How many modern church-goers just go through the motions of worship, feeling that something is missing or experiencing a general apathy toward church? Why are the problems of the church the same as the sin of the world when the church is supposed to be a set-apart, holy people? Is there a real difference between today’s church and the secular world? Could the modern church still be described as holy? It is my belief that the modern church has fallen into lawlessness in direct contradiction to scripture and as a result, is cursed.

False accusations – worshiping God contrary to the Law.

1. Stephen was stoned to death because of FALSE accusations of blaspheming the Temple and the Law.

Act 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. 11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, 13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: 14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

2. Paul was FALSELY accused of the worshiping God contrary to the Law.

Act 18:12 And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, 13 Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

The Bible is clear that Stephen was stoned because of the testimony of FALSE witnesses. Act 6:12-14 Paul was also accused by FALSE witnesses: Act 18:12-13

Twisting of the Scriptures

C.H. Spurgeon, called by many one of the greatest Preachers of the 19^th century, was confused about the proper role of the law and had this to say:

“Now, what has our Lord to do with the law? He has everything to do with it, for he is its end for the noblest object, namely, for righteousness. He is the “end of the law.” What does this mean? I think it signifies three things: first, that Christ is the purpose and object of the law; secondly, that he is the fulfillment of it; and thirdly, that he is the termination of it.” Christ the End of the Law – A Sermon No.1325 Delivered on November 19th, 1876, by C. H. SPURGEON

Spurgeon said: “that he (Jesus) is the termination of it (the law). ” This statement was not merely a subtle twisting of the truth but was in direct opposition of what Jesus Himself declared!

Jesus says: Mat 5:17-19 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. (18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (19) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

By blatantly declaring that Jesus did away with the law, Spurgeon, and almost all modern evangelical preachers have taken the side of the “False Accusers.” These “False-Accusers” have become the leaders for hundreds of “Christian” churches and denominations.

Warnings against false teachings

2 Peter 3:15-17 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him has written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.

This is a warning to all believers, to not follow such deceptive teachings or teachers. These same types of teachers are spoken of in Matthew:

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Iniquity in the Church

Iniquity is an unfamiliar term to most of us. Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament terms defines iniquity as: “lit., “lawlessness” (a, negative, nomos, “law”), is used in a way which indicates the meaning as being lawlessness or wickedness.”

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

When the modern church teaches that “Christ is the termination of the Law,” it has adopted the doctrine of iniquity – lawlessness. What is the logical conclusion to this doctrine of lawlessness? The re-writing of The Lord’s inerrant Word! Under this lawless thinking 1 John 3:4 should be restated “Without the Law there is no sin. We are under grace, not under the Law; without Sin all things are permissible.”

The consequences of this treacherous doctrine of lawlessness is violently evident in the modern church:

• Disregard and even disdain for children ( the birthrate in the church is the same if not lower than the general population)
• Disdain of families. (Segregation of families with nursery, children’s church, youth ministries, college ministries, women’s ministries, young adults, senior adults)
• Children and youth who do not respect their parents.
• Wives who do not honor their husbands
• Absent Husbands/Fathers(physically and emotionally)
• Youth ministries that supersede parental authority and go against scripture.
• Women’s ministries that push a feminist ideology.
• Teens and youth leaving the Church (over 85% of “church youth” who are college freshmen stop attending church)
• Teenage promiscuity
• Out of wedlock pregnancies
• Co-habiting couples choosing not to marry.
• Marriages that are wife-led
• Marriages that end in divorce. (the modern church’s divorce rate is Higher than Atheists)
• Prosperity-led preachers
• Church leaders with moral failures… (Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Baaker, Ted Haggard, plus hundreds, if not thousands of others)
• Tolerance of homosexuality
• Homosexual Marriage
• Homosexual Clergy from the Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian and other denominations, and Catholic Priests accused of molesting thousands of boys.

God’s Word the ultimate authority

Joh 17:12-21 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled. (13) And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. (14) I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (15) I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (16) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (17) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (18) As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. (19) And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. (20) Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (21) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Jesus is praying to the Father, and prays for His disciples to be sanctified through the Father’s truth. How did the disciples teach the Father’s truth and prove that Jesus was the true Messiah? Did they quote from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Can you imagine John saying, “Turn to chapter 1 verse 17 from my new book the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Me.”? Of course that didn’t happen. The truth that Jesus was referring to was and is the Old Testament. If “Thy Word” is truth why would Jesus abolish it? If we do away with the truth we are accepting a lie. Does God or Jesus accept lies? Could they ever accept a lie? The answer is, of course, NO!

Can we view this doctrine of lawlessness like the Bereans?

Act 17:10-11 (10) And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. (11) These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

We can look at the same scriptures that the are talked about in Act 17:11 (they only had the Old Testament) and see what is said about following the law?

Pro 28:4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

Pro 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

Deu 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deu 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

By adopting a “lawless” doctrine, the church has forsaken the warnings of lawlessness throughout scripture and is reaping the curse.

John 7:49 But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.

Even the New Testament acknowledges the Curse.

Does the curse that is prophesied in Deuteronomy 28 apply to us today?

Deu 28:41-46 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. (42) All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. (43) The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. (44) He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. (45) Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: (46) And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

Doesn’t this sound like present day America?

• We don’t enjoy our children, they are treated as a necessary evil
• Our children are held captive by TV, Video Games, the Internet, music, peer pressure,
• We are in debt to many countries
• We are borrowing from our children for todays elderly
• Illegal immigrants are gaining rights above citizens
• Taxes are spent willingly on illegal immigrants that can’t be accessed by Citizens

Unwittingly, we have inherited lies.

Jer 16:19 O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

We must learn to study God’s word and not accept the “Sour Milk” of the Twisted Gospel that has been fed to us, for nearly 1,900 years.

• God’s Word is always true!

• God Never contradicts himself.

• Jesus Christ will never contradict his Father

• If New Testament Scripture appears to contradict the Old Testament – it doesn’t

  • The problem is that we don’t understand the context.

  • The translation may be incomplete

• God never changes

• God is the same yesterday, today, and forever!