HOW TO IDENTIFY AN APOSTATE SERMON

Turn on the radio, TV or gaze into the church pulpit and you will hear wonderful sermons to uplift and edify you.  I once enjoyed these positive sermons until the Lord gave me the eyes to see what was really going on.  Satan is very clever and very good at deceiving Christians.  Here's some advice on how you can recognize these apostate sermons.  

1.  Was entertainment or songs used to set up the mood prior to the sermon?  If so, beware of crowd psychology manipulation.  Most all churches do this by setting the stage, praising the Lord in a mighty way to set up emotions prior to show time... the big sermon!  Honor to the Lord should be the primary emphasis, not the sermon.

2.  Pastor arrives on stage, opens with a prayer and then preaches a wonderful positive thinking sermon.  Everyone is uplifted, claps their hands and some even rise to their feet to honor the pastor.  The pastor has become a "high place" of worship.  He is actually setting himself up as God (an abomination of desolation in the church) for that is the end result as determined how the congregation honors, respects and obeys him.  However, you will notice that in these sermons he will never instill within you a deep desire of repentance from sin.  John the Baptist and Jesus' sermons claimed, "repent" or you will perish.  The high place pastor does not want to instill sadness, remorse, or repentance.

3.  Is the pastor yelling and screaming?  If so he is using a father figure psychology that is dangerous.  A father or mother yells at children to get them to obey and a pastor will yell and scream to get you to obey him... and it works! 

4.  Is the pastor's sermon uplifting the flock to build or increase feelings of faith?  If so, what is the purpose of doing this?  In other words, what will be the end result after you have heard this sermon?  Will you have a strong urge to give the pastor a financial donation of money?  Will you have a strong urge to go forth and proclaim the Gospel to the lost?  Take your pick.  One is right, one is wrong.  The apostate pastor will have conditioned you to put some money in his basket.  He certainly will not have instilled a desire within you to go save a lost person.  That will never happen!

5.  Is the pastor's sermon instilling within you a desire to be obedient to God's Word as written in the Bible?  In the end, have you realized how you have not obeyed God's command to go forth and proclaim the Gospel to the lost?  If not, just what is that pastor trying to pull off on you?  Is it not his job to teach you to obey the commands of the Lord?  By his failing to do so he is actually teaching you how to disobey the Lord.  Very devilish isn't it?

6.  If you read the words of Jesus you will see a message of Him reaching out to teach the Gospel to the lost.  He even commanded His followers to do the same.  Ask yourself if the pastor's sermon is instructing the flock to do the same?  It is amazing how many pastors sidestep this required teaching and substitute the true Gospel with their own fables and lies devised by man.  Read what the Apostles were saying to the church.  The same things Jesus was teaching!  But somehow the pastor can choose to teach contrary to what the Bible teaches by example?  Yes, that is the signpost of the apostate pastor, the false servant is revealed by his fruit. 

7.  When was the last sermon your pastor taught with great urgency teaching you methods and means to use to go out and save the lost?  When?  In most churches you just will not get this teaching and most church members simply do not want to save the lost.  They prefer sermons that they can get something from God instead of giving souls to Him.  The demonic forces have devised a church system that does everything but save the lost.  That is the one thing you will not see in an apostate church, saving the lost.  Now cults do go out and recruit for new church members, but they do not save the lost.

8.  Did the sermon give you any warnings that if you disobey the Lord you will suffer loss?  If not, the sermon is apostate.

9.  Did the sermon prepare you to leave church and go out into the streets and sidewalks (go into the world) to proclaim the Gospel to the lost?  Are you now leaving Gospel tracts everywhere you go?  Why not?  Why are you still not trying to reach the lost for Christ?  Did the sermon tell you that if you do not gather, you scatter?  What is your pastor teaching you?  Is he teaching you "another gospel" that resembles the true Gospel, but falls short in performance?  The apostate pastor will not instill a desire to his congregation to save the lost.  He will make you think by giving him money he will do it for you.  Something is very wrong with that procedure,  yet it is commonplace.

10.  Did the pastor's sermon speak of bearing fruit, yet no specific "instruction" was given to you on how to do so?  Did the sermon tell you how to bear good fruit in relation to saving the lost for God?  Bearing fruit may be to attend church services in his sermon, but to save the lost will be missing.  Oh, he may say it, even cry tears for the lost, but he will never take you into the streets to actually go save the lost and he will never teach you how to start your own ministry so you can bear much good fruit for the Lord.  The devil will not participate in saving the lost for Christ.  Remember that.  It is the key to identifying an apostate church.

