Infiltration: infiltration is a twelve letter word that means the action of entering or gaining access to an organization or place surreptitiously, especially to acquire secret information or to cause damage.
Infiltration is commonly associated with the world of espionage. We see this in various historical accounts in which men and women put their lives on the line to gain information, and sabotage the operations of the enemy. Stories like that of Nathan Hale and Francis Gary Powers usually come to mind when we talk espionage or infiltration; or even the various movies about secret agencies that combat global threats such as Mission Impossible or the Bond movies.
However, it is rare that we ever think of it in regards to the church. What do I mean by this? Allow me to explain.
Anyone who follows the news is likely aware of the stories circulating around the net about various church denominations who have put their support behind Planned Parenthood and various church leaders willing to stand with the organization.
All of which can be found in the following links:
PCUSA church celebrates abortion provider Planned Parenthood
Anyone who follows the news has likely read the headlines about church denominations and pastors acquiescing to homosexuality, despite the Bible’s rebuke of homosexuality and proclamation that it is a sin.
All of which can be found in the following links:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/17/pcusa-lgbt-book-of-order_n_6885966.html
http://www.ibtimes.com/united-methodist-church-moves-allow-lgbt-clergy-gay-marriage-1814812
Anyone who follows the news as of late are also likely aware of various pastors and denominations that are beginning beginning to refuse to refer to God as He.
All of which can be found in the following links:
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/06/01/now-anglicans-want-to-refer-to-god-as-she/
We see across the world that many churches are abandoning the Bible and the truth of the Scriptures for madness. We find that many denominations are now being run by leftists and secular humanists that deny both the God of the Bible and the Bible itself in favor of their own man-made doctrines.
In essence, we see a full blown infiltration of the church by those that seek to pervert the gospel and by those that oppose the gospel. No longer is God man’s authority in these churches and no longer is the Bible the infallible Word of God to these churches run by apostates; however, these false teachers still preach in the name of God and falsely proclaim that they serve Christ.
In fact, they boldly deny Christ and His teachings on sin, hell, salvation, and holiness from the pulpit; but continue to claim themselves to be a representative of Christ. These false teachers use the church and the name of God as a platform to legitimatize their distorted message, despite having no true relationship with Him and preaching a false gospel that God would tell Paul to call accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
You see, the Bible records the actions of a man named Micah (not to be confused with the righteous prophet of God found later in the Bible) who was an idol worshiper that committed the same sin as Aaron and the Israelites had with the golden calf.
In order to properly understand the sin of Micah, we must understand the sin of Aaron and the people. The Bible clearly states that man is to worship God alone, and that we are not to create idols or to practice idolatry.
You shall not make for yourself any carved image–any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.–Exodus 20:4-5 NKJV
The dictionary definition and the Biblical definition of an idol is an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.
Note that word representation. The word representation means the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way or as being a certain nature. The Bible shows us that idolatry can manifest itself in different forms and isn’t simply limited to creating a carved image.
There are many people who skew the nature of God, who change the portrayal of God to fit what they feel God should be like, and ultimately change the image of God into a man made image that fits their narratives–simply put, they turn God into an idol.
This is confirmed in the Bible’s account of Aaron and the Israelites’ formation of the golden calf.
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the the land of Egypt!” So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.”–Exodus 32:1-5 KJV
We read in Exodus 32:1-5 that Aaron created a golden calf on the suggestion of the people. What is most interesting about the wording in the verses is how Aaron and the Israelites describe the golden calf in verses four and five.
The people had proclaimed the calf to be the Lord and they proclaimed the calf to be the very God that had freed them from captivity in Egypt. They didn’t claim to be abandoning God, they simply corrupted His image.
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into a made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to, fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.–Romans 1:21-23 KJV
The sin of Micah and that of his mother is the same sin committed by Aaron and the Israelites that made the golden calf. Micah distorted the worship of God into idolatry and built up from himself idols.
