Can You Tell a Tare from the Wheat?

The Wheat and the Tares:

How many times have you heard someone in the church say something to this effect, “Let the wheat and the tares grow up together”? I have. It’s become what one might call a man made tradition in the church. Why is that? Well, because when used in that context, what church folk mean, is that we are supposed to allow the tares…in the church…remain there, and then at harvest time, the LORD will do the separating himself.

OK, that may seem very spiritual of these church going Christians, but…is that what Jesus really taught? I’ve gone over this teaching a number of times, and I can’t find one scripture reference that indicates that tares are supposed to be allowed to grow in the church, which is supposed to be the Body of Christ. Why in the world would Jesus want tares in the church when He already taught that a little leaven spoils the entire lump?

Lets look at the scripture where Jesus explains the meaning of the parable, from Matthew 13:

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

So, you see, the LORD clearly explains where the tares have been sown;….the field is the world.

Of course it is true that these worldly evil tares were seed that had been sown by the enemy, Satan, and many have infiltrated the church, the Body of Christ. But it is not truethat it’s the will of the LORD for them to be allowed to remain there and bear unhealthy fruit.

Most of us have heard the description and characteristics of tares, but what kind of bad fruit do they produce?

The tare weed, otherwise known as bearded Darnel has poisonous properties. It hasn’t been decided whether the seeds themselves contain the poison, or if it originates from a fungus that usually infects the plant. However, if darnel is ingested, or makes its way into bread, it produces an array of unpleasant symptoms. Ancient Greeks and Romans used darnel medicinally to induce a sedative effect. It produces multiple symptoms of drunkenness, such as drowsiness, hypnotic episodes, trembling, inability to walk, hindered speech, vomiting, giddiness, and lowered visual acuity. It can even stimulate convulsions and death if taken in quantities large enough.

That doesn’t sound like very beneficial seed, or fruit to me. So, it seems obvious that although these seeds grow wild in the world, they shouldn’t be allowed to be planted in the church, as these man made church traditions claim, “let the wheat and the tares grow up together “.

Friends, this is why, again, it’s so important to study and understand what the Word of God is actually saying, because as you can see, this particular one can have serious effects if allowed to take root and grow in the church, the Bride of Christ, that is supposed to be without spot, wrinkle or blemish.
If something as simple as this parable can be so distorted, can you imagine how twisted some of the less easily understood scripture passages can be?

Homosexuality in the Church!

I had to go through many frustrating pages on YouTube to find a real teaching on what is considered the actual position the church should take on homosexuality. I found several that did, but unfortunately those were from whom I considered false teachers themselves- according to scripture.

Sigh Such is the state the church is in today, rampantly apostate and fallen away for the most part. Finally, I came to the following link. The funky speaker doesn’t claim to be a teacher or pastor. I started to click off, but then began to listen to what he was saying, and let me tell you, he says it pretty straight! Hang on to your hats and listen! It is the truth.

Homosexuality has overran the church, by “The Junk Yard Dog”

Well, that pretty much tells it like it is. If you think that was a tad too, well, lets say, “graphic”? Please consider what the Apostle Paul said in Romans Ch 1:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

"TOUCH NOT GOD'S ANOINTED!!!"

Reblogged from Exitchurchianity's Blog:

One of the most misused & abused Scriptures in the Bible is “Touch not mine anointed, & do my prophets no harm (1 Chronicles 16:22 & Psalm 105:15).

Religious leaders cherry-pluck this Scripture out of context & quote it at anyone who questions them and holds them accountable to God’s Word for how they live and what they teach.

To make matters worse, religious leaders have drilled this misuse of Scripture into the minds of their followers, so now there are millions of people parroting it at anyone who rebukes & exposes their favorite religious leader.

Read more… 3,377 more words

God's Authority in His People

Reblogged from Mark Finger:

Read more… 2,571 more words

Are You Being Manipulated?

An Up Close and Personal Look at Controlling and Manipulating People, especially as experienced in the spiritual realm of the Christian walk.

