Mailing #73 Internal Divisions Of The Church Chapter 2 Part 10 (Word to the Church)
A. INTERNAL DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH
Never in history was the Church of Jesus Christ so divided, so deceived and so unwilling to follow the Lord, His Word, His Light, His Truth, His Ways, His Judgments, His Will, as now. The result is a pure tragedy and hopelessness since the Church cannot stand being so divided. (Mk. 3:25) It must be painful for the believers who truly love the Lord to watch this situation, which in fact, is getting worse almost by the day. One could write a thick book just about this topic. But even that thick book would not help any believer with a closed heart and unwilling soul.
I will bring before you only two examples, which may be typical and generally known among many believers so that many could relate to them and ponder them.
1. The leadership of the “Anglican church” is discussing the issue of ordaining gay ministers. They are serious about it and they appear to try to resolve it righteously and to a mutual satisfaction. We should ask a simple question: What issue do they have? Is this a true “issue”? Who has brought this issue to them? The Lord? NO! Satan has! How do we know? The Word of God is crystal clear.
Was not Satan in the Garden of Eden and was he not asking the woman: “Yea, has God said… Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”? (Gen. 3:1-3)
Is he not doing EXACTLY the same thing today with another woman (Anglican church) saying: “Yea, has God said… that they, which commit such things (homosexuality), are worthy of death…”? (Rom. 1:27-32// Lev. 18:22; 20:13!)
The matter is simple and clear in the Word of God and there are no issues to be resolved by men because they were already resolved long time ago by God Himself. GOD DOES NOT ASK US FOR OUR HELP IN JUDGING – HE ASKS US FOR OUR OBEDIENCE TO CARRY OUT HIS JUDGMENTS. TRUE OR NOT?
So those that “discuss this issue” and are even willing to ordain gays are SERVANTS OF SATAN! Why? Because they do not hesitate to neglect or question God’s Word, or to make God either a liar or incompetent in deciding this important issue! God’s Judgment is clearly not acceptable and righteous to these wicked, evil and deceived souls! Who dares to propagate such an idiotic idea except Satan?
It is Satan who “creates” these gay men and lesbians in the first place. Now he tells them that their “different lifestyle” is perfectly acceptable to God and that God loves them and welcomes their service! What a truly idiotic idea! But many believers including many ministers in the leadership are so deeply deceived today that they are well able to accept idiotic ideas and even propagate them. This is a tremendous victory for Satan! Their leaders base their decisions on a “democratic vote” of sinful souls rather than on the Word of the Holy and Righteous God! It is absolutely disgusting and vomiting stuff.
And I am not even mentioning the question of “same-sex marriages”, if such a thing exists. This is truly satanic stuff. Soon men might marry their dogs, horses or cats; there is also “love” between the two, is there not? Even animals are morally higher than these men as you will never find a “same-sex couple” in any nest or den. I am vomiting! So should every believer in Christ.
2. A problem may arise in a congregation, fellowship, or any group of believers. This is becoming quite a frequent occurrence in these days. One elder may voice a different idea or solution than others. There is nothing unusual or wrong with that. What is wrong is how such a problem gets resolved. In many cases, the Lord has no “chance” to present His solution or give His counsel. The church leaders use their OWN ideas, understanding, cleverness or authority, which may be in a direct opposition to the Word of God. The Lord has no “clerical collar”, no title such as “Doctor”, “PhD” or “ThD”. He is never called “Reverend”, “The Most Reverend” or “Right Reverend”, so, the “poor” LORD of all lords is out!
