Book 7
The New Testament Church
What would it be like in the town where you live if there were no police officers and no judges to rule over secular matters?
Lawlessness … every man for himself?
In the Bible, antichrist is called, “The Man of Lawlessness”. II Thess. 2
Paul said in the last days “perilous” times would come. II Tim. 3:1
In the Bible, we read: After Jesus arose (after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus), HE gave gifts to the church.
Eph. 4 … 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
We see evangelists, pastors, teachers … But where are the apostles and prophets?
Why have apostles and prophets been removed from the majority of NT church?
Why do we not hear of them and know them in the churches and know the work they do in the NT church?
In the removal by men of apostles and prophets in today’s churches, we see the lawlessness of antichrist being staged inside the churches, for the role of apostle is like a judge, using Bible and ruling over doctrines by the Holy Spirit of God … and prophets are like police officers, carrying warnings and messages of correction to the churches and to individual in the churches.
Paul said this elimination would happen in the churches and lawlessness would take place inside the churches.
Acts 20 … Paul says … For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Paul also warned us that perilous times would come in the latter days …
II Tim. 3 … 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
We see this was going to take place in the churches.
Notice they would have “a form of godliness” … but they would deny the power of the scriptures to rule over the church and they would set up doctrine contrary to scripture inside the church, thus promoting sin and perverted doctrine inside the church.
And Paul told us it would get worse, not better.
II Tim. 3:13 … But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
You think this can’t happen in “your” church?
When was the last time you heard this preached at church?
The man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery?
I’ve been in various church groups for more than 35-years and I have never heard this doctrine spoken at any church group.
How can that be? Jesus said this. It is reported multiple times in the gospels. Paul also said this in the Bible which is inspired by God.
How can this doctrine be removed and another doctrine set up in our churches today?
Because our churches today are “latter day” and the man of lawlessness, antichrist, moved in to the positions of authority in the individual church groups and reasoned away the words of Jesus on matters that would offend people so the congregations would grow larger and larger but weaker and weaker.
A few years ago, I attended a dinner sponsored by a museum group. The seating was pre-arranged by the organization. I was seated next to a man who was wearing around his neck the largest cross I have ever seen.
This man identified himself as former pastor at Indiana Street Baptist Church. He began speaking about their church … He said, “We have a terrible problem. We don’t have enough room to seat all the people who are coming to church. We enlarged the size of our building but we still don’t have enough room.”
I replied: “If you would start preaching what Jesus said … ‘The man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery’ … you would no longer have a problem. About ½ of the people would leave you and you would have plenty of seating.”
I got up and left the dinner … not caring to sit by this man.
And what did Jesus and Paul say?
Jesus said … Mt. 5:32 … 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
And Paul said the following is a commandment of the Lord for the NT church …
I Cor. 7 … 10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: 11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
And to the NT Church Paul explains …
Romans 7 … 1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
Ministers of God are called by God and set into the church by Jesus as ministers. They are “gifts” from Jesus to the church.
Eph. 4 … 11 And HE (Jesus) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
As time increased, evil men crept into the churches and set up doctrine by their own rule, not by God’s rule. They set up the gathering church by their own way of thinking. They decided which men could speak and which could not speak. They said they were “protecting” the church from evil doctrine.
But their plan of “protection” is not according to Paul’s statement of what must happen when we come together as the church.
Paul said: I Cor. 14:26 … 26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
This way we, the church, would meet and the basic direction would be: Who has a word from the LORD to share today?
The Holy Spirit would be free to speak through whomever HE willed at the gathering of the church. And the body of Christ would be free to function as an entire body.
At one point, on Wednesday nights some of the churches had “testimonials”. I found that so exciting. It was more like a gathering of the church instead of a performance where everything was planned ahead.
How can a church service be planned ahead? Often billboards appear outside church buildings announcing the subject for next Sunday’s sermon.
This ends up man trying to provide for the needs of the congregation by his own fleshly thinking. He can’t know ahead of time what the congregations needs. He doesn’t even know which people will be there Sunday morning so how could he possibly know what they need ahead of time?
The way God planned for the gathering of the church was completely different from what we see today where everything is planned ahead by humans.
God taught me the following: Step out in front of the people and speak what you hear in your ear. Speak what I give you for the congregation.
God took me to 2 examples:
Jesus said … John 5:30 … I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Jesus didn’t plan what HE was going to say. Instead Jesus spoke that which HE heard from God.
And Jesus said, “I seek not mine own will …” He wasn’t trying to deal with someone in the congregation by pre-knowledge. Jesus spoke as HE heard from God and that did the work of God in the gathering of the “church”, at the synagogue where Jesus spoke most days, on the streets as Jesus met men, and when men came to HIM where HE lodged.
Wouldn’t you like to attend that type of church gathering?