Master Manipulators and the Queens of Control:

The term “Jezebel spirit” has clearly been an over used word in the Christian church realm. YouTube videos and articles on the Internet are off the charts about Jezebel, who certainly got a well deserved bad name for herself that will live forever in church terminology. However, a “Jezebel spirit” is simply a descriptive term for someone with a controlling and manipulative character and personality. If you’ve never encountered this type of individual in your own life…or church atmosphere, consider yourself extremely blessed.

However, most of us have encountered such a person, either male or female, either in or out of church. I’ve had a few run in’s with such types over the years, or watched them in action, and they may or may not be very easily detected. They are clearly hard to detect when one is personally involved with or under the influence of such a person.

Glynda Lomax in the video above gives a pretty good explanation of someone with a controlling, manipulative “spirit”. Does that mean that Satan or “spirits” are involved with these people in causing them to behave manipulatively in their actions? Well, they are clearly showing some unhealthy fruits if they are attempting to use others for their purposes. And that IS something that Satan and his demon spirits attempt to get Christians as well as unbelievers to do. And that is rebellion, (against the Word, will and purposes of God the Father and His Son, the LORD Jesus Christ), and rebellion is as witchcraft the bible says.

So, could YOU possibly be involved with a person who is manipulating you in some way to accomplish some selfish end of their own? Before you say no, stop and think about it. Your experience might not be the same as mine or Glyda Lomax’s, but don’t rule out the fact that it’s possible, because manipulators are very good at what they do. That’s the very reason they’re hard to detect.

Someone described such a person this way; One guy has a grudge against another guy, but HE doesn’t want to get directly involved with acting out a personal revenge for the sake of remaining hidden or seeming to not be responsible or get the blame for attacking the other person. So what he does is sneak up behind his enemy and hit him over the head, and then he points at another person standing there, and tells the guy he banged on the head, that another guy standing by DID IT. Then, when a fight breaks out, the one who started the fight, stands back and watches the fists fly. But, the other guy gets the blame instead of him. That’s a form of manipulation just as some of the usual descriptions.

False flag events are a form of manipulation like this, where governments will set up a scenario, and then blame it on some other government to achieve a certain goal.

Have you ever, or could you possibly be used by someone in this fashion? Without you even knowing it?
Watch out for this because it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book used by Satan, even from the events in the garden, where Satan tried to shift the blame over onto God. It’s called a “set up”, or in more biblical terms, “the snare of the fowler”, where Satan lays a trap for Christians that is hard to detect.

See our post, “What is the Snare of the Fowler and Who or What is a Fowler?

http://spiritualabusesanctuary.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/what-is-the-snare-of-the-fowler-and-who-or-what-is-a-fowler/

People will “use” other people to achieve a goal by making suggestions. Does the term suggestibility ring a bell? A manipulative person, (usually very intelligent), will make “suggestions” to you about taking a certain course of action in situations or dealings with other people, relationships, or problems. But with a hidden agenda of their own. They could even be acting under Satanic impulse just as Jezebel was to bring chaos and division. But it could be almost any type of situation imaginable.

The important thing is to learn to discern these agents of chaos and not allow yourself to be controlled or manipulated by them for their personal goals. Please be alert and be aware of such people because like Glynda said, they have hidden motives and they will not hesitate to use you in situations, and then when the fight breaks out, they will stand back and point at you and you will get the blame for what they started.

I have been victimized by these spiritual disinfo agents. The Lord has striven to show me that a situation where spritual warfare erupts, to DO NOTHING, until you have prayed and gotten a clear word from the LORD and the spiritual warfare calmed down, or you will get hurt in the crossfire. These lessons have been very difficult and expensive for any Christian to learn, myself included and I’m still learning them. I tend to be sensitive and too quick to react at times and this is something I’ve had to really work hard at not doing, and not be provoked into walking into a Jezebellian mine field.

Satan knows our personal weaknesses, and until we know what they are ourselves and overcome them, we will continue to be snared by the enemy. Experience can be very expensive and painful spiritually and emotionally. Guard your inner circle and be careful of whom you give access to your life, especially those who come with flatteries. And always, ask the Holy Spirit for discernment about all your encounters with people.

Unforgiveness and the Chastening of the Father

Unforgiveness and the Chastening of the Father.