11.  Did the service come to a complete halt and a collection of money take place while you were seated in a pew for all to see?  This tactic is bold and it is disgraceful and it is happening in most all churches.  It is a money-making scheme and it is designed to intimidate people to give or be seen not giving.  The Lord does not operate like this, but Satan does, so beware.  Remember, Jesus never sold his sermons, but pastors do.  The Apostles never sold a sermon, but pastors do.  Can you now see what is going on?  You are being fleeced.  You have paid the price for listening to the Pastor's sermon or soon will be to hear.  It is the price of admission to the apostate church. 

12.  Are the pastor's sermons being sold?  Beware.  The pastor is using the congregations money to produce products to sell for his own personal enrichment.  This pastor is richer than you could only hope to be.  The Bible does not authorize the selling of the Word of God for personal profit at the expense of the church.  It is unbiblical.  How many of these sermons in books, tapes, CD's and DVD's are actually given away for free?  Is the lost in your own city or town getting these free materials?  Public libraries?  If these things can't be found to be given away free for the salvation of souls the pastor is not interested in saving the lost, but he is way more interested in making merchandise of his flock.  Money drives him, not the love of the lost.  The Holy Spirit will not reside in such a church, not the real Holy Spirit.  It will have a counterfeit spirit. 

13.  Did the sermon tell you to go out and save at least seven people this week?  How about one person this week?  If not, how about one person this coming month?  If not, when will the pastor deliver a sermon that will do so?  Never?  The pastor avoids the subject that each person in the church is fully responsible for saving the lost.  It has become a sin to save the lost... by the avoidance of the subject matter it has become sinful to even consider saving the lost for Christ.  The fruit is in the pudding.  The church members avoid this task as if it were sinful.  They certainly do not embrace it and they certainly do not do it.  In fact, they don't even want a sermon on this subject and will find the subject matter revolting to them.  The pastor knows this and he will not deliver a sermon demanding that you go save the lost.  Jesus did, but he will not.  The church has fallen away from the truth and so have the sermons.

14.  Blessing of God are preached to receive good things from God, but no instructions are given on how you can be a blessing to others.  Fact is, the greatest blessing is to give eternal life to those who shall perish.  It is amazing how many Christians do not care to reach the lost to share the Gospel.  This is a definite sign the Holy Spirit has vacated that body of disobedient unbelievers.  A dead church full of heavenly-minded persons who think they are saved but are not saved, but are deceived.  Write down the specific instructions your pastor gave you in his sermon on how to reach out to the lost.  Go ahead, write it down next week's sermon.  Then the next week.  Then the next week.  You will now see that you will never get these instructions.  You will hear sweet and loving sermons, maybe even some harsh sermons, but you will never be taught to go forth to proclaim the Gospel to the lost.  The lost will not get saved in your city because your pastor does not care and since he does not care and you follow his leadings, you will not care.

15.  The uplifting sermon is wonderful, but it wears off quickly and you are back into an emotional rut all so willing to hurry up and get back to church next week to get another uplifting dose of wonders.  Yet, all last week since your last sermon you never did go forth to reach the lost for Christ.  You never even left a dozen Gospel tracts anywhere.  Nobody got saved due to your actions and inactions.  Nobody got saved from those uplifting sermons your pastor preached.  This patter will repeat itself over and over again, so what good fruit is being brought forth?  Nothing.  These unfruitfulness is a stench of rotting fruit to the Lord's nostrils.  He will leave this church by removing the candlestick (the Holy Spirit) and leave all to believe fables.  The fables your pastor is preaching to you.

16.  The sermon emphasizes your responsibility to expose apostasy in the church.  The sermon teaches you how to expose it, even in your own church.  You will never, ever, ever, be taught by a pastor to expose apostasy in his church.  That's right, "his church."  The church is not yours and the legal papers will prove the pastor owns the church assets, personally or the denomination owns the church.  Apostasy is real, it will spread into every church that does not guard against it.  Jesus, Paul, Peter, John all spoke of apostasy.  How come your pastor does not develop sermons about apostasy and how to reverse it?  Because the odds are great his church is apostate and that is a subject he must leave alone or risk exposing himself, or the denomination.  When the pastor believes he can ignore apostasy then you have an apostate pastor in your midst!  Did the pastor preach a sermon on your responsibility to proclaim the true Gospel to those in the cults?  What about the Roman Catholics?  What about the Jehovah Witnesses or the Mormons or Islam?  What is the pastor doing to teach you how you can get involved to expose their apostasy?  The apostate pastor will never teach on these things.  He will avoid this like a plague.  He does not care for the lost.  If he does not care, you will not be taught to care and then you will find yourself apostate like him.

