LOST IN THE CHURCH [BEING LOST IN CHURCH] Part Eight The Name of Jesus There are many things that are closely associated with the Lord Jesus, and some have even been given His great name. However, people need to understand that these things are not Jesus Himself. Therefore, building one's faith upon such things or worshipping them can be a great deception. Being close to the Lord, or even being called by His great name, does not necessarily mean that something is worthy of our worship. This means that a person can become lost before the Lord—or even become lost in church. Satan spent all his time in the presence of the Lord, enjoying His glory, beauty, and blessings; nevertheless, he fell. Judas Iscariot was privileged to eat at the Lord's table. He heard the profound wisdom and extraordinary words that the prophets of old longed to hear; yet he also perished. This happened because they gave created things the place that belonged to the Lord. The name of Jesus is an extraordinary gift given to the true Church throughout the world for salvation. However, we must understand that Satan has also been permitted to use that very same name on earth for evil purposes and destruction. Therefore, the Church must be extremely careful. Not everyone who mentions the name of Jesus Christ, or identifies themselves by that name, is from God. Not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is truly a Christian in their heart. Not every institution that bears the name of the Lord has come from God. One of the greatest things I have observed in this world is that the Lord Himself can bless an institution, a church, a person, or a thing without actually dwelling in it. And that is one of the saddest dangers! Remember Ishmael, the son of Abraham. God blessed him even though he was not the one through whom God's covenant purpose would be fulfilled. > Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.” Genesis 17:18–20 And concerning Ishmael, Scripture clearly says that the son of the slave woman will never share the inheritance with the son of the free woman. Read Galatians 4:30. The meaning here is that the Lord blessed a person who would nevertheless not inherit eternal life together with the children of God through the covenant represented by Isaac. My brothers and sisters, among the most frightening forms of deception taking place in the Church in these last days is the misuse of the name of Jesus. If a person cannot discern the spirit behind every minister who comes before them, then they are already in serious danger. > “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” Matthew 24:5 One of the difficult statements in the Bible that I thought I understood well—but which took me many years to understand properly—is this statement in Matthew 24:5. For a long time, I thought those false ministers would come in His name claiming that they themselves were Christ. But that is not necessarily what the Lord meant. The correct meaning is that these false ministers would come in His name while openly acknowledging that He—Jesus—is the Christ. They would not necessarily claim to be Christ themselves. In simple terms, these false ministers would come into the world confessing that Jesus is Lord and Savior, and they would use the name of Jesus in their ministries, yet they would actually be agents of Satan. Do you see how dangerous that is? What makes it even worse is that we have often interpreted this Scripture incorrectly. But the Lord said, “many will come.” He did not say a few would come. He said many. And notice that He did not say these people would belong to only one particular category—such as prophets, apostles, or miracle workers. Therefore, we should understand that He was warning about many different kinds of ministers: prophets, apostles, teachers, pastors, evangelists, miracle workers and those who do not perform miracles; those leading large churches and those leading small churches, and so on. I say this because there has been a deception among people who think they only need to fear miracle workers, false prophets, large-church leaders, or apostles. But beloved, let me tell you something: in my experience, one of the greatest forms of deception I have seen in the Church is being under a false pastor. And may God help me as I say this! Deception does not exist in only one place. Everyone can be prepared for a particular kind of deception—according to what they believe, what they understand, and what they are looking for. There is no weapon that is always used from a distance. Scripture says: > “A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” Matthew 10:36 If you fear today's miracles, false prophets, apostles of anointing oil, and similar things, you are certainly right to be cautious. But understand this: those may be weapons that are too distant for someone like you. Satan, who is full of cunning and deception, a master of lies and the father of much deception, may never use such obvious weapons to trap someone like you. Instead, he may send you a false pastor who performs no miracles at all, someone whose ministry perfectly matches your beliefs, so that you can trust him completely. Then you may gradually be fed false teachings that have no life—teachings that have an outward appearance of godliness and reverence for God, yet are built upon false wisdom that contradicts the power and priorities of the Holy Spirit. That, my brother and sister, is where you can truly become lost. Also