Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The overwhelming question coming forth is, ‘What is the distinguishing mark or marks of the individuals who are part of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God?’ The answer to that question is that the answer is as broad as it is narrow. Whether a Remnant Believer and Follow of Jesus, the Christ, is just starting out on their journey with God or they have just about completed their journey and are ready to go be with the Lord Jesus, they can identify to some degree with most of what will be taught through this series. There is not one identifying trait or mark that defines them; there is a collection of beliefs, attitudes, and experiences, which define them. Nevertheless, we must start somewhere so let us start with a most basic identifying mark.

Bewilderment. They go in most church congregation, who profess to be part of the Christian Church Community, they listen to what is being said and taught, they see what is happening and how the leaders and lay people are conducting themselves then scratch their head in bewilderment and ask themselves and God, ‘What is going on here?’ That bewilderment despite their spiritual maturity level is a mark of a Remnant individual.

It does not seem to matter whether they are a mature seasoned Believer or a relatively new Believer they sense in their spirit man that something is not right. Much of the time, they are not comfortable in the environment. If they are a young Believer who is not knowledgeable in the Word of God, they may believe that they are the problem or that it is just them and it will change in time. However, if they are a more mature Believer who is knowledgeable in the Word of God they know something is not right but might struggle with understanding why. The harsh reality that the majority of “church congregations” are void of true godly spirituality and filled instead with religious show is just too much for them to bear. Yet, they see and sense it time after time in congregation after congregation, typically with one of two results in the end.

A seasoned Believer who is knowledgeable in the Word of God knows things are not being done right and they can see that God’s Word is not being given priority or being rightly divided. Therefore, often after one failed attempt after another they typically abandon gathering with other Believers all together and sadly, their growth as a Remnant Believer is aborted. You might hear them say, ‘I don’t go to church. I don’t want anything to do with religious people, their all hypocrites.’

A new Believer will have the sense in their spirit that something is wrong but will allow it to be explained away by advocating their responsibility. They place their understanding in the hands of those who will use it for their own personal gain. They will trust what they are told over what they read in the Word of God. They will become convinced that they are flawed in what they sense and that the religious system is right thus become part of the scenery that makes up the church pews each Sunday morning. They will file in year after year like drones taking their place with an ever growing deadness eating away at them inside; while doing what is expected of them, their “religious duty” always wondering if their isn’t suppose to be more. Through compliance and conformity, their growth as a Remnant Believer is aborted.

Yes, both examples are the extremes on either end of the spectrum. Yes, you will be able to find a few who will fall in between the two extremes but you will not find a Spiritual Remnant Believer who is void of the sense that something is very wrong with the Corporate Christian Church Congregations as a whole. Whether they want to admit it to themselves, whether they ever say it out loud or not, they sense in their spirit that the “church” is not what Jesus intended it to be. This sense they have in their spirit is something they cannot reconcile and that will not be silenced. That is an identifying mark of a Spiritual Remnant Believer.

Now on a technical theological note. Despite modern theology the true Remnant of God, those Believers still hold some basic doctrinal beliefs.

a – They believe Jesus is the only means of Salvation for mankind.

b – They believe in the Deity of Jesus.

c – They believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.

d – They believe in the literal death of Jesus by crucifixion and the literal resurrection of Jesus.

e – They believe the Word of God, the Bible, is in fact the literal Word of God.

Anyone, and I do mean anyone, who does not believe the above basic doctrine are not part of the CURRENT Spiritual Remnant of God. Note, I did not write that they never had any questions, or that they never had any doubts in their lifetime, but despite both they do believe these doctrines to be Truth.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.