You are the Problem….Crucify the Flesh or Perish

OK, this is a real street preacher. Maybe you don’t like him, but listen to his words because he’s telling the truth. Jesus means business.
This is on my heart today…”Unforgiveness and the Chastening of the Father”
Have you ever been chastened by the Lord? I have, and let me tell you, when the Father chastens you, you will certainly not enjoy it. But Jesus chastens his true children in love just as His Holy scriptures say.

Have you ever held unforgiveness in your heart toward someone for a perceived offense, or even for a real one? Be honest now. Have you? I have. It takes a searching of the heart where sometimes these sins are deeply hidden, even from ourselves. And we may try to deny it, but Jesus searches the deep things of the heart and spirit. If you are truly his child, you will deal with this unforgiveness and allow the Lord to cleanse you of it. This takes judging ourselves honestly before the Lord. Nothing is hidden from Him.

Have you ever held a grudge, bitterness or resentment against someone for something they said or did to hurt you? Or have you ever listened to and believed a story someone told you about someone else that later proved to be untrue? Be honest now, because God knows the truth, and we can’t hide our sins from Him. I have done these things at times, even since my baptism in the Spirit. Can we be men or women enough to admit to these things and grieve over them and repent? Believe me, there is nothing worse than the chastening of the Lord who comes with a rod of conviction.

Maya Angelo said, “It’s not what you did, it’s not what you said, it’s how you made me feel”.

Have you ever said something about someone, or to someone, even a precious friend that you had a disagreement with and they hurt you and you lashed back in anger and said words that cut them? Be honest now. Jesus is watching, who knows every thought from the time we get up until we go to bed. I have done this at times, even as a Christian. Jesus said we are judged by our words, because words come out of our mouth, but they begin in our hearts and spirits. What happens then, when the Lord shows us our sin, flat out, and we feel conviction? To me, it’s like Peter must have felt when the Lord looked toward him after the cock crowed three times. Crushed and broken to the very depth of my being, knowing that I had said or done something to hurt someone in anger.

Did the Apostles get into a contention with one another? Scripture indicates they did…but, it was short lived. I can only imagine what was said that was NOT INCLUDED in Holy writ.

http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/apostles.html

Let’s face it, Christians just don’t walk on water. They mess up, and sometimes they really mess up. But…if they are truly the Lord’s children they are going to be willing to confess it, and own up to it, and repent. The repentance needs to of such that one is willing to honestly stop doing whatever it was that hurt the other person, (or persons). To grieve over our sins. A broken and contrite spirit God is pleased with and will not turn away from such brokeness. Pride, and haughtiness on the other hand is not pleasng to our Lord, and keeps those in bondage who commit these sins.

Spiritual pride is a dangerous thing. When Christians think “they are pure and holy” by their own estimation of themselves, they are in great danger of becoming a Pharisee who refuses to deny self and carry his or her own cross. Jesus walked in meekness and humility. We need to try and emulate Him.

What happens if we hold bitterness, or unforgiveness in our hearts? Our walk with the Lord will be stunted and we will not grow in grace and sanctification. And…..if we don’t repent, we won’t be forgiven. What’s more important to us? Holding on to an offense? Or our salvation? The Lord has shown me that if we even vaguely understood how damaging unforgiveness is to ourselves, we would stop it immediately!

That said, I’ve heard Christians absolutely demand that others forgive them. Yet, they wouldn’t extend the same forgiveness to others. Go figure!

There is truly something lacking in today’s FaceBook Christianity. And it’s going to take God, or some severe judgment to wake people up I guess.

Drive Out the Pay Pal “Ministry” Scammers

Jesus Chases The Money Changers Out of The Temple:

Ok, so not all churches, “pastors” or Internet so-called “ministries” are as obvious as ole Leroy Thompson, Mike Murdock, or Cashflo Dollar. They’re more subtle on the Internet, where they can’t scream in your ear….but…they still have that little emotional appeal to Christians to “support” what they have designated as their “ministry”. The only thing is, you never know for sure whether you’re supporting the work of the Lord, or….their new 5,000 ft, 5 bedroom, 3 bath house, or whatever.