Am I sarcastic? Yes, I definitely am. If a sinful, filthy and mortal man assumes the title “Reverend” that only belongs to the LORD OF ALL CREATION, then it is clear that the title came from Satan to build up man’s pride. We may “reverence” a person (Eph. 5:33// Heb. 12:9), but not give him those titles, which breed pride. Also, any minister who loves to show his academic degrees or religious titles is proud of his very own achievements! He is far from being crucified and useful as a minister of the Lord. The “Gospel of Dr. Luke” does not exist! Therefore, it seemed good to Our Father to hide these things, mysteries of Truth, from the (worldly) wise and prudent and reveal them unto babes. (Mt. 11:25,26)
So, problems are “resolved” by the rule of majority or the solution is achieved by men with titles irrespective of what the Word of God may say in such cases! Man usurps God’s authority and tries to rule His Church while it is the Lord Alone Who builds and rules His Church. (Mt. 16:18) Then how come that man does not turn to the Lord for His directives whenever needed? Or what is it that man “tries to build” or govern? Is it his own human institution and to his own liking? Man does not own anything. Yet, it is not man but Satan through man that may thus direct the Church affairs without being detected!
Problems are also resolved (if at all) by employing humanistic approaches. Many leaders try to resolve problems through their OWN goodness, understanding, compassion, psychology, etc. But where is it written in the Bible that God needs men to help Him resolve problems? God needs men to carry out HIS solutions and judgments, and not the reverse. And where is it written that one elder from among four or five cannot receive any light or revelation from God to resolve any particular problem in the fellowship? So, according to many leaders, God cannot choose an open heart and give it His Light! Right?
I was asked the same question by the pastor of one Apostolic Church where I was fellowshipping for some time and had given three prophetic messages (which were ignored). He asked me why God gives me the light about his church and not to himself? I told him that God gives His light to every open heart and that irrespective of the person. So, were there four or five open hearts in his assembly, they would have all received the same light and answer to their problems as I had received it. No “rule of majority” was ever valid with the Lord, but the rule of an open heart and meek spirit. The Lord never gives His Light to resolve our problems to our old man since he himself is the problem.
Here is another noteworthy example from Slovakia. One elder quit his eldership, left “his flock” and his faithful co-elder and disappeared from his church for about one year without any explanation. In his absence, the faithful co-elder cared for the flock. Then one day the unfaithful one returned and wanted somehow to “resume his ministry”, with the condition that the faithful co-elder should lose his eldership and have no authority over him to even chastise him for his misbehaviour in any way.
The unfaithful elder succeeded because the faithful co-elder was demoted from his eldership without any valid reason and against the Word of God, by a regional preacher and was made a member of the “Team of Collabourers of the Preacher”. The preacher [D.Uhrín] said: “Though it [demotion] is not biblical, but in my view it is right”! The Lord says that the preacher is thus wiser than the Almighty God, since the Bible is His Word and His Wisdom! WOW! It shows the preacher’s pride, arrogance, darkness and the danger he is in! (Num. 15:30,31)
The faithful co-elder was deposed to the same level as his wife and three other women of that church including the unfaithful elder! How is the Lord of Heaven and Earth looking at this masquerade? Have you ever experienced such a thing? This is not all, read on and see the miserable state of the leadership of this (Baptist) church.
The behaviour, reasons, intentions and accusing spirit of the unfaithful elder were never judged by the Word, but humanly. The perception and faith of the faithful co-elder, who remained with the flock, were disregarded, ignored and unappreciated. His preaching was frequently disrupted, criticized and otherwise attacked or devalued in front of the congregation by the unfaithful elder. No one from the leadership has questioned why he was doing it and what kind of spirit was causing him to interrupt the ministry of the faithful co-elder. The Holy Spirit would never lead anyone to do such a devilish thing because He says: “Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1Cor. 14:40) Even ministering a gift of the Spirit, such as tongues, must not be interrupted by men. (1Cor. 14:27-33)
Only a diabolical spirit would publicly interrupt the preacher during his ministry and break the Word of God! Do any of the leaders of the Baptist Church in Slovakia care for it or judge it according to the Word of God? Not at all! Would they allow their sermons to be publicly interrupted? If a sermon of any of the church leaders were publicly interrupted even once, would it be left unnoticed, unreprimanded? HELLO?The true fruit is visible through deeds and they show the truth. (Mt. 7:16-20)
Do you have experiences in these areas or you might not even believe such things? Then you may not know how the devil deceives and spiritually kills believers and how his many servants (also from among the leadership) are operating directly in the sheep-folds. They may not even be born-again by the Spirit of God!
