By Tom Shanklin

Satan has been busy  invading the institutional church for quite some time. His plan is to undermine all the foundations of faith until all that is left is an empty shell of religion. Such hallow structures are of a absolutely no threat to Satan and his kingdom of darkness, but, in fact, are tools that he can use to further his purposes.

In some worldly institutional churches today, we see:

-The acceptance of people with openly immoral lifestyles in positions of authority in the church. It seems today anything goes, and worldly religious systems will go to great lengths to justify unrighteous behavior.  I don’t mean to say that those who have sinned or missed it in an area of their lives are disqualified from serving in leadership. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In Christ, there is forgiveness and grace and the Lord will and does use those who repent of their sins to lead His people. But the Bible is quite clear that God calls his leaders to a standard of righteousness.

-An undermining of the basic truths of the Gospel such as the virgin birth, the resurrection of Christ, the power of the blood of Jesus, and the new birth. By the inspiration of the devil, theologians have devised a “Christian” philosophy which is void of power. It all sounds good to the natural man, but it is void of any true spiritual power. In essence, it is natural man’s attempt to avoid the reality that he is sinful, needs to repent, and needs a redeemer. The Bible calls these false teachings “doctrines of devils.”

-Compromise with false religions. According to the Word of God, there is only one way to be saved. His name is Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. Buddah is not the way. Confucius is not the way. Mohammed is not the way. Transcendental meditation is not the way. In the name of “tolerance,” many church leaders are so accepting of other religions, that they have come to approve of them as “equally valid expressions of faith” or “one of the many paths to God.” Jesus said, either you are for me or you are against me. There can be no compromise. We are not to be hateful or mean to people with other beliefs, but neither are we to accept a lie as the truth.

For many faithful people in these institutional churches, these developments have brought about conflict and consternation. As they have seem their denominations go from bad to worse, as they have seen the Word of God trashed by compromise and perversion, they have wondered what to do. Some have finally said, “Enough is enough!” and have left those false structures to find or to found new churches, which hold up the Word of God and endeavor to walk in the truth. They have heard a voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4)  Others have sought to bring change from within these structures.

Today is a time to be very careful about what you believe and who you follow. There is much deception in the world and, yes, even in the church. Find out what the Bible says, and follow lt. Only when you follow the Word of God are you truly following Jesus Christ. Remember, not everything that glitters is gold and not every thing that religious leaders say is truth, no matter how many initials they have after their name. Jesus said of the false relgiious leaders of His time, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Mat. 15.14)

Jesus also said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) The Word of God is the standard by which everything should be judged. Read it for yourself and find out what it says.

It is time for reformation, and a cleansing of perversion and lies in the church of Jesus Christ, but those changes can only come as our eyes are opened to the truth. Do not be lulled to sleep by the subtle tricks of the enemy. He will try to get you to accept one lie or compromise at a time, until finally he has you in his grip and destroys you.

Pray this simple prayer with your mouth and from your heart:

“Dear Father, I believe in you, the God of the Bible, and your Son, Jesus Christ. I repent of my sin. I repent of false religion and compromise. I choose to follow you with all my heart and all my soul and all my being. I believe in the virgin birth, the power of the blood, and I believe You raised Jesus from the dead. I refuse to compromise. I say with my mouth, Jesus  Christ is Lord! I give you glory and honor, Father, in Jesus name. Amen.”

I encourage you to find a strong local church where the Bible is taught. I would also like to send you a booklet I have written entitled “Becoming a Strong Christian” to help you in your walk of faith. Write and request your free copy today or download it free here.