Gold
Tried in the Fire
The Last Message Of Jesus Christ – Part Two
The Lord Jesus Christ continues to stand outside the door of the Church at Laodicea. He counsels Laodicea to admit her need for Him and buy of Him “gold tried in the fire.” The church’s greatest threat has never been persecution from the world, but acceptance from the world. We are no longer just co-mingling the ways of the world into our worship and walk with God, we have united ourselves at the hip with the world system. The Holy Spirit does not need the world’s methods to point the world to Christ. May we hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
By Chris McDonald
TEXT: Rev. 3:14-22 - And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; [15] I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. [16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. [17] Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: [18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. [20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. [21] To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. [22] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
As we continue our journal on the last message the Lord delivered to the Church, we want to take a look at some of the reasons the Lord Himself listed as to how and why Laodicea became apostate. These same reasons are in essence the same reasons the modern church world teeters on the brink of apostasy as well. This apostasy will give way to the great whore church during the Great Tribulation that will influence the entire Planet in seeking to martyr saints and remove the true worship of Jehovah from the hearts of men.
I know as I write this that it is very unpopular and not very uplifting to read journals we have been led to write the last few weeks that seem very biting and as some emails we have received stated “divisive.” Please understand when we are writing these journals, we are writing to ourselves first, then to whomever the Holy Spirit leads to our website. We do not write these in judgmental tones or self-righteous attitudes. We write these with fear and trembling always asking the Holy Spirit to reveal any darkness in our own hearts FIRST, then to deal with those He deems to through these words.
Correction is never easy. I don’t think anyone takes glee in writing things you know ahead of time that some will get angry over. Of course here lately we have stopped sending the links out for the articles on the website on a regular basis because so many delete them. We’ve had to rely on the Holy Spirit to bring whom He wants to this site for these journals. If you’re reading this, then more than likely the Holy Spirit has brought you here!
Some may ask “who are you to write journals correcting anything, you’re not even a pastor.” Well my answer to that is simple. ANY minister of the Lord who has been called to preach this gospel has a God-given ordained right to speak “thus saith the Lord.” If that word is sent to correct false doctrine, it doesn’t matter who it is giving it. It can be a donkey as Baalam the backslidden prophet so graphically found out. We as ministers of the gospel need to be doing more correcting. That is what has gotten us in the doctrinal mess we’re in today. There’s a church on every corner in America friend and you will have no trouble finding one that will serve you whatever gospel your tickling ears want to hear. We’re not seeking donors for this ministry when we write. The Lord is our inheritance and source. We are but a voice crying in the wilderness to a backsliding church to come back to the cross of Christ and renew its love for its Messiah. The days are short and the harvest is here. Judgment friend is on the horizon for Planet Earth. These are the days of awe and we are living in such a time as this. May every man be a liar and God be true and may we always be found faithful to carry His word – first in our own hearts and lives – then to speak that word without fear or favor to others.
I can only imagine the heart of Jesus was very broken as He dealt with the issues He saw in the church at Laodicea. To apostatize means that one has departed from or lost faith in the cross of Christ and has ceased even recognizing Christ as their Saviour and Messiah. It’s a horrible thing to lose one’s faith. There is no greater darkness or hell than that. I can tell you from experience that it is far worse to have had your faith at one time and walk away from it than to have never had it to begin with.
Contrary to teachings in certain parts of the body that say one can never depart from the faith if they’ve truly been saved, I would say, friend, one can’t depart from something they never possessed to begin with. Unconditional eternal security is not taught in the word of God. We are secure in Christ but we as created beings have a choice and a will and if through those two vehicles we CHOOSE to walk away from Christ we can do so. In doing so we will lose our eternal soul. God is married to the backslider, but His marriage to the backslider is His mercy sent to bring that backslider home to repentance before it is too late. Paul said "do you not know that the GOODNESS of God leadeth us to repentance?" Don’t be a fool and believe otherwise. Sin is nothing to wink at neighbor. If you are reading this and you want to play that type game with your eternal soul then go ahead, but friend, you’re playing with fire and you will be burned – literally if you don’t repent.