understand clearly that the false ministers I am speaking about can be of two kinds. There are those who have consciously made an agreement with Satan and therefore know exactly what they are doing. And there are those who do not even realize that they are false ministers. They themselves have been deceived by false teachings. They are also products of false teachers. Many of these are the religious leaders of our time—the Pharisees of the Pharisees of this generation. And these can be among the most dangerous people, because they were the very kind of religious leaders who even participated in the rejection and crucifixion of the Lord. Therefore, submitting yourself blindly to such ministers is a truly frightening thing. May Almighty God have mercy on us all. Amen! #ToBeContinued... Mwl. Ernest Nyalula +255752057664 #LostInTheChurch #Discernment #ChristianFaith #TruthOfTheGospel #JesusChrist #SpiritualDiscernment #BiblicalTruth #Christianity #FalseTeaching #KnowTheWord

LOST IN THE CHURCH: [GETTING LOST IN CHURCH] Part Seven Worshipping the Word of God/Scripture. The Word of God, together with the Church, are among the things given to us for the purpose of salvation, to bring people to God, although they themselves are not God. Therefore, I can say that the Word of God is like a signpost pointing us to where Christ is. When a person ends up building his life upon the Word of God without going to Jesus Christ, this becomes the foundation of one of the greatest deceptions of religious spirits and idolatry in the Church. If you read John chapter five, you will see how the Lord spoke to those who had fallen into this kind of deception: > “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:39–40 Today, many people have ended up in religious institutions, while others have ended up in Scripture, yet they have never truly come to Jesus to receive life. Jesus did not come to establish any religion or bring a system of laws to the world; rather, He came to restore the RELATIONSHIP between humanity and God—the relationship that was lost in Eden. It is within this relationship that salvation and eternal life are found. > “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3 A person can know all the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, and may even teach them with great skill and accuracy, yet never have encountered or truly known the Lord. It may be easy for someone to explain things about the Lord based on what they have heard from other people. However, it is completely different to know the Lord personally. Jesus is the Way and the Life. There is no way for anyone to come to the Father except through Him. And when He says that He is the Way, many people picture a dusty road, a gravel road, or a paved road. But the Way He is talking about here is a Person. To know the way to heaven is to know a Person. And you cannot truly know Him without having a relationship with Him. > “Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:23 It is entirely possible for someone to preach, teach the Word of God, cast out demons, and perform many works of the Kingdom, yet still not know the Lord—and likewise, not be known in Heaven. It is easy for a person to build a name for himself and become famous on earth, but it is very different to be known in Heaven. Many of the things we glorify on earth are often considered worthless before God. Therefore, it is possible for someone to be well-known in Heaven while having no name or recognition on earth. Glorifying the Word More Than the One Who Gave the Word There has been a very strange tendency among people to glorify the Word of God more than God Himself, who gave the Word. In this way, many people hold on to what God said yesterday against what He is saying today. For example, it is possible for God to say “Yes” yesterday concerning a particular matter and say “No” today, according to His will and timing. If we have not learned how to walk with the Lord, it is very easy to cling to a dead word, which undoubtedly becomes an idol. In this way, we have many churches today that have died because they continue holding on to a dead word. The Apostle Peter is one of the examples in Scripture of someone who almost made such a painful mistake. He resisted the Lord’s command concerning the animals, relying on the earlier word from the same God who had declared those animals unclean. However, by His great mercy, the Lord corrected Peter and told him: > “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” Acts 10:15 #ToBeContinued..! Mwl. Ernest Nyalula WhatsApp: +255 616 609 885 #LostInTheChurch #JesusChrist #WordOfGod #Christianity #ChristianLife #FaithInChrist #KnowJesus #RelationshipWithGod #BibleTruth #SpiritualGrowth #KingdomOfGod #ChristianTeaching #FaithAndTruth #GodsWord #JesusIsTheWay #ChristianYouth #GospelTruth #WalkWithGod #KnowGod #ToBeContinued

