The Function of the Church

I'm currently reading The Peace Maker by Ken Sande and came across some information that is quite interesting. I remember reading scripture that says believers are not to be suing one another and Sande explains it further. 1Cor. 6:1-8 tells us WHY we should not be suing each other and what we should do instead. Paul rebukes the Corinthians because they were suing each other in secular courts which means they were doing this in front of non-believers - certainly not showing the world the love of Christ! And he also states that since the saints will judge the world, we should be competent enough to judge trivial cases. We will judge angels one day - we should be able to judge disputes between each other. He also states that even men of little account in the church should be able to perform this function. He states that it would be better to be wronged and cheated than to bring a lawsuit among each other. Peace and unity among Christians is SO essential to our witness for Christ that God commands us to take unresolved legal issues to the church rather than to the civil courts. Yet how many churches deliberately ignore this passage and do nothing to help their members settle their legal disputes in a biblical manner. I laugh because most churches won't even step up to resolve simple disputes between brothers and sisters much less a legal matter. Instead their main concern is the entertainment planned for Sunday's service and/or the potluck dinner scheduled afterward.

 

But there is something even more interesting that I picked up on while reading this chapter. It seems Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made this observation:

"I think this passage (1 Cor. 6:1-8) has something to say about the proper Christian attitude toward civil litigation. Paul is making two points: first, he says that the mediation of a mutual friend, such as the parish priest, should be sought before parties run off to the courts . . . I think we are too ready today to seek vindication or vengeance through adversary proceedings rather than peace through mediation . . . Good Christians, just as they are slow to anger, should be slow to sue."

 

How important it is that our judges - especially a Supreme Court judge - are Bible reading Christians! When our leaders are well versed in the Bible, they know what God expects from His children and how to accomplish it. God has given us everything we need to run our lives, our churches, and our country right in His Word. The instructions are there if we spend the time to read and implement. Unfortunately, as Christians, we have become a "pick and choose" lot meaning we elevate the scriptures we prefer and ignore the rest. This is a dangerous practice and one that will bring not only unbalance but eventually unwanted consequences. Our enemy roams the earth looking to devour those who are not vigilant (1 Peter 5:8). 

 

This makes me wonder if our churches are performing the tasks and functions that God has commanded.  Do they even know what all their responsibilities are?  When they neglect their duties, the flock suffers.  Are our churches today so worried about numbers and dollars & cents that they are hesitant to keep their flock on the path of righteousness? 

The DESERT EXPERIENCE - An Introduction

-by Ken Brown.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My
ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

- It is imperative that every child of God should understand His ways.
- We think in straight lines and fixed points, and move in a
consecutive manner, that is, from point to point (we start and finish
a book; we look forward to something, and look back on something;
we measure progress by time spent or goods produced; when we
travel, we leave a departure point and arrive at a destination point, etc.)

- God doesn't think in straight lines, He thinks in circles. He's
doing many things simultaneously, He's at the beginning and the
middle and the end of many things - all at the same time.
Therefore, He doesn't think of things in the context of time, He
exists outside of time. Time is irrelevant to Him. He is not
affected by time.

- God's timelessness presents a very real problem for us. God
may speak into our life today and we will assume that it's going to
happen today, or very soon. We will probably place it on a time
line of some sort. But, God may be speaking to us from a point
that is still far into our future. The reason is because He is not
concerned with time, and this is why: God does not measure time;
He measures growth! When God deals with us, His purpose is
growth, maturity, and preparation. And, it always involves death to
self! God will draw us into a desert experience with Him to give us
the opportunity to grow (to die to self), to learn to trust Him or to
gain more insight into His ways.

- And, because of the way we think, our first question is always
"How long is this going to take?" We're not having fun. Dying to
self is never fun. But God won't tell us how long it's going to take,
because He understands that if we know how long, we'll just try to
hold our breath until it's over. He doesn't want us to hold our breath.
He wants us to die!...

- For us the practical result of all this is that God has spoken
words into our lives (even though we must be careful and know,
what was spoken by God, and what wasn't). And because of this,
we know He has wonderful plans for us, and that excites us. We
have aspirations for God. We want to do all those great things
He's spoken into us. But, many times what we really experience
is great frustration, because those things He's spoken aren't
happening yet! When you're frustrated, know that God loves
frustrated people. He knows you're frustrated because you care.
Also know that the reason they may not be happening yet is that
God is still measuring growth, not time.

- In our relationship with God, His purpose is to conform us to the
image of His Son. And, He's content to take as much time as
necessary. We, on the other hand, want everything to happen now,
without suffering, pain, or sacrifice on our part. And God's only
response to that is - too bad. Adjust your thinking. I'm doing this my way.