Just as so many in modern church circles today, the church at Laodicea was not full of heathen people. They were believers in Jesus who had let the deceitfulness of riches; pride, arrogance and self-reliance get in the way of their walk with the Lord.
Yeshua’s plea to them was meant to jolt their hearts back into a right relationship with Him. He wanted back in their midst as He, through the Holy Spirit, wants back in the midst of the church world today. So much that we do in modern religious circles seems so right on the surface. It seems so full of activity and excitement, yet so many times it is based upon the world’s standard and the world’s mentality – and that my friend is something the Holy Spirit will NEVER give His seal of approval to. He seeks places to dwell where He can work and move unhindered by the restraints of men and human hearts, which at best only gravitate to God to a measure. Very few men in history have sold out to God, as they should. I know from my own personal experiences in life that I cry out to God everyday to help me find that place where nothing is held back from Him. I am certain that I have not reached that place yet but am striving to do so and if most who are reading this journal are honest with themselves I know many of you are in the same boat.
There is so much the Holy Spirit wants from us yet we hinder His work in our lives. There is so much the Lord desires to show us, to teach us, to anoint us with, yet our unwillingness to turn over all our hearts to Him hinders that from happening. Leonard Ravenhill said prior to his death that world wide revival rests upon one thing and one thing alone – “ONE MAN READING THE WORD OF GOD AND SELLING OUT TOTALLY TO BELIEVE ALL OF IT”
I want so much to see a mighty outpouring of the Spirit upon this nation and the Body of Christ. I am not writing these journals with the intent to purposely divide or cause anger. But neighbor, the time is short and the word of God stands sure in these last days prior to the Rapture. The trends of the society we live in are NOT relevant to God nor do they dictate how He views sin and His plan of salvation that was carved out in the blood of the nail-scarred hands of Jesus 2000 years ago. Mankind views truth as relevant; in other words if the truth spoken goes against what is “relevant” for the time at hand – be it history or a certain circumstance – man ignores that truth. But the truth of the Word of God is not constrained by such foolishness. God’s word is God’s word whether it is 1703 or 2003!
The outpouring of the Spirit is already taking place in certain parts of the world. I’m afraid with the advent of modern television that we in the Body have grown so accustomed to ministries parading their accomplishments before us on national Christian networks that we have equated the Spirit’s moving on Planet Earth with such. Friend, it is far from that. It goes so much deeper than just a sideshow or an award from human organizations. When the Spirit of God moves upon this Planet there is going to be such a change in the hearts of those who will accept it that the world will, like Jesus promised, TRULY hate those who are the Master’s! Mark what I say to you today. I want to say it again.
John 7:7
7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
John 15:18-20
18 If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
When the Holy Spirit gets through with His work in our hearts and lives – the world will no longer be in bed with us and we will no longer be in bed with the world. I heard a well-known evangelist say something the other day over radio that was right on target. He said that it was about 30 years ago when the church started courting the world and co-habitating with the world system. In spite of that courtship there was still a distinction between the two. But this courtship has degenerated now into such a union between the church and the world that that distinction has virtually disappeared. In other words we are no longer just co-mingling with the world, we have become one with the world.
Yeshua says that if the world hates us, it’s because they hated HIM before they hated us (believers). If we were of the world – the world would LOVE HIS OWN, which it does today. Because, as the Lord says, we are NOT OF THIS WORLD, because He has CHOSEN US OUT OF THIS WORLD – the world WILL HATE US!!!!!
The time is coming when we will no longer be co-mingling the ways of God with the ways of men. Lukewarm Christians have no problem with mixing the ways of God with the ways of men. Lukewarm believers, like those found in Laodicea, do not equate the Holy Spirit with repentance, moanings, and mourning over sin, deep contrition before God, and weeping over our lost condition without His presence. Laodicea equated the Holy Spirit with material gain, which is exactly what is being pushed today in many circles as the gospel. It is not.
