It Is Still Holiness

There is a gospel group named Commissioned.  They sing a song entitled 'will you be ready when Jesus comes.'  While listening to that song early Sunday morning, I began to weep.  Why?  Because so many are not ready.  So many that go to the church building every week two, three, four times maybe more per week are not ready to meet the Lord.  Why do I say this?  Here is why.

In the book of Matthew chapter 24 the scriptures tell us what the signs of the end of the world are going to be.  Those signs are happening right now (wars, rumors of war, pestilence, nation against nation, etc).  The word of God teaches that holiness is required to see the Lord (I Peter 1:15-16.  Living holy means to live separated from the world.  It means to make a difference between clean and unclean.  

In the Old Testament, which is for our learning, the priest that ministered in the tabernacle had to be clean.  They had to wear priestly garments.  To enter into the holy of hollies they could not have any sin in their life.  The ark of the covenant, which represented the presence of God among Israel, could only be handled by the Levites.  Why the Levites?  Because when Moses come down from Mt Sinai with the law of God in his hand, he found Israel living in sin.  Moses asked a question, 'who is on the Lord's side'?  Only the tribe of Levi stepped forth.  They said yes to God.

That same answer is required today from those that profess to love the Lord or profess to be servants of the Lord.  Clean living (no sin), repentant, Holy Ghost filled, born again is the way under the New Covenant which Jesus ushered forth.  Too many are handling the word of God that have not said 'yes Lord'.  The born again believer is now the royal priesthood under the New Covenant.  And in order to carry the presence of the Lord (Holy Ghost filled) the person has to be clean inside.

Oh, and there is more to being holy than singing fast songs and dancing.

The Bible says if any man be in Christ he is a new creature.  Old things are passed away, behold all things become new.  

Today was the Super Bowl.  How many 'churches' had super bowl Sunday?  How many pastors dressed in the jersey of their favorite team?  How many televisions were placed in the place of worship to watch the game?  How many believers had Super Bowl parties?  And when I say Churches, I mean those that profess with their mouth that they have been born again and are Holy Ghost filled.  When did the Holy Ghost start watching football?  When did the Holy Ghost lead a believer to be worldly?

How many that say they love the Lord, are not faithful to church attendance?  How many make excuses for not going to church?  How many are not faithful to prayer meetings?  How many are smoking and drinking and committing sexual sins? How many are full of jealously, hatred, cause confusion and division, are disrespectful to the Pastor, don't want the Pastor to correct them or tell them the truth?  How many allow their children to be worldly but expect them to get the Holy Ghost filled?  How many allow their children to be partakers of the world and say it is because the youth 'need balance'?

Gospel music is almost extinct.  What is being caused Gospel music is not.   Why do church meeting places have smoke and lights like a club?  Why are women that profess to be holy cutting their hair and men are growing their hair.  The Bible says it is a shame for a women to cut her hair and for a man to have long hair.  Yet, it is being allowed.  

Why are women professing to be holy wearing makeup?  Short dresses?  Sleeveless Dresses?  Bare legs?  Men with tight pants?  Why are the 'Christian marriages falling apart?  Why is the divorce rate among believers the same as that of the world?  

Again, too many are not ready to meet the Lord.  The Bible says if the righteous scarcely make it in, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?

When you stand for God's truth many will dislike you. To those that ready our lessons, I pray that you pursue the holiness of God that the Bible teaches.  This new holiness that many is teaching is not of the Lord.  I heard a brother say today that the Holy Ghost and the word of God do not contradict each other.  So if the spirit that is leading your life has you doing things the Bible does not teach, then you have the wrong spirit.

I often ask what and how are people defining holiness today?  What happen to the standard?  God has not changed.

Those that are being led astray will say that the standards of holiness that have been passed down since Acts chapter two is old fashion, old school or in a box.  Well, it was a box shaped boat that God told Noah to build to save him and his family from the flood God sent to destroy a world full of sin.  It was a boxed shaped item (the Ark of the Covenant) that had the presence of God.  Of a truth, there is safety in the box.

No man can serve two masters.  All unrighteousness is sin.