Stumbling in the Way, Part 4
Ordained to Preach
So where do we find these meek ones whom the Lord Himself has anointed (ordained or commissioned) to preach the Word?
How do we distinguish them from the rest?
When seeking the truth, we should not be looking to world or to the worldly church for the true teachers of God’s Word, such are not to be found there. Babylon (Christendom) has long since fallen and is no longer used by the Lord.
Babylon has indeed held the golden cup of the Lord’s Word in her hands (the Bible) and has purposed to give from it to the people the spirit of the Lord, but instead she has filled the cup (mixed with the cup her own doctrines and teachings) intoxicating errors, and presents these as the teachings of God’s Word thus misleading the so-called Christian world.”
As it is written:
“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit (impure principle and doctrine), and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!… The light of a lamp (the Bible, the Holy Scriptures) shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom (the Lord Jesus) and bride (the true Church) shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, and by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.” (Rev 18:2, 23)
Therefore, as you can see, the Church, the true people of the God are not to be found within Babylon but rather outside its walls, outside of the professing or orthodox church. Most of the Lord’s true people have already heard the Lord’s call to Come out of Babylon (Rev 18:4), and have long since taken heed and departed, these now reside in the “wilderness condition” of separation from the world, and the professing church.
Unfortunately, there are two classes of the Lord’s spirit begotten people who still remain in Babylon even now. The first consist of those who have heard the call, but have refused to leave, fearful of what their fellow believers, friends and family might think of them should they leave, the “fear of man” having a hold upon them, and the second, an even larger group are those completely unaware of the fall of Babylon and the Lord’s call to come out. Both of these groups consist of “babes in Christ” unripe wheat, poorly developed due to a lack of proper food, food that is not to be found within the gates of Babylon, the professing church.
Recall what the Lord just mentioned to us here concerning how the light of the lamp, the bible does not shine in Babylon anymore. This implies that there is no enlightenment to come from the professing church, and thus no way for one to grow in the graces and knowledge of our Lord Jesus while remaining there. The only thing the professing church has to offer at this time is an intoxicating brew, a mixture consisting of what little of the basic truths they have retained from the past (just enough to make the brew palatable) mixed with the errors they have added through the doctrines and precepts of men. Its little wonder many are vomiting this brew up. (Isa 28:7, 8)
This brings us to another stumbling block facing many of the Lord’s professed people, they adamantly proclaim that they have left the world, and yet they persist in clinging to Babylon, to the professed church, reluctant to leave. As such they have not actually left the world, but still remain a part of it, for the professed church and the world (the Christian world, Christendom) are one in the same. Such should take careful note of the Lord’s warning as to what the fate of those who refuse to leave will be. (Rev 18:4)
But what about this “food” necessary for the development of the Lord’s true people, if it is not to be found within the professing church where does one find it?
We shall consider this question as we continue in our next post.