LOST IN THE CHURCH: [BEING LOST IN CHURCH] Part Six Idolatry in the House of God Many have interpreted the word idol from the perspective of the Old Covenant, an era in which the main emphasis was on the physical. But now, the Lord is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit. Therefore, the most dangerous and difficult idol—not one made of iron, stone, or wood—is the one that can be carved within a person’s heart or spirit. An IDOL can be anything that takes the place of God within a person. The first commandment the Lord gave us is to love Him above everything else. Therefore, whatever you can love more than you love God becomes an idol to you. Furthermore, the Lord has warned us not to fear anything more than Him (Matthew 10:28), and not to place our faith, hope, or dependence on anything except Him. By this reasoning, whatever you give those places in your life becomes an idol that you have carved within your own heart. Scripture is clear that those who worship idols will have their part in the lake of fire, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8). In these last days, many people have become lost in Church by worshipping things that are close to the Lord, or things that have been called by His name, thinking that by doing so they are worshipping the Lord Himself! Some of the things people have come to worship—and many of you may be surprised when I mention them—include worship services, the Church, the mother of Jesus, servants of God, angels, the Word of God, prayer, the name of a church, and so on. But the Lord will never allow anything to take His glory! Nevertheless, many people who worship idols in the house of God do so out of ignorance and lack of knowledge. And this is where our enemy gains his strength. Therefore, this message is given by the great grace of God to those who are willing to love the Lord above everything else. Worshipping the Word of God The Word of God can become an idol if it takes the place of God Himself. And this is astonishing! I know that by making this statement, I have probably disturbed the theology of many people. Let me repeat it, so that you understand that I am not speaking carelessly: “The word of God can become a very dangerous idol, and it can bring death if it is worshipped or allowed to take the place of God.” There is nothing as valuable as the Word of God. Nevertheless, everyone must understand that the “word of God” is not God Himself! It is extremely dangerous for any person, Church, or institution to build upon the word of God instead of building upon God Himself. Today, there are many Churches that have fallen into this kind of deception. You can recognize them by observing their people: they have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). The Church develops certain forms of worship that contradict the presence of God! The Word of God vs. “the word of God” I know that when I say “the word of God is not God,” many people become surprised, especially when they remember John 1:1, which says: > “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is absolutely true that this Scripture says the Word was God. However, it is important to understand that this passage is speaking about “the Word” and not merely “the word of God.” There is a significant difference between these two expressions: “the Word of God” and “the word of God.” When you say “the Word of God,” you are referring, in essence, to a Person—which is why Word begins with a capital letter. However, when you say “the word of God,” you are not necessarily referring to a person, but rather to the ordinary word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Throughout the Bible, there are places where the word “Word” is used with a capital letter. When Scripture uses it in that way, it refers to a Person—Christ! The Bible is filled with the word of God that needs to be made alive. When a person reads it, they should seek the Spirit through whom that word was written. Therefore, the word of God needs the Spirit behind it so that it can be transformed into the living Word of God, who is a Person. And that is what saves, blesses, and heals. Thus: The word of God + the Holy Spirit = The Word of God [Jesus] Without the Holy Spirit, there is no life in anything. Therefore, do not be surprised that even the Bible can be used by witches or traditional healers in their practices. This helps us understand the meaning of the Scripture: > “For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” — 2 Corinthians 3:6 Essentially, without the Holy Spirit, the Bible becomes nothing more than a book of history, literature, philosophy, stories, politics, or any other ordinary book. And many people have treated Scripture in exactly that way. They have never encountered the Living Word of God within their hearts. As a result, they have built their lives upon a “word of God” that has never become flesh within them. Because of their lack of understanding, many people consider such individuals to be servants of God. Yet this condition has ultimately turned them into philosophers, motivational speakers, politicians, and extreme businessmen operating within the house of God. This is extremely dangerous! When the Lord made a whip and overturned the tables of the merchants in His Father’s house, was that not also a prophecy of what is going to take place in the house of God today? May God bless you greatly! #ToBeContinued... Mwl. Ernest Nyalula +255 616 609 885 #LostInTheChurch #CircumcisionOfTheHeart #TrueHoliness #BornAgain #GraceAndTruth #ChristJesus #Christianity #TheCross #SpiritualGrowth #GodsWord