- When God is dealing with us, we must learn the value of doing
nothing. This seems to be a contradiction; but most everything we
do with God (if we do it right) is a contradiction to us...
We have to learn the value of doing nothing before God. That's
why quiet time with God is so great - you don't have to do anything.
Just hang out with God.

You don't have to fast for three days to get His attention, or recite
long prayers to impress Him. Just rest quietly before His presence
and wait for Him. If He doesn't speak immediately, He will
eventually. But, you do have to learn to wait. It's a matter of
respect and submission on your part. God does not act according
to your time, He acts according to His will. Anytime a believer
decides to press in to God and really get to know Him, one of the
first things God will teach him is His Sovereignty! God moves in
His time and acts according to His ways. Religion teaches that
man is the creator and God is what they created. They expect
Him to do what they say, when they say it. Of course, He doesn't.
But they're too stupid and bound up in their own deception to notice.
- Also, God operates on a different noise level than we do. When
we cry out to Him, He whispers back to us. God wants us to learn
to be quiet, even when everything around us is in turmoil. Psalm 46
starts out with an earthquake and a tidal wave and ends with God
telling us to "be quiet and rest assured that I am God (and
everything is under control, regardless of what you see or hear)".

But know this, when you learn how to rest in God, you'll be
accused of not caring about what's going on around you. In this
world, anxiety and hand wringing is the universal sign that you
really care (that, and whether or not you're wearing the appropriate
color ribbon or symbol on your lapel). However, in the Kingdom of
God, anxiety is only proof that you're dumb. After all, you're
supposed to be having a relationship with the Prince of Peace.

- God delights in drawing us into times of intimacy with Him. Later
in this paper we will see just how He does that. In each cycle of
intimacy there are two specific points we must be able to recognize.
The first is submission and the second is obedience. In order for
us to benefit from being in God's presence, we must first
acknowledge Who He is in submission, and then be ready to obey.

When Christians Lie

 (taken from Bible.com)

There is a plague that is grieving the heart of God because it is preventable and can be stopped. It has spread among all churches and is particularly rampant in society. Even God’s ministers are not immune and many of them are infected with it.

What is this evil plague? You may be surprised as it appears rather harmless at first glance. It is now so commonplace that people are deceived into just accepting it as normal, instead of recognizing and resisting it. This epidemic is the practice of lying and dishonesty.

What does the Bible say about lying? A lying tongue is not only something God hates, it is also something that is an abomination to Him.

Proverbs 6:16-19 says, "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."

Examples of Dishonesty

As the moral climate of our society has been deteriorating, lying has become a major problem. The business world is particularly plagued by this problem--men’s dishonesty with each other, meetings "forgotten", company theft, promises not kept, contracts broken, etc. Lawyers have increased in numbers over the last decade, mainly because of irresponsibility and broken contracts among men due to lying. A news organization recently did a survey here in America and asked people several questions to determine the percentage of people who lied or were dishonest about things. Some of the questions were:

Do you cheat on your Income Tax Return?
Do you compliment people when you really don’t mean it?
Do you tell your spouse to tell callers you are not at home when you there?
Do you tell "little white lies" if it will keep you out of trouble?
Do you tell creditors that "the check is in the mail" when you have not yet mailed it?
Do you exaggerate in repeating things you have heard?

The results of this survey determined that 90% of Americans are not truthful under certain circumstances. This is understandable when we look at the morals of our society but what about Christians? Have they fallen into the habit of lying also? Also, what constitutes a lie according to the Bible? Anything that is not the truth is a lie and God’s Word the Bible tells us what is truth. The Bible is the standard or measuring rod we must use in determining truth. Sadly, Christians are also succumbing to this epidemic of lying. Lying to each other has now become so commonplace, Christians too, have become liars.

The Father of Lies

Have you been lied to lately? Was it another Christian that lied to you? A minister perhaps? Each of us have had our trust in people undermined, or in some cases even destroyed because of lies. We would all agree that lying is an ugly evil. The Bible tells us that lying began with the devil and that he is the father of lies.

John 8:43-47 says, "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

The Bible is filled with admonitions against being dishonest and lying. One of the Ten Commandments states:

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." Exodus 20:16

Before we point our finger at another for being a liar that we feel God needs to deal with, let us examine our own lives to see if we are infected with the same disease. What kind of witness are we to those around us? Are we deceived and have we become liars ourselves? Let us first give a definition as to what a lie is according to Webster’s dictionary:

1.) To make a statement that one knows is false, especially with the intent to deceive.
2.) To give a false impression or action or false statement, especially with the intent to deceive.
3.)To make a false statement in order to evade the truth.4.)The invention of a false story or excuse in order to deceive.

Perhaps for a Christian, a Biblical definition of lying could be summed up in this statement:

Any time our word does not agree with God’s Word.

