremely light on sound, biblical truth. It seems that The Church has willingly lowered its standards, standards set in place by those who have gone before us, having suffered, shed their blood & died in order to establish the truth of The Gospel & The Word of God. I’m speaking of The Lord & His Apostles. I’m thinking of men in the history of The Church who stood for the truth & bowed the knee to none but Christ alone. 

As I have often said, we are living in a time when anyone & everyone may have a Facebook page, blogsite, web address, Twitter account or YouTube channel. However, these things do not a ministry make. Moreover, many of the ministries that are promoting themselves & offering their wares for sale to the multiplied thousands who listen to them, pay a nominal homage to the truth in their doctrinal statements. 

The What We Believe buttons on their websites do little or nothing to inform us about what they actually believe. Their genuine beliefs are revealed in what they teach & preach as standard fare. Just like those in Genesis 11 who wanted to make a name for themselves & build a city, with a tower that stretched to the heavens, so also today within The Church, there exists a group of men & women who are content to build their kingdoms while paying lip service to the building of the Kingdom, without God. Brethren, these things ought not to be so. Again, It’s what we do with what’s available to us that raises the question of its validity & it also challenges us concerning the propagation of the truth. Whatever we are willing to do in order to attract people is exactly what we’ll have to continue to do in order to keep them. 

Is the simple Gospel so outmoded that it has to be dressed up or dumbed down beyond all recognition? For some, in certain parts of The Church, the answer is yes. 

If we have to make The Gospel that we are preaching more sanitary, more attractive & more palatable to the world in order to reach the lost, I suggest that we’re no longer preaching the real Gospel. A slick logo, a catchy slogan & stunning graphics will occasionally mask a lack of substance in our Gospel presentation. The systematic lowering of the bar in order to facilitate numerical growth & make people comfortable, is fast leading to an erosion & ruination of The Church at large. 

The Lord Jesus Christ set a high standard & an unprecedented precedent that fewer & fewer are adhering to or seeking to uphold. The Lord didn’t compromise whether those in His audience were Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, the common people, His relatives or His own disciples. 

However, there are some who feel that it’s both necessary & acceptable to circumnavigate the truths given to us by Almighty God, embodied in The Lord Jesus Christ & laid down in Apostolic Doctrine. They’re embarrassed. For them, their idea of apologetics means saying sorry to the world. I kid you not. 

If we dare to depart from The Gospel as it’s been given to us & as it’s prescribed & described in Scripture, we sail into error. A false Gospel presents a false Christ, preached from a false interpretation of God’s Word by false men who will, in turn, produce false converts & false fruit. This is already happening more quickly than at any other time in the history of The Church. 

Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them (Matthew 21:42-45). 

There was a time when men wouldn’t compromise with The Gospel to the extent that they’re willing to today. They wouldn’t have dared. Those who tinkered with the truth & tailored it to suit the cultural whims of the day were soon marked as fractious men. They were marked & avoided. God had drawn a huge, great, big, thick, deep line in the sand, but generations have been occupied by believers & leaders who have systematically sought to fill that gap & shorten the distance between us & them. 

Do we now stop preaching the true Gospel in order to accommodate the world? Do we? Some have taken it upon themselves to remove the Cross & build a bridge of marshmallow love & sickly sweet, non-judgemental acceptance, replete with angels that look like fairies, prancing unicorns in their Nativity plays & shimmering, translucent rainbows to keep the rebels happy. When Jesus began to preach He said ‘Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matthew 4:17). That was His catchy slogan. The Cross was His cleverly designed logo. Now the bar has been lowered to the point that it is no longer recognisable. Come as you are, has somehow morphed into you can also stay as you are. You Don’t Have to Believe, to Belong. You don’t have to encounter the Cross at all. 

Today’s popular Gospel is completely & absolutely innocuous. It is ineffective. Today’s Gospel has no Divine guts in it because they’ve been ripped out & replaced with something altogether human. It bears more resemblance to a Piñata that’s stuffed chock full with God’s goodies. We can prosper & be in health, even as our souls prosper (1^st John 1:2). We can give & it shall be given to us (Luke 6:38). We can move mountains, change situations & harness the power of God by simply believing & speaking His Word (Mark 11:23-24). If a man or woman hits God hard enough, for long enough, with their stick of faith, the blessings fall out & shower them. 

This is another Gospel. There is no Cross to take up. There is no self to deny. There is no cost to count. Surely Christ & the Apostles didn’t really mean what they said, did they? Well if they did, I’m sure there’s a milky, water-based translation of The Bible or a paraphrased version somewhere that will say it in a way that’s much more comfortable for unbelievers to swallow. Afterall, The Gospel is good news, isn’t it? It is, compared to the bad news. This bad news is tucked away though. No one wants to hear it because it’s not nice. Yet it’s right there in the red letters that identify Jesus as speaking. 

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:1-5). 

What if a preacher uttered words like these after a tragedy like Dunblane or a catastrophic event like Lockerbie? What if a minister stood up on the 1^st Sunday after the events of 9/11 & told people that unless they repented, they would likewise perish? Again, Jesus didn’t compromise whether those in His audience were Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, the common people, His relatives or His own disciples. They were told what they needed to hear. They were given the truth, though inconvenient. This wasn’t all that Jesus ever said, or ever had to say. He said it, nevertheless. However, in this New Word Order, it’s cheaper to be economical with the truth & a lot easier to smooth over anything that might scare the unbeliever away. This is a false economy. This is a false pretence. This is a false Gospel. 

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12). 

Men & women need to be shown their desperate need for Christ as their Saviour, because of their sinful state. There truly is good news for those sinners who are destined for eternal hell, just as there is good news for those sinners who have believed. These facts are fast disappearing from the vocabulary of many modern ministers, even though said facts are sound & biblical. Why? I’ve asked several of them & I’ve received no replies. 

