Many evangelical churches and most pentecostal or charismatic churches you go into today, raise their hands in worship. Like everything else in Christendom, there can be the mechanical act of doing something because it is supposed to be done, or there can be the true living dynamic response to the very presence of the Living God. Every single aspect of the natural worship of Christianity can be reduced to some dusty empty ritual that has long since replaced the living reality of God’s manifest presence. It is interesting when you watch secular concerts that you see arms aloft all over the stadium or concert hall, swaying to the rhythm of the song. Good music entertains us and can move us, Gods manifest presence invades every part of who we are and never leaves us the same. It creates in us a thirst that can never be quenched by anything other than His presence. It tears down and builds up, it raises us up from the dark valley floor to the lofty heights of His glory.
There is the presence of God to be found in glorious, enthusiastic and energetic worship, the kind of worship that lifts your spirit. It can lift up the head and invigorate the heart and fill you full of joy and you leave strengthened. This is good worship. Yet there is another kind of presence of God in worship, the kind of presence that there seems to be such a famine of throughout the land. The first kind of presence we spoke of lifts your heart, the second kind of presence invades every part of who you are. It falls from heaven like a heavy dew, heads are lowered and hands are raised. All becomes quiet, one barely breathes as the Spirit of God slowly penetrates our very being and the ground upon which we stand becomes Holy ground. It saturates our very DNA.
The first kind of presence uplifts us, the second changes us fundamentally. As living waters pour into us then it rises up like a great river that is so full that it overflows its banks. The banks themselves begin to crumble and fall into this river of pure life as it swells up and floods every part of who we are. The landscape is being changed by this flood, the very topography of our lives is being altered by its powers and everything that is not securely rooted to Godly foundations are simply swept away. Changed forever. And when the flood recedes we are left with a glorious afterglow. As the deer pants for the water-brooks, I wonder, do our hearts pant after this kind of encounter.
The Lord Himself does not need professional worship teams. He does not need people to encourage us to stand up, jump up and down and raise our hands. In the Welsh revival two young women singing either acapella or simply backed by a piano typically sang “Here is love, vast as the ocean.” And there was love, in the very midst of them, vast as the ocean, flooding the hearts and minds of all who attended. Brothers and sisters, in all our modernity, what have we lost? In the program of churches and the professional class of worshiper leaders and pastors we have lost the simplicity of it all. And in the losing of it we now have to entertain the people. Spirit led worship is exactly that, it is Spirit led.
In work we have a routine. In life we have a routine. Prisoners in prison have a routine. Oftentimes we are slaves to the routine, it is what gets us through life. Yet, there is nothing routine about the Holy Spirit of the Living God. He is dynamic and you can never know what way the wind will blow next. Have we sold our souls for a routine? Routine in the home, routine at work, routine at church. Routine people do not change the world. Routine people do not do wage war on the battle-fields of life. The Spirit of God is dynamic and those filled with His “dynamis,” change the environment around them because the environment inside them has been filled to capacity and is overflowing its banks. Lord fill us again to overflowing with the kind of presence that invades every part of who we are.
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
The Lord’s Holiness is seen in men and woman who have encountered the Living God. This radical conversion is seen in their walk. They are a living testimony of the power of God to change lives. The man who has never encountered God cannot be Holy. He can be self-righteous, he can be religious, he can be sanctimonious and legalistic, but he can never be holy.
The man who has genuinely encountered God always keeps his eyes upon Jesus. Others may flatter him but he never takes those words to heart because he has stood in the shadow of majesty. He has had the impenetrable light of Christ penetrate every part of who he is. He knows that outside of God he is undone. The foundation of his life will be love, for he himself has been swallowed up by love. The religious man can reproduce many things in this world for a time but he cannot replicate genuine love. He can seem to many to be upstanding, as were the Pharisees, yet God has considered the inside of the cup. This outward appearance is everything to the religious man because ultimately he fears man more than he fears God. His greatest fears are what others think of him, its what motivates him in all that he does. He is an actor and full of guile, yet, God has considered the inside of the cup because he looks upon the heart.
