The Word of Truth Ministries
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"Back to Holiness"?
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A few days ago, I went to a friend's church as they celebrated their sixty-fifth anniversary of the life of that church organization. Nowadays, that is about all they can celebrate, the life of the organization, not 65 years of saints being in light. Indeed, they admit by their thoughtless theme that they are not saints in light, but wanderers away from holiness, which is the light of God in which Christians are to travel. It is true that the true saint of God is on a journey, but that journey is not away from holiness, but toward the perfection that is in Christ and that is Christ. The organization's banner read, "Back to Holiness." Such a banner reading, however, suggests this question: "Where are they coming back to holiness from after 65-years?" I have known them for over half of those 65 years and seen vividly through their teachings and behavior that they needed to go into the fullness to God's word. And all the while during those years they were claiming that they were in holiness, in spite of the fact that I and other ministers of God have cried against their sin in doctrine, in behavior, and their unwillingness to adhere to God's word when preached in clarity and simplicity, they are now claiming to be returning to holiness. What they actually mean is that they are returning back to a state that was never real holiness, but only partial holiness. That is a start, but many start and never go through. The very head and founder of that organization, as well as the current leader of it, did not believe in holiness, but a form of godliness without the power of God--a holiness where they pick and choose what portions of God's word will be obeyed as doctrine and what portions will be interpreted in such as way that they need not obey it.. And the people ape their leaders in this ungodly drama of playing church and Christian, a drama played widely throughout Christendom. [Jer. 5:31] Even if they had gone away from God's truth and were returning to the whole truth of God that would be good, but that is not what these church people were doing. Instead, they were merely head-faking, as a basketball player fakes a thrust to the right but actually goes to the left. They are pretending to be on a march that would take them back to God, but that is not the direction in which they are headed at all. In their past, they accepted some truths of God and rejected many other vital truths--they were shoppers for truth as one shops for food--that which they wanted they bought; that which they did not want, they did not buy. Jesus said that such an action is deficient because man must live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. [Mat. 4:4] The word every is different from the word all. All has exceptions inherent in it. Every is more specific, and it is without exception. Often it is combined with the word each: each and every one, as a way of excluding exceptions. Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone but by EVERY word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And in order to understand the words that proceed out the mouth of God, one must have his understanding open by God, whether directly or indirectly. Second one must then study with all his might the word of God while living every word of God he understands. I found, many years ago, that because your understanding is open, even directly from God, you will not understand God's word unless you give yourself to long hours of considering the word. That is why Paul tells us to study.... [2 Tim. 2:15] But long hours of careful study, although a necessity, are not enough by themselves. One must live the word of God because there are areas of God's word you will never know without living in them. This was graphically shown to me some years ago as I was doing my undergraduate studies in English Literature at U.C. Berkeley. I took a course in the study of the Bible as Literature; the professor was scholarly in their approach, but not as life-affirming ways of their own world. They were limited in their understanding because it was only literature to them as it is to many Christians. They taught it and understood it as literature, but for some greater understanding, the professor recognized that I seemingly had something special and would from time to time defer to me. Living the word is an essential factor to a greater understanding of God's word. The second aspect of my understanding the fact that one must live it to actually know the greater things of God came when I was a minister at a small mission I started some years ago in Richmond, CA. I went to Richmond to preach to sinners. For I had heard of Richmond's sinners--locally known as a special breed that was stiff-necked, backslidden from the word, heavily entrenched and confirmed in all types of sin, and resistant to a return to God from their sinful entrenchment--and I wanted to challenge them with the true word of God that is like a fire and a hammer that will break rocks into pieces. [Jer. 23:29] I was young and eager to see God work His mighty powers of saving sinners, as I preached the undiluted and unencumbered word of God. I rounded up male and female sinners and preached to them for weeks and months; they were as unpretentious sinners as I was unpretentious about preaching God's naked and unadorned word. But as I preached, I saw no immediate saving of their souls. The young ladies came to see what I was saying, whether about God or something else--mostly the something else, but that was okay with me; I just wanted them to hear the word of God so I could see whether those dry bones could live. [Eze. 37:3] The young men came, following the young