Another “pearl” is also from the Baptist church of Slovakia, which shows their leadership and touches the same faithful co-elder described above. He faithfully served his Baptist congregation for over 13 years and his faith and ministry was never questioned. He preached, sang, taught and composed his own songs and he was serving all those years without any pay. He has his own house and a young family. Since the year 2003, he has been without work and thus he believed that he would be offered a paid position of a preacher in his own or in some other Baptist congregation near his town where he was also desired and needed.
First, the church leadership sent him a questionnaire, which was more intricate and cunning than had he applied for a membership to the communist party of North Korea and which no other preacher was required to submit. He refused to fill it in.
He was then invited to the Council of leading elders where he was interrogated as if he were a pagan or a spy for a counterintelligence. He was questioned about his faith, religious attitudes and opinions. This happened in spite of his truly impeccable past and faithful service, and also despite the fact that he successfully completed his studies at the Theological Baptist College in Banská Bystrica and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from his own church! Finally, the former Chairman of the Baptist Church in Slovakia (Tomáš Valchář) told him: “Go to the forest and chop wood”! There were about seven churches without a pastor at the same time. HELLO? Are you able to believe this? If not, read on… and consider also the Word of God in Rom. 12:10-13 and1Jn. 3:15-18.
This is what Jesus Christ tells T. Valchář and to all the elders that agreed with him: “for with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged, and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again!… Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them. For this is the Law and the prophets.” (Mt. 7:2,12)
And this Lord Jesus Christ, whom they do not know, asks every one of those elders: “But why do you judge your brother, or why do you set at nought your brother (consider him as nothing)? For you all shall stand before My judgment seat… so then every one of you shall give account of himself to God.” (Rom. 14:10,12)
The Lord Jesus Christ continues: “And have I not ordained that they, which preach the gospel should live of the gospel? (see 1Cor. 9:13,14) Or have I at any time sent My preachers to chop wood? If, therefore, you will not repent to Me and to your brother and turn away from your wicked ways, YOUR INIQUITIES WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN YOU, and you will be thrown into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (see also Mt. 8:12; 13:41,42)
Where is this organization going when it has leaders who are sending their own Bachelors of theology to chop wood? And they demote them from eldership without any reason and thus totally irresponsibly? And do not care whether their brethren have anything to live on? Even Pharisees of the Old Testament, who were condemned to the eternal damnation, may not have done such things! (Mt. 23:33)
It is written: “CURSED be he that does the work of the Lord deceitfully (hypocritically, unrighteously, negligently, slothfully)” (Jer. 48:10) Are these leaders willing to consider whether the above Word of God just might apply to at least some of them?
And now, I will disclose to the readers, what is the true reason for the above religious “masquerade”. The simple and clear truth is this. The Baptist leaders in Slovakia unofficially told the faithful co-elder to either renounce Hanola or forget their church! However, officially, they sent him a very polite but cunningly formulated letter where they advise him to continue in his congregation as an unpaid worker! (Jam. 2:14-17,19) Little do they know that their “letter” together with the intentions in their hearts are also recorded in the Books of the LORD, which will be opened at the Day of Judgment. (Dan. 7:9,10// Rev. 20:11-15)
Their Jesus must be a different person than the One described in the Scriptures because “love” may be in their dictionaries, but not in their hearts. The Lord knows and I know, as well. I have experienced the “love” of some of their elders in Banská Bystrica. (see again page 25)
What testifies against them the most is the fact that to this very day, not one of them has presented even one single specific evidence of any heresy or wrong teaching in my writings based on the Word of God! NOT ONE! I would be happy to repent and correct any errors in my books! The Lord Jesus Christ is my Living Witness.
