The Contest Around God’s Altar
The “Whore” Church has stripped God of His glory and robbed many saints of their wedding garment. The international voice of the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) suggested (clips included) that smoking, drinking, and cursing would not send you to Hell if you were covered by grace. This minister made a great mockery of the old-fashioned altar calls and said that praying people through was not Biblical. A church altar is where souls surrender the flesh and its vileness and exchange it for God’s grace and His righteousness. When the church altar does not produce holiness, it has become an unclean place. When the ministry promotes unclean living among those that are supposed to be “Born Again,” they has crossed the line to blasphemy. Here, we are right at the door of the Rapture and the darkness of the Great Tribulation and our theme should be absolute purity and Godliness. Instead, we see the Church moving right into the “Whore” of Revelation chapter seventeen. Listen and answer these questions:
!. Does this sound like the Whore Church to you?
2. Of all times, why is this happening when the Rapture is at the door?
3. While Washington is going to Hell, shouldn’t the church altar be on fire with the Holy Ghost?
4. Is it blasphemy to trash what has happened around the altar in God’s house?
5. Would you rather have a dead church altar or a place where someone just saved gets a bit over emotional?
6. Do you believe that our Sovereign God is watching and in the midst of this compromise may be about to send His Latter Rain?
Listen carefully and pray with passion for Revival in the remnant churches.
Lorena Aguilar
Praise God for you!! If only more churches would say things like they are instead of
sugar coating things of the Bible. So many churches are not going the narrow path!
Look up for our redemption draws nigh!!!
patrick
This is a horrible way for a “minister” to lead his flock. He should be leading them away from this kind of behavior, not condoning it. We all know that stuff happens as we interact with the world, our feet get dirty and so forth and none are perfect and pastors are supposed to help and encourage us to get clean and stay clean, but leading Gods people to the pigpen of the world is abominable. He should be defrocked for saying things like this. Why is it happening? Because people are being conditioned through the media to compromise and reject Christ. About Washington?..I don’t think they represent the people of America anymore. The White House and congress are severely compromised and crippled in their leadership ability. They have all been taken over by lobbies and foreign interests. I strongly believe that God should take them all out and spare this nation the wrath that it is due and let the righteous rise up and take command. A great push of the latter rain would certainly help.
Julie Young
Hi Joseph, I read yourarticle. I know of a church called Sanctuary in Toronto where the homeless and mentally ill go to church. I ws wondering since so many of them who ask Jesus to forgive them and save them are still plagued by addiction and self destructive habits like anger, are they not covered by the same grace as us. Or are they not saved because they are not Godly enough. I am surely born again, Iam not speaking about myself, I suffer no addictions. I am just not sure what you are saying here. The man running Sanctuary is Greg Paul, he wrote the book ‘God in the Alley’. Are these people he’s leading to Christ not really saved because of their lifestyle?
ANSWER: The grace of God will change any man or women and make a new creature out of them. There is no exceptions. Read II Cor. 5: 17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” That says ALL. I was as down and out as one can be.
Pastor Chambers
Pasi
Amen, amen. This article gave me straight answers while I was struggling with this issue as a former alcoholic. I struggled many years to stop drinking, but after I confessed my sins to Lord Jesus Christ and accepted Him as a ruler of my life, I became totally free of alcohol. In past I could not stop drinking, now I can live happy christian life without alcohol. The thing I was struggling today is s.c. believers who continue drinking. I felt little bit nervous with them, although we are believing the same Gospel. I thougt i should make a speech of this subject. God Bless you in Lord Jesus.
