A |
FTERWARDS he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:14-18)
If you own one of the modern corrupt bibles, you may be led to take a lower view of the great commission as expressed in Mark 16 since they try to discredit the last few verses of Mark 16 with this disclaimer: [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9-20.] They attempt the same with the most grace-filled passage in the New Testament of the Woman taken in Adultery -John 8:1-11. These false versions, among others, are the NIV, NASB, ESV, Jehovah Witness Bible (except the NWT excludes it altogether), etc.
In addition to a multitude of proofs to support the Received Text of the Reformers who were willing to die for every word in God’s Bible, we are left, as well, to consider the testimony of those who are attacking God’s pure Word. Most would have nothing to do with any so-called new translation were it not for the profit margin made possible by their copyrighted material. The copyright shows their bibles do not belong to God, but rather to the copyright holder.
Today’s topic concerns the ‘insular church’ – what is it and how can we know it? First of all, the insular church has no burden for preaching the Gospel beyond its borders. They may send missionaries abroad as a reward to those in their party who toe the line of the denomination, but little of Gospel sharing takes place.
The insular church is prideful and self-righteous. They boast of their buildings, works, and large numbers. They are somewhat akin to the Pharisees of whom the Lord Remarked: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Matt 23:15) There is another characteristic of the insular church described in another verse omitted, for obvious reasons, from modern corrupt bibles – Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (Matt 23:14) Consider the nature of a church receiving hundreds of thousands in offerings each month, and whose pastor is on a $200,000.00[1] plus per year payroll, that takes a tithe from elderly widows whose only income is a small social security check.
The insular church, being self-righteous, considers all outside their circle as inferiors. Considering themselves the ‘salt of the earth,’ they remain in the salt-shaker in pristine condition for all to observe and admire. But salt is intended to season and preserve – not to remain in the shaker. Salt that remains unused will eventually form clumps impossible to be shaken out and served. It is, in fact, worthless.
The insular church maintains a very close partnership with the world adopting the values and entertainment styles of the world. In this, too, they are similar to salt which has lost its savor. How does salt lose its savor? By remaining in the bag and stored on the ground. Slowly the atomic bonding between its constituent elements begin to break down and the sodium thereof begins to adhere to other elements in the earth instead of the chlorine atom that gives its identity. 34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 14:34-35)
The non-insular church, while maintaining a separation from the world, reaches out to the world with the message of grace available in the Gospels. The non-insular church follows the true Bishop of the Soul, Jesus Christ. Though it goes into all the world preaching the Gospel, it guards against the world invading its borders bearing the false gospel of worldly values.
Which is your church – the Insular or non-insular?
[1] It should be pointed out that in the Anglican Orthodox Church in United States of America, the clergy salary has no place in our annual report as none of them are paid.