The child of God is not conformed by the thoughts nor the expectations of men. He is not moved by the tyranny of expectations no matter how good those expectations are. He is conformed to the image of God which is the Lord Jesus. He loves because he himself has been and is loved. He is merciful because he was and is the recipient of mercy. He forgives because he himself has been forgiven. He has joy because he has been ushered into the very presence of God. This joy is his strength. This love is his strength, this mercy is his strength, the forgiveness he finds is his strength. His greatest strength is his love for His Lord. And he knows that even this he only has because he himself was first loved. And this love is the singular motivation for all that he does. Out of genuine love flows obedience. It is the motivation of the child of God. He has called us to holiness and the path to holiness is paved by a loving obedience and a desire to be like the object of our grand obsession, Jesus.
The ruling of the Supreme Court will challenge every aspect of our faith and we will be the better for it, stronger refined and more confident in what we believe. For those whose faith is built upon anything less that Christ Himself, then they will be swept away by the flood and the cultural winds that are now blowing at hurricane strength.
Now why would I say that the cultural winds are blowing at hurricane strength? Has there not always been societal pressures in the West, cultural aspects of who we are that challenge our walk with God and our witness to our communities? In fact, the subject of marriage is one aspect of the culture in the west that has continually brought shame on what is known as Christendom. The truth is, the Christian community has remained silent to a great extent on the fact that in so many churches up and down the land, 40-50% of their congregation are divorced. That alone disqualifies us from speaking from a position of authority on the subject. We do not hold the moral high ground on this subject and ours sins have found us out. God is not mocked, that which a man sows or winks at, he reaps. We are reaping today.
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Jer 4:30…. Though you clothe yourself with crimson, Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, Though you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you will make yourself fair; Your lovers will despise you; They will seek your life.
When God has spoken, when He has determined in His heart that His judgements shall come to pass then indeed in Jer 4:28 it says that the earth shall mourn and the heavens shall be black. Can I suggest brothers and sisters that God has spoken. The time of judgement is at hand and of course judgement begins at the house of the Lord. Many in Christendom run to and fro looking to forces that have helped them in the past. They appeal to society at large, they appeal to the courts, they appeal to politicians and to seats of power yet their lovers will despise them;they will seek their lives.
It is a sad sight to see Christian groups appeal to politicians and other groups, these are their lovers whom they have layed down with before. Yet when the worm turns, when no matter how much you try to make yourself attractive to them, they will ultimately despise you and seek your life. Politicians used to need the Evangelical vote and they courted them and Christendom loved to have it so. Now, rapidly, the Christian vote is becoming a liability to politicians of all stripes.
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. (Heb 13:12-14)
You see brothers and sisters, here we have no continuing city, we are pilgrims and sojourners. The foundations that we lay down in any one place are at best temporary. There was a fearful judgement to come upon Jerusalem and the temple system. There was also a prophecy given, apparently around 66ad shortly after James was killed, that urged the saints to flee Jerusalem to a place called Pella. Not to stand and fight and try to preserve that which was under judgement, but to flee. When you are within a walled city, it is very tempting to stay there and hide behind the protection that it affords. Yet, if you are told to flee then flee you must or suffer the consequences of the coming judgement.
Now we know that judgement begins at the house of the Lord. Judgment is coming to Christendom in the form of persecution. For those with eyes to see, they can already see the vandals scaling the walls and entering in. The pillars of truth are being torn down. The traditions of men are being demolished and overturned and before it is over, not one tradition will be left standing. Those who stay within the gates of Christendom will fall away into perdition. Brothers and sisters, if you live beside the sea and I warn you of a tsunami, then what would you do? Would you not drop everything, everything that you owned, all of your worldly goods, grab your children under your arms and head for higher ground?
The time has come for every saint to head for higher ground. It will not be found within the walls or behind the gates, it will be found out there where the only protection that you will find is in the arms of the Lord your God. Nostalgia for the traditions of men will not save you, your ancient traditions good or bad will not save you, you will only be saved in Christ alone. When God Himself has set out to tear everything down that is mixed with the world, then let us flee from that mixture. When you find your identity it totally wrapped up in Him. When He alone is your high tower, then you will find your place with others who likewise have found their identity in Him alone. You will not find this place within structures that have compromised with the world. In the coming years, every institution will be tested and will either compromise with the world or will be shut down. So many have already made the choice. Many more will. It is and will be the great exposer of the intent and motivations of the hearts of so-called leaders. The great majority will prove to be hirelings.