17.  Does the sermon ever instruct or demand that you shall deliver Gospel tracts to the lost?  Has the pastor ever given sample tracts to the congregation when giving such a sermon?  A pastor that ignores Gospel tracts as a way to bear good fruit is an apostate pastor.

18.  Is the pastor always teaching the same theme?  Could it be the theme of prosperity?  Could it be the theme of being good and feeling good.  Beware of these specialist preachers.  They quote the Lord, but often twist the context to create a fable (a well-wishing wispy lie) to delude you.  Again, these pastors do not tell you how to save the lost.  They are not to be trusted or supported.  The whole Gospel must be preached, including genuine repentance, hell's fire and judgment and going forth to save the lost.  That is what the real Jesus of Nazareth taught and commanded.  Your pastor's sermons must be on the same line as Jesus with the same intended results or you are hearing a counterfeit Gospel.  

19.  Now that the sermon has ended how many Christians have now learned how to go save the lost for Christ?  How many will actually go forth and teach other Christians how to save the lost?  Is anybody going to go save the lost due to hearing this wonderful sermon?  The sermon was so uplifting to the flock, but will the congregation get the message, repent from their lack of duty to proclaim the Gospel?  Will the lost now hear the Good News to earn eternal life?

20.  Did the sermon fulfill your needs?  Beware of sermons that focus on edifying the church, yet never teach the flock how to share the Gospel to those who are perishing, to those who are perishing in false religions and do not focus on the commands of Christ to do so.

21.  God's will (His desire) for Christians are not driven home in the sermon.  Beside God wanting you to be happy, blessed and wealthy (an indicator of an apostate church) did the sermon emphasize the Christian responsibility to put food (souls) on the Lord's table?  God wants the lost to be saved.  That is the job of every Christian.  Pastors have devised cunning sermons to side-step God's true desires.  If the pastors sermon is not teaching you how to save the lost then ask yourself when will he do so?  Has he ever given a sermon on how to save the lost?  Does he even know how to do it himself?  If so, why does he not share these wonderful skills and techniques with you?  Is there neighborhoods in your city that are full of lost people and  your pastor does not make any effort to save them?  Think about that.

22.  Did the pastor preach a sermon on the specific commands of Christ?  Write them down and obey them.  But if the pastor is not giving sermons based on what Jesus has said, then he is willfully and intentionally ignoring Christ and devising sermons to mislead and deceive you... no matter how faithful and  trustworthy he may appear to be in your eyes and ears.  The Bible must be proclaimed and the lost must be saved.  Jesus never commanded us to stay inside apostate churches... he said to come out of them!  The Bible says we must sound to alarm to warn others.  Is your pastor teaching you how to do that?

23.  Bible verses are quoted in the sermon, so many that it dazzles the mind that the pastor must be right.  But have you read the Bible yourself to make sure the sermon is correctly dividing the Word of truth?  Often, there are "conditions" to receive blessings from God.  Did the sermon spell out the conditions?  Was one of the conditions to give money to the pastor to support his ministry?  Did the sermon teach you how to start your own ministry as Jesus commanded you to do so?

24.  Is the pastor placed in such a light that he appears as the "star performer" in the church service?  Is everyone waiting to hear the pastor speak?  Do people stand, sit, kneel at his whim and command?  Nowhere in the Bible is such authority and control was given to a pastor to manipulate the flock of God.  Does the pastor ever give sermons on how to identify a false servant?  A false church?  A false pastor?  Or is he too busy to please the crowd than to contend for the faith?  Apostate churches are filled with apostate servants and pastors and leaders.  The fruit is not what is said or what is felt.  The fruit is what Jesus said it would be.  You will go forth to do good works, save the lost, heal the sick, cast out devils, etc.  Did the sermons teach you how to do this or are these critical requirements being side-stepped and ignored?  Chances are they are being ignored and you will lose because of it.

25.  Church is for fellowship with other Christians.  Were you given an opportunity to witness to the congregation?  How much time was allotted for Christians to freely assemble and speak to each other without being controlled by a program of events?  Who is doing all this controlling?  The early church Christians were never controlled by men.  Peter, Paul, John were Apostles but they never "lorded" over the flock to be obedient to themselves.  They urged obedience to the the Holy Ghost and to God.  Yes, they were controlled by the Holy Spirit in fellowship meetings.  Read your Bible!  A church is a body of persons believing in Jesus of Nazareth; church was never called a building.  Only today in the great apostate age are churches now called buildings with the intent to mislead the faithful believers that God wants you to attend "church."  Has the pastor given a sermon about these great deceptions taking place?