In Numbers 23:19 the Bible says, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

When we do not keep our word we are guilty of lying. Over the last year I have lost track of the number of times Christians have failed to keep their word to me. I am not angry or resentful or bitter over this, as the Lord has worked those attitudes out of my life. I have learned to take every offense to Him in prayer and He then removes any personal ill I might have and He gives me a forgiving and gracious attitude toward others. However, since I began to notice how many of God’s people were not keeping their word, I received a prayer burden of intercession for this evil to be removed from God’s people.

I first began praying about my own life and ask God to expose any areas where I might be guilty of this sin. I have tried to obey Romans 12:17-21 which says, "Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."

Most of the time I would just forgive these lying offences and would just pray for them and try to "live peaceably with all men." However, in prayer, the Lord spoke to my heart that I must go one step further and "speak the truth in love" to my brothers and sisters if I truly loved them.

Ephesians 4:15-16 says, "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

If we, as the body of Christ, are to mature and grow up we must conform to the truth which is Jesus. The devil is behind every lie and as Christians we are admonished not to lie to one another.

Colossians 3:9-10 says, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."

Two Roots of Dishonesty

The two main reasons we lie are usually rooted in either fear or pride. Fear is the first reason. We are afraid of the consequences if we tell the truth. Yielding to fear shows a lack of trust in God to take care of the situation. If we yield to God and do it His way He will usually give us favor with those that we fear. The other reason is pride. We are prideful and concerned about what men will think of us (desiring man’s approval instead of God’s approval.)

Jesus always kept His Word. God still keeps His Word and is faithful to keep every promise He makes in the Bible. That is why He is reliable and we can trust Him. We are called to be like Him. The Bible says that out of a man’s mouth proceeds what is in His heart. If we tell lies or fib then it means that we need a heart cleansing.

Matthew 15:18-20a says, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man..."

We need to ask God to cleanse our hearts and begin reading and studying the Bible so that His Word resides in our hearts. As we keep His Word and water it with prayer it will produce good fruit in our lives. Lying is not only speaking an untruth; another form of lying is not keeping our word to others.

Luke 8:15 says, "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

Little "White" Lies

Let us look at some specific ways the devil gets us to lie. We will expose some of his devices. These sorts lies are being practiced by many Christians. Now remember, we are guilty of lying when we do not keep our word. Even if these sorts of lies seem harmless and don't appear to really hurt anyone else, they are harmful to our own souls. The more we practice telling untruths of any kind, the duller our concience becomes.

1.) "I will call you back tomorrow." (This excuse is often used with a deliberate intent to decieve. The person does not call back at the appointed time and will call back at a much later date with excuses of why they were unable to call which usually goes something like: "I just was so busy, I meant to call , but did not get around to it." We all have been guilty of this, but we need to realize when we say we will do something we need to keep our word. We do understand there are legitimate reasons that make it impossible at times to keep our word. This is not the case we are referring to here. It would be better to not make this promise or to say, "I will try to call you back tomorrow.")

2.) "I will be happy to do that for you." (Whatever promise was made, it was not kept and their word about the matter causes them not to be trusted. The Holy Spirit is trying to purge this lack from His people and is using a group of men known as "Promise Keepers" to help restore trustworthiness back in the heads of families by stressing that they need to keep their promises.)

We could list numerous examples but these two cover a lot of territory; any time we say the words "I will" we need to be responsible to do it. We all, on occasion, fail to do the things we have good intentions of doing or we are hindered in some way and can’t do them. However, if we are unable to keep an appointment we should be thoughtful enough to call and cancel, or tell of our delayed arrival. We are living in an age when there are so many uncaring attitudes expressed. As Christians, we can be good witnesses by being different.

One of the biggest faults of many Christians, and our society as well, is that we tend to over-commit and then we are unable to keep our word. It is disheartening to see this shift prevalent in businesses. They commit to the jobs, then, are not able to produce them on time and thus the standard for business practices is shifting to not expecting them on time. Business people must now factor in lengthy time delays just to compensate for people’s lack of business ethics.

People that tend to over commit sometimes have a pride problem and are people pleasers. They want people to like them so they offer to do things for them, and because they are unable to keep their promises to all they end up not being able to keep their word; thus they are dishonest. In business it is usually greed that tends to cause them to over commit. They want more business and more money, even when they must work from a backlog that was promised timely.

As Christians we need to ask the Lord to forgive us if we are guilty of lying or deceit. It is a very serious matter with God when we lie. (We can read of the incident of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5 in the Bible. They both fell dead when they lied to the Holy Spirit.)

