R1338 Infiltrated Worldliness

How do I as a Christian man. Witness in the world in which I live is God's word gives me quite a challenge. This is what God sees to you and me that we ought to be in the world but not all the world. Nowhere does the Bible suggest that you and I go and blew the cave we going live in a cave and shut ourselves off God's word say is that as Christian people we ought to be in danger wound in the middle of the crosscurrents about wound that's exactly what happened. We all could use some encouragement and will find it together today in the Bible-based breaching of Dr. Don Wilton on The Encouraging Word today Dr. Don Wilton perhaps best known as the pastor of Dr. Billy Graham is going to be known today in our lives as an expositor of Scripture going to Revelation chapter 2 and will be talking about his message infiltrated worldliness as we gain insight from God's word today even looking ahead to what would be the end of the world. We can understand better how we need to live our lives today as we study the word know that were available for your connecting keyboard keyboard on our website@encouragingword.org The Encouraging Word.org or you can call us we would love to speak with you bring with you right now at 866-899-WORD 866-899-WORD 9673. Now Dr. Don Wilton is not prayed for today just prayed for you and me just prayed that the Lord would speak to alcoholics and that he would bless us that he would bless you place me open our hearts. I want you to open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 2 verse 12 this is a short series, but we're trying to ask one of the most searching questions and that is given the day and age in which we live. Do we suppose it's possible that the Lord Jesus Christ could come in our lifetime. None of us know, nor will any of us ever know.

But the Bible tells us that they were all indicators.

First, the signs of the times, earthquakes and famines in the economy and political and upheaval and on and on. The list goes something that really gets my attention is what happened this week.

Evidently there is some kind of way of that. I'd never heard of Ashley's actually something that is aware that people could go to in order to engage in immoral behavior from what the news media tell us all of a sudden they're all Mandy many many people who are being exposed for what they are doing on the cover Bible talks about that we watching this is just one small little thing we living in a world today where even the very most secret things of people's lives.

It seems to me coming out in public and then on a massive scale. Everybody knows if they don't know today. They'll find out tomorrow people are giving themselves away on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter people posting things your business becomes my business. What's going on in our world today. Is it possible that Jesus is coming again, and then in the book of Revelation we we mean just asking this question because Jesus had something to say about the church.

This actually disturbed me greatly because what happens when Jesus exposes the church he courses someone like me to look at myself instead of looking at the White House. I prefer to point a finger at the White House.

To be honest with you I'm far more comfortable or at the Statehouse. I am far more comfortable being able to find somebody else. We got all politicians this year. All of them they will sign vote for me because I'm the one that can do it and God is saying before you even think about all of these things. You are a believer you are a Christian man. You got look at yourself. You go to consider the church and this is what he had to say, even to the church and concerning the church in Pergamum. In Revelation chapter 2 in verse 12, and before I even read this as we've seen in some of our previous studies. There was a loss of love first loving in God's house that became an indicator there was extreme faithfulness. We've looked at that but carrying Pergamum.

There was something that was so in many ways Socko. It was what I've chosen to cool infiltrated worldliness, and as I began to study this began auspice up what is it that Jesus was saying to the church and what he was saying is the bottom line you want to know if I'm about to come watch the church and you will begin to see increasing signs of worldliness inside the church worldliness in many ways is really a form of idolatry.

If in fact we understand idolatry. Because idolatry is the worship of anything or anyone other than God. That's idolatry. So when the church turns to the world and says to the world. You know this is how you behave. These are your practices.

This is what you saying this is what you tap your foot to this is how you speak. This is how you behave. This is your attitude. This is your approach and what we going to do is we're going to bring everything out there in here you go to worldly church when the church starts to look like the world the greatest danger in America today is that they really are a lot of people who believe that because we are Americans. For example, and we live in an American democracy with all of us having our own rights and the right to do and to live and to say and to speak and believe what ever we want to do that or to be exactly the same thing in the church.

Do you know that there are people who actually believe that when you're a member of the church that you have the right to do anything you want to. As a member of the church of the living God. That's a hallmark of our American democracy.

Very important: about democracy, individual rights, but when you bring that into the church of the living God whereafter all he is the head of the church.

It's his in every expression there is not one thing in a Christian church that not a single person on I challenge anybody even in this church to bring to the table anything in this church a Baptist Church that anybody in this church on you will not be able to name one thing and churches in America today become so worldly labor erupted in the battlefields, because the church which comprises of people just like you and me. In many instances are filled with people who own everything in the church and so they business meetings become battlefields of ownership. The attitudes are personal selfishness rains and it infiltrates into the very fabric of the church and God.