ladies. Both were there for different reasons than I. And as I sensed no saving effect in God's word on these particular sinners, I went to God and asked, "Lord, why aren't these people getting saved? You said that your word was like a fire and a hammer that breaks rocks into pieces, so why isn't it happening; am I not preaching the correct word of God?" And God, who answers His children's prayers, said to me, "You did not see the time element in my word, did you?" And as He said that to me, that was enough. Being young and eager, I wanted sinners to instantly repent and accept the truth of God's word as the standard for their lives. The thunder and lightning was not coming quick enough for me. But it did come after my understanding was quickened to the time element. I could have never seen that time-element in the word because it was not explicitly stated that "After a while, I will break in pieces...." After living the word and going to a greater depth through living it, God revealed a greater understanding to me. Just the rhetorical question asked of me by God, "You didn't see the time element. ..?" was enough said to keep me preaching the truth to them, and, oh yes, after a while the rocks started to break and souls started to get saved. God rained down his spirit and those sinners could not sit under his word day after day and not be affected. The Holy Spirit of God touched down and those sinners started shouting and saying, I will be saved! Even now after some 20 years, some of them and their children love to come to my house for Bible sessions. God's word will always do as it said it would! [Isa. 46:10-11; 55:11; Mat. 24:35] God will always do what he said, but are we willing to preach, teach, and live the unadorned and naked word of God? Or are we holding out on God, claiming to be returning to holiness when, in fact, we have never practiced holiness, never taught holiness, but only used head-fakes of going right when, in fact, we have gone left and preached only partial holiness? Paul said to the church that he had held back nothing of God's word from them that was profitable, but he had declared all the counsel of God. [Acts 20:20-28] That is the pattern for every minister: Learn the word of God rightly divided and preach it all to God's people. Only then can they grow as sound, healthy saints of God. Even if they were practicing holiness in its fullness and are now returning to it, that is only a good start, but look at all the lost years of experiencing the beauty of God's adventures; look at all the lost years of building upon their most holy faith; look at all the lost ways and travels into perfection not explored, as many, instead, have explored the depths of the vanity of sin, which is no more than laying the foundations of repentance from dead works. [Heb. 6:1; 2 Pet. 1:5; Jude 20] For man, sin is nothing new; we were born into it. [Psa.51] Yet Satan has still hypnotized man into believing that the world's glitter and gold are more desired than a life with the Living God who owns all the silver and gold of this world and worlds to come and things far beyond what we can either think or asks. So this organization claimed to be returning to holiness, but they still major in acquiring all the silver and gold they can from the people of God through misinterpretations of God's word and through threats--"Would a man robber God? Yet you have robed me in tithes and offerings." they bully the poor, uninformed saints of God to make merchandise of them. No return to holiness do I see, but the same old shell game of making merchandise of God's people for money! [2 Pet.2:3] There is still the dominance of their true love--money; an offering was taken as soon as it seemed as if the congregation was at its zenith, much before the word came forth. And where that love for money is there is every other type of evil, Paul says, so there was not much word. [1 Tim. 6:10] Assuming, however, that they are returning to God's word ("Back to Holiness," was their theme) holiness is only the starting point. and the absence of this fact is probably the reason they never achieve real holiness in the first place. Like many, they think holiness is the end product of their salvation--and some sad Christians even claim that holiness cannot be achieved on this earth; oh how far Satan has taken them away from God's truth, and in so doing, has destroyed their souls. But holiness is not the end; it is only the beginning, and when we see it as the beginning and start growing from that beginning, we will begin to see that we are born again as holy saints of God. We are holy from birth, but like a child that is born must grow into maturity, lest he is a retarded child, we as saints must grow into perfection that is in Christ, lest we too become retarded children of God. And spiritually retarded children of God will not be a part of his church. And this is another vital truth missed by so many Christians today--the presence of spiritual retardation!.[ Mat. 5:48; Eph. 4:11-15; 5:27; Phil. 3:12-15;1 Pet. 5:10] Let them really return to God, per adventure they ever knew him, and He will abundantly pardon them of their sins. [Isa. 55:7] But to start at holiness is only to start. Holiness is a high way onto which we are born and thereafter we are to walk, not stop or sit, but to walk on unto perfection. [Jer. 6:16] So after 65 years this church organization, like so many individuals, is claiming to be returning to holiness, but their behavior is the same as it has always been. God admonishes them, as I have always admonished them, to walk in the way of God, and as they do, they will see that their way gets brighter unto a perfect day. [Prov. 4:18] That perfect day is Christ!
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P.O. Box 6573
Oakland, CA 094603