And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. -- Ephesians 4: 11-14 (ESV)
While there are many things we do not know about the end times we live in there is also plenty that we ought to be aware of. The Bible is replete with warning after warning against the wolves that would be attacking the body of Christ with false doctrines, doctrines of demons, and damnable heresies. The warnings are that these heresies would become as commonplace as they are today. That what should be easily discernable as false is widely embraced as possible if not true. Just look this week when false preacher Jesse Duplantis asked for 54 million dollars to buy a new private jet. Now I expect nothing less from a snake oil salesman then to pretend God told him to believe for such nonsense. The problem I have is with how many well intended but poorly taught Christians just accepted this tripe. The cries of "well if God told him that-- rang out throughout the church. Listen very carefully. God did not tell him any such thing. We have written extensively before about the growing purpose driven industrial complex. Church has been transformed into a carnal global enterprise. Untold riches have been and continue to be generated on the backs of abject poverty. Those that are at the feeding trough defend the brand at all cost. The first rule of any good scheme is to protect the scheme. One of the greatest tools the apostate church wields is a call for unity. The general principle states how can the church possibly spread the Gospel if it cannot agree. While that sounds lofty or even pious one must realize that an apostate church only calls for unity with apostasy. This is why Rick Warren and many evangelical leaders have cozied up with Rome even though they know they do not share the same beliefs. Unity with apostasy only ensures the one world church that the Bible warns us against. The broad path grows and the narrow way becomes harder to find. We are coming to the point where true Christians of faith will have to come out from among the harlot that plays the church today. Let us however take a closer look at unity today.
Based on the Bible we can be assured of a few certainties. First of all, the love of most will continue to grow cold. Less and less people will be saved as the proliferation of false gospels becomes the norm inside churches. Consider how far some well-respected pastors have fallen in the past decade. Andy Stanley is now preaching against biblical inerrancy and says that we should unhitch the Old Testament from our faith. Dr. Michael Brown now shills for every agent of the NAR and excuses all forms of Charismania. J. Lee Grady bows to the pressures of the Christo-feminist movement. The list goes on and on and grows daily. There is little doubt that we are in the great end times apostasy. As those in discernment ministries try to turn the light on there will be increasing cries from those who make their living within the purpose driven industrial complex for a false unity. The primary goal will be to protect the wolves instead of the sheep. I want us to really internalize the key verses today which give us God's plan for the church. Allow me to break it down:
There are four indispensable roles in God's church - and you do not need a SHAPE application to determine them!
1. Prophets confirm the word of God to the body of Christ.
2. Evangelists spread the Gospel to increase the body of Christ through those that God alone gives the increase to.
3. Shepherds take care of the flock. They have a shepherd's crook in one hand to guide the sheep and make sure they do not wander off and a shepherd's rod in the other to fend off the attacking wolves.
4. Lastly, the teachers expound upon the word of God to grow the saints.
