Below is a comment I received from a dear saint this morning. I thought I would share it as it did my heart good and it is thought provoking. The comment was in regard to a post of mine ” A Call To The Remnant,” https://acalltotheremnant.com/a-call-to-the-remnant/ which of course is also the name of this site. The comment…….
“Wow, I really enjoyed this post; it brought tears to my eyes and it really encouraged me, because I am one of those who was wounded by Christ, and I am now a remnant soul. Jesus disciplines those he loves, isnโt that so? I was deeply embedded in the Word of Faith cult, all the while thinking I was saved, I was in need of deliverance. I thought I was in the light, but I was in a false light that was really darkness, and how great was that darkness! While he was dealing with my motherโs adulteries through sicknesses, to the point of bringing her rebellious heart to finally repent of her sins while on her death-bed, he was changing my heart too. In the aftermath of prophecies and promises of her healing that were supposed to be from the LORD, but were left unfulfilled, I was finally ready for the truth. I was desperately hungry and thirsty for the real Almighty God.
The Man After Godโs Own Heart (Part Two) —-Bro Allan Halton
As we read the story of Saul we discover that he wasnโt a man who had much of a regard for learning Godโs ways. His own ways were quite good enough for himโas they were for the Gentile kings. No one told them what to do. And, after all, wasnโt he a king just like the nations round about? Isnโt this what the people wanted in the first place? But this was Godโs kingdom, and the two โmistakesโ we highlighted in the first part of this message cost Saul the kingdom. He made others beside the two we have spoken of, and they were all rooted in the same soilโa heart that was ready enough to sideline God and do what was reasonable in its own eyes. As we said last time, we see this same heart of Saul on every hand in the leadership of the churches of our day, and because of it an immense collapse is inevitable. The thing is… finding fault is easy enough, but knowing where others are missing it is of no value if we are not searching our own heart. If we want to make sure we ourselves donโt get caught in the looming disaster it will mean two things:
1) We must wait for God when waiting is so difficult. In the press of desperate circumstance when God is nowhere in sight we must resist the temptation to do what is expedient in our own eyes; we must wait for Godโfor His direction, for His help, for His strategy… for Himself, His Presence. Our churches are chock full of things that men decided to go ahead with when God was absent, was silent; there are countless programs and methodologies that the Lord of the church had absolutely nothing to do with bringing into being. We must repent of this evil, and get on our knees with a broken and contrite heart and seek the Anointed Jesus our Lord to come to us once again… and with His anointing help us offer the burnt offering.
Let us look at what kind of Kingdom Constantine built. You decide if he initiated and contaminated Christendom with a contagion that lasts until this day, that created the Catholic church and also the reformed church. In 313 Constantine issued the Edict of Milan. This granted freedom of religion to all men, including Christians. I know that this may come as a shock to many American Christians, but yes, there was freedom of religion prior to some settlements in the colonies. Constantine went on and decreed that the properties stolen from Christians during the persecution would be returned. He also decreed that the houses of prayer that were burned would be rebuilt and paid for by the state. And even with that , Constantine was not finished. He decided in his earthly wisdom and undoubted friendliness towards those of the Christian faith that they should have very fine buildings in which to worship, very much larger structures since it was now the favored religion of the state. The previous modest houses of prayer would be too small to hold the large crowds that would now come, so he built them ” churches,” that were more ornate than the pagan temples of the day.
So we went from a faith that met in very modest houses of prayer to highly ornate temples of worship. We went from a faith that was persecuted by the state to a faith that was made an amalgam of the state. Constantine further recognized that most bishops and deacons lived on or near the poverty line. Now think about that saints-saints on or near the poverty line. Now this was often by choice, men gladly giving up their estates, but nevertheless that is how most bishops and deacons lived prior to the great persecution of Diocletian. Now Constantine thought this most improper that men of the status of a bishop or a deacon should live in such a manner. So Constantine decided that the state would pay them a handsome salary. Think about it saints. Just a few years before Christendom had faced the most sever persecution and now here was Constantine, building extravagant buildings called churches and paying bishops and deacons handsome salaries. Brilliant strategy of the Devil? Good cop bad cop syndrome with Diocletian and Constantine? I would argue that it could only have happened against the backdrop of such a great persecution. Prior to this men of God would not even take governmental roles never mind have the state pay for ornate buildings and receive a wage from them. One more thing, Constantine decreed that these churches did not have to pay property tax, which was one of the main ways Rome raised revenue.