And there was a man of Mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said unto his mother, the eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, about which you cursed, and spoke of also in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be you of the Lord, my son. And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it to you.–Judges 17:1-3 KJV
From the get go we see that Micah and his mother apparently equated the worship of graven images–false representations of God–with the worship of the God of the Bible; however, we see that it doesn’t stop there.
Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and have them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.–Judges 17:4-5 KJV
We gather from this text that Micah set up idol worship in his household and made his house into a temple of sorts for the worship of pagan gods, but despite that he tried to legitimize the idolatry with elements of the tabernacle.
He had an ephod like the priests of the true tabernacle had once had and he had a priest like the true tabernacle had once had. Micah cloaked his idolatry in elements of true worship! We see that he even goes further to try to legitimize his idolatry!
And there was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehem Judah to sojourn where he could find a place; and he came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. And Micah said unto him, From where do you come? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place. And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and your victuals. So the Levite went in. And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then said Micah, now I know that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.–Judges 17:7-13 KJV
Micah not only made his home into a temple and got out an ephod, but he found a Levite. Micah had the Levite live at his home and appointed him as a priest. He even was deluded into believing that the Lord condoned his idol worship. The significance of Micah enlisting the help of a Levite is quite telling because the tribe of Levi was given the responsibility of maintaining the spiritual welfare of Israel and was the tribe of the priesthood.
This is evidenced by Numbers 18:1-2, where God appoints the Tribe of Levi to be assistants to Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. The Levites were to conduct the sacrifices (which were a type of Christ yet to come who would be the sacrifice for remission of sins) and were responsible for the tabernacle.
By getting a Levite as his priest, Micah tried to further legitimize the idolatry of his household. How much different is the modern church that finds itself legitimizing sin and that which is detestable to God?
Contrary to the numerous false teachers of the church, the Lord never condones idolatry and he never supports the worship of a false Christ. In fact, we see the direct opposite in the Bible and see God rebuke both the false doctrine and those that teach false doctrine.
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.–Second Timothy 3:1-5 KJV
Paul tells us what that these so-called preachers will be like; and he doesn’t stop there, but goes further.
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these resist the Truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the Faith.–Second Timothy 3:7-8 KJV
Paul called these type of people reprobate concerning the faith and compared them to the Egyptian sorcerers that stood against Moses! We see a similar description of false teachers in another passage of scripture from Paul.
For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the Circumcision.–Titus 1:10 KJV
Paul calls false teachers vain talkers and deceivers; and while this is primarily in reference to the Judaizers that tried to mix law and grace, it applies across the board for all false teachers. He even continues with an even harsher rebuke.
Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.–Titus 1:11 KJV
Paul goes as far to say that these individuals mouths must be stopped and that they subvert entire households by teaching things they ought not. Why are these modern day idolaters that are peddling a false Christ teaching from behind the pulpit? Why are they continually allowed to deceive others, dragging souls down to the pits of hell with them?
We have allowed this infiltration of the church to go on far too long and allowed Satan’s ministers to deceive for far too long as we have been ignorant of it.
The Book of Jude speaks of this and has even warned us, but we have remained oblivious!
For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.–Jude 1:4 KJV
Peter also warned believers of such false teachers and the dangers of them in Second Peter.
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of Truth shall be evil spoken of.–Second Peter 2:1-2 KJV
These teachers not only heap condemnation unto themselves, but they drag those that follow them down with them through their deception. The true Christians of the church must stop legitimizing these false teachers, stop following them, and reprove their false doctrine.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.–Ephesians 5:11 KJV
The time for tolerating false doctrine is over. It is time to obey the words given by God to Paul in his instruction to Timothy.
Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and Doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an Evangelist, make full proof of your ministry.–Second Timothy 4:2-4 KJV
What we as Christians uphold and teach, both corporately and individually matters. It is time to preach the gospel–not the gospel of inclusiveness, grace used for license to sin, and fables which must be rebuked–but Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the remission of sins.
The gospel which speaks of repentance from sin, salvation by grace through faith, Christ’s atonement on the cross, and the power of Christ to set man free from dominion of sin is the message that must be preached in these last days.
The souls of many depend upon it.
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