For those who find the Lord outside the camp, they will indeed bear the reproach of the Lord Jesus. Just remember, they hated our Lord first and they will hate us too. In not belonging to their clubs and institutions, conviction is brought to bear upon their heads. Coals of fire burning into the very essence of who they are and with that an ever-increasing hatred and persecution for the pilgrim saints who only claim Him and Him alone as their Lord. In the very same chapter of Hebrews 13 quoted above we are admonished to be content with what we have and know that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We are reminded to be bold in the fact that the Lord alone is our helper and we shall not fear what man shall do to us. The Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. (Psa 133:1-3)
Prior to taking the promised land, the Israelites fought as one. They had just passed through the wilderness for forty years and for hundreds of years prior to that they were enslaved by the Egyptians. So whether is was slavery or wilderness wandering or fighting to take hold of their possession, they were one. As long as they were all facing the same circumstances, then they were as one. When we look out over the barren wasteland that is Christendom today, we see a thousand different moving parts, each doing their own thing. They have no common vision, in fact quite the opposite. Every little thief-dom has its own vision for what it wants. The bigger picture is quite lost to all but a few. Do we see life in Christendom in general? Now, I do not mean much activity, I mean the life of Christ manifested in His presence amongst His people?
In WWII, London was severely bombed by the Nazis. London was a highly diverse city, its millions of people were separated into groups. There were working class folks and lower working class. You had the middle class and the upper middle class and of course you also had the Royal family so you had the aristocrats. This was a class system where one would never really have any contact with someone outside of your class unless compelled by some sort of business. It was a rigid system broken down into ” stations,” and one was compelled to stay within their station by centuries of tradition and etiquette. Yet when they faced destruction they were compelled to work together just to survive. Their previous ways of life had to be suspended and they had to come together if they were to survive. They suddenly had a common goal and it brought them together in unity in such a way that had never been seen before nor has been seen since.
Christianity in general is facing a coming storm. Just like the rise of the Nazi party in the 30s which was very ominous for the world and the Jewish people specifically, then so the coming storm is ominous for the saints. Its goal will be to simply kill every genuine saint. Now, nothing can bring Christendom together but what can bring the Body of Christ together? Circumstances will certainly help. Persecution will help to bring the saints together when they will realize that they need one another. Yet the only thing that can bring about the unity of the saints where the blessings of life shall be commanded by God, is the Holy Spirit flowing down through the very essence of the saints who are priests in a royal priesthood. Saints, if you could go back in time and speak to a Jewish person in Germany in 1933, what would you say to him? Would you not tell him that he and his family must flee? If you could look forward and see a storm of darkness and death heading towards the Body of Christ, what would your advice be to them? The antidote to death is life. The antidote to darkness is light. The antidote to hatred is love. The antidote to eternal death is Jesus who is Life and Light and Love and eternal life.
Those with eyes to see the coming storm are beginning to flock together. For together, with all the walls broken down, there is a commanded blessing. When the dew falls from the sky it covers everything. Every single blade of grass is covered and is sustained. Gods abundant blessings of life are found when the saints march together under the banner of Christ. An army of saints covered by the blood of the Lamb walking lockstep in common purpose and unity as they face their final and most tumultuous battle prior to the return of the Bridegroom. Lord may your Holy Spirit open up the eyes of those who have a desire to see and open up the ears of those who would hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Jer 7:12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
Jer 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
It seems obvious from the Scriptures that what God builds He can also tear down and replace. In fact, when God does a new thing, then the old must die. Shiloh was corrupt and had displaced God by their system. God was gone but they still continued to function in their religious activities. It was replaced. The Temple system, that place where the Shekinah glory of God came down so heavily that the priests could not stand, was eventually corrupted. The presence of God was gone yet they still continued to function in their religious activities. Not one stone left unturned. It was replaced. A system, devoid of God, God tears down and replaces. In all of those systems there would be some good men and woman to be found and their hearts were for the glory of God. Not all men bow their knees to Baal. They would be ready for the new wine of God. Wherever the presence of God was, that was where they wanted to be. They were not idolators of a system , they were worshipers and followers of the living God. Any system which displaces God from His rightful place and begins to corrupt the people, God replaces. When the New Covenant was ushered in, the old had to die. When a new man is born in Christ, the old has to die. Christendom is corrupt, it has displaced God by its system. If you do not believe that God can tear down a system and replace it then you have missed that in His word. Shall you pray for Christendom? Shall you mourn its passing? Saints that belong to the Body will not mourn the passing of a system that has displaced God. They will simply follow His presence as they always have. We must simply allow the dead to bury their dead, when the blind lead the blind then the final destination is the ditch. Followers of the living God will follow the life of God and leave the cemetery behind.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Daniel speaks of a time when the saints will be worn down. I believe the process of the saints being worn down has already begun. Times have been changed and wrong has become right and truth, at best, is relative. This is wearing the saints out as they struggle to come to terms with these fast changing circumstances. There has been a blitzkrieg so to speak in the realms of the spirit. Compromise and unrighteousness has surrounded the saints. We are an obstacle that at some point will have to be removed if the enemy is to have total dominance. More laws will be changed and we will witness more compromise by Christendom
If you recognize this, then I want you to be encouraged saint. We have been called to stand. Even although many will fall away, we have been called to stand. There is an evil day ahead and the saints have been called to stand in that day. Now how are we to stand in the midst of this battle? We have been called to stand fully equipped with the armor of God, this is how we will stand and the enemy knows it, so he has come against every aspect of our armor in the last several decades, knowing the time is short.