Not only will not bless that he cannot place that not under any circumstances and what he's telling us here at the church at Pergamum you want to know if Jesus is about to come into the clouds consider the issue of worldliness in the church I'm reading from verse 12 of chapter 2 to the angel of the church in Pergamum write the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

I know where you dwell with Satan's throne is.

Yet you hold Foss my name and did not deny my faith even in the days of Vandy past my faithful witness, who was killed among You Way, Satan will, but I have a few things against you church.

Jesus said, you have some there who hold to the teaching of Baylor who talked about lock to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality, so also have some of you who hold to the teaching of the Nicollet attends. Therefore Jesus saved repayment. If not, I will come to you soon and I will war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church. In fact, to the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna. I will give him a white stone with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it infiltrated worldliness just just a brief little word about my about this church in this place called Pergamum.

They were three things that you can say about Pergamum number one, they were a center of education they were of very learned people need to know that number two. It was the center of God worship that they will fall prominent gods that had they temple worship. He quoted actually in Pergamum, Athena asked Colombia's Dionysus and Zeus and if you understand Greek gardens and all the mythological background you will understand that these four gods were very prominent deities in pagan worship). Pergamum, but the most significant thing you can say about Pergamum was they were a people really call topping emperor worship, particularly from the announcement of Emperor Constantine, who declared Christianity to be the religion of their world.

In 323 off to the Council of Nicaea, so there was a declaration made everybody was declared to not only be Christian, but that they would be living in a Christian country but something happened because the same Emperor. If you look at the mission and you look at some of the other emperors in the line of emperors that ruled over this part of the world by 10 name very important.

Everything that's why Jesus spoke about when he spoke about how proud he was of the realized that worship only alone was king, and that salvation came to know that accepting through the Lord Jesus Christ you're listening to Dr. Don Wilton will be back with more of today's message infiltrated worldliness in just a moment Dr. Don Wilton remind you that we have a number of ways to connect you outside of this particular broadcast. As a matter fact, if you beginning to understand Dr. Don's passion for and expertise in the book of Revelation.

A number of experiences we captured on video and audio available on our website about the end of times in all the details are there other website The Encouraging Word.org. That's our website, The Encouraging Word.org, lots of letters to type in order DW online.org TE W-4 The Encouraging Word online.org.

We would love to connect with you. Also available to pray not just now during the broadcast was the day we can connect on our phone line at 86689866899673 available 24 hours a day to talk to listen to pray and connect with great resources like the daily Encouraging Word Bible guide. If you sign up today either online, via email, you can start getting it tomorrow or request a copy will have it to you in a few days.

That will give you an insight to God's word takes a couple of minutes every day and it truly can change the direction of your life. That's the power of the Bible itself, God's Encouraging Word again. You can sign up online@theencouragingword.org or call for your copy at 86689673 just ask for the daily Encouraging Word now back to today's message with Dr. Don. That's why Jesus spoke about my name. When he spoke about them. How proud he was of those who realize that and worship. The only true God and who believe that Jesus Christ alone was king, and that salvation came to know that accepting through the Lord Jesus Christ and so it is that this worldliness began to creep in these very learned people who became more impressed with their own ability to make things entering thing their own ability to think and philosophize, they became so call topping their energy that they became the center of their own universe and the worship update pagan gods began writing to the very fabric of the local New Testament church to the point at which they even began to worship their own rulers and emperors that gave more money to those running for office and sat in the seat of power.

They play small in what was going to happen out there in the streets and sidewalks than they did in God's call to bow down and worship him alone is the God of creation, some from 325 a patent began to emerge in the church at Pergamum in one began to identify the strains of worldliness in what God number one.

They merged Christianity with a government.

Yep, they became worldly.

Number two, they allowed pagan priests to become their Christian ministers. The vetting process broke down. The table was open to anyone who felt like they could just simply walk in, regardless of their profession of faith. Number three.

They practiced pagan worship in the ranks of the churches in the same worship that took place out there in the football stadiums and in the festivals and feasts of the world began to infiltrate into the fabric of the local New Testament church pagan feasts and festivals became a part of church feasts and festivals.