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:14-17). 

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life (Romans 5:6-10). 

These & several other verses are constantly put forward in the modern preaching of The Gospel, as shining examples of God’s lovingkindness towards mankind. I agree that our God is loving. I agree that He is kind. His mercy & amazing grace are as eternal as He is. However, let’s not engage in the worst type of dishonesty when we share The Gospel. Remember what we read in John 3:14-17? Keep reading. The next verses are printed in red letters too.  

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (John 3:18-20). 

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:36). 

How many men & women have accessorised their lives with Jesus Christ, by repeating a simple prayer at the end of a service where they’d enjoyed branded coffee, sumptuous cake, free Wi-Fi, concert style worship, cinema seating & a non-offensive motivational speech, dressed up as a sermon? Have those things if you want them, but don’t exclude the whole truth of The Gospel, because if you do, you’ll end up with nothing more than a glorified, exclusive club. Jesus lambasted the club members of His time & He will do it again (Matthew 23:1-36). 

Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:21-24). 

The truth may hurt, but it also heals. Ultimately, we have to be brought to a place of conviction, being pricked in our hearts (Acts 2:37). We are not good people who have come to serve a good God. If that were the case, Christ would not have had to die for our sins, be buried & raised from the dead for our justification. We are a sinful, evil, wretched & worthless people to whom God has extended His immeasurable mercy & grace. It is a great disservice to The Gospel & those that hear it if we proclaim the good news to people, hoping that we can avoid giving them the bad news. Brethren, avoid the new word order. 

To be told that God loves us, wants the best for us, has a plan for us & wants to heal & prosper us, is wonderful to hear. However, men & women must be told that without Jesus Christ they have no hope of eternal life. They will be damned to hell. They will be judged by a just God. They will be rejected by The Lord, just as they have rejected Him. 

If we’re already good people & Christ is simply an enhancement of our lifestyle, salvation is an optional extra. But when we are shown that without Him, we will suffer punishment in an eternal hell, salvation becomes an optional essential. Mankind still has the option of accepting or rejecting Christ, but with a clear & honest presentation of The Gospel as laid down by Christ & the Apostles in Scripture, every man & woman makes an informed choice. To remove the bits we don’t like simply because they’re unattractive & replace them with things that were never there in the first place is an evil act. This is the New Word Order. 

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach The Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:15-16). 

The New Word Order is avoiding a vital part of The Gospel by not informing men & women of their supreme need for repentance. They want to remove everything that offends the conscience & replace them with everything that entices the senses. Unregenerate mankind will always be drawn by & to all that appeals to their desires & so when sinful man only hears that he can be loved, accepted & blessed by a God Who loves, accepts & blesses unconditionally, I contend that he’s not hearing the whole Gospel. 

That uncomfortable & offended disposition a man feels when he is told of his need for repentance from sin, is the conviction of The Holy Spirit & the partial Gospel being preached today will not produce the conviction of sin that the hearing of the whole Gospel will. How many people accept Christ because they felt like it after a sales pitch & an invitation to join a club that just happened to be called a church? 

If a person hasn’t heard the whole Gospel, what have they believed? What do they believe? What will they believe? Most importantly, if the New Word Order will do this with The Gospel, what other biblical Doctrine will they tamper with? This is a rhetorical question. They systematically cave in on issues time & again, ignoring the plain teaching of Scripture, which is the very foundation we are built with & upon (Ephesians 2:20, Acts 20:32). If you have some time to waste, knowing that you will never get it back, turn your television on & surf any of the common Christian channels available. See for yourself. This, is the New Word Order. 

Despite the naughtiness of it all, the real Gospel is still being preached & taught. It has not disappeared. It’s still plainly revealed in Scripture & there are those who are faithfully declaring its truth, ‘..warning every man and teaching every man..’ (Colossians 1:28). The Gospel has not changed. 

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also (2^ndTimothy2:1-2). 

Timothy wasn’t instructed by Paul to teach his version of The Gospel. He was told explicitly to commit these same things to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others. Faithful men who shall be able are fast being overshadowed by able men who are not faithful to the same Gospel that Jesus & the Apostles preached & taught. 

The New Word Order & its unbiblical attempt at modernising The Gospel, The Church & Apostolic Doctrine comes at a cost. This group of men & women may all say the same thing. They may all be as one. They may build nepotistic ministries that bear their names, stretching to the heavens. However, to build without God is foolish. To build without His Word is careless. To build without His will is catastrophic (Psalms 127:1). 

The fellowships that we attend must be committed to God’s Word & to The Gospel. Not our version of it, but The Gospel as declared by Jesus Christ Himself & His Apostles. As such, we may be rare entities. The Lord spoke specifically concerning ‘..this gospel of the kingdom..’ being preached as a witness before the end comes (Matthew 24:14). Where is that witness within the new word order? 

However, there are others who have willingly embraced the New Word Order & the disposition of the name-making-Word-defying-world-accommodating. They don’t preach The Gospel. They compromise on anything & everything that will make them unpopular, skirting around issues that need to be addressed & exposed, leaving important questions ignored or unanswered. Am I bothered? Yes I am. Should I be? No. Whenever there’s a muddy puddle in the street, you never see people gathered around discussing or debating it. They simply exercise enough good sense to step over it & avoid it. However, if one or more of those people walked through that puddle & then attempted to enter my house, that’s a different kettle of fish. The feet that ought to be shod with the preparation of The Gospel must not be soiled & we must not allow anyone to tramp an impure version of the truth through God’s House, The Church. The New Word Order are embarrassed by the truth of God’s Word & that is why they constantly try so desperately to supress it. This is why I do what I do.

 

 

 

 

copyright © by David Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

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