LOST IN THE CHURCH: [BEING LOST IN CHURCH] Part Five Measuring Holiness There has been a great deception among many people who assume that holiness is measured by comparing a person’s good deeds with their bad deeds. When the scale of good deeds appears to outweigh the bad, they conclude that the person is holy. In this way, many have continued to measure Christianity by looking at what they have done and what they have not done. This kind of holiness focuses heavily on measuring sin according to the “Don’ts” found in Scripture. And this has become the interpretation of religion throughout history. It has continued to damage the Church and has contributed to leading many people to hell. Holiness or sin is not merely an action—not simply what a person does or does not do—but a condition of the heart. God is deeply concerned with the condition of our hearts. Actions are only the results of what is already inside the heart. Many have measured holiness by good deeds, yet the Lord does not look at things in that way. He looks at the spirit or intention behind every action, examining the manner and motive with which it was done. Therefore, the Lord is not simply looking for people who perform good deeds on earth, but for people who do what is right! There is a great difference between doing a good thing and doing the right thing. Sometimes the right thing may appear to be evil in the eyes of people. When the Lord commanded Israel to destroy the nations of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, as stated in Deuteronomy 20:17, could the world have called Him good? Yet we know without doubt that the Lord was doing what was right, because He does not make mistakes, and His works are always without error. Understand that sin is a condition of the heart, and there is One who examines the deepest intentions of the heart. A person can perform good deeds with an evil motive, while another can perform something that appears bad with a good intention. Therefore, it is very easy for a person to be deceived if they place their confidence in goodness or in their works. Indeed, evil kills; however, goodness can be responsible for deceiving and destroying even more people in the world than evil itself. One of Satan’s most powerful weapons for bringing destruction into the world comes through what appears to be good. There is hardly a greater deception Satan can use than coming to us dressed as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 Because sin is a condition of the heart, a person can be a murderer even if they have never physically killed anyone. Likewise, someone can be an adulterer before God even if they have never slept with a woman. For example, even if a lemon tree refuses to produce fruit, perhaps in an attempt to hide its nature, it cannot change and become a mango tree. We cannot remove sin from within ourselves by keeping the Law or by trying to be good. We must be transformed in our hearts as we hold firmly to the Cross. Otherwise, even if a person never commits an outward act of sin, that does not necessarily mean they are without guilt. Remember: even if a lemon tree does not produce fruit, that does not mean it will be counted as an orange tree. Circumcision of the Heart Essentially, there is no action a person can perform that can change their inner nature. Things such as religion and the Law can change the outward appearance, but they cannot transform the inner person. Christianity does not begin from the outside and move inward; rather, it begins from within and moves outward. Therefore, through religion, the Law, happiness, habits, the desire for praise, and so forth, it is entirely possible for a person to do good outwardly while not actually being good in their heart. That is why the Lord used circumcision as an illustration of removing the outward covering of hypocrisy, so that what is inside would correspond with what is outside. This was the foundation of the circumcision commanded by the Lord in the house of Israel, when He instructed them to circumcise the foreskin of their bodies. And was this not a prophecy concerning the circumcision of the heart in our present age, when we look to Christ, as it is written in Philippians 3:3: > “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh.” If you are in church and have not been born again, understand that your nature has not been transformed. Therefore, even if you pretend to do good, fast extensively, keep all the Laws, observe all the ancient festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths, understand that hell awaits you! And these are words of truth. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Amen! #ToBeContinued... Mwl. Ernest Nyalula #LostInTheChurch #CircumcisionOfTheHeart #TrueHoliness #BornAgain #HeartTransformation #ChristAlone #GraceAndTruth #Christianity #FaithInChrist #TheGospel #JesusChrist #KingdomOfGod #LordBook #SpiritualGrowth #TruthOfTheGospel🙏

LOST IN THE CHURCH [GETTING LOST IN CHURCH] Part Four Keeping the Law No one will enter Heaven by keeping the Law. For no one can keep all the Law without stumbling even in one point. And whenever you break one law, you have broken all of it. Essentially, the Law was not given to the world to save people. It was given to reveal the sin that exists in the hearts of human beings and then show them that humanity needs a Savior—Jesus Christ! So, it is strange that Jesus has come, yet people have refused to go to Him and instead have gone back to the Law. If the Law could save, then what was the purpose of Jesus dying on the cross? It would have been enough simply to send the Law into the world, and it would have accomplished everything. My brothers and sisters, sin is not merely an action; sin is a condition of the heart. For example, when someone steals, people immediately judge the action. But they may fail to understand that the action has only revealed the sin that already existed within that person's heart. Therefore, before