I was in a southern city just this past week at the time of the writing of this journal when I turned on a national Christian television program. If I called the name of the ministry everyone would know it immediately. The man’s wife was teaching on this specific program about the reasons why we all needed to have new homes and new cars. In the 45 minutes I listened to her (about 15 minutes into this I was ready to vomit) she never one time mentioned even the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for us at Calvary. Not one time did she address the fact that all the riches in the world would not be a covering for a soul gripped by SPIRITUAL poverty. Everything she said was about being blessed financially and prospering so we could live in a life of ease.
You may ask, “Well what did the people think about it who were listening to her.” That is a really EASY question – how do you think they felt about it? They LOVED it. The crowd was going wild with each sentence she proclaimed that it was God’s will for ALL His children to be rich and increased with goods. What this lady was saying is almost verbatim embraced Laodicea’s attitude about its own spiritual state. The Lord was not happy with their emphasis or focus on material riches and we can be sure He is not happy with the modern church’s focus and emphasis on material riches today.
Four things summarized the condition of Laodicea:
1. The emphasis of this Church was on material goods
2. They equated the increase in material goods with Spiritual blessings, which they were not.
3. The tragedy lay in the fact that while this Church gloated over material wealth, she was unconscious and numb of her spiritual poverty
4. In the eyes of God, this Church was “wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.” What in indictment.
Because You Say, “I Am Rich And Increased With Goods.”
Rev. 3:17 - Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked
The phrase “because you say ‘I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing,’” presents the condition of the church in the last days prior to Christ’s return – the days we currently live in! Laodicea equated material abundance with spiritual blessings. Even though they viewed it this way, it is clear the Lord did not!
This spirit prevails over the entirety of the Church world at the present time. The seedbed for this particular spirit and attitude that our Lord addressed at Laodicea is rooted to the proverbial T to the “Word of Faith” doctrine. The bedrock of this doctrine teaches that the Church, and by that we mean every member of the Church, is called to have abundant riches. Consequently, every Scripture in the Bible is turned and twisted, to try to make it pertain to their doctrine. Unfortunately, there seems to be enough greed in the heart of many believers to make all of this very appealing. “You can be rich,” is their cry, and it’s all in the name of the Lord!
Under the guise of faith, all types of proposals and promises are made. People are told if they will give so much money, by a certain date all of their bills will be paid. Of course they are encouraged to keep giving because of the pot of gold supposedly right around the corner, or at least at the end of the rainbow. The Truth is, the only ones getting rich in this ‘scam,’ and it is a scam, are the preachers. Satan is very clever. The very money that should be going to feed the poor and hungry, and spread the gospel to the world, is instead going to “Satan’s” ministers and that is exactly what they are. (2 Cor. 13:11-15)
2 Cor. 11:13-15
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
If the money doesn’t wind up in the preacher’s pocket, it usually winds up in a building that is going up in the preacher’s name “for the sake of ministry.” Huge cathedrals, that are no more than a microcosm of what took place at the tower of Babel, are springing up left and right in America today. The men behind these huge building projects justify what they are doing claiming it is for the Lord. Friend, none of us has a right to judge their hearts or their motives- only God can do that but common sense will tell us that if a building project is from the Lord – that project will not seek to glorify a ministry or a man – it will seek to glorify Jesus!
I’m going to stop here and make a very important statement so please read what I have to say very closely. I know that there are legitimate needs in the Body of Christ today for churches. Congregations grow as the Lord blesses and the need for space arises. There is a lot to be said for men who receive unction from the Lord to build and obey that call. Those type projects never fleece the sheep! Those projects are usually done in an un-wasteful manner and the Lord always gets the glory for what is done. But friend if you have a choice in sending your offerings to a ministry that is wanting to build a new “ministry center” that will cost millions of dollars or sending that offering to a hurting orphanage over in Africa or a ministry dedicated 100% to feeding the poor – GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THE POOR!