This is what Paul said the gathering of the church was supposed to be. We would come together and to one would be given a psalm, another would have a revelation, another would share doctrine, the prophets would speak two or three, tongues and interpretation were given. (I Cor. 14:26)
It would take faith in God to do this … You would have to believe God would “feed” HIS people and bring forth HIS word.
The second scripture God used to teach me what to do when I spoke is as follows:
I Corinthians 2, Paul says …
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
I kept these 2 scriptures (Jn.5:30 and I Cor. 2:1-5) before me day and night for months and thought on them and they caused me to get strong enough in time to do them.
When I went out, I planned nothing. I just got with the people and spoke what I heard from God. God knows what that group needs and HE will provide for their needs when we trust in HIM.
This is what the church gathering should be whether we meet in living room, or at the grocery store in passing, or in a building called “church” building.
The church is anywhere 2 or 3 are gathered in the name of the Lord (speaking things of the Lord) … Jesus says … Mt. 18:20 … For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
When we think about Jesus walking about dealing with those things that appeared by the road where HE walked, we can see the way of God for sharing.
We share, speaking what we hear from God, wherever we are. That is the real church.
Certainly Jesus spoke in the synagogues which were buildings similar to what we know today as “church buildings”, but the amazing thing is Jesus was allowed to speak and to teach in the synagogues.
If Jesus appeared in the flesh today, HE would not be permitted to speak to most churches because HE would not be approved by the men who have taken over the local congregations.
Several year ago, I had the following dream…I went into a very large church building. It was filled with people. There was one seat in the balcony behind a pillar which seemed to be holding up the roof. I sat down in that seat. A woman sitting next to me said, “You can’t see much from that seat …” I replied: “There’s never much to see at these places anyway.”
In the Holy Bible, inspired by God, the apostle Paul told us what was to happen in the gathering of the church when we come together as the church.
I Cor. 14 … 26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
The apostle Paul said … every one of you have the right in the gathering of the church to present a psalm, a doctrine, a tongue, a revelation, an interpretation … so long as it is edifying … (and orderly)
(We can see in I Cor. 14 that Paul restricted women from disrupting the church by asking questions … for Paul said … 34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.)
Philip the evangelist had 4 daughters who were prophets. Prophecy is for the church. Certainly we see by this women were permitted to speak in the church when they were ordained by God. (Acts 21:9)
Also Paul set an orderliness concerning the prophets speaking in the gathering of the church:
I Cor. 14: 29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Today most churches don’t have any prophets (so they think) and in some churches they even teach there are no prophets in the NT church today.
This is amazing since Jesus gave the churches apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ after HE (Jesus) was resurrected when HE set up the NT Church. Ephesians 4
When I was a new Christian, I first attended a church called Believers Chapel, my best friend and her husband went there. (Most of us follow friends and families to various church groups regardless of the doctrine.)
One of the first things I heard is a doctrine that “tongues” are of the devil. A man who was professor at Dallas Theological Seminary was giving a series of sermons on this subject. I did not care at all about tongues one way or another but a few weeks later I was reading the Bible and saw the following instruction from the Spirit of God by the apostle Paul:
I Cor. 14:39 … forbid not to speak with tongues.
My best friend and I were driving from Denton to Dallas and I said to her, “Hey Donna … did you know Paul said, ‘Forbid not to speak in tongues?’ “
Donna pulled the car off the highway and said, “Let me see that.”
I had a small purse size NT I always carried with me. I handed it to Donna and told her where I saw that scripture. She read it and was greatly surprised since we were going to a church that taught tongues to be from the devil.
We drove immediately to her house. She had many translations of the Bible. (My little Bible was KJV)
We looked at each translation she had of the Bible and they all said the same thing: Forbid not to speak in tongues in the gathering of the Church.
We both left that church for it was teaching things against the Holy Bible.
In the gathering of the church, all things are to be done “to edification” … to build the church, to comfort the church, to instruct the church.
I once attended a church service at a Baptist church. The pastor said he was turning the first part of the service over to the youth group. A young man presented a film of their recent youth gathering. The film showed girls with rollers in their hair and young men running about slapping the girls on the rear end with rolled up towels.
One of my relatives attended that church group and was seated beside me. She was embarrassed and said to me, “I could do without this.”
When the pastor took charge again, he misquoted some scripture, leaving portions of the scripture out.
After the service, I went to pastor and told him I would like to make an appointment to speak with him. He said he had time and we could talk immediately.
We went into his office.
I told him that Paul said when we came together in the church all things were to be done to edification and that presentation by the youth group was not edifying to the congregation.
Pastor said he liked it.
Then I took the scripture he misquoted and showed that verse to him and showed him how he left out ½ of that scripture when he spoke it.
That pastor became very angry and said: “I’ve been doing this 25 years and I know what I’m doing … Where do you go to church,” trying to accuse me.