God, that person is a thief even before the actual act of stealing, because God looks at the heart. For instance, if you give a person a law that says, “Do not steal,” and that law succeeds in preventing him from stealing 100% of the time, you have only succeeded in controlling his body from expressing sin outwardly. You have not removed the sin from his heart. Therefore, at its very best, the Law cannot make a person's heart pure. And Scripture clearly says that no one will see God without a pure heart. Matthew 5:8 Therefore, anyone who approaches the Law in order to become holy has been seriously deceived. I compare such a person to someone who goes to a traditional healer to have a demon removed. What the healer may do is not remove the demon but merely suppress it—controlling it so that it does not cause trouble while it remains inside. Jesus alone is able to transform you when you come to Him. He can change your very nature. My brothers and sisters, the Lord did not come into the world looking for good people, perfect people, people who never sin, or people who are capable of perfectly keeping the Law. He came looking for people who recognize their need for His help, who will believe in Him, and above all, who will love Him. Keeping the Law Under the New Covenant Whenever people hear about keeping the Law, the first thing that often comes to mind is the Old Covenant and certain churches that emphasize the Law. Because they consider themselves churches of salvation, they may think this message does not apply to them. But from the perspective of “Getting Lost in Church,” this message may actually apply even more to spiritual churches than to others. There is a great danger in reading the New Covenant through the mindset of the Old Covenant. Someone may think that perhaps praying for a long time, fasting frequently, or performing many religious activities will make God accept them. Someone may think that because they attend church every day, do not commit adultery, do not lie, give generously to God, help the needy, serve in church, sing in the choir, preach, or have a good relationship with the pastor, they will automatically be allowed into Heaven on the last day. Many people in church have been deceived by these things. They even look down on others because they believe they themselves are safe. Now, I am not saying that doing these things is wrong or unnecessary. Not at all. Rather, a person should do these things after they have already encountered the Lord. Keeping the Law without encountering the Lord or being born again is an insult to the cross of Calvary. If someone could enter Heaven simply by doing all these things, then why did Jesus have to die on the cross? So, salvation is not primarily about what we have done, but about what the Lord Jesus has already done on the cross. Outside the cross of Jesus, there is no true love, no holiness, no righteousness, no relationship with God, no Christianity, and no salvation. Therefore, when we look at the cross with grateful hearts and connect it to everything we do, we enter into His love and develop a relationship with Him. And we know that the life of every relationship is communication. Without communication, there can be no genuine love or meaningful relationship. Have you ever had a relationship with someone you love who was far away from you, while the two of you stopped communicating? Even in English, we say: “The more the communication, the stronger the relationship—and vice versa.” This means that the degree to which a person hears from God and communicates with Him determines the closeness of that person's relationship with God. For the Word says: “My sheep hear my voice.” John 10:27 #ToBeContinued... Sir. Ernest Nyalula LostInTheChurch #JesusChrist #GraceNotWorks #TheCrossOfChrist #NewCovenant #SalvationByGrace #BornAgain #ChristianTruth #BiblicalTruth #KnowTheWord #FaithInChrist #KingdomOfGod #LordBook #Christianity #SpiritualGrowth

LOST IN THE CHURCH Part Three CIVILIZATION / RESPECTABILITY One of the greatest things religion could achieve at its highest level is to try to make a person extremely good and civilized. However, being civilized is not a fruit of the Spirit, it is not holiness, and it is not Christianity. A civilized person may be someone who believes that he can calm God's anger through good behavior and by keeping religious laws. The origin of this kind of civilization is the attempt to please God by conforming to the spirit of this world—by obeying human expectations more than the will of God. Many people assume that being loved and accepted by the world is the same as being loved by God. But Jesus Himself was not "civilized" according to the standards people often use today. How could He be, when He called Herod, the ruler of His country, "that fox"? (Luke 13:32) Where have you ever seen a "civilized" person make a whip of cords, drive people out of the Temple, overturn the tables and chairs of the merchants, and scatter their money? (John 2:15) Tell me, where have you ever seen a civilized person behave like that? It amazes me that today civilization and politeness are sometimes mistaken for Christianity. THE GRACE OF GOD > "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John 1:17 Jesus did not come to establish salvation through the Mosaic Law. And if the Law given through Moses could not accomplish God's ultimate purpose of restoring humanity to Him, then holiness cannot be achieved merely by keeping