This spirit of riches and gain has permeated the entirety of the Church, more or less. The word of Faith doctrine, which is the seedbed for this spirit, is actually on its own merit not totally unscriptural. There is some truth in what is being taught which makes it even more deceiving and hard to discern by many. Satan is very clever in his efforts to “sow” leaven in the body. He will put a dab here and dab there of truth to hook most but the end result and fruit of what is being taught will always be DEATH!
God does bless! God blesses abundantly! God definitely loves a cheerful giver, and if we give abundantly, we will reap abundantly. (2 Cor. 9:6). Those are scriptural and Biblical principles we need to live by!
2 Cor. 9:6
But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he, which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully.
However, if our giving is motivated by greed, we will not reap. Our giving as Paul stated in 2 Cor. 8:8 is to “prove the sincerity of our love.” If we will sow money into the Kingdom of God for GOD’S PURPOSES and not man’s we can be guaranteed of the blessings of God. Obedience is the key, not sacrifice. This money gospel friend is leading many down a dead end road. Sadly, when the pot of gold doesn’t come, many get frustrated at the Lord, and in some cases even lose their faith thinking the Lord “failed” them in some type way.
I remember Bree Keyton of Kansas City telling a story of a woman who recently received a prophecy that a Brinks truck would show up at her doorstep if she gave to the man’s ministry. She gave her money to the man, then quit her job and waited for the Brinks truck to show up – which never did. Sadly, this lady lost everything she owned because she heard such foolishness and believed it.
2 Cor. 8:8
I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
The problem is not with the Lord, it’s with those who have twisted the word of God for material gain and sold out the gospel for the mighty dollar bill. I read a sermon from a revivalist from long ago that bears repeating today in 2003 - “it’s far more important for the church to have nothing materially and be saved and in right standing with its God, than for the church to have everything materially and be lost.”
The True State Of Laodicea
Rev. 3:17b – “and knoweth not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked,”
The phrase “knoweth not that you are wretched, and miserable, poor, and blind, and naked” proclaims what the Lord says about Laodicea’s spiritual state, which in the Lord’s eyes is far more important than its material state.
The word ‘wretched’ actually is translated here in Greek as “the wretched one.” It is used in this same manner in Romans 7:25:
Romans 7:24
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
The Lord is asking us the same question today He asked Laodicea. Do we really know how fallen away from Him we are? Are we so deceived that we don’t see our need for Him and Him alone????? There is no middle ground; we are either hot or lukewarm. We are either spiritually rich, or we are spiritually wretched.
The modern Church is rich in worldly goods, and at the same time proud of its intellectual wealth. Self-complacency in our comfortable, worldly circumstances, which means most have little regard or concern for the coming of the Lord, the Rapture of the Church, has robbed us of true spiritual life. Most are puffed up with vain philosophies and have learned to be satisfied in their spiritual state. Most put their faith in their own intellect and abilities to keep them saved instead of keeping their faith in the finished work of Christ. Don’t think this is an isolated incident or relegated to a particular denomination. It’s not. Many mistake greed for faith, ambition for consecration, and walking after the flesh, for walking after the Spirit.
Most hypocrites never realize they are hypocrites! Many think themselves “good” and in “need of nothing.” This is called “delusion.”
Modern spirit-filled churches are not really spirit-filled. If a Church has opted for humanistic psychology as the panacea for its ills, rock music for its entertainment, and money as it’s god – friend the Holy Spirit is not within 10 million miles of that church – I don’t care WHAT name is on the front and how many clichés it has on its billboard outside hoping to catch people and motivate them to attend their services. It’s of SATAN! I don’t know of too many mainline Pentecostal denominations right now without a hired psychologist on staff to handle its members’ “ISSUES.” That is sad. That is in essence trampling under our feet the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which is the ONLY remedy for the ills of mankind. Neighbor if that church shrink could set you free from those “issues,” (which by the way will 99% of the time go away with 100% Bible-based and heart felt REPENTANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) then Jesus Christ died in vain.
