9-14-23 Earthly-Minded and Evil-Hearted

Earthly-Minded and Evil-Hearted :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 17, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire'” (2 Peter:18-22). It is not uncommon to hear stories about unpleasant experiences in church, be it from individuals who still cling on to the faith or those who drifted away from the truth. They probably had enough of barely bearable hypocrisy – from people who claim to be but are not the case! The razor-thin veneer of decency does not take very long to peel off. True colors become a chilling reality check. Are these people any better than those you come across in some seedy precinct? As a matter of interest, they could be far worse! In these final moments of the Age of Grace, worldliness permeates where the bulk of mainstream churches are concerned. This, indeed, is the fertile ground for breeding unrighteousness and blatant lawlessness. It is very easy to understand; once God is sidelined and the flesh takes the driver’s seat, it is dead easy for the wrong type of wisdom to creep in. “This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (James 3:15-16). People who are driven by self-interest will surely go all out to get what their hearts desire, even if this results in stepping on many toes and subsequently causing numerous train wrecks. Not just those who sit in the pews; these instances of selfish intent involve elders, deacons, and, sadly speaking, pastors! “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). Waste no time talking to these people about the truth in the counsel of God. They are truly against God because they love the world. Of course, there are guys and girls who listen to all that falsehood – choosing the path of perdition over the way of righteousness. At the end of the day, it is like any earthly institution – everything fashioned by the flesh and not the Lord! It then becomes very much like the dog-eat-dog environment in a rough part of town. Nothing good comes out of it when there is an ongoing clash of personal interests. Finding brotherly love will seem like a joke here! “But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). Expect to find loads of sugar-coating behind daggers in this sort of setting. Would a deacon, or for that matter, the pastor, be of help in a personal crisis? Sounds like playing Russian roulette! Godlessness begets heartlessness; these individuals will definitely capitalize on weaknesses, even to the point of destroying lives. Such is the trademark of pitiless workers of iniquity. They probably hold a Bible with many parts of it covered in correction fluid. They would quote passages of Scripture for their personal convenience; the workings of the Holy Spirit are pushed aside! Worse of all, they would deliberately misinterpret and distort the truth, thereby leading to phony doctrines of demons which, in turn, undermine the spiritual well-being of many. That is why it is better that they did not encounter the truth in the Living Word; they abuse and confuse rather than encourage with correct teachings. “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual person’s, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit” (Jude 16-19). Do not expect any peace of mind from this crowd. They are hell-bent on promoting strife more than anything else – it could be the ticket to that proverbial gravy train. Enough to cause many to lose heart. It is not uncommon to come across people who turn their backs on the Gospel because of gross mishandling by the above-said workers of iniquity. Paul, in his time, could see such a day come to fruition; this is the solid purpose of 2 Timothy 3:5: “having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” The Body of Christ should have nothing to do with these sensual types. They are much like a sore that can prove gangrenous in a short time. Sounds a bit like a tough call in these days. But the reality is impossible to throw out of the window. What is the point of having fellowship with scores of people that walk in darkness and put on Christ for ulterior motives? Better off to have a small group that is serious about the things of the Lord and able to focus on eternity versus the transient nature of the world. No harm done if the online option is resorted to. There are swathes of counterfeit followers of Jesus Christ all over the globe. They belong to the I, me, and myself category. Try talking to them about what’s in store for them by way of quoting Matthew 7:21-23. It probably would stir up some cynical laughter! Do truly reckon that these folks will laugh no more in the near future. The undeniable fact that these people are around shows that our moment of redemption is very close. Once we are gone, they will be around to face His fury. They never knew Him in the first place, so how can these folks expect Him to give them some space? Maranatha Edwin Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com