Jer 23:17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. Jer 23:19 Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. Jer 23:20 In the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
We live in strange days indeed. Days perhaps some of the older generation could never have imagined seeing. How rapidly has wrong become right? Much of Christendom is taken up with prosperity and the ways of the world. In Biblical days we would simply call it Baal worship but now the eyes are blinded to that reality. Much of Christendom is dead in that they refuse to allow the activities of the Holy Spirit in their services but the eyes are blinded to that reality. Much of Christendom now ordains homosexual ministers in open rebellion to the Word of God but their eyes are blinded to that reality.
In all of the above cases men are walking after the imaginations of their own heart. Their wisdom is earthly and sensual and certainly does not flow from a Holy God but from the unholy gods of this world. They are at ease in their sin and do not consider that there is a coming storm, a whirlwind that is coming with a fury. It will only be apparent to the wicked as it crashes down on their heads. It is a terrible thing to be given over to blindness.
Yet in every generation God has His servants. They are a witness to the truth. They are lovers of the truth. They declare Gods word without fear or favor of men. They despise flattery as this is a common tool of the blind who encourage the blind. They are exhorters. They encourage the saints and they reach out to the wicked. They have an indignation for the honor and the glory of God that causes them to run to the battle. David was indignant when he heard the giant mock God’s people. There are mocking giants today filled with the same evil spirits who mock and try to intimidate God’s children. Yet praise God, the same Spirit that filled David and caused him to triumph over Goliath fills the saints in these the latter days.
Jer 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
The false prophets of this age steal from those who genuinely know God and who are led and speak by His Spirit. They take what they want and they mix it with their own imaginations. They are like the narcissist who is incapable of feelings and can only mimic what they see. And so they steal the word of God and mix it with the ways of the world and they come up with abominations. In doing so they have incurred the wrath of God and will be blind to the coming storm which begins first at the house of God for that is where we find the false prophet who seeks to gain followers, standing, reputation and money.
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? (Jer 23:28-29)
The word of the false prophet is smooth and flattering and self-indulgent. They pat each other on the back and congratulate themselves. They are at ease in Babylon. Yet the true word of God is like a fire says the Lord, it is like a hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces. It has a dynamic force that causes a tumult. It penetrates and thoroughly pierces the hard hearts of men. Men are stabbed in the heart by the penetrating word of God. We see this when Peter preaches after Pentecost and three thousand are saved. We also see it when Stephen preaches and is stoned to death. In each case the scriptures use the phrase ” they were stabbed in the heart.” The true word of God spoken by those filled by Gods Spirit will always cause a violent reaction either unto life or unto death but never unto ease.
Stand fast brothers and sisters. We live in dark days for sure but we are not like those who dwell in darkness for the light of Christ is in us. The Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. “Bless the Lord o my soul for you are great and you are clothed with honor and majesty and you cover yourself with light.” Lord may we walk in this light as you are in the light. Let us have fellowship one with another, the children of the light. In the mighty name of Jesus, whose name is above every other name, we pray these things. Lord pour out your blessing upon the Body of Christ that we may begin to stand as one in these final days, amen.
