“Apostasy is the act of believers and churches who are moving away from the truths of God’s Word.” (anonymous)
2 Timothy 2:15
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.
2 Timothy 4:3, 4
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths [NASB].
Together, let’s review a few distinct functions of the local church:
Love is the primary function of the Church and the believer. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). “For all the law is fulfilled in one word (love), even in this: love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). “But love your enemies, do well, and lend, hoping (expecting) for nothing in return” (Luke 6:35). “That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment” (1 John 3:23). Love means giving yourself to others as Christ gave Himself which is our next principle.
GIVING allows the believer to express the incredible love of God. We express our love for God, toward God (Psalms 107:15; 136:3). We express our love for God toward our family. We express our love for God toward the local church. We express our love for God towards fellow believers. We express our love for God towards the unsaved. There are two ways to give: A). as the Corporate Church; B). as the individual believer. Giving is much more than monetary, it also incorporates the concept of “giving of self” to the Church and the community especially the less fortunate (Luke 8:1; Romans 10:15; 12:13; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 9:13).
WITNESSING Christ to a lost and dying world includes both personal evangelism and personal life style under God’s plan for each individual believer. As believers we should express the love of Christ to the world through our lives (living examples of Christ) by the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Witnessing honors our Savior. We are to witness to a lost world (Mark 16:15; Luke 4:18; Romans 10:15; 2 Corinthians 5:20).
TEACHING the Word of God – maturing the body of Christ by edification and exhortation. Christ taught daily in the temple (Luke 19:47.) God’s Word commands us to teach and study (Deuteronomy 4:9; 11:19; Isaiah 2:3; Romans 10:15-17; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:2). We are to preach deliverance to the unfortunate; the unsaved; the community (Isaiah 61:1; Mark 16:15; Luke 4:18). See also Isaiah 28:13).
FELLOWSHIP, WORSHIP AND PRAYER — Psalm 2:11; John 4:24; Philippians 1:4; 3:3. 4:6; Hebrews 10:23-25; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
COMMUNION & BAPTISM – 1 Corinthians 11:23-30; Romans 6:3, 4; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5; Colossians 2:12;
REACHING OUT
Mark 15:15; 2 Corinthians 5:19
We all need to be reaching out to the needy and the lost (Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 15:25-26; Galatians 2:10; James 2:15-16).
AMBASSADORSHIP
Believers are ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) left on earth after salvation to do God’s work – to be witnesses for Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15). We are here in place of our Savior. We are to carry-on “His lifestyle” (example) until He comes again “in remembrance of Him” is a memorial to His Name, His Love, His mercy and His lifestyle.
Ambassadorship is both corporate and personal. So, what are you doing personally? When was the last time you visited a nursing home or a hospital or a shelter for recovering addicts? When was the last time you paid a visit to the poor people down the street? When was the last time you personally prayed for the ministries at your church? Praying and/or giving money to our church does not release us from personally ministering to people in our community if we are physically able.
During the “Age of the Church” and for the first time in history the believer’s instructions do not come from visions or dreams, but from a completed canon of Scripture. The Holy Spirit directs our “love of giving and sharing.” Virtually everything God has to say to us is in writing in His wonderful Word. Because the believer is left on earth to be an ambassador for our Savior we are to metabolize God’s Word. Every believer is in “full-time service” for the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).
Our ambassadorship is to reconcile a lost and dying world to Christ. Are you reconciling? Christ reconciled us to God by the Cross. We are to reconcile the world until he comes. Jesus died so we could live with the Father forever. We are to share the Gospel of Salvation which is available through Christ only! God’s Word is our resource of Divine Knowledge. This was Christ’s power source – God’s Word, God’s will and the indwelling control of the Holy Spirit. This same power source is available to every believer. The Church just keeps getting off track because of the influence of the World, the Flesh and the Devil. Apostasy is the result of programs designed by man operating in the flesh. Mortgages to build larger and larger churches cause the churches to become big business. Show me in Scripture where big business is the calling of the Church.
When churches operate like the world they are worldly! When churches do not stand firm on teaching God’s Word by systematic expository instruction they become apostate and God will spew them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16). Is your church teaching God’s Word with a systematic approach based on the historical setting of the original language? Where do you stand? Do you truly thirst for Divine revelation in God’s Word, or are you in denial hiding behind showmanship and hypocrisy? This study has only briefly touched on the subject of apostasy. We pray God’s blessing on Churches who follow the mandates of teaching and application in their communities.
Happy Studying!