WHERE IS YOUR LOYALTY:
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP OR GOD’S WORD?
WHERE IS YOUR LOYALTY:
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP OR GOD’S WORD?
JAN LILLEBY
I THINK I CAN TELL with considerable certainty, that when a regular Church member (eventually a sect/cult member) is facing the choice of either sticking to the membership or to rather follow the Word of God, the Holy Bible rightly divided, he most often fall into the wrong choice: Membership over the Bible truths! Am I too harsh here now? Hardly so.
It is now 2023, and I started my website and teaching of ‘Acts-28’ beliefs in the winter of 2004 – as I left my church membership behind, that of a typical ‘Word of Faith’ assembly in my hometown Tonsberg, Norway. I couldn’t go along anymore with all the heretic practices and teaching of that sect. Instead I was so fortunate as to come over some info on Acts-28 (via first the Mid-Acts beliefs), which I found so revealing and right that I took on a more thorough study in this Bible truth. The Church dispensation started NOT with Pentecost in Acts 2, but after the closing of the Book of Acts, 62-63 CE.
From that time on, I used my website to correcting heretical doctrine – and at the same instance pointing to what the correct Bible truth would be. It is not enough just to say to someone: Hey, you are wrong! We must be so polite as to also tell them what the right thing would be. We act simply just like we read of Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18:24-26 – guiding the fresh convert Apollos in the understanding of Scripture, (AMP Bible on the Web)
“Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent and cultured man, and well versed in the [Hebrew] Scriptures.
25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being spiritually impassioned, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John;
26and he began to speak boldly and fearlessly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained more accurately to him the way of God [and the full story of the life of Christ].
27And when Apollos wanted to go across to Achaia (southern Greece), the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples, [urging them] to welcome him gladly. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who, through grace, had believed and had followed Jesus as Lord and Savior,
28for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public discussions, proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).”
Notice: The couple found it necessary to correct (guide him) Apollos regarding what seemed to have been not a big issue, namely the water baptism. Apollos knew only of the ministry of John the Baptist. They did not condemn him for this lack of knowledge, but told him the full story of how things now were in order and in God’s will. This incident had two sides to it: ONE: Apollos was corrected and kept ‘up to date’ on the Gospel in the time of Acts. TWO: Apollos (unlike most of modern times’ stubborn Christians) ACCEPTED THE CORRECTIONS, he did not object and started any dispute. He did exactly what God would want ALL CHRISTIANS to do, - which is listening to sound Biblical instruction and correction when that is in order. And then go on with preaching/teaching – including this ‘New revelation’.
In the time of Acts, water baptism was in order to all believers in Christ – and the apostles carried on baptizing the converts accordingly. In our time, we have been ‘updated and corrected’ by Paul, our apostle, to let go of the water rite. Now it is just ‘One baptism’ Eph. 4:5 – and it is no longer water baptism, but we are baptized into the death of Christ, as we come to faith, likened with circumcision done not with human hand, but by God, Col. 2:11-13,
“In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but by the [spiritual] circumcision of Christ in the stripping off of the body of the flesh [the sinful carnal nature],
12having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God, [as displayed] when He raised Christ from the dead.
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (worldliness, manner of life), God made you alive together with Christ, having [freely] forgiven us all our sins”.
This quotation is but a small portion of what Paul actually ‘corrected’ his present day believers with. It was no longer as it had been in Acts period, with water baptism and other issues, - because of changes in God’s rule of dispensations (Greek, oikonomia) such ordinances had been annulled in the same instance that God had annulled the Law of Moses with its commandments and ordinances, Col. 2:14. Christ had taken the entire Law with Him at the cross, crucifying it with Himself, and thus blotting the Law out of existence. Only, it had been kept a secret in the time of Acts, but revealed to Paul post-Acts as he sat in jail in Rome 63 CE, writing Ephesians and Colossians.
Where do you have your loyalty…with the Word of God or with the membership you so helplessly stick to?
I chose to go with the Word of God, delivered to us Gentiles by God’s elect apostle for us, Paul. He is our Headmaster at the Campus, he was ordained by Christ to tell us Gentiles what regards salvation by faith alone, no works. Eph. 2:8, 9 is an essence of this salvation by faith, God’s unmerited favor,
“For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;
9not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”
Should we then resist the Pauline corrections of doctrine, or should we go with him and preach it accordingly?
The answer comes easy; of course we go with Paul, …for crying out loud!!
We cannot keep on with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - and with Acts. That was only for Israel in the time of the twelve apostles plus Paul, the thirteenth one. The cause was to have Israel repent and accept Jesus as Messiah so God could send Him from heaven in their own life time. The millennial Kingdom in Israel was the focus of this early apostolic mission.
THE SPIRITUAL ‘ATOM BOMB’ OF GOD
ABOLISHING THE LAW OF MOSES!