laws. Rather, it is through the grace of God, freely given to the person who looks to the Lord. However, I am not saying that there is no law under grace. What I mean is that the law operating within grace is the law of love. Love must come first, and obedience follows. To put law before love is slavery. And the Lord clearly said that God's children are free. (Matthew 17:26) Therefore, we do not obey God's commandments in order to create love within ourselves. We obey because we have already begun to love God. Remember what the Word says in John 14:15: > "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Notice the order of the words. The order matters. Love comes first. He loved us first. (1 John 4:19) Therefore, when we obey His commandments, His laws, or His truth, it should be because His love has taken root in our hearts. Otherwise, we risk falling into the very spirit of deception and error that has existed throughout history—the spirit of religion. If you read 1 Corinthians 13, beginning from verse 1 onward, you will see the Apostle Paul explaining how empty it is for a person to perform even something apparently spiritual or divine when there is no love in his heart. SALVATION: GRACE AND WORKS Salvation is by grace, and it is freely given because of the finished work of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Therefore, any attempt to offer our own achievements as payment for acceptance before God is essentially an insult to the Cross, because it suggests that Christ's sacrifice was insufficient. And the Lord will not accept anyone who attempts to approach Him on such a basis. GRACE VS. WORKS Today, a large number of believers are lost in the Church because they have failed to properly distinguish between these two concepts: works and grace. The way of life often passes through truths that appear to be in tension. I do not mean grace alone while completely rejecting obedience. Neither do I mean works alone while ignoring grace. It is not everything done by God, nor is it everything done by us. Some have gone too far into the direction of legalistic works. Others, after thinking they have understood grace, have been pushed to the opposite extreme and become lost in a distorted understanding of grace. If you approach Scripture with a distorted "grace-only" mindset, you can become lost in that extreme. Likewise, if you approach Scripture entirely through the lens of works, you can also become lost. The Bible clearly says: > "Faith without works is dead." Yet it is also a great deception to perform works merely so that you can be considered a person of faith. Yes, the Lord carried the Cross for us, and that is grace. But have you ever asked yourself why He also told us to take up our own cross and follow Him? (Luke 9:23) That is where we discover that we also have a part to fulfill. Once you understand that it is not grace without responsibility, do not overreact and jump with both feet into legalism. If you do, you will fall into another dangerous deception: believing that God can be found through human effort. Some people believe that if they pray for extremely long periods, jump up and down, give this or that offering, perform certain religious activities, or do particular things, then God will finally hear them. Sadly, such ideas have become widespread in the house of God today. I have often wondered about the prophets of Baal and how they cut themselves with swords and knives until blood flowed while calling upon their god in the days of the prophet Elijah. Could that not also be a picture of people who would arise in our generation, believing that God's goodness can be obtained through religious effort and works of the law? May God bless you greatly. #ToBeContinued... Mwl. Ernest Nyalula +255 616 609 885 #LostInTheChurch #GraceVsWorks #GraceOfGod #Christianity #ChristianFaith #BiblicalTruth #BibleStudy #JesusChrist #ChristianLife #SpiritualGrowth #GodsGrace #FaithAndWorks #TheWordOfGod #KingdomOfGod #ChurchLife #ChristianTeaching #KnowTheTruth #WalkWithChrist #Holiness #FaithInJesus

LOST IN THE CHURCH Part Three CIVILIZATION / RESPECTABILITY One of the greatest things religion could achieve at its highest level is to try to make a person extremely good and civilized. However, being civilized is not a fruit of the Spirit, it is not holiness, and it is not Christianity. A civilized person may be someone who believes that he can calm God's anger through good behavior and by keeping religious laws. The origin of this kind of civilization is the attempt to please God by conforming to the spirit of this world—by obeying human expectations more than the will of God. Many people assume that being loved and accepted by the world is the same as being loved by God. But Jesus Himself was not "civilized" according to the standards people often use today. How could He be, when He called Herod, the ruler of His country, "that fox"? (Luke 13:32) Where have you ever seen a "civilized" person make a whip of cords, drive people out of the Temple, overturn the tables and chairs of the merchants, and scatter their money? (John 2:15) Tell me, where have you ever seen a civilized person behave like that? It amazes me that today civilization and politeness are sometimes mistaken for Christianity. THE GRACE OF GOD > "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John 1:17 Jesus did not come to establish salvation through the Mosaic Law. And if the Law given through Moses could not accomplish