This article will be in two parts and will explore the effect that the Emperor Constantine had on the church worldย then and as we know it today and how this relates to genuine Kingdom or remnant saints. So what is the title of this article asking? What does it mean to be either a Kingdom , pilgrim or remnant saint? All of these titles describe one person, the saint who walks in the Kingdom of God.ย They come from every tribe, every tongue and every nation. They cross denominational lines. Their identity is established in Christ , not in men or men’s Kingdom.ย The walk of such a saint is often a lonely walk.
In every century down through the ages, beginning with the death and resurrection of Jesus, we see this saint. He is a lover of the Truth and would rather die than deny this truth. He would rather walk this world alone than compromise the truth. His country cannot shake it, his friends cannot shake it nor even his family because while he may love all of these passionately , nothing even comes close to his passion for the Truth. He has been captured by it, bought by it, ruined for the things of this world by it.ย Of course this truth of which I speak is the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father except by Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, ruler of the Kingdom of God.
I would like to comment on John McArthur’s recent conference and book ” Strange Fire.” This conference and the book is an all out attack, not just on Charismatics but also on anyone who believes in the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in sign gifts such as Tongues, Prophecy, Words of knowledge and gifts of healings and so on. Much of what McArthur writes is obviously correct. I do believe that most of the Charismatic sect is a Trojan horse, gifted to and greedily accepted by the Pentecostals. The Charismatics do have an obsession with health and wealth and miracles and time and time again it overshadows Jesus.I also agree that the majority worship a golden calf, erected by modern men in the shadow of Jannes and Jambres.
Yet MacArthur exposes himself in his own zeal as the opposite end of the Trojan horse. The combination of men who deny the ongoing work of the Spirit as written in the Word and men who are obsessed with health and wealth and miracles is an almost deadly one-two punch from the devil himself. These are the men who have spied out our liberty and have come down to bring us into bondage, those whom the Lord delivered from the Law. True men and woman of God would cry โ God forbid,โ in response to the charge that we have created a license to sin as we walk in the liberty and the freedom of the Spirit.
How many times I have heard people say ” There there, everything will be okay.” Having now lived long enough, I know that not to be true, yet still people somehow cling to that notion and draw comfort from it. Humanism. When Peter , hearing Jesus talk about the things that He must suffer, rebukes Jesus and tells Him these things shall never be, Jesus uses the same rebuke that He used on Satan when Satan tempted Him with all the Kingdoms of the world. And so, those who mind the things of the world will always be offended at the notion that we have been called to suffer. We know that all who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer, yet we also know that there are many who would rebuke us for these thoughts. And why? Because they mind the things of this world and do not mind the things of God. Can you imagine our Lord Jesus rebuking us and calling us Satan? The choice before us? The cross and Christ or the ” things of men.”
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”
Mar 8:33 But when He had turned around and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not mind the things of God, but of the things of men.
The Gospel of Martyrdom vs. the Gospel of Success by Micheal Brown
Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin. The appointed Jewish leadership confronted this anointed Jewish believer. They glared; he glowed. They were enraged; he was enraptured. Their faces were contorted with anger; his was like the countenance of an angel. โMen and brothers,โ he said, โlisten to me.โ
He rehearsed the history of Israel, from Abraham to Moses to David, the faithfulness of God in spite of the unfaithfulness of the people. But Stephen was not there that day merely to recite the lessons of history. He was there to be a witness, and as a faithful witness he spoke. His words turned to piercing rebuke:
You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him — you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it (7:51-53).
Soon his body lay battered and bloody, a mangled, motionless mass. He had not backed down. He had not compromised. He had not omitted a word. He was a witness and a prophetic voice. And that day he became the Churchโs first martyr — the first, but not the last. Hundreds of thousands have followed in his path. Being a witness for Jesus could cost you your life.
And so brothers and sisters, the first eight verses of 2Tim chapter 3 are speaking not of the world but of Christendom. And the final two names , Jannes and Jambres are noted as men who greatly resisted Moses and since the context of this chapter is perilous last days, then we can assume that men like Jannes and Jambres will greatly resist God’s true people in these latter days. Now who were these men and what do they represent today? Well Jannes and Jambres are reckoned to be two of the occultist magicians in Pharoah’s court who replicated the rod turning into a snake, then were able to replicate some of the plagues. It is reckoned that when Moses and the children of Israel left Egypt that they had become followers of Moses, perhaps for the same reasons as Simon the magician of Acts 8 , who was amazed at the power of the Apostles and who tried to buy this power.