kim segar
I think I read it very clear…HE took all our sins, past present and future. but in Romans Pasul preaches and says, well then can we just sin etc etc and etc. HE said: G-d forbid. but the very reason that G-d took all of our sin is because HE knew we could not stop. As long as we have the the flesh on us and are redemed we will sin in thot or deed. LIke G-d said : anyone who says they are without sin is a liar. Not to forget he told us,,I find myself doing and saying things I hate, I am the chief sinner. and like in the law when the Lord told us, I you break one you are guilty of ALL..so we are not to judge. WE all learn about HIM by reading His word and then we do whatever we can as we are fed to live a holy life. We get on what the bible says is meat. does that mean we won’t sin. NO IT DOESN”T..Paul and the others did to. they were not redemed yet. We must be born again. that means except HIM as our L-rd and Savior..HE told us He died ONCE AND FOR ALL for us and HE is not coming to die on the cross again. I lived with that mentallity my whole life. I won’t again. I get up and do my best to be pleasing to HIM to pick up my cross and follow Him and the more I read His word,the more I love Him and hate the world. we can choose HIM or the world as we cannot serve two masters. Who the Son sets free is FREE INDEED. Judge not that you may be judged and find yourself doing something worse..WE are saved by grace lest any man boast. Everyone fails HIM and hate it. but we keep right on fighting the good faith and know that for G-d so loved the world , HE gave HIS only begotten Son and that whoever believe on HIM , believe HE did for us, for our sin will be saved. what we do for HIS glory is what our rewards will be in value. anything we do to be seen by men will be burnt up. HE won’t share HIS GLORY with anyone. G-d bless all of you, don’t let anyone steal your blessed assurance. LIKE HE Said, NO one can take anyone out of my hand that MY Father gave me..Shalom KIM
Frances Vincent
This is a reslt of eternal security. Through this type of doctrine, you will turn back to your old behavure. One preacher on tbn said that if you commmit the same sin twice God won’t remmber
it. But that not true. Any sin that is not under the blood is not forgiven.
Jim S
Given that God is omnipresent, I believe the altar of God is wherever and whenever a person gives his life to the Lord, and is born again. While salvation may occur at a church altar, it can also occur at home or in a city alleyway. With that said, most evangelists agree that about ninety-percent of the church altar calls produce false converts. If true and I believe it is, then a pastor would need to be careful about telling people they are saved when in fact they remain in their sin. Turning from all forms of sinful behavior is to be expected from the believer who is born in the spirit, a new creature in Christ with imputed holiness. Further, we are not righteousness because of what we do but because of the holiness and righteousness Christ imputes to those who love and trust Him.
Karen
Jesus not only drank wine, His very first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding. So are you saying Jesus sinned? I hope not or we are all doomed! There are a lot of man made laws in churches that God never said was wrong. I’m going to obey God, not man.
Karen
I just want to add that one sin that today’s preachers are reluctant to teach on for fear of offending anyone is gluttony. Most of the churches I’ve attended are full of people who weigh twice as much as they should. We can’t pick and choose what we just THINK is sin. If it’s in the Bible it’s sin. God says what is sin and what is not. Not man.
Renee
Oh Father in Heaven, PLEASE, rend the Heavens and come down!!! Oh how we NEED Acts chapter 2 again. Oh how we NEED Revival. Oh how we NEED YOU!!!! Father forgive us, we know not what we do, and please rend the Heavens and come down, please. For Your name’s sake. For Your great glory, Father, we ask in the precious name of our Redeemer and Sovereign, the Lord Messiah Jesus Himself. Amen and amen!
Mike Roodt
I think we need to be careful that we do not put our trust in “what we do or do not do” rather than in the Lord Jesus Christ. Beware of becoming like the Pharisees who were quick to point to the faults of others when they were full of dead men’s bones. Ultimately it is my faith in Christ that saves me & nothing else, let us not begin to rely on our works for this is death. Remember he who says he is without sin according to James is a liar & the truth is not in him, we are all sinners, but thank the Lord of grace & mercy that He has made a way for us that we may know His forgiveness & made us fellow heirs with Christ. Is this because we deserve it? Is this because of any work on our part? Because I don’t smoke or drink? No it is by grace & grace alone. Judge not that ye be not judged take the log out of your own eye before attempting to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. Trust in Him & in Him alone. Grace & peace to you all in the name of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ.