God's ultimate purpose of restoring humanity to Him, then holiness cannot be achieved merely by keeping laws. Rather, it is through the grace of God, freely given to the person who looks to the Lord. However, I am not saying that there is no law under grace. What I mean is that the law operating within grace is the law of love. Love must come first, and obedience follows. To put law before love is slavery. And the Lord clearly said that God's children are free. (Matthew 17:26) Therefore, we do not obey God's commandments in order to create love within ourselves. We obey because we have already begun to love God. Remember what the Word says in John 14:15: > "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Notice the order of the words. The order matters. Love comes first. He loved us first. (1 John 4:19) Therefore, when we obey His commandments, His laws, or His truth, it should be because His love has taken root in our hearts. Otherwise, we risk falling into the very spirit of deception and error that has existed throughout history—the spirit of religion. If you read 1 Corinthians 13, beginning from verse 1 onward, you will see the Apostle Paul explaining how empty it is for a person to perform even something apparently spiritual or divine when there is no love in his heart. SALVATION: GRACE AND WORKS Salvation is by grace, and it is freely given because of the finished work of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Therefore, any attempt to offer our own achievements as payment for acceptance before God is essentially an insult to the Cross, because it suggests that Christ's sacrifice was insufficient. And the Lord will not accept anyone who attempts to approach Him on such a basis. GRACE VS. WORKS Today, a large number of believers are lost in the Church because they have failed to properly distinguish between these two concepts: works and grace. The way of life often passes through truths that appear to be in tension. I do not mean grace alone while completely rejecting obedience. Neither do I mean works alone while ignoring grace. It is not everything done by God, nor is it everything done by us. Some have gone too far into the direction of legalistic works. Others, after thinking they have understood grace, have been pushed to the opposite extreme and become lost in a distorted understanding of grace. If you approach Scripture with a distorted "grace-only" mindset, you can become lost in that extreme. Likewise, if you approach Scripture entirely through the lens of works, you can also become lost. The Bible clearly says: > "Faith without works is dead." Yet it is also a great deception to perform works merely so that you can be considered a person of faith. Yes, the Lord carried the Cross for us, and that is grace. But have you ever asked yourself why He also told us to take up our own cross and follow Him? (Luke 9:23) That is where we discover that we also have a part to fulfill. Once you understand that it is not grace without responsibility, do not overreact and jump with both feet into legalism. If you do, you will fall into another dangerous deception: believing that God can be found through human effort. Some people believe that if they pray for extremely long periods, jump up and down, give this or that offering, perform certain religious activities, or do particular things, then God will finally hear them. Sadly, such ideas have become widespread in the house of God today. I have often wondered about the prophets of Baal and how they cut themselves with swords and knives until blood flowed while calling upon their god in the days of the prophet Elijah. Could that not also be a picture of people who would arise in our generation, believing that God's goodness can be obtained through religious effort and works of the law? May God bless you greatly. #ToBeContinued... Mwl. Ernest Nyalula +255 616 609 885 #LostInTheChurch #GraceVsWorks #GraceOfGod #Christianity #ChristianFaith #BiblicalTruth #BibleStudy #JesusChrist #ChristianLife #SpiritualGrowth #GodsGrace #FaithAndWorks #TheWordOfGod #KingdomOfGod #ChurchLife #ChristianTeaching #KnowTheTruth #WalkWithChrist #Holiness #FaithInJesus

LOST IN THE CHURCH "[PART TWO]" THE CHURCH The Church is a very important instrument in the hands of the Lord. However, that does not mean that by simply looking to or depending on the Church, a person can be saved. The Church cannot heal a person, lead them into all truth, or even baptize them with the Holy Spirit. THE LORD alone is able to do all these things! Going to church every day of worship does not make someone a Christian. It is like taking a wheelbarrow to a garage every day and expecting it to be called a car. Reading the Word of God, preaching, or knowing some of the mysteries of salvation does not make someone a Christian either. If it were that easy, Lucifer would have been the number-one Christian! Therefore, Christianity is having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. And this relationship cannot exist unless a person is born again by the Holy Spirit. Being born again is not a secret matter. First, you yourself will know it, and everyone around you will see its fruits. Nevertheless, the Lord did not leave us in darkness. He gave us certain signs that would accompany His children wherever they go. There are many of these signs, and some of them can be read in Mark 16:17–18. Therefore, it is entirely possible for someone to have no visible faults in the eyes of