Here we come to the most bone shaking spiritual earthquake in Bible history:
Paul had the Law of Moses annulled, abolished, blotted out, littered…as he was given by God to reveal a hidden secret, like he tells in Eph. 2:14, 15; 3:1-9 and Col. 1:25, 26 – of which the abolishing of the Law was a part…AMP Bible,
“For He Himself is our peace and our bond of unity. He who made both groups—[Jews and Gentiles]—into one body and broke down the barrier, the dividing wall [of spiritual antagonism between us],
15by abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the hostility caused by the Law with its commandments contained in ordinances [which He satisfied]; so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thereby establishing peace.”
“For this reason [because I preach that you and believing Jews are joint heirs] I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
2assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was entrusted to me [to share with you] for your benefit;
3and that by [divine] revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have already written in brief.
4By referring to this, when you read it you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5which in other generations was not disclosed to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit;
6[it is this:] that the Gentiles are now joint heirs [with the Jews] and members of the same body, and joint partakers [sharing] in the [same divine] promise in Christ Jesus through [their faith in] the good news [of salvation].
7Of this [gospel] I was made a minister by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of His power.
8To me, [though I am] the very least of all the saints (God’s people), this grace [which is undeserved] was graciously given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the incomprehensible riches of Christ [that spiritual wealth which no one can fully understand],
9and to make plain [to everyone] the plan of the mystery [regarding the uniting of believing Jews and Gentiles into one body] which [until now] was kept hidden through the ages in [the mind of] God who created all things”.
“In this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship which God entrusted to me for your sake, so that I might make the word of God fully known [among you]—
26that is, the mystery which was hidden [from angels and mankind] for ages and generations, but has now been revealed to His saints (God’s people).”
Jesus let that Law of Moses be crucified on the cross with Him, but it was hidden from the believers in Acts period, but after Acts it was revealed to Paul as he sat in jail in Rome 62-63 CE. This is a non-negotiable Biblical fact, no less!
Only FIVE YEARS EARLIER, in 58 CE at Jerusalem under the feast of Pentecost, Paul met with the leaders of the Jerusalem assembly. James, brother of Jesus, greeted him, and pointed out that all of the messianic believers kept the Law and the ordinances. Paul also, - and to try to stagger bad rumors (that Paul told people to disregard the Law) they had him take the seven days rite of Nazarite wow shaving his head and bringing offer to the temple, Acts 21:17-26,
“When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us gladly.
18On the next day Paul went with us to [see] James, and all the elders of the church were present.
19After greeting them, Paul began to give a detailed account of the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20And when they heard it, they began glorifying and praising God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all enthusiastic supporters of the Law [of Moses].
21Now they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are living among the Gentiles to turn away from [the Law of] Moses, advising them not to circumcise their children or to live according to the [Mosaic] customs.
22What then should be done? They will certainly hear that you have arrived.
23Therefore do just what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow;
24take these men and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses [for the temple offerings] so that they may shave their heads. Then everyone will know that there is nothing to the things they have been told about you, but that you yourself also follow and keep the Law.
25“But with regard to the Gentiles who have believed [in Christ], we have sent them a letter with our decision that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from [consuming] blood and from [the meat of] what has been strangled and from sexual immorality.”
26Then Paul took the [four] men, and the next day he purified himself along with them [by submitting to the ritual]. He went into the temple to give notice of [the time] when the days of purification [ending each vow] would be fulfilled and the usual offering could be presented on behalf of each one.”
Should we stick to the ‘Old tradition and doctrine of the Law of Moses’ – or should we keep following Paul’s freshly revealed Bible truth: The Law is abolished, and salvation is now ONLY by faith in Christ, no works?
Of course, WE NOW FOLLOW PAUL’S REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY: WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH ALONE, AND NO MORE THE WORKS OF THE LAW!
Had Priscilla and Aquila been confronted with this truth, I am a hundred percent certain that they would have kept up with Paul’s new faith doctrine, and left the Acts-era behind. We have no written record of it, but I will bet that they did, if they were alive when Paul spread his free Grace Gospel in 63 – 66/67 CE.
WHEN THE LAW WAS ABOLISHED AS REVEALED
TO PAUL IN 62-63 CE, SO WAS PENTECOST, TONGUES,
SIGNS, MIRACLES, HEALINGS!
All of those miraculous things which happened during Acts period and the ministries of the apostles were given by Christ and the Holy Spirit while they all were obeying the Law of Moses, as well as they also were under the New Covenant. We cannot find any clue whatsoever, that these super-natural signs and wonders and healings operated AFTER that the Law of Moses was annulled. In other words, these things were given to Israel only, and some proselytes. Never to the heathens/nations (Greek, ethnos).
So – consequently we know by this fact that Pentecost and modern times ‘Pentecostalism’ and everything connected to this, is a total fake.
Pentecost was part of the Law, but went down with it when the Law was revealed as abolished on the cross. That made it impossible that God could have sent a ‘Second New Pentecost’ at the Azusa Street revival in 1906-1913. That event is a lie of sorts, which the believers unfortunately followed at that time…as well as up until our time. It is tragic.
The only Bible doctrine we shall follow in our time, is that which Paul wrote in the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians.
Only in these two epistles we can find the mention of ‘The Mystery’ and of the abolishment of the Law.
Gracepano.com
