Letter to the global church #2

To the Church of Jesus Christ, scattered across all nations, yet united in one Spirit under the Lordship of our Savior, grace and peace be multiplied to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Beloved, Called to Holiness

It is with the love of Christ and the earnestness of one who watches the horizon for the Master's return that I write to you. For we stand at a pivotal moment in redemptive history. The seals are opening; the fourth seal approaches its maturity, bringing with it a divine sifting to separate wheat from chaff, a necessary purification of the Bride of Christ.

But I am grieved, dear brothers and sisters, for there are matters among us that bring reproach to the name of our Lord and threaten to disqualify many from the inheritance promised to the saints. Have you not read that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? "Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Yet many have become lax, tolerating and even celebrating what God abhors. Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2). God forbid!

The Warning Against Apostasy

The Lord Jesus warned the churches in Revelation, saying, "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false" (Revelation 2:2). "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!" (Revelation 3:15). He sees everything, including our compromises and our neglect of His Word. To those churches that have embraced sin—even elevating unrepentant homosexuals and others living contrary to God’s design as ministers—hear this: you have forsaken the place of a true Church. You have traded the holy for the profane, and the Lord of the Church declares, "Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place" (Revelation 2:5). Such congregations are no longer Christ’s Body but have become synagogues of Satan. Flee from them, dear believers, and do not partake in their sins, lest you share in their judgment: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).

Equally, to those churches that worship the idol of prosperity, whose pulpits proclaim material wealth while leaving their people spiritually impoverished, know this: you are the blind guides Jesus spoke of. "Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit" (Matthew 15:14). Your leaders will cry out at the judgment, "Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?" But He will reply, "Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" (Matthew 7:22-23).

These warnings are not issued lightly. The sifting that is coming will expose the hollow and the self-serving. Only those rooted in Christ, the true vine, will endure: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

A Call to Repentance and Abiding

Beloved, the Lord’s patience means salvation: "Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him" (2 Peter 3:15), but His patience will not endure forever. Now is the time to repent, to turn away from every weight and sin that so easily entangles: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12:1). Yield yourselves wholly to Christ, for apart from Him you can do nothing: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Let your lives bear the fruit of repentance: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Abide in Christ daily. Seek Him in prayer and the Word. Do not neglect the gathering of the saints, but encourage one another all the more as you see the Day approaching: "Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). Let His Word dwell richly in you, that you may stand firm in the evil day.

Love as the Mark of True Discipleship

Above all, love one another as Christ has loved you: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35). By this, the world will know that we are His disciples. Love must be sincere, not hypocritical; it must abhor evil and cling to what is good: "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9). Let love cover a multitude of sins: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8), and let it bind us together in perfect unity, for this is pleasing to our God: "Above all, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:14).

Prepare for What is Coming

The shaking will intensify as Seal 4 matures. Wars, famine, pestilence, and death will increase, and the Church will be tested. The maturing of Seal 4 and the persecution that follows with Seal 5 will catalyze the great apostasy spoken of by Paul: "Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction" (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Those who cling to worldly systems and false doctrines will fall away. But those who abide in Christ will endure, for He has promised, "If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). You, beloved, hold fast to the faith once delivered to the saints: "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people" (Jude 1:3). Endure hardship as discipline, for God is treating you as His children: "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?" (Hebrews 12:7). The sifting will purify the Bride, making her ready for the return of the Bridegroom.

A Final Exhortation

Let no one deceive you with empty words: "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 5:6). Those who persist in sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, envy, slander, drunkenness, and such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God: "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21). Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Do not presume upon His grace but work out your salvation with fear and trembling: "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).

Yet, take heart! Our Lord is faithful. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). His grace is sufficient for us, and His power is made perfect in weakness: "But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Your brother and servant in Christ,

The Watchman