Purging the Church

Intro

Summary: It is past time to purge the emerged Church

Just in case you are not aware of it, the Church still chases after trends that are deemed profitable to attract and retain people. One of the most dangerous to date is the emerging church movement as it seeks to redefine Christianity as a whole. The belief is that denominationalism and institutionalized churches have disillusioned many believers and a new form of church is needed if the Church is to survive.

However, the allowances made for the flesh and worldliness are far removed from the Scriptural mandate for holiness. The Bible is startlingly clear in this matter.

Hebrews 12:14–15 ESV

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

We have created environments wherein nobody is allowed to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God. We have omitted altar services from our meetings in many cases. In many churches, an altar for prayer no longer exists.

What we need is not an emerging church movement for the Church emerged on the Day of Pentecost. What we need is a purging Church movement where we purge the worldliness from the Church that has emerged in the last hundred years but particularly the last forty or so years. We need no more isms, just back to basics.

Sin

First, let us purge ourselves and the Church of sins including that of worldliness.

1 Corinthians 5:6–7 ESV

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

False Doctrine

Second, let us purge ourselves and the Church of the vain babblings of foolish professors and scribes that use the wisdom of men versus the wisdom of God to create false doctrine; some of which is damnable! Be a Berean and study to be sure what your teacher is teaching is truth. Don't be afraid to name names. Paul wasn't

2 Timothy 2:15–21 ESV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

Dead Works

Finally, let's purge ourselves and the Church of dead works that do more to appease the culture than please God Whom has called us to come out from among them and be separate. We are not to appeal to the culture groveling at their feet for acceptance rather we are to be standing as the ambassadors of a triumphant God that offers them the pardon of grace or the wrath of judgment.

Hebrews 9:13–14 ESV

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

When we succeed in the Purging Church Movement then we shall see a mighty work of God in our lives, the Church and the World before He returns instead of the sorry movements of men that amount to nothing. Maranatha!

Purging Leadership

In too many cases in the last day Church, it seems that Christians are not aware of the proper response to their sin. We must pray that God will break through the hardness of peoples hearts in His love and mercy toward them so that they might be restored to His grace.

Jeremiah 8:4–9 ESV

“You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the Lord. “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord, so what wisdom is in them?

The most terrifying thing in my spirit today is that the Church has not taken to heart the events that are taking place right before their eyes. How desperately the Holy Spirit of God is trying to get the world’s attention!!

I know that I am not speaking of every person here, but our brothers and sisters in Christ that have been led astray by preachers that have not sought God. Even when the Holy Spirit is successful in bringing conviction and repentance to ministers such as Benny Hinn as he recently denounced the so called Prosperity Gospel, others from within that group were quick to close ranks and say it was just from the abuses he repented. They claim that the gospel is all about prosperity, but it is not as they say. The prosperity of God is towards our souls first and our eternal home that can never be robbed or diminished.

Ezekiel 33:31 ESV

And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

They look like Christians, talk like Christians, and in public act like Christians; but there is an agenda buried in their hearts to make plunder of the Church.

Isaiah 29:13 ESV

And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Matthew 15:7–9 ESV

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

I believe the Lord is calling for us to pray specifically for such leaders this morning. God loves them even though they have led many astray and used their talents wrongly against God’s people instead of for them.