Friend, that shrink needs deliverance along with you! You’re laying on the wrong sofa! You need to be at the foot of the cross, not at the foot of some paid professional who never shed pure, righteous and holy blood for you on a cross that shook the gates of hell and set the captive free. I think I want to preach right now. Oh, Glory to God. Hallelujah! Praise God for the RISEN LAMB who was slain from the foundation of the earth to set us free from sin, bondage, hell and Satan. It’s not psychology – it’s the BLOOD. It’s not Freud – IT'S JESUS! It’s not about your generational demons – it’s about being from ADAM, who fell and brought the whole human race down. Your daddy’s demons may be affecting you but neighbor we got our attention on the wrong daddy. ADAM is the father of the human race and his nature is in all of us when we come into this world. It’s only through faith in the SECOND ADAM that we are set free from the nature of the FIRST ADAM. No psychology session can do that for you sir. No psychology session can do that for you lady. No psychology session can set you free mister. You can keep paying your money. You can keep wasting your time but it’s a worthless effort.
Preacher, get the shrink out of your church and put an old-fashioned altar back in your church. Stop sending people to a counseling session. Instead, repent and come back to God, get full of the Holy Ghost and have a POWER SESSION! You’ll be surprised how the drug addictions, the bondages, the broken marriages, the adultery, the lust, the greed, the tempers, the anger, the hate, and the smug self-righteousness among your people will STOP! GLORY TO GOD!
Laodicea’s Message And The Spirit Of Antichrist
John in his first Epistle said: “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. “
The word “antichrist” as it is used here actually means in the Greek “pseudochristos.” In other words, it is a spirit that claims to be of Christ, but in reality it is not of Christ.
I want to make a statement here. Jot it down. Remember it. Meditate on it. The Holy Spirit does not use the world or the ways of the world to bring souls to Christ.
1 John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Sometime back I remember a particular Christian television network promoting a movie they had just made, which incidentally cost precious millions of dollars to make, exclaiming to the world they were going to win “thousands to Christ,” and as they put it, “we are going to change Hollywood.”
They interviewed preacher after preacher who all exclaimed how wonderful all of this was, with statements like “we’ve finally come of age,” or words to that effect. One key phrase I heard a lot was “we’re now on the cutting edge with this new fad we’re bringing to the American public and theater business.” I’ll leave the cutting edge remark alone for now, but as these men were bragging as how they had to hire Hollywood actors to make this movie I just shook my head and said - “how in heaven is this going to clean up the industry??????”
I had many questions. I’ll even leave alone the fact that this Christian network used actors who also have stared in some of the ungodliest, hellish, rotten filthy movies you’d ever want to see; yet they found themselves staring in a movie “to win souls for Christ.”
In spite of my questions, I went to see this movie, which was supposed to be an expose’ of the end times and what will happen after Jesus returns for the church. I’m not a movie critic and I’m not going to waste my time critiquing this foolishness in this journal. But there were two things that disturbed me greatly about what was happening. One, the movie’s plot was blatantly off-based when it comes to the Bible’s view of the end times. It wasn’t even close. I’ll just leave it at that. The second thing however was even more disturbing and probably the thing that I believe grieved the Holy Spirit the most.
The main character in the film is lost. He does not know God but through the events of the movie he comes to a place of decision at the end. As he kneels down he not one time mentions the name of CHRIST in his prayer for salvation. His prayer was simply, “help me God.” He is then shown 5 seconds later saved.
Call me cynical. Call me what you want – but I felt as if the Lord Jesus was slapped in the face with this biggest waste of ministry money I think I had ever seen. I told my wife as we walked out of the theater that “I’m ashamed of what I just saw – they were not bold enough to have this man repent of his sins and call on the name of Jesus to be saved. What type of gospel are we spreading?” And then the thought hit me – this Christian network didn’t want to offend Hollywood so to make the movie more appealing they left out the true way to be born again. And thus the claim from the beginning of “we’re going to take the gospel to thousands,” was a bogus lie.
