To the Angel of the Church United Methodistby Laurie WebsterThis was originally written as my contribution to an online Bible Study of the book of Revelation. This study group consists mostly of lay persons without formal Bible College or Seminary training. It was my attempt to share with friends what God was revealing to me about the state of my denomination and other mainline denominations.
This section of the scripture, has very real implications for my own life as a member of The United Methodist Church. For me it describes the modern mainline denominations, and describes what is currently happening in The United Methodist Church, although there are many faithful church members who have no idea how close The United Methodist Church matches up with this scripture.
In the early days, Methodism's strength was it firm belief that faith must be accompanied by good works. The early Methodists were known for there willingness to look after the poor. Today The United Methodists are known for their "good works" and many churches are known around the world for their "good works".
I can point to Glide United Methodist Church in San Francisco which is lauded within the denomination for its goods works, and yet it has embraced the liberal theology that omits the judgment of God. They help alleviate the physical needs without dealing with eternal matters so that many who pass through there church will go to hell simply because they were not taught about the need for salvation by grace through faith which includes repentance. When they deal with the story of the prostitute who is about to be stoned until Jesus stops the stoning, they point out how Jesus did not judge the woman but pass over the fact that Jesus also told her to "leave her life of sin."
This is typical of many modern churches which have embraced liberal theology.
The mainline churches have tolerated Jezebel. In I Corinthians 14 and I Timothy 2, Paul talks about order of worship which put women under the submission of men. In The United Methodist Church women have leadership positions as bishops, district superintendents, and senior pastors which puts them in authority over men. In The United Methodist Church, The Women's Division has a special status and operates semi autonomously. The Commission on the Role and Status of Women in The United Methodist Church (pay particular attention to the Spirituality page) unashamedly promotes organizations and ideas that are incompatible with Christianity. The Re-imagining Movement* typical of the teachings of Jezebel. This organization has infiltrated the mainline denominations and receives financial support from these denominations including The United Methodist Church's Women's Division**. An article which outlines the influence of the teachings of Jezebel in The United Methodist Church is "Neo-paganism in the United Methodist Church", by Tom Graffagnino. "Paganism is being introduced into the church today by radical feminists. We live in a society where many intellectuals, including radical feminists, view life as one, great power struggle. All beliefs and statements of faith are considered to be expressions of power, written to keep some group oppressed. Therefore all writings, even religious ones, are to be subjected to a process called "deconstruction," which, it is believed, lays bare what is considered to be the 'true intent' of the author of any text. However, critics of deconstruction, including orthodox Christians, understand that deconstruction is a process of reading into the texts what the deconstructor wants to see. The deconstructor starts out to "prove" something, then manipulates the text to support what they have already decided is true - often taking texts out of context and ignoring whatever doesn't support his or her views. Those who practice deconstruction, both men and women, often determine that the Bible and all expressions of Christianity were written by males to oppress women, especially in western culture, including all articles of faith and rituals of the churches. Therefore, it is believed that if women are to reach their full potential, if they are to have power, they must overturn all traditional religious beliefs and practices. This means replacing whatever texts and rituals they can replace and reinterpreting those texts and practices that they cannot." *** This scripture is very clear that if there is no repentance, God will indeed judge and
punish these denominations, including The United Methodist Church, for their wicked ways
just as He judged King Ahab, Jezebel, and Israel in the Old Testament (I Kings
16:29-22:53). I believe that time is coming. These mainline denominations, including The
United Methodist Church, are currently losing members, and influence.
Not all the individual members of the mainline churches have bought into the teachings of Jezebel. There are pockets of Methodist Churches and other churches in mainline denominations who have remained faithful to God. Some churches have not paid much attention to the connectional church and have continued to be faithful to God. Unlike the church of the Thyatira, we are no longer bound to our churches due to geography, so many faithful to God have left and are leaving The United Methodist Church. Several churches have officially left United Methodism leaving the congregation's land, buildings, and other assets behind.. Others are staying in The United Methodist Church as witnesses for the truth or as missionaries. There is a remnant of faithful believers who have not "learned Satan's so called deep secrets". God is calling that remnant to remain faithful to Him until the end, and calls them to remember that even though things look bad and it looks like evil is winning out, in the end He will overcome. Notes: **. http://www.fayettevillenc.com/concerned-methodists/report95.html#womens *** From the Introduction to Neo-paganism in the United Methodist Church" *** http://www.fayettevillenc.com/concerned-methodists/update.html#bits Laurie Webster |
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