Extra Biblical evidence suggests that Jannes and Jambres were very influential in persuading Aaron to make a golden calf when it seemed that Moses may not return. And we know that the calf was made with the gold and the treasure that was taken from Egypt. And so we see two men who had some kind of power, perhaps even a form of Godliness since they were now following Moses, persuade men to fall down and worship the treasures of the world and act just like the world from which they had been delivered. Do we not see that in Christendom today. There are so many men just like Jannes, just like Jambres, just like Simon, men who are desperate to operate in the power of God so that they can impress others and elevate their own status. It will never happen. Today’s so-called miracles workers and self-proclaimed prophets are merely operating in the soulish realm. And God’s fire will never fall on them. This will be one reason they will hate genuine saints, for as God pours out His Spirit on genuine saints in these latter times and they begin to move in the genuine power of God, it will enrage the false teachers just as it enraged the religious leaders in the days of Jesus. We see a small clue in Matthew 27:18 as to why they wanted Jesus dead… ” For he knew they had delivered Him because of envy. ”
As the Lord approaches, as we enter into the times of sorrow, as the birth pangs are beginning that marks the imminent rise of the anti-christ and therefore the return of our Lord and Saviour, we must be on guard and heed the warnings of the Word of God. Jesus plainly told us to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.( Mar 8:15)
Pharisees and Saducees
Now the leaven here is plainly speaking of false doctrine. And so it is helpful to know who are those who opposed Jesus and why. For the same spirits that opposed Jesus ( we do not wrestle against flesh and blood) are still alive and well and will oppose Jesus, in His followers, and all the more so as that day approaches. So those who opposed Jesus were the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians. As we describe who they are, you must discern who represents these groups today and see if the motivations which existed in the days of Jerusalem , still exist today. I would argue that they do and that the battle will be the same, just set against a different backdrop.
Dispensationalism is also the biggest proponent of the pre trib rapture so they could never accept what we are speaking of here without jettisoning their fundamental doctrines. And so, religious people, united under one god, led by the anti-christ and the false prophet and with the support of the world/state will ruthlessly and with an ancient spirit come against every saint across the planet. In every tribe and every tongue and every nation the saints of God, the remnant saints who refuse to bow down to this god will be persecuted and imprisoned and killed like lambs to the slaughter. Will this be our generation or a generation soon to come? No one knows, but it will, in relative terms, be soon.
The Bridegroom is coming soon for His Bride. It is time to ready ourselves for what is to come. There is much said about preparation in the Scriptures. And so we must prepare ourselves. The essence of preparedness can be seen and is highlighted at Gethsemane. This is where the battle of Calvary was truly won. Jesus fought the battle on His knees and by His obedience and willingness to embrace the will of His Father. This is where we too will prepare and will win the battle before it is even fought. It will be on our knees, and with an overwhelming desire to carry out the Lordโs will for our lives, even if it means actual martyrdom. We must be willing to embrace our God who could call us to martyrdom. We must be willing to embrace the cross and all that it means.
We see it in the Romans who hated the remnant believers because they would not bow their knee to the gods of this world. And because of this they poured out great fury and destruction against the saints. And then we see the Catholic church take up the same cause for the saints would not bow their knee to popes nor false doctrine. The saints would rather suffer death that live a compromised religious life. Now why would they do this? Because they had some alternative religion or philosophy? No, no, these saints had โ tasted ,โ of the heavenly gifts. They had been touched by the glory of God. It burned in their very souls. They, like Paul could say that whatever things were gain to them that they would count it as loss for Christ.
In fact they too, like Paul would count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. Now this โ knowledge ,โ was not a head knowledge but was an intimate word. Scripture tells us that Joseph did not โ know,โ Mary until after Jesus was born. It is this sense of โ knowing,โ that is related to here, not a physical intimacy but a spiritual one which is actually much deeper than any physical union. We are one in Christ actually, not theologically. The remnant saints knows this โ knowledge.โ This is why they were and are willing to give up everything, to count all things as loss and rubbish so that they can be found โ in Christ,โ and that they may โ know Him.โ The saint is one who is wiling to give up everything. The religious man, whether orthodox or Charismatic is one who is identified by what he has and who he is. He believes , like Job’s friends, that his material blessings are a sign that he walks in the favor of God which is why he despises those who have nothing or who care little for the things of this world.
The remnant know that just as the world hated their Lord and crucified Him, they too will be hated and killed all the day long for His name’s sake. And just as He arose, they know that they too will arise. As they draw nearer to โthe one who was pierced,โ and He pours out His Spirit on them and they become more like Him, then the same forces that came against their Jesus, hell and all its fury, will come against them. They know that โunless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies it brings forth much fruit.”
