04/07/09
( To the readers – This would be the final article for a brief period of time. The Lord convicted me recently of leaving my first love for Him. So i desire to set aside everything to be with Him )
One of the main duties of the prophet in the Old Testament was to prepare the people for the times ahead by predicting the future. His role in the New Testament hasn’t changed. An example would be that of Agabus the prophet predicting a great famine on the whole world. He also predicted Paul’s sufferings in Jerusalem.
Now if the prophet(s) fails to fulfill that role, we as a New Testament believer can still access the spirit of prophecy through humility and proper application of scripture ( statement must be understood in context ). All of us as believers have access to the prophetic and have the benefits of scripture. When we pursue God in this regard through a solid basis in scripture we will not be mislead.
This is not to belittle the role of the prophet. However, when the prophets don’t fulfill their role, God’s grace is abundant on the believer to discern and apply himself accordingly.
In this article and the following ones, through proper application of scripture we will look to discern events that will happen in the future. We will start by first discerning the times we are in as it is important to have a proper foundation before we proceed.
In that light we are going to address some of the common errors that have risen in the church and their causes, since these are a major obstacle to proper discernment this hour. When we discern (properly) the times we can apply or prepare ourselves accordingly.
In regards to our times:
In Jesus’ parable of the wheat and tares we see a distinguishing and then separation between true and false (Matthew 13:24 to 30, 37 to 43) in the end times. II Thessalonians 2:3 calls it as the great falling away of those who had professed themselves to be Christians but were actually not, before the appearing of the antichrist.
It is common knowledge that in Jesus’ parable, the wheat and the tares were differentiated only on the basis of the fruit they produced and at the time of maturity ( verse 26 – the servants didn’t discern till the plants produced grain. The tares (tares-thought to be darnel) bore a fruit different from wheat which was poisonous).
In our present times we are seeing the fulfillment (completion) of this parable. Recently there were two major events, one of which involved the charismatic movement and the other that engulfed most of the church. These two events divided the church like never before. Even though the resulting divisions seemed as a huge setback for the church, from God’s perspective it was a step in the process of the differentiation between the wheat and the tares.
Now in making this statement, I must highlight that not everyone who took to a certain side are tares as things aren’t still very clear. There may have been ones that might have been genuinely mislead but the general point still stands. If we look at this division, the core of it had to do with issues of holiness, moral purity and standards of righteousness. There were those who saw the need for holiness and righteousness, there were others who made choices apart from these values or turned a blind eye to the obvious errors.
This wasn’t a sudden happening or a choice made in a day. This was the fruit of years of traveling in a certain pathway. It has become obvious only recently. (On the other hand there were some who were genuinely misled).
The resulting fruit from these two sides’ bears the appearance of the fruit borne by the wheat and the tares. One side is heading down the pathway of holiness and righteousness looking to bear fruit in that regard as the wheat. The other side seems to have little or no interest in those, looking to bear fruit in lawlessness like the tares.
Even as we discern this, our duty is to pursue after holiness and righteousness. We need to have a heart to help people who are genuinely misled. It is also important that we don’t rush to judgment when we see someone in error but proceed with love and discernment.
Now in that parable the servants wanted to uproot the tares once they started seeing the difference. However God’s wisdom was that they waited, as proceeding to do so would have damaged the wheat.
This is so true in our times. The true ministries are interconnected with the false and some have strong bonds with those who are heading in the wrong direction even now. However, this has been changing recently.
If God would have exposed and uprooted these false ministries earlier, many would have suffered. This is why He had been patient until now and He will wait some more. He will bring to light and uproot them as the times reach their fulfillment.
There are also other truths we need to understand from this passage of the parable.
We need to exercise the same Godly wisdom seen in this passage when we see something false. This is not in the context of addressing error when necessary but in regards to false ministries and false brethren. If we are quick to label ministries that are false immediately, then it will damage those who have been innocently following them or have ties with them ignorantly. Instead of a focus on the ministry as a whole, we have to be ready to address the errors they commit if and when necessary. Wisdom must be applied to each situation.
Now, when things become clearer, there is a place where false ministries must be exposed.
Since we are in times where God is bringing in this separation there will be more divisions and as a result seeming confusion. We need to be prepared for it.
Those who are lawless will get even worse in their lawlessness and those who are holy would be made holier still.
Now, there are those who cry out for a unity and peace this hour. Even though it seems to be noble, when it does not have holiness and righteousness as its foundation it is contrary to the will of God.
No true unity of the Spirit can be achieved unless those who have made the wrong choices repent genuinely. If there is no repentance, the Bible is clear on the procedure for correction. If we fail to heed this and still maintain ties with those who do not bear fruit to repentance, we would reap darkness and would suffer loss in the coming days. For those who are without discipline and heading the wrong way, the question that needs to be asked is, are they God’s children? In the end, If we severe ties, let us pray for those in error to see the truth.