On the other hand, some of them use the old poverty ploy. This is a good one that deserves real credit for creative innovation. With this one, they tell their online groupies, or “fellowship”, they have given up all to serve the Lord and spread his gospel. That they barely have enough to live on, buy gas for their 20 yr old car, or pay the electric bill, etc etc. No, I’m not kidding. Actually, it doesn’t take a whole lot of searching to locate these money buzzards. So, what is a good tip off that you just might be dealing with an Internet Money changer? Very simple. It’s the all too familiar Pay Pal Donate button.

Some of these PayPal money changers even have TWO PLACES to donate on their site. Just to make sure you didn’t see the first one. Here’s an example of this:
““As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10

“This ministry work would be furthered in the hearts of men and blessed to have you assist us in any of the following ways (email button at bottom). We are all Christ’s disciples, servants, and friends (John 15). As blood-bought members of Jesus’ body, we are all just regular people – former sinners now saved by His glorious grace – who have His desire inside of us to help others grow in His grace and for lost souls to be saved/rescued before it’s too late (Luke 19:10; Mark 4:19). Each of us know inside that our time is short – we have a very limited window and must act now. Many who read these words desire and have even prayed for something to do for Jesus.”

Uh, you have to zing past the PayPal donate button to get to the aforesaid email location. There is also plenty of stuff he wants you to do to “spread the gospel”, namely send $$ and post stuff to link to his website, which of course will inevitably lead to the all too familiar Pay Pal donate button.

All of these guys, (and women too), have a gimmick to appeal to Christians. Some even claim to be “Watchmen on the Wall” to explain to Christians who, what and where the false churches, teachers, doctrines, etc; are that you’re too dumb to figure out for yourself. I’m asking you…as a Christian, really? Are you really so biblically and spiritually challenged that you haven’t figured out by now who to beware of or who to trust?

Maybe some of these guys, who you never see in person, by the way, are doing an Internet phishing scam. Kind of like tossing out a line, in the form of a Pay Pal “donate” button, to see if maybe the net will drag in a real haul, (of $$$).

Maybe, some of them DO actually work for a living, and tell you so. But how do you know for sure? Where are their elders to keep them accountable? Very likely you will NEVER see an actual accounting for either the amount of money they’re raking in, or where the money is actually going and for what purpose. I mean, couldn’t you find some area where to spend the “Lord’s Money” on ministry service? A little old lady having a hard time of making ends meet? Or a widow with a couple of grand-kids she’s raising? Or a disabled vet having a hard time finding work? And so on….

I suggest you do a little check up online and spend some time googling. I’m pretty sure you’ll see what I mean before very long. Please, in the interest of being a good steward, be very prayerfully selective of who you send money to. Again, please follow the leading of the Holy Spirit regarding this issue. Anytime you see that Pay Pal donate button, you may be dealing with an Internet Mystery Meat Ministry pimp who’s trying to grab his piece of the donation pie. He will never be there at your bedside to pray for you in person if you should fall sick. He will never be there graveside to minister to you or your family when a loved one dies. If you’ve never met this individual face to face, think twice about sending him money.

Online Discernment Ministries:

http://apprising.org/2009/03/08/is-there-a-cult-of-online-discernment-ministries/

Don’t Believe Everything You Read…On the Internet:

http://huntingheresyhunters.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/dont-believe-everything-you-readon-the-internet/

From this blog:
“I close these word of warning/caution with a quote taken from someone who, in my personal opinion (as a professional apologist for over 15 years), is one of the worst of the worst ODMs. This ODM has posted her attacks repeatedly against God’s people and encourages others to do likewise (very much like Jezebel encouraged false charges to be brought against God’s people, see 1 Kings 21:10). She stated the following in one of her recent posts:

“Technology affords so many opportunities now to communicate with others and the world that can be used for good. It also offers us many new snares and opportunities to sin. . . . [W]e need to be ready to examine ourselves and honestly look at our motives and behavior in light of God’s Word. If we can’t control the temptation a technology brings, we need to do rapid surgery and get rid of it so that Satan does not gain a foothold in our lives. If we can use a technology for God’s glory with a clear conscience, we need to carry on and thank God for the opportunity.”

Indeed. I couldn’t agree more with this individual. Now, let us all pray that such people will begin following their own words of counsel and in so doing, not only avoid hypocrisy, but also avert God’s judgment and God’s chastisement in their lives.”