Jesus sent a word, not just a casual teaching, an actual, “Thus sayeth the Lord,” on April 22, 2024. It announced the season we are in summing it all up with this final line:
Most of My Churches have gone astray. When you see the destroyer at your gate, Return to Me, says the Lord your God. Return to My ways and be removed from my wrath.
For the full message including some specific ways of how the body has gone astray, please see the video: “Passover Sabbath 2024 - The Coming Storm”.
The crux of the message from our Lord is this: enemy is being loosed among Christians because we have forgotten that we have a Lord who expects us to learn His ways and follow them. Christians today have forgotten that God expects certain things of us, that repentance (turning from sin) is necessary. James, the brother of Jesus, shows us the effects of sin with our relationship to God and how we should see our sin:
What leads to [the unending] quarrels and conflicts among you? Do they not come from your desires (seeking your own pleasure) that wage war in your [bodily] members [fighting for control over you]? You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your lust goes unfulfilled; so you murder (hate others). You are envious and cannot obtain [the object of your envy]; so you fight and battle. You do not have because you do not ask [it of God]. You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your desires. (James 4:1-3 AMP)
The Body of Christ is quarreling and in constant conflict today. James shows us that sin is at the root of it. We should not be attacking one another. How many Christians pray and seek God and ask things of Him. When they don’t receive what they pray about, they lose faith, they fall away. This is what is happening in the Body of Christ. Let’s continue in James and see how God sees Christians who are going astray:
You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love? But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it). (James 4:4-6 AMPC)
As Christians, we cannot do things the way of the world. We are to be holy unto God (1 Peter 1:15-16). The word “holy” means set apart from the world. (See the word mentioned above for details on how churches have joined the world) According to James, God has given us the ability to turn from the world’s way of doing things, this comes through the power of the sacrifice of His Son. Free online classes at the Online Christian Church will teach you how to appropriate God's grace. James continues by giving a brief summary of the benefits of turning from sin when we do it right:
So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom. Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose]. (James 4:7-10 AMP)
We need to submit to God’s way of doing things and His authority. When we stand firm in God’s ways, the devil will flee. Washing your hands is symbolic of removing sin. We must be grieved by our sin and be willing to remove it to be freed from the correction God is sending to the body. A good way to begin this process is with a “baptism of repentance.” Please see the first class in the Removing Attacks course at the Online Christian Church for more details about some great benefits of this declaration.
Those leading the body are, likewise, coming under correction and many are falling because of sin, sickness, and/or the removal of the anointing. The requirements for leaders to be renewed and freed from affliction is much more than the profession of repentance with a baptism. When Jesus came the first time, John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the Lord. Here is what John said to the leaders who were out of alignment with God:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee and escape from the wrath and indignation [of God against disobedience] that is coming? Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance [let your lives prove your change of heart];
And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our forefather; for I tell you, God is able to raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! And already the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:7-10, Luke 3:7-9 AMPC)
The leaders of the people had presumed that they were saved because of their lineage and were not serious about turning from sin. Many Christians and even leaders presume they don’t have to worry about sin because they are grafted into the family of Abraham through Jesus. It was untrue then and it is untrue now. We may be grafted into God’s family through Jesus, but our actions can bring God’s wrath upon us.
Just like it was with John, before we can support leaders, they had to have actions in line with the repentance. We must be careful how we respond when we see leaders under attack. Like John who knew their hearts were not repentant and would not have anything to do with them, we must be careful in declaring a restoration and freedom for leaders.
This is also seen after the death of Jesus when Paul addresses Timothy:
But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. (1 Timothy 5:20-22 NIV)
When a spiritual leader is found in sin, we can not rush to support them. The “laying on of hands” was done when praying for healing or installing someone into a position of leadership. If we pray for others to have affliction removed or to have the anointing restored who have not turned from a sin, we are joining them in that sin and may have some of the same consequences they are experiencing.
The Lord showed the truth of this when He had me do the first Baptism of Repentance in June of 2024. I baptized two leaders:
One I knew was rejecting some truth God had revealed to her.
She had a raging fever before the baptism as the Lord was correcting her about accepting a calling upon the leader of her ministry.
I came into wrong agreement with her, saying it didn’t matter what she though about a the leader’s calling.
One had been a leader of the Sunday evening service years early but had stepped down. He was in rebellion against God’s authority.
He had Covid three weeks prior and cold-like symptoms wouldn’t go away.
After I baptized these two people, I immediately had a fever and a cold. The fever quickly escalated to over 104. I was trembling and shaking if I wasn’t buried under the covers.
The group leaders of the OCC helped me understand that you cannot be under a person’s leadership if you reject their calling. By rejecting their calling, you are rejecting the mantle or the authority God has placed upon them, therefore you are in rebellion against the authority you claim to be under. Once I fully accepted this, I renounced the wrong agreement and the fever left.
The severe cold symptoms were a bit harder to get free of. It took several days before I realized that my symptoms were a mild echo of the other leader’s affliction. With much prayer, the Holy Spirit revealed the source of the rebellion. It took a lengthy discussion about God’s ways before a true confession could be given, after which, we were both set free.
This is why we must be careful about supporting leaders who are afflicted and have not found the source of that affliction. They must be willing to seek God and turn from their sin. Jesus showed us this principle in the parable of the 10 virgins:
Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. (Matthew 25:1 AKJV)
The virgins are all waiting on the “bridegroom” so these are all Christians who are expecting to be with Jesus in Heaven.
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. (Matthew 25:2-5 AKJV)
The word foolish is the Greek word mōros (Strongs G3474) and it means impious, godless (because such a man neglects and despises what relates to salvation), without learning, improper: not attentive to consequence. How many Christians have not bothered to learn about God and what Jesus expects of us?
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom comes; go you out to meet Him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. (Matthew 25:6-7 AKJV)
Most Christians hear the Lord knocking at the door. Within the next year to year-and-a-half, all will know that the time of the return of our Lord is at hand. We are feeling a stirring in our hearts and now we will begin the process of examining our life and removing sin - that is trimming our wicks.
A Trimmed Wick:
creates an even, steady burn.
gives the flame a nice, even shape.
An Untrimmed Wick:
conveys too much fuel (wax) to the fire, and the carbon buildup creates a black “mushroom cap” on the flame.
The Lord wants our light to shine steady and unhindered.
Black relates to sin. Is there sin mixed in with what we are doing for the Lord - the light shining from us? We must examine our life and remove sin so we can shine brighter than the sun!
And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. (Matthew 25:8-9 AKJV)
Jesus is Light of the world (John 8:12). Oil is the anointing form God. When others realize that they are losing the connection with the Light they will seek to have that connection restored. We must not pray to restore the connection to Jesus. It will take effort to have that lost connection and restore the lost anointing restored.
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1 ESV)
The Holy Spirit is the Living Water. Jesus compared the blood of His sacrifice to wine. Milk is the basic principle of God. By spending time focusing on these things, you are “buying the oil” that has run dry. Isaiah continues in this prophesy can mentions Christians and what they should be doing!
Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:5-7 ESV)
God has called the nations outside Israel - the nations that they did not know. We must be willing to run to the Lord, to seek Him now while He will be found! We must be willing to forsake that which is “wicked” that which is sin. We must be willing to turn our thoughts to righteousness - God’s right way of doing things. In God’s compassion, He has sent Jesus who has paid the price for us to be free. We no longer have to sacrifice an animal for our sins, but we must be willing to turn from our sin.
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