The Remnant saint knows something of the glory of God. He has been touched by it, ruined for the things of this word by it. He has a fire that burns in his bones that will not and cannot be quenched. He is single-minded in his devotion. He arises in the morning with thoughts of His Lord. He walks through the day thinking about His Lord and communing with Him. He ever lives to serve His God. He knows he falls short but continues on, continues to pursue. He is relentless in his pursuit of God, he is diligent to walk worthily before His Lord. His Lord is not a God that dwells in a lofty ivory tower who may or may not be watching him.His Lord and his God dwells within his very heart and he walks with him daily and his heart burns within him.
The Remnant church is, at itโs core and most fundamentally, Godโs witness here on earth. Truly we have been called first and foremost to be a witness. Now most saints know that this word in its Greek form translates to martyr. Does that mean that every saint, every witness since the beginning of the church has been called to martyrdom? Certainly not. Yet let us not forget brothers and sisters that in every century Godโs people here on earth have been persecuted and martyred for their faith. The danger for us saints in the Western world in the last 100 years has been that we have not been so-called. Other saints around the world cannot say that, whether that is Africa or Asia or China or the Middle East, they have continued to be persecuted and martyred for their faith. For most of Europe and North America, this has not been the case with some noticeable exceptions during periods of war and so on. Now, one would imagine that living in an atmosphere where one is allowed to worship freely without any state or religious interference that Christendom would thrive, yet, if we look at the state of Europe and North America we see something that at best, is a shallow faith.
In the case of Europe we definitely see a post Christian society. In North America what is predominant is a cultural Christianity, a cross-less Christianity and a Christ-less Christianity and some cross-pollination or in many cases a hybrid of the all of these. Cultural Christianity would be a Christianity that is simply shaped to suit our culture. In this kind of Christianity Jesus would rarely be mentioned and God would be seen as some kind of Santa Claus. A cross-less Christianity would cover movements like the prosperity gospel, name it and claim it groups, Word of faith believers and health and wealth believers. Or again, a hybrid of all three. A Christ less Christianity would cover dead denominations for whom the Word of God has ceased to be authoritative even in pretense and where all things are acceptable, this would include things like gay marriage and gay ministers, abortion, divorce and so on.
YEARNINGS FOR THE VERY HEART OF CHRIST โ SAUL’S ARMOUR IS NOT THE AIM
At this point I turn to King Saul. The apostate church is a type of Saul in my eyes. Eventually it will fall on its own sword. The sword which it has so meticulously crafted for itself. Saul represents the dangers of the flesh. Trusting in the flesh and not God. Though he started off with some good intentions and he gave Almighty God credit for his early victories in warfare, soon the form dipped. The devotion waned. The flesh arose again. As a man, he never allowed himself to be conquered by God. And this is factor is central issue. Those that desire to be true believers will allow whatever it takes for God to conquer them. God is cutting the blood lines to Saul within His church. King Saul has led the church too long.
The Almighty is searching out His very own group of Davidโs. Those after His very own heart. Nothing but His heart will do. David too made grave mistakes and errors of judgement of the deepest sort. He too veered into the flesh, took his eyes off the Lord. He too counted his fighting men, hedging on the resources of the flesh rather than God. Yet, he is still counted as a man after the very heart of God, the life of the Spirit. And despite all his failures God was still pleased to call His very own beloved son โThe Son of Davidโ. God sees the sincere heart. He never gives up on the sincere heart. And in Jesus, His very own precious son, God found a man that He could entrust to see through all that the very plan of salvation and redemption entailed. The utter loneliness, solitude and rejection of the Cross. To be despised, broken, spat on, kicked and beaten. To have all the sin and wrongdoing of all the ages placed on Him. To be so marred and afflicted by that sin that God Himself could not look on Him. But glorious day. He went through the Cross. Now He desperately seeks a people that will reciprocate. He seeks a Bride that will make herself ready out of a heart of utter devotion and love of Jesus Himself. Not for what He gives. Those that will lay everything down in order to be found only in Him.
The Cross and any of the deeper teachings of Christ are cleverly by-passed these days. Moreover, the โleadersโ of the modern-day corporate empires often claim to be in the position of Moses, but in this era. They are charged, in their minds, by God himself with the task of “leading” their flock into the Promised Land of blessing and wholeness. They tell the “flock” that they have communed with the Almighty. He is leading them in the way they should go. Conveniently, however, the route actually seems to by-pass anything of the wilderness and offers the quick route to yet more blessing. A more likely explanation is that their own hearts and the power of the flesh has deceived them. It is they themselves who have decided the way that they will travel. I am grieved at how often Gods name is used to rubber stamp the pre-determined plans of men.