PLEASE read carefully:
“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 3:20)
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
(I John 3:8)
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” ( I John 2:4)
It ia a crazy world that believes a Christian does not live clean and holy. They do not believe you need to worry about how you live!!!!!! Snoke, drink and curse and count it all under grace, but judgement is on the way.
Joseph Chambers
Karen
I’m still confused about the drinking part. Cursing, yes, the Bible says it’s a sin. Dressing modestly, yes we need to do that, respect for God’s house, absolutley! All things done in moderaton. When I have a headache, I take two aspirin, not the whole bottle. We need to eat, but not to access. Same goes with wine. A glass of wine with my spaghetti and meatballs in my home with my husband is not a sin. Saying it is would be to say Jesus sinned too. He drank wine, even at the Last Supper. Saying Jesus drinking wine is a sin would be blaspheme. We need to be careful what we are using to judge people with. If Jesus did it, it’s not a sin. Drinking to access, yes that would be a sin. All things in moderation. Some of these things are man made doctrines used to control the people and not done in love at all.
Karen: The Bible speaks of two kinds of wine. One is sweet wine or wine on or off the vine. The other is wine “that standeth upright in the cup” or strong wine or fermented wine. That the Bible forbids. The wine in our markets today is off limits to a saint of God. It makes one uninhabited. Men loves it because it makes a women (Or Man) less careful with themselves!!!
Pastor Chambers
Mike Roodt
Dear Pastor Joseph, I did not condone unrighteous living, we are all called to live under the law of Christ & to abide in Him & those who love Him will seek to obey His commandments. However the reality is that we are all imperfect & perfection will only come when we are changed in the twinkling of an eye when we meet Him one day. Yes in Christ we are a new creation but our fight with the old nature continues or we would be without sin. My point is that our trust must be in Him & the work that He completed on our behalf & not in our own works. I personally do not smoke or drink or curse, but that does not mean that I can judge those who do. The Lord deals with us individually as we are all at different stages of our walk with Him & He will test & purify us as we walk with Him.
Joshua
You are telling it like it is Rev. Chambers. The Bible says that we are in the world and not of it. The body is the Temple of God, and if we harm it with tobacco, it is a great sin. We are bought with a price, the Bible says. I had to leave my last church because of shallow preaching, and the fact that people who professed to be Christians were living together without the benefit of marriage, smoking, drinking, and cursing. Keep preaching the truth brother. You are right on target. God Bless You !
Joshua Nelson
I agree with you Rev. Chambers! And I know the Bible says that the body is the temple of God. So how can someone who professes to be a Christian smoke, as it does harm to the body? So it is a sin.
David Whichard
Hi all,
I beleive that we all have to humble ourselves, seek his face and turn from our wicked ways! Smoking and Drinking is harmful to the body but so is over eating and exercising too much (believe it or not you can exercise too much). I believe in moderation. I also believe a sin is a sin. Phil 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. With that being said, i am not God and will never come close to his knowledge or wisdom so lets leave the ultimate judging to him and let those who have issues be dealt with by the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, I minister to a ton of different people who hate church just for this reason. Instead of people showing them the power of Gods love and restoration the church shows them 1 million different ways why we each of our own opinions are right and everyone else is wrong. We need to show them Jesus. Lets remember while Jesus didnt partake in Sin he did go into the Highways and Byways and compell them.He hung around the theifs and prostitutes while leaving behind the religous and dignified…God bless you all!
Dear David,
The true Church will stand against sin with a powerful but sweet spirit. The problem in the church is not too much judgement (a better word is discernment) but too little. The present church world is so full of the false that a minister that does not proclaim the difference is treating his listeners wrongly. You cannot show Jesus without remembering He was strong to reveal the false religions of His day.
Pastor Chambers
Janice
I think that the main thing is this man is a Church of God pastor (and I use that lightly). He is preaching for everything the Church of God was built around. The things that made us diffrent from the rest of the world.If that is what he wants to preach he need to change to another type of Church.