Anyone who has ever been around the power structures of the kingdoms within Christendom know that powerful men put into place men who will not question them. They typically surround themselves with what the world would call ” yes men.” It is of course the opposite of the Biblical model but perfectly in line with the world and how it runs itself. It is interesting that we hear and know nothing of the children of the Apostles. Why? Because it was not a dynasty, it was not a family business where sons and daughters are promoted by virtue of who their fathers are. Time and again we see this within Christendom. David Wilkerson managed to avoid so many of the problems of other men with similar sized organisations. He could have easily promoted his own son and groomed him to take over when he retired, but instead he puts an ex-policeman from Canada into that position. Sadly he is a very rare exception. Jesus has to be preeminent in our lives, in our gatherings and in our structures and we have to be but mere bond servants to the cause of Christ and to those who follow Him.
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).
Many in the church today try to determine the nearness of Christ’s return by reading the signs of the times. We see such signs in specific; for example, the return of the Jews to Israel. Yet one of the clearest statements Jesus makes about His second coming is contained in the verse above. The end will come only after the gospel has been preached to all the nations as a testimony. The word that Jesus uses for ” witness,” in this verse is the same Greek word for ” testimony.” In short, He says the Gospel we preach is effective only if it is backed up by a life that testifies to its reality. ( David Wilkerson)
Do you see what David is saying here? It’s not about the Gospel preached, it’s about the Gospel lived. The Gospel lived out is a testimony to the power of Jesus to transform men into new creatures. It’s not so much the correctness of the doctrine, although doctrine is important, it’s about the reality of the witness. The genuine saint living a life empowered by Jesus is a witness to the world. Can we say that Christendom today is a witness to the world? In the average church in America, all the stats of the world on matters of divorce and such are simply the same. The world cannot tell the difference between themselves and Christianity. So, not only is there not a witness for Christ, there is a vehicle for mocking.
Now I realize that this is a provocative title, I make no apologies for that. In 2 Sam 12, we find King David in a very bad situation. He has committed adultery with Bathsheba, he tried to cover his tracks when she got pregnant, but a foreign convert , Uriah the Hittite , the husband of Bathsheba was more honorable that David. Therefore David’s attempts to cover up his adultery was foiled so David had him killed.
Brothers and sisters, this is such a low state for the man after God’s own heart. And after Nathan the prophet comes to David and exposes him, God speaks. God speaks brothers and sisters, one should be very afraid when God speaks, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. And here is the charge that God levels against David, His beloved. ” You have despised me.” ( 1 Sam 12:10) Can you imagine hearing that charge against you from God? Yet that is exactly what David heard.
In the time of David, at the very heart of Judah and what we now know as Jerusalem , dwelt the Jebusites in Zion. A stronghold, a seemingly impenetrable stronghold. It seems that at the heart of today’s modern Christianity, nominal Christianity, lies the Jebusites who have the stronghold of Zion. And where is the ark of God’s presence? If the enemy has a stronghold at the very center of Christendom , then surely that stronghold must be taken back if God is to have His rightful place in the hearts of His people? Within every nominal Christian lies Zion. It is either a place for God’s presence or it is a place where the Jebusites rule, where the world rules. And this place without God is a place of pride and self-dependence, a place of self-righteousness that creates a blindness to the actual condition and situation of those who dwell there.
When David was determined to take the heart of Jerusalem, the stronghold of Zion from the ungodly here is what they said to him. “You shall not come in here, except the blind and the lame will turn you away; also saying, David cannot come in here.” (2 Sam 5:6) The Jebusites were so proud and so secure in their surroundings and in their self-deception that they could never be brought down that they paraded blind and lame soldiers at the entrance to their city strong-hold to pour scorn on their enemies. It is the classic mistake of the proud who are just about to fall. The proud always insulate themselves with the comfort of their surroundings and upon the work of their own hands.
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. ”
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 ” tasted ,” 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 ” knowledge ,’ was not a head knowledge but was an intimate word. Scripture tells us that Joseph did not ” know,’ Mary until after Jesus was born. It is this sense of ” knowing,’ 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 ” knowledge.” 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 ” in Christ,” and that they may ” know Him.” 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.
A Call To The Remnant 