26. List the number of lost persons you have saved since listening to this pastor.  Go ahead, list the number now.  Most will come up with a big fat zero.  That is not bearing fruit for God, in fact, you are scattering because you are not gathering souls for God's kingdom.  If you continue to keep defying Jesus' commands the price you will pay will be more than you bargained for, but Jesus warned you in advance not to be deceived and to hear His voice and to obey His commands.  Most Christians are now obeying their pastors and their denominational beliefs intentionally disregarding Jesus in the process.  An apostate pastor's sermons will cunningly keep you loyal to himself and to the church (building or denomination) and separate you from obeying the Holy Spirit.  He will even introduce a counterfeit Holy Spirit into the church.  It is amazing that even the cults believe the Holy Spirit is in their church.  But it is not God's Spirit, but Satan's.  Is the pastor giving sermons about this subject?

27.  Is the pastor giving examples how you can reach the lost in your city?  Are his sermons teaching you how to do it?  Because of these wonderful sermons from your pastor how many people will you go out to save this week?  None?  Why none?  Jesus said you must.  Is your pastor teaching you to disobey the Lord?  He is.  Face the truth now.  Get out of that church and start working for the Lord to save the lost.  Remember, the Bible says you will be deceived by pastors!  By those whom you trust.  Jesus commanded you not to be deceived.  Is your pastor's sermons teaching you how to not be deceived?  Beware, there are counterfeit Gospels being preached.     

28.  Is the church growing like a weeds on fire?  If so, how many of these new converts and old believers are actually going out saving the lost on a daily basis?  How many brag to each other about how many they have saved for God last week?  How many have gospel tracts in their pockets?  Can you see any of their fruit or is it hidden from view, deemed a personal matter between themselves and God?  Is the pastor giving sermons on how to save the lost?  If not, that church is apostate.  You shall know them by their fruits.  He never said you shall know them by the church they attend or by the fruit of the church.  God is looking for much good fruit from each individual believer.  No fruit to show?  Then stop listening to your pastor and start listening to God.  Read the Bible!

29.  Is the pastor preaching the whole Gospel?  The entire Bible?  Bible study is not relevant as apostate churches do that too and still the church members bear no fruit for God to save the lost.  Is the pastor teaching about all of the things you read here?  If not, then you must realize he is not contending for the faith.  He is intentionally leaving out major concerns in God's Word.  Ask yourself how come you don't hear the pastor preaching about the danger of hell's fire and being rejected by Jesus?  Read how Jesus said he would reject those who do not listen to Him.  Beware of the once-saved-always-saved Gospel.  Why?  Because most people in churches today are not even saved!  If you were saved you would be "on fire" for the Lord and busy about doing His work to save the lost, etc.  You would be too busy working for God than to bother listening to silly, fruitless sermons pastors are delivering today.

30.  Are the pastor's sermons focused on making you feel the end of the world is at hand?  That can be good, but are the sermons urging you to earnestly go forth and save as many lost people as you can for God in these last days?  If time is short, then you should be out saving the lost quickly and with great determination.  Most pastor's are avoiding this essential issue.  They want you to be afraid and to huddle inside their church seeking safety when you should have put on the full armor of God and be instructed to go "out there" in the world to save the lost.  Church attendance is not a requirement to be saved.  Being a church member is not.  You must be born again.  True born again Christians are busy working to save the lost.  Apostate Christians simply listen to sermon after sermon and never go forth to save the lost.  It is not their agenda.  They scatter and reading this should be a clear warning to you.           

THE CRUCIAL QUESTION YOU SHOULD USE

There are many fabulous sermons pastors have dreamed up.  But you should now have the basic skill on how to see through the sermon and ask, "Is anyone in this church, including myself, will now go out and save the lost due to hearing this sermon?"  Just ask that one question during the before, during and after the sermon.  The answer will be seen with your own eyes and from your own performance.  That one question cuts through all the hype and the deception and will open your eyes to the truth.

   IN CLOSING

 Consider what you have just read is a sermon.  Now what will you do to save the lost?  How will you save yourself from apostate churches and to save others trapped inside apostate churches?  What will you do?  Nothing?  Why not buy Gospel tracts that deal with these issues and start delivering them, leaving them wherever you go?  You can even mail them to churches, or drop them nearby or anywhere and everywhere you go, even when on vacation trips.  You should always have Gospel tracts with you, always.  An apostate Christian is never reaching out to save the lost.  He is never bearing fruit.  Think about that.  And he thinks he is a friend of God.  Imagine that!  God needs friends that refuse to proclaim the Gospel to the lost?  That's the fruit of the apostate pastor's church.  The Bible says he is deceived and is an enemy of the Lord standing against Him.  I was once deceived and the Lord has set me free.  He will set you free too, if you will dare listen to Him and not your pastor.