ILLUSTRATIONS OF APOSTASY IN MODERN CHRISTIANITY #006
Apostasy In Modern Christianity
Apostasy among professed Christians was foretold by the apostle Paul at 2Thessalonians 2:3. He specifically mentioned certain apostates, such as Hymenaeus, Alexander and Philetus. (1 Timothy 1:18-20; 2 Timothy 2:16-17) Such ones willfully abandoned the Christian congregation and Christian conduct, thereby becoming part of the “antichrists.” (1 John 2:18-19)
In modern Christianity, such apostates, so called “man of God,” including false pastors, teachers and prophets, set themselves up in temples or buildings, dubbed as “church,” places for congregational services, including “worship,” “healing,” “sermons” and “rituals.” They set aside the teachings of Jesus Christ, thus forming part of the “antichrist.” Few cases in point, namely, Jesus’ teaching about prayer, Jesus’ teaching about fasting and Jesus’ teaching about worship of Jehovah God, are cited.
Jesus’ Teaching About Prayer
Jesus Christ taught his disciples about prayer, saying: “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, to be seen by others. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen, then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling, like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Jesus Teaching the Disciples How to Pray
This is how you should pray:
“Our Father in heaven. Hallowed by your name.
Let your kingdom come.
Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:5-13)
The prayer above is a model, as evidenced by the fact that, elsewhere, Jesus himself, as well as his disciples, did not rigidly, adhere to those specific words in praying. Such prayer involves an individual expressing his personal preference for and submission to God’s will. (Compare Matthew 26:36, 39)
The request for daily bread, forgiveness, protection against temptation and deliverance from the wicked one, all relate to the individual petitioner’s desire to live in God’s favor. He expresses this desire for all others of like faith, not for himself alone. (Compare Colossians 4:12)
Though not specifically mentioned in Jesus’ model prayer, there are other matters, equally important, related to matters, therein presented. Personal prayers, then, may embrace virtually every facet of life. (John 16:23-24; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7)
However, apostasy in modern Christianity, has flouted Jesus’ teaching on prayer, negating the “dos” and the “don’ts” of the teaching and furthermore, substituting mere speech to God as prayer. (Compare Genesis 3:8-13; 4:9-14) To set aside Jesus’ model prayer is disobedience to Jesus’ teaching on prayer. (Compare Matthew 6:5-8)
Even so much subversive, is the apostate “man of lawlessness,” posing as “intercessor” in prayer to God, praying “in the name of Jesus,” which means, praying by the authority of Jesus, to God the Almighty.
As sole mediator of the new covenant, Christ Jesus became “the way…. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, 13-14) Those approaching God through Christ Jesus, as their High Priest and the only intercessor, know that “He is always alive to plead for them” (Hebrews 7:25), rather than any man, pastor or prophet.
Prayer is a worshipful address, directed to the “Hearer of prayer,” Jehovah God. (Psalms 65:2; Acts 15:17) The exercise of true spirituality, in collaboration with the “dominant feeling” or the “activating force” as “spirit,” with regard to man’s speech, constitutes a “worshipful address.”
The article “Approach to God,” considers the position of Christ Jesus as the one through whom prayer is directed. (Hebrews 10:19-22)
By departing from the Lord’s model prayer, imitation Christians, not being “spiritual men,” do pray amiss. To depart from Jesus’ model prayer, but to pray in the name of same Jesus, is apostasy.
To ignore Christ Jesus as your High Priest, the sole mediator and the only intercessor, “the way….No one comes to the Father except through me” and yet engage in intercessory prayer, is a willful withdrawal from the path of righteousness (1 John 3:4-8; 5:16-17), an abandonment of true course, worship and service of Jehovah God.
Therefore, by intercessory prayer the apostate “man of lawlessness,” has “packaged” prayer into “salable commodity,” which is dispensed at locations, including church premises, prayer camps, mountain tops and “sacred” places for heavy sums of money and in kind.
Prayer is a worshipful address to the true God. It conveys such ideas, as to ask, make request, petition, entreat, supplicate, plead, beseech and implore favor.
Jesus Christ is therefore the one and only “way” of approach to God in prayer. (John 14:6; 15:16; 16:23-24; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 2:17-18) Thus, the apostate “man of lawlessness” has set aside the Lord’s prayer model and has set up a house of prayers, making the Psalms as model prayers, hence, has become part of the “antichrists.” (1 John 2:18-19)
Acceptable prayer must be made to the right person, Jehovah God, on right matters, those in harmony with God’s declared purposes, in the right manner, through God’s appointed way, Christ Jesus and with a right motive and a clean heart. (Compare James 4:3-6)
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