Episode 3-3: Rooting Out Apostasy and Apathy Around Us
Welcome Back! I am your host Dawn Simmons, and in this episode of Conquering Our Unseen Enemies we are going to be addressing two areas of the church today that are increasing and are leading Christians astray. Both are being done gradually over time and will only increase the more we know less. I am referring to the Spirit of Apostasy and the Spirit of Apathy. Both are destructive to the church and yet they are the opposite in nature except for one key fact, both separate a Christian from the Lord and lead them to the eternal fire.
Spirit of Apostasy and the Spirit of Apathy, both separate a Christian from the Lord and lead them to the eternal fire.
Apostasy is the act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize a religious faith. Apostasy will lead you away from the word and a relationship with God.
Truth must never be compromised.
We need to know the truth of the Bible, have a relationship with the Lord, we need unity among the church body for the essentials in Christian beliefs, salvation in Christ, teaching contrary to God’s word, is false, ungodly teaching
Jude 1:12, addressing false teachers and their eternal judgment
Jude 1:4, those who reject him and who teach false doctrine is in rebellion to God andwill be eternally separated from Him.
Spirit of Apostasy: when people turn away from God’s truth and embrace false teaching. There will be a judgment on those who turn their back on God.
Apostasy works with a spirit of rebellion, lying spirit, spirit of pride, lust for power, greed, jealousy.
The example I gave a few episodes ago about the man calling the Christian woman who disagreed with him Satan is an example of heresy, blasphemy and apostasy in the message he was originally sharing.
He was an example of someone who twists truth becomes hyper focused on one thing and use only their own understanding to interpret and come to their own conclusions and use hate and anger to spit at others who do or say anything contrary to what they have determined is the truth.
Apostasy can function as a counterfeit to Christianity or be positioned to look like an elevated form of Christianty as those who preach counter to the word of God are creating their own religion with their own standards of what they want to be right and wrong.
Jude 1:9 speaks to this behavior, slander and irrational to what they do not understand
One purpose of Apostasy is to create divisions within the church. One of the major divisions in the church today is the LGBTQ community.
Leviticus 18:22, The Bible is clear about what the Lord thinks of homosexuality.
In Leviticus the Lord was giving us His standards for holy living. We live under the new Covenant with a salvation with Jesus, our salvation, our restoration is through Jesus, not the sacrifices. The standards did not change. Just because Jesus came, he did not negate God’s standards.
With homosexuality, God says the act is detestable, He did not say hate the person. The act is what is detestable. The person still needs to know Jesus. We are not to condemn the person and act in hate towards them either way. We are to be obedient in a loving way to show them the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Jude 1:17 referring to the judgment of those leading others astray.
Jude 1:4 also speaks to the judgment of those teaching a life of immorality is covered by grace,
I want to share Jude 1:6 also. It very clearly tells us what is going to happen to the demons, the fallen angels and likens their punishment to those guilty of sexual immorality and perversion.
Apathy on the other hand happens when we lack the desire and motivation to grow closer to God and to have a relationship with Him or have any involvement with anything related to Him.
Apathy is a spiritual bondage that will lead to discouragement, produce no fruit, open the door to sin and a lead us to a complete indifference to anything associated with or involving the Lord. It begins in the mind, then filters to the heart and flows outward to others.
It can grow to include the spirit of anger, the spirit of mocking, the spirit selfishness, depression, rejection, and rebellion.
The purpose is to lead you from Apathy to then question if God even exists at all. You don’t bother to corrupt the Word or twist it because you instead reject it as a whole.
2 Timothy 4:3 describes apathy in the church
Ephesians 5:15, warns us to be careful of the destructive nature of apathy
Revelation 3:15, and making sure we are not lukewarm.
To combat both Apostasy and Apathy we have Ephesians 6, putting on the full armor of God.
We encourage you:
· To have an active Bible reading plan, if you want a personal relationship with the Lord, you need to be active about reading His word.
· If you want to learn more about how to Hear God's Voice, visit our website, lovingconversationssalo.com. My book, Loving Conversations: How to Pray and Hear God's Voice has helped so many people in their relationship with the Lord, check out the testimonials. Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Walmart. Those are also available on our website www.lovingconversationssalo.com.
· Conference 3/23 if you are in Ventura County area, details coming soon
· Follow us in Instagram, @conqueringourunseenenemies
I have enjoyed our time this week and look forward to spending time with you again next week!