Christianity gradually from 325 in this part of the world became national in unity rather than personal imperfection and more and more people began to say, well of course I'm a Christian. I was born in so it was the gradually and over time the church married the politics of the day and in the final analysis, worldliness became synonymous with the church and eventually a Pergamum you couldn't tell the difference between the outside and inside and the people who were part of the New Testament church who claimed to be changed. There was no visible evidence of the fruit of the spirit that there was no concrete evidence of a changed life and they were able to differentiate between living as a believer in a rapidly changing world. This thing Manna but not a separated lifestyle. But Jesus called us to be in the world but not all the world and even bonded of us that we be distinctive as believers, not separate. Otherwise, how shall we win this world to Christ. And so it is the church at Pergamum where eventually worldliness became synonymous with the church and there was no difference in any member of the church could be a member of the church and it wouldn't matter whether they were in the church or out the church.

There was no different in the way they live the way they conducted themselves the way they where they went by, associated with what they ate what they drank, how shall we then live if in fact Jesus said if anyone will come off to me you must deny himself and take up the cross and follow me.

So what did Jesus say how did Jesus react to this well. He did a number of things and it helps us to understand what he was trying to show us first. The bull he proclaimed. That's what verse 12 is all about in this great passage. It's a powerful passage he proclaimed he proclaimed the Bible say is that these were the words of the one who had the sharp to sold and what he was saying it was very liberal. He was proclaiming in the midst of all this worldliness, he spoke see and he's power. He described it back there in chapter 1 verse 16 in the book of Hebrews way when we first read and see this picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are seeing the one who has the sharp to sold the word of his mouth. We see him in chapter and verse 12 as he moves among the church with the shop to a sold and when we get to chapter 19 in verse 15 when Jesus comes back the second time at the end of the tribulation and he lands on this earth. He lands on the Mount of olives with all believers any marches down the Mount of olives right path. The garden of Gethsemane and he moves up one of the temple mount any re-claims the temple with no need to bring the temple because he is the temple and when he takes all believers and marches across to the battlefields of Armageddon. The Bible says in chapter 19 that he will defeat the enemies of God with the word of his mouth writing to the church. The Hebrews that great passage.

The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edge sword. It pierces to the division of the soul and the spirit of joints and of marrows discerning the very thoughts and intentions of the heart, and no creature is hidden from his side, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him who must give an account what's going on in America today. What are we really looking do you know just 15 years ago.

20 years ago we didn't have oldies thing you know when I did my PhD I love to remind young students today because they just Google PhD's. You want to know something today. You just gonna look at course I know I'm ancient but when I wrote my PhD 30 yard years ago I derided longhand that are going to hire someone to type it out for me. So you looking at me as I know why… I really did, and I had to pay her to be able to read what I'd written out longhand. Then I had to put all my notes in the box and I had in the backseat of my car and I had to drive it and make sure that I never got out of the car because someone wants all my notes and all my notes some are you identifying with me today it sold like this just everything times of trying.

Jesus react to this will proclaimed himself nation is understanding, insight, perhaps the Lord has stirred your heart to make a change to make a course correction. If so, would love to pray with you our phone number is 866899 word 866899673 available 24 hours a day before you get away. Perhaps these next few moments with Dr. Wilton. The most important of the entire are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so happy to hear that wanted to pray this prayer with me today. Dear God, I know that you love very very much and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on the cross so that I might be forgiven today.

I confess my sin.

Like you, Jesus prayed that first one welcome to the family.

This one I hope that you know how much I'm going to be very important. This is so we can make place, you can begin this wonderful and just about come back to the final God is. You know that needs to be a change in my own life. I got times where I feel that stirring in the Lord's convicted me, but I haven't done anything about it. Let us be encouraging for you for the next step you like to play with someone here's a number to call 866899 word that's 86689996730 builds on it down or start yourself just know you'll always find one. I was happy to pray and listen and connect with great resources.

You can find resources as well online@ourwebsitetewonline.org that's TE W-4 The Encouraging Word tewonline.org a fat right now. You'll see a great deal of excitement about this very special offer, heart of worship are scripts Canada trading?

Now what happened when you die, where exactly do you are not go you know over my many years of ministry and from so many of you I get so many questions about life off today all of us. People like you and me off fascinated with the subject of life off today.

That's why God led me to write the novel the absolute certainty of life off today this novel that I wrote was out of my own personal I think near-death experience and from its is not to mean one guy and the other man.one way to heaven. The other man did not base on what Jesus is. This will change you have what it means. I will not need your financial change lives. America