As the Cross has been excluded from most churches these days, the “leaders” within these institutions have little revelation of how God actually builds the “new man” which He is so earnestly seeking intensifying urgency. The Bride which He is becoming impatient for. The chances are, if you have hungered and persisted in seeking after God as He is Himself, not the manipulated version presented in the present church culture, then you will know something of the narrow path. If not, then what I speak is an alien language to you. I have sat in numerous churches where men and women have been given the power of the platform and who seem to speak with little or no depth whatsoever about the Cross. It has consistently astonished me. Indeed, its is sadly the worship of the platform in these
institutions which stands as another of the โbroad pathโ distractions that have ensnared many in current times.
THE CAPACITY OF HUMANS TO CREATE THEIR OWN REALITY
Men and women within the institutionalised church are creating their own reality to suit themselves. Forming their own โgolden calvesโ in the desert. The sad thing is that these are deserts of their own making. Even those who believe they are โin blessingโ very often are not. It may be man-made and counterfeit. Sometimes it’s actually demonically influenced. The walls of the church have broken down and every sort of demon has entered. There are few true Nehemiah types to re-build the walls. There may be excitement, there may be worship music and emotionalism. The current big names in the church world may be getting invited to speak at the meetings. There may be conferences. However, leaders often do not have the confidence or back-bone to believe that God has a word to them for their own flock.
Running scared of the true prophets they surround themselves with hand-picked โyes menโ prophets. They do not want the Jeremiah crowd telling them that their captivity will be longer. They borrow from others to feed the โfeel good factorโ. They will of course defend themselves in this and always have their own answers. Even those who claim to be at the prophetic โcutting edgeโ in these times, mainly within the charismatic streams, are misguided by wrong doctrines and superficial understandings of Gods ways. Embedded in an utterly repulsive celebrity culture of image and presentation.
Although we are called to pray for our leaders, and many well-meaning folks may throw this at me at, we also have to take account here of the separate and overarching dynamics which govern the life of the church. These are what I would call โthe dictates of God Himselfโ. In short, it`s His church and we do it His way. When we don`t then judgement is coming. When error continues to abound, there will be a strategic time where He will step in and re-order things. Jesus is King and Priest over His church and one way or another He will have the Bride that He desires. The Spirit of God will not strive with man forever. The power of choice is never taken away and people build for themselves the type of church that is most comfortable to them. Will He put up with this forever? No. He will shake and shift. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Every man-made structure and every false teaching that supports them. Right down to the foundations. No one is safe from the judgements of God. Even those who act as if they are something special in these days.
THE CURRENT โINSTITUTIONALISEDโ EXPRESSIONS OF CHRISTIANITY
Therefore, to start at the “top” so to speak, the current church โinstitutionsโ within the Evangelical / Pentecostal / Charismatic systems are “led” by a group of humans, just as you and I are. Entirely susceptible to being taken captive by error. Capable of โcherry-pickingโ when it comes to truth. In addition, as human beings we are all entirely susceptible to patterns of behaviour which are not necessarily inspired by the Holy Spirit or ordained by God. Even if the claim is made that they are this is not necessarily the case.
Much of the โfollow the groupโ behaviour and succumbing to desires to โfit inโ are entirely human traits. In this I mean they derive from the flesh. Any secular psychologist or sociologist would identify these traits as being prevalent in any group of humans. The fact that we may call ourselves a โchurchโ does not alter these human characteristics. It is the flesh again. We certainly cannot claim that we have arrived at being โthe churchโ or Jesus would have returned by now.
Matthew 7:13-14
Amplified Bible (AMP)
“Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it”.
THE HEART CRY OF SOME
There are some within the Body of Christ who presently feel an ever-deepening urgency within their very spirit for the true church of Jesus Christ to come forth. In the past few days I have been reflecting on the apostolic heart of Paul. The Holy Spirit was permitted to accomplish a truly remarkable work in entirely transforming this heart from one full of bitterness and hatred towards the church to that of father and overseer. This heart of deep concern is the very one now being embedded in many saints within the earth. This is a profound work. Paul had a mandate. He had a very specific role. He was given this mandate by God Himself. The heart of a father should be to guide his children in order that they fulfil all their potential. Part of this naturally involves correction. Where error is present then it needs to be addressed.
A Call To The Remnant 