Neighbor, if thousands saw that movie and they said “is that all I have to do to be saved,” is just say “God help me,” without any recognition of their fallen state or condition – where does that put those people’s souls in relation to eternity? If I’m going to sink millions of dollars into something like this (which was stupid to begin with) then I’m at least going to make a movie that will draw a line in the sand and declare that there is NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN WHEREBY MEN MUST BE SAVED BUT BY JESUS CHRIST. I don’t care if Hollywood doesn’t accept the film.
My 9 year old son watched the movie and even said “Daddy, this doesn’t make any sense why they made such a movie. There was nothing about Jesus in the movie to make people want to be saved.” If my 9-year old child knows better than this how come spirit-filled preachers don’t??????????? And how come thousands of other preachers who were extolling this foray into the world not know either?
They claimed to take the gospel to the world but my question again is simply “what gospel?”
Through this foray of foolishness, this network promoted what John called a “pseudochristos,” which in English means “another Jesus, produced by another spirit, which proclaims another gospel.” THAT SPIRIT IS RAMPANT TODAY.
2 Cor. 11:4
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
This was from a so-called spirit-filled Christian network. It was not from the heathen or the secular humanist but from the church world seeking to make friends with the world system. Neighbor, John also warned us:
1 John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
This network I speak of is T.B.N. Much of what goes forth from this network is tragically nothing but gospel-wrapped up New Age humanism and apostasy. Not every preacher who preaches over this network spreads that type message but most tragically do. The greater horror though is the number of Christians who view this on television and have no idea of what is false doctrine and what is real.
Because we say we’re increased with goods and have need of nothing, we have become BLIND. Spiritual blindness is an awful state to be in. It’s not a state you or I want to EVER find ourselves. A blind man can’t see what is coming at him and he doesn’t know where he is going. He just wanders aimlessly in darkness and whatever danger or peril is ahead he is oblivious to it. Unless he receives light, he will eventually perish without help. That is the state of millions. That was the state of Laodicea. It was rich. It was busy. It was building. It was affluent. It had tons of activity. It had talent I’m sure. It had “ministry stars” that people knew by name. It had all sorts of worldly allure to it. But it was BLIND, WRETCHED, MISERABLE and NAKED.
When we are blind we never see ourselves as naked before the Lord. Spiritual nakedness means we are open to the wrath of God without a covering. The covering we need to protect us from the wrath of God is NOT a man-made denomination. You have Christian leaders going all over the country claiming to be able to provide one with spiritual covering. Don’t make me laugh. The only covering for man is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only covering you and I need is the blood.
And before you scream, “wait a minute, we need accountability in the Body of Christ,” let me be the first to agree with you. But accountability is not some ignorant demon-possessed deacon telling a pastor what to do and what not to do while threatening to hold their tithes or kick the preacher and his family out the door. We are to submit ourselves to each other as unto the Lord. If we belong to a local church and that pastor is preaching the Word of God, we are to submit ourselves to his authority “as he follows Christ.” Within that body of believers there needs to be elders that are submissive to the pastor and vice versa. The pastor needs to have a submissive spirit to his elders and the elders needs to have a submissive spirit to the pastor. If the pastor is a hireling and not preaching the gospel my suggestion is go somewhere and find one who is and SUBMIT yourself to them. Don’t ever create or stir up rebellion in a church.
Accountability is not about covering. Accountability is just good common sense to keep us out of the pit! We need each other. There’s an enemy out there seeking to destroy the souls of men – including believers. I get tickled at some preachers who tell their flocks not to worry about Satan because he is just “as a roaring lion,” emphasizing the fact the enemy just roars and he has no power. Friend, if you are not anchored in God’s prescribed order of victory for your life you will find out really quick just how much power the enemy has over you. You will find out that he can do a whole lot more than roar outside the protection of the blood of Christ and the security of the work Christ did at the cross. Satan was defeated at Calvary but if we move from that place of victory and put our faith elsewhere – all bets are off.