people, to fit perfectly into a church, and to be highly respected and trusted by the pastor and the entire church, yet not be the same person before the living God. Being known by the church or by a pastor is very different from being known by God! And what will it profit us to be famous on earth if we are unknown in heaven? The truth is that there are many believers of this kind in churches, and I assure you, they are potential inhabitants of the eternal Hell that is so terrifying. As I say this, I remember once seeing the testimony of a certain servant of God who claimed to have been shown Hell. He wrote a shocking message saying: «"HELL IS FULL OF GOOD PEOPLE."» In other words: “Hell is filled with many people who were good on earth!” Christianity is not a religion. Nevertheless, one of the highest results of religion is that it can make a person civilized in the eyes of people and morally good. Yet goodness does not make a person enter heaven! The Scriptures clearly say that no one is good except God alone. Matthew 19:17. My brothers and sisters, the Church was intended to be a place with altars that help a person encounter the Lord Jesus. But if attending church is considered salvation itself, and nothing beyond that is happening, then let me tell you plainly: you are wasting your time. And undoubtedly, you may be on the list of people who are worshipping idols! Every altar must be alive and must connect Heaven with Earth. Otherwise, you are simply gathering as a society of people comforting one another, placing your hope in false expectations. For how can you have no relationship with God now and expect to have a relationship with Him in Heaven later? Heaven, just like Hell, is the continuation of the life a person has known on Earth. I think we should admit that we are entertaining ourselves with religion. Because if we truly encountered the Lord Jesus in our lives, how could we tolerate remaining in a place where the One we encountered is not present? If we have been able to tolerate such things until now, then the simplest explanation is this: we do not know the Lord, nor have we ever encountered Him. That is why we have been able to tolerate fake things, believing that those fake things are real! Water and wine are two different things. What happens when you take water to people who are accustomed to wine? Today, let us say soda and beer. What do you think would happen if you took soda to a wedding of beer drinkers? Surely, they would all leave, and you would remain only with those who had never tasted beer! And for those who have tasted Him, they will agree with me that there is no one as good and addictive as the Lord! Once you taste Him, you will spend the rest of your life here on Earth longing for Him, saying: «“Oh Lord, I need some more of You!”» And is this not the reason the Scriptures say: «“Taste and see that the LORD is good.” Psalm 34:8» And is that not also the reason the Lord said: «“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:54» These days, it has become completely normal to enter a certain church and find that not even one person there has ever encountered the Lord—including the pastor himself! You find a pastor preaching about Jesus who appeared to, or was encountered by, other people—but not by him personally. Do you think there can be any spiritual morning in such a place? There are more churches of this kind today than the sand of the sea! My brothers and sisters, by saying these things, I do not mean to despise worship or any particular church. I simply want people to understand that the primary purpose of the Church is to lead people to the Lord. However, if a Church abandons this essential foundation and ends up controlling people, leading them into legalism, directing them toward ministers, programs, or certain religious institutional systems, then that Church can become an extremely dangerous place—perhaps even more dangerous than a drinking club. BABYLON, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS Prophetically, a woman represents a church. If you read about the prostitute woman described in Revelation 17, you will discover that this represents the FALSE CHURCH in the world. Essentially, this church is the greatest enemy of the Church of God. That is why you will see this woman drunk with the blood of the saints. «“I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.” Revelation 17:6» Many people, when they read this prophecy, end up identifying the Roman Church as the one being referred to. However, this is a spirit of deception that exists everywhere. And this spirit may even be more deeply rooted in spiritual churches than in others. It is very remarkable that the revelation of this “woman” is connected to the revelation of the Tower of Babel when you read Genesis 11. Ultimately, the message here is a revelation of the Church—or any person—who attempts to approach God through human effort or religious zeal while rejecting the grace of the Cross of Jesus. This includes all people who approach a God who has not called them, worshipping God without knowing Him, without encountering Him, while placing their confidence in their works of the law and their own efforts. «“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”» #ToBeContinued... Sir Ernest Nyalula +255616609885 #LostInTheChurch #Church #Christianity #BiblicalTruth #JesusChrist #KnowGod #BornAgain #HolySpirit #KingdomOfGod #SpiritualAwakening #ChristianTruth #Bible #Faith #JesusIsLord