But they hate me and denounce me without any cause. Little do they know what the Lord says about this spiritual fact, namely, that “Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer… no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1Jn. 3:15) This is what Israel was doing to their own Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself. (Lk. 6:22,23// Jn. 15:25) Wow!
This is a typical feature of the “accusers of the brethren”, they never present anything specific! They may show their fury through a lot of religious general gibberish, subjective opinions, thoughts or own beliefs – but never the Word of God! When they are forced to finally show their disapproval in a specific way, they present those verses of the Scripture against you, which may fit their mental arguments but which they themselves do not live or practice. Their fruit is clearly and squarely against those same verses! Of course, they do not see it… because they are blind to their own fruit… which stinks! But showing someone a Word, which you do not live yourself is like showing a direction to where you have never been, and where you may have no intention of ever going.
Why are such believers able to attack their brethren with verses of the Bible, which seem to be suitable for their purpose? And why are they equally able to rudely break or totally disregard other verses of the Bible? Because what believers can get out of the Bible is determined by the state of their mind and heart, that is, by what they ARE. It is quite clearly expressed by Watchman Nee in his excellent book “The Release of the Spirit[2]”, page 51:
“It is beyond question that what we ARE determines what we get out of the Bible. How often man in his conceit relies on his unrenewed and confused mind to read the Bible. The fruit is nothing but his own thought. He does not touch the Spirit of the Holy Scriptures. If we expect to meet the Lord in His Word, our thoughts must first be broken by God. We may think highly of our cleverness, but to God it is a great obstacle. It can never lead us into God’s thought.”
This seems to be a good place to quote from a booklet of Horst Schaffranek “The Judgment starts in the House of God[18]”, page 1, where he starts with a question: “Shall I address you as beloved of God (Rom. 1:7) or shall I speak to you as spiritual sluggards? Sluggards are people, who read the Bible but do not follow what they have read. A beloved of God is somebody who does what he reads.”
The Lord tells those Baptist leaders this: “Execute true judgment and show mercy and compassions every man to his brother… and let none of you imagine EVIL AGAINST HIS BROTHER IN YOUR HEART.” (Zech. 7:9,10b)
But they still imagine evil in their hearts. And if they refuse to hearken and stop their ears and refuse to do justice as the Lord commands, then a great wrath will come from the Lord. And just as He cries and they do not hear, so the day is approaching quickly when they will cry and He will not hear. (Zech. 7:11-13)
Would at least one wise Gamaliel be found among them to counsel them to stop fighting and opposing this work, to stop persuading people not to read or even to burn my books! For if my work is from myself, it shall come to nothing by itself. But if it be truly from God, then YOU, BAPTIST LEADERS ARE FIGHTING AGAINST GOD! Would you have enough humbleness to receive this biblical advice? (Acts 5:34-39) For if not, the blood of all those that you persuaded and deceived shall be required from your hands by the same Almighty God against Whom you are today vehemently fighting! Be it, as you decide.
But that Hanola, whom they hate, prays this:
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on them. Give eyesight to those that desire to see and grace to those that have open hearts because they are in danger of perishing. I see them as victims of evil and there is nothing in my heart against them though they have a great bitterness against me and it defiles them and leads them to perdition. I forgive them for they truly do not know what they are doing to others and where they are leading them. Amen.
Satan is clearly furious with me and I thank you Lord because this fact is a true compliment to me personally. The Baptist Church of Slovakia probably suffered the most during the terrors of the communist era and was always considered as the most fundamentalist, conservative and biblical. If this church has deteriorated into this spiritual state and is “neither brotherly, nor united, nor yet biblical”, then what is the state of the other churches in Slovakia? Have they all become candlesticks that give more darkness than light? They all should carefully read Rev. 2:5.
* * *
To be continued next week in part 11
brother Hanola
…