We need to watch each other’s back. We are in a war friend and there are going to be some casualties. We need the covering of the Lord upon us every single second of every single day. To have a man-made “covering” is in my opinion a losing investment. Covering friend is having the Lord’s blood covering our hearts, our minds, our homes, our churches, our children, and our spouses. It’s about having the only force in the universe on our hearts that can stop the power of the enemy. Satan is not too scared of your church or church organization; he’s petrified though of the Blood! My Lord somebody needs to shout with me right here. I feel this neighbor. Satan, the BLOOD of Jesus is against you! The Blood of Jesus is against you enemy. You have been defeated, not because of anything we have done, but because of what CHRIST has done. And our authority is based strictly on the process of faith we place in that Blood – nothing else!
Gold Tried In The Fire
Rev. 3:18a
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich……
In the 18th verse of this passage we see five main things: (we will close this journal with this first one)
1. Jesus Christ is the Counselor
2. He gives counsel to buy of Him the TRUE riches
3. The “gold tried in the fire,” which constitutes true riches, is contrasted with spiritual poverty
4. The “white raiment” is the only sufficient covering for our spiritual nakedness
5. The eyes of Christians need to be anointed by the Holy Spirit, “that we may see.”
Christ is our counselor. The prophet Isaiah gave Him that name 700 years before Messiah’s birth:
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
The term “gold tried in the fire,” presents us with the thought of metal being placed in a furnace, heated until it turns to liquid, then the impurities rising to the surface, where they are skimmed off. Nothing but the “fire” accomplishes this task.
As with the gold, there is only one way for the child of God to be brought to where the Holy Spirit desires, and that is through what Isaiah calls the “furnace of affliction.”
Isaiah 48:10
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
Christ was telling Laodicea – “you say you have need of nothing and are rich and increased with goods; I say to you that you need to be tried in the fire and go through the furnace of affliction.”
Unfortunately, Christ’s words flies in the face of much teaching in the Body of Christ today that tell people we can reach a place where no affliction will ever come. When we go through affliction – no matter the source or the reason – we can be sure the Lord is using it to purify our lives. As long as you breath the air on Planet Earth child of God you are in an eternal war with the enemy of your soul. Granted, his power is limited over you and he must ALWAYS go to God before he inflicts pain or suffering on you – but make no mistake – we will enter the Kingdom of God “through many tribulations and pressures,” as James told the early church.
II Th 1:4-6
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
Acts 14:22
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
When the Lord called Paul into the ministry, Ananias didn’t lay his hands on Paul and say, “oh brother Paul, things are going to be great. You’re going to be driving around in a Mercedes, wearing fancy jewelry, designer suits and staying in the posh hotels for the gospel sake.” NO! He said the Lord has sent “me to tell you what things you must SUFFER for the Kingdom of God.”
Acts 9:15-17
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Neighbor the church’s problem has NEVER been persecution. Our problem has ALWAYS been acceptance. When the world started accepting the church and its message we lost the world! When they were burning us at the stake for what we preached and teached they saw something in our hearts that was not of this world – but from above. It angered them and it caused many precious saints to lose their lives; but in the flames of the fire was mingled the blood of those whose words echo throughout eternity to this day rebuking us for our courtship with those who blaspheme God.
Laodicea’s crowd had no part with this type message. They wanted to hear a message that promised them riches and fame. Jesus’ claim to them was that if they were to be pleasing to Him they were going to have to buy of Him “gold tried in the fire.”
The Purchase Price
Jesus asks Laodicea to “buy of him gold tried in the fire.” It speaks to us of the words of Isaiah as well when he cried over 700 years ago:
Isaiah 55:1
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
This is which Jesus spoke, is to be bought, but not with money. Regrettably money was the coin that the Laodiceans were attempting to spend in God’s economy, which is not legal tender. Jesus has already paid it all. He paid for this great Salvation, along with all of its victory, by the pouring out of His precious BLOOD on the cross of Calvary. There he “bought” man’s redemption and redeemed Adam’s fallen race. In fact, the price is so staggering that it defies all description. But praise God we can say that whatever that price was, it was “paid in full”!