In reading Revelation and how they did not repent, I thought of this pastor, and others …
Revelation 16 … 8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give HIM glory.
When a man speaks of himself, of his own thinking, that man seeks his own glory. The man who speaks truthfully of God and truthfully transmits the scriptures seeks God’s glory, says Jesus: John 7:18
Revelation 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
In looking for a church to attend, I visited several church groups.
On a Wednesday night, I went to a non-denomination church. Pastor was teaching from John 8 … about the woman taken in adultery.
Pastor said, “And when she was brought to Jesus, she was naked from her waist up.”
I was very shocked!
I looked about the auditorium where about 200 people were gathered listening to pastor say this. They had smiles on their faces. I reached for my Bible but I did not see anyone in the congregation look in a Bible to check what pastor was saying. They just sat there smiling, approving (loving) pastor.
But I turned to John 8 in my Bible and reread this sections of scripture.
John 8 … 1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee:go, and sin no more.
The next day, I called this pastor. I told him I was in his church service the previous night. I asked him about him saying the woman brought before Jesus was naked from waist up. I asked him to tell me where that is in Bible. He said, “I can’t remember.” I told him it was very important for me to know this and I asked him if he would look it up and have his secretary call me and tell me where that is in Bible.
Pastor became very angry. He shouted into phone: “Well … okay … it’s not in the Bible. Where do you go to church?” (trying to accuse me as the Baptist pastor had done)
Acts 17 … 10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
At another non-denominational church gathering, pastor was teaching about Sarah and Hagar. Pastor said, “Hagar and Sarah were ½ sisters.”
I had never before heard that. The next day I searched Bible for this information and could not find it. I called pastor. I told him I had been in his service Sunday morning and heard him say this and I couldn’t find it in Bible and I asked him to tell me where that information is in Bible.
Pastor said, “I can’t recall where it is just now.”
I explained it is very important to me and asked him if he would look it up and have secretary call me and tell me.
Again, like the other pastor, he became very angry and said, “It’s not in the Bible …” and he began to try to accuse me.
I have gone to many pastors through the years, asking about doctrine spoken by them in their services.
Each pastor became angry, tried to accuse me and no one showed any shame over their corruption of scripture ..and no one repented… it was just like we read in Revelation 16:8-11 … and repented not of their deeds.
In approximately 1979, God gave me a very shocking dream as follows. There was a meeting going on and I went into the meeting room and sat down in the one vacant seat on the aisle. A room filled with people were attentively listening to a man who was speaking. Another man entered the room and said, “Stop … wait … can’t you see … It’s too late … it’s already begun…” The first man resumed speaking to the people. I looked out the window to see what was happening. There was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense type warning speaker. A gas was coming from the speaker. It was a poison gas! I was very shocked for the gas was coming from our own speaker. The speaker set up to warn us was killing us. I looked at the man sitting next to me. He had a big smile on his face. He was staring at the speaker. But this man was a corpse. He was dead. I looked about the room and all those people who seemed so attentive were dead people. And as I sat there among them, I began falling asleep. I knew I, too, was being gassed to death.
One Wednesday night after that, I was at church. The room was filled. I looked at the people in the auditorium and was shocked to realize those people were the people shown me in the poison gas dream. This was happening at my own church, the church I had been attending in Dallas, Word of Faith, Bob Tilton, pastor.
I got up immediately and went into the rest room and began praying. I told God I felt HE wanted me to leave that church group so I would leave. But if HE wanted me to come back I would.
I left the building. God didn’t want me to come back. God began unraveling the doctrine that was being taught.
The greatest problem is they were learning to quote scripture which sounds like a good thing. But what was actually happening is they were learning to be their own gods. They were not turning to God but rather were hunting scripture to “stand on”, becoming as God.
It is one thing to turn to God in prayer and be drawn to a scripture by the Spirit of God who knows the heart of God on the matter at hand … but it is quite another thing to hunt a scripture on your own by your own mind to justify what you are wanting.
Jesus said: 39 (you) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. Jn. 5:39
Another very shocking dream showing me the condition of the church was as follows: There was a long row of baby bassinettes. I walked down the row and looked into each bassinette at the baby. I was horrified. The babies were terribly deformed. At the end of the row, stood my favorite aunt, a Church of Christ member. She was about 45 years old in the dream. She was fully grown. But on her face were horrible black blemishes.
This aunt told me she knew things were wrong at the church she attended. But she stayed there anyway.
It will not work to stay in a church group where you know things are wrong. You will be affected in a bad way.
I Tim. 5:22 … neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.
I Cor. 5 … Paul says … 6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
If pastor will not repent when you speak truth and if congregation continues to sit in the darkness where the scriptures are mishandled, you must not stay among them. Such will destroy you, too.
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