1 Timothy 4:1-5 ... Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having
their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and
commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received
with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every
creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received
with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Exhortation: Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Usually when I read the above scripture I think immediately of the Catholic church who forbids the eating of meat on Fridays. This practice is not in Bible and we are even told not to reject that created by God.
Churches set up many doctrines which are not in Bible and require their followers to do these things not required by God.
Recently a woman spoke to me telling me what she was giving up for Lent. There is no such thing in Bible as Lent. Certainly there is no requirement for us to make a sacrifice giving up something we enjoy unless what we enjoy happens to be a sin ... fornication, adultery, drunkenness and such. Then we give that up permanently after we are born again and have the Spirit of God.
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People often depart from the "faith" setting up strange doctrines to follow, even doctrines which deny the faith which is in God and HIS provisions and in the HOLY scriptures.
Recently my cousin who is Church of Christ said they now know some of the things they have taught are wrong but they don't want to remove the wrong doctrine because it would hurt the faith of their older members. Amazing. They are "speaking lies in hypocrisy" (I Tim. 4:2) ... when they know better and still teach wrong doctrine ....
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And some do follow "seducing" spirits. It is not unusual for "bad thoughts" to come to me concerning others in the body of Christ. When this happens I know these thoughts are from devil who is trying to bring division. I do not entertain these thoughts when I realize they are there. Usually when this happen, I pray for the person.
However a "bad sounding thought" might be from Spirit of God. You might have a thought that a doctrine taught at your church group is wrong. The thing to do is to prove that doctrine ... through prayer and study of Bible. If you have Holy Spirit, HE will guide you into truth as you submit to HIM.
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One of the very strange doctines practiced by a majority of Christian type churches today is the doctrine that the Lord's supper is crackers and grape juice. They pass this around to their church group and call it "The Lord's supper."
But the Lord's supper is the Word of God.
The way we partake of the Word of God is very serious. If we partake wrongly of the Word of God, we "eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world". (I Cor. 11)
Crackers and grape juice have nothing at all to do with judging ourselves. We judge ourselves by the scriptures through prayer.
Please read: What is the Lord's supper?
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If we see "flee fornication" and we are committing fornication while we have the Word of God on the matter of fornication (I Cor. 6) we can be in extreme danger of being turned over to a reprobate mind.
Romans 1 ... 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them
To continue in fornication while reading the Bible and attending church is a part of the falling away from scripture and should set the person up to be weak and sickly and some even die. (It can be a physical death and it can be spiritual death.)
We examine ourselves through the Word of God by the Spirit of God.
But in the last days, people will depart from scripture and explain away scripture and end up going in paths of destruction in the church as they attend church and tithe.
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Paul says in the last days there will be a falling away. (II Thess. 2) This does not necessarily mean they will stop going to church. It means the churches will depart from scripture, thus falling away from truth.
For example: Jesus says the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Mt. 5:32)
I've never heard this taught at a church gathering. These churches who omit this instruction have already fallen away from truth in order to pursue their own lusts and not offend anyone.
In I Tim. 4, "forbidding to marry" does not pertain to forbidding to remarry. There is a very big difference between marriage and remarriage.
Please read: Divorce/remarriage: What the Bible teaches
The Catholic church forbids their priests to marry. The Bible does not forbid a minister to marry though to marry a divorced woman would be adultery (Mt. 5:32)
One time I was speaking with my contractor who is Catholic. He brought up the subject of the priest in the Catholic church who have been identified as pedophiles (having sex with children). I told him if the Catholic church permitted priests to marry some of this might be stopped. He replied, "Well ... I don't know about allowing priests to marry." I said: "Peter was married." My contractor gasped when I said this. He was very disturbed. I took Bible and showed him where it spoke in Bible of Peter's mother-in-law. Mt. 8 ... 14And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.
Later I learned the Catholic church considers Peter to be their founder. No wonder my contractor was so shocked when he heard me say Peter was married.
Another scripture proving Peter was married and that Peter even had children is the following:
I Peter 5 ... Peter says ... 1The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder
Here are requirement for an elder in the church ...
I Tim. 3 ...1This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Bishop and elder are the same thing.
We see these words "bishop and elder" used interchangeably in the following scripture ...
Titus 1 ... 5For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
6If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. 7For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; 8But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; 9Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
(We see in this scripture that an elder is to be" husband of one wife, having faithful children")
So by the scriptures we see Peter (who said he is an elder) must be married and have children ...
Concerning bishops ... Please read ... Correct use of the term "Bishop"
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We see all manner of changes in doctrine in churches ... yet the Bible is the only thing we can go by ... But so many churches have already fallen away from scripture as they set up their own way falling away from Bible instructions.. So many churches have already fallen away. Their doctrine shows this falling away when compared with Bible.
There are many false doctrines in church groups today. We should not sit among a church group when the doctrine is against the scriptures. To sit among them is to sanction them in their evil doing and even to become a part of their evil doing even if you do disagree with them. If you disagree with doctrine why would you stay there.
II Jn. ... 9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ (THE WORD), hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
It is the end times.