How then do we as believers “buy” this gold tried in the fire? We “buy” this gold by the giving of ourselves totally and completely to Christ. The Holy Spirit then sets about to purify what we have, thereby bringing us to the place of NO DEPENDENCE at all on the flesh, and ALL on the HOLY SPIRIT. We don’t come to this place quickly or easily.
There are three things as we close this journal that we want to share with you that we believe will assist us in our understanding of this process:
1. We are to understand that EVERYTHING comes to us from God by the means of the Cross of Christ.
1 Cor. 1:17-18
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
[18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1 Cor. 1:21
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1 Cor. 1:23
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1 Cor. 2:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
1 Cor. 2:5
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Salvation, healing, baptism in the Holy Spirit, prophetic unction, gifts of the Spirit, fruit of the Spirit and all workings of the Kingdom of God are built upon this foundation. As Paul said, there is NO OTHER FOUNDATION that men can lay except the foundation of the cross of Christ!
2. Our faith must be anchored SECURELY in Christ and what He did for us at the Cross.
If our faith is in ourselves, our “money,” our “education,” our own efforts to sanctify ourselves, we will miserably fail. We are not under Law, but under Grace.
Romans 6:3-14
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? [4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: [6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. [7] For he that is dead is freed from sin. [8] Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: [9] Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. [10] For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [11] Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. [13] Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [14] For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
3. The Holy Spirit, who Alone can do this work within our lives that needs to be done, and Who functions entirely within the parameters of the Finished Work of Christ, will then work mightily for us, in us and through us.
Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Neighbor, are you saved? Is your faith in the cross of Christ today? I’m not talking to the unsaved here as much as to born again believers who have lost their way with God and found themselves gripped by this spirit of Laodicea. Friend, the Lord loves you. As I stated in the first part of this journal, our intentions are not to divide or sound cynical or callous.
I can tell you from experience that when you are tried in the fire there are no formulas to get you out of the process! But if you will stop trying to wiggle out from underneath this process you will see your faith come forth as gold. Job declared it. Peter declared it. The trials and tribulations of this life are not meant to destroy us but to purify us and keep us on the path of life.
Job 23:8-10
8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
1 Pet 1:7-9
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
(KJV)
Job 13:15-18
15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
17 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.
18 Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.
The shores of time are littered with millions of people who when they went through the trials and tribulations they ceased trusting in the Christ of the church. They put their faith in things that would not prosper and will not save. Neighbor when the storm comes, and it will come, your faith has only one anchor – and that is the CROSS OF CHRIST. That is the anchor of your soul when the winds blow and the waves rage. As the days approach rapidly toward the Great Tribulation, more and more will we as true believers be tested in our faith.
Know today that the Holy Spirit’s work in you is not temporal but eternal. For that reason ALL things are working together for the GOOD of your life.
You may be reading this today and going through trials so hot that maybe you have become discouraged. Your infirmities and weaknesses have gotten the better of you. My word to you to day is to rejoice oh Child of God. The Spirit of God who lives inside of you is there as your intercessor on earth and to keep your faith anchored in Christ. Paul said it so beautifully in Romans 8 when he said:
Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
He then goes on to say:
Romans 8:27-28
And he that searches the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. [28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Neighbor that promise is to you and that promise is to me. The Spirit of God is interceding on your behalf today for those things that “we know not” how to pray for. Thank God, thank God for the Lord Jesus who came to die on Calvary’s cross that we might have the fellowship of the Holy Ghost who has opened the door for fellowship back to the Father and the Son. Without the Blood, there is no Spirit. Without the Spirit, the reality of the blood will never be fully experienced in our Christian walk. Buy of the Lord today “gold tried in the fire.” Anchor your faith in the cross of Christ and His finished work of redemption in your life today. He sits at the right hand of God interceding that that work become eternal as we speak to you this second.
Ask for discernment in days ahead to help stay free of false doctrine. Embrace the truth of the gospel and be wary of any gospel that does not point you to the cross. It’s harvest time neighbor and it’s getting late. God bless.