The Bible also lists this sin of lying as one that can lead us to hell along with some other grievous ones.Revelation 21:7-8 says, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

We can be overcomers through the power of the Holy Spirit as we seek to be like Jesus. We not only do not want to lie, but we also want to keep our word so that people know we are honest and trustworthy. As Christians, we want to represent our Father well in this life and be honest and free from fabrication and fibbing.

We also have an obligation to our brothers and sisters to keep them accountable by bringing this sin under conviction.  So often I hear "he's just human" or "don't judge 'em , just love 'em" - both are not only excuses, but are actually harmful excuses which can lead to eternal damnation.  God hates sin and will not tolerate sin. Our sins have been forgiven, but there is a condition - repentance. 

 

 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”  Luke 13:3

I'm not sure who wrote this article, but it sure got my attention and woke me up!  Don't be fooled or lied to; don't assume you are saved; don't believe man's word over God's Word.  Open your Bible and READ it for yourself.  Pray for discernment and repentance.  Take it all seriously - very seriously.

He who Overcomes! 

The Dead, the Corrupt and the lukewarm. 

Described vividly in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 & 3, is the professing Christian church in its present state. The people in attendance however are almost completely unaware of the Judgment standing at the very doors. Called upon to repent by the Spirit of God, they ignore His probing and proclaim themselves 'in need of nothing'! But the fact remains, they are destitute of His holiness, full of lies & hypocrisy, possessing a 'form' of godliness & void of power. 
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God! Ask them what they love most: "I just love ice cream!" "I love going to the movies!" "I love the church picnics!" "I love going to the pastor's house to have dinner!" When is the last time you heard a professing Christian say: "I love being persecuted for my faith!" "I take great joy in my trials & tribulations, knowing that the testing of my faith produces steadfast endurance!" (1Pet1:6-9) 
"From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks!" Matt13:34 
"These people draw near to me with their mouths & honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me!" Matt15:8
Anyone who must be compelled to love God is only deceiving himself. Those not 'receiving' with meekness the implanted WORD (which is Christ Himself) daily into their hearts, being Purified from all filthiness of the flesh & overflow of wickedness, and then PUTTING it into practice, ARE NOT the son's of God. ONLY those keeping themselves 'unspotted' by the world will inherit the Kingdom of God. (James1:21-27) 

"More blessed are those who hear the Word of God and PUT it into practice!" Luke11:28 

You have either crucified your flesh with its passions & desires or you're living according to the flesh. You are either putting off the old man which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts or being renewed in the spirit of your mind. You are either walking in newness of life with Christ, dead to sin, or pretending to be a Christian because some preacher told you that a past moment of faith guarantees your entrance into the kingdom. 
Stop kidding yourself that your church is 'The Church'. Face the reality that FEW have kept their garments from defilement. The Christianity passing itself off as genuine today is VACANT of spirituality. Every imaginable type of immoral conduct is being condoned and practiced inside the church and the preachers remain silent. Even if they 'appear' to be preaching against sin & demanding obedience, it's done in such a manner that those 'in sin' remain comfortable & complacent in their rebellion. Where is the godly sorrow that leads to genuine repentance....NOT to be regretted a week later when the flesh cries out for more! 
People aren't getting saved FROM sin, they are given a LICENSE to keep on sinning! Protest all you want and claim, "Not my church! We're preaching against sin & demanding holiness." But open your eyes and look around! Is there any difference between your church and the world? When a sinner walks through the door of your church is he immediately taken back by the very presence of God? (he should be, according to scripture) Are the secrets of his heart laid bare and falling on his face does he proclaim that God is truly among you? (again, scriptural) 
NO! This isn't happening because most professing Christians are too busy making excuses for their sin or listening to some popular teacher tell them why the 'hard parts of scripture' don't apply to them! Those in bondage to sin are not convicted of it because everyone is too comfortable in it. And who sets the standard? The Church leadership standing in the pulpit telling you that no one is perfect, so don't look to me for an example? When the pastors tell you it's normal to 'lust' in your heart everyday and everybody does it, including him, it's time to start thinking about repentance! 
The contrast between Biblical Christianity and what's being passed off as Christianity in our churches is appalling. Those who refuse to examine themselves in the Light of Scripture will never enter the Kingdom. The Spirit of God is speaking to His Church, but FEW are listening. The flesh doctrines have given many over to strong delusion. They have become 'lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God', satisfied with a 'form' of godliness without power to overcome sin. This is a deadly state of affairs to be ensnared by. Your soul is hanging in the balance! Take heed to what the Spirit is saying and KNOW, only those who OVERCOME will escape His Wrath. 
To the Dead Church the Spirit says: Rev3:1-6 (listen closely, the Lord Himself is speaking.) 
"I know your record and what you are doing; you are supposed to be alive, but in reality you are dead! ROUSE yourselves and keep awake, & strengthen & invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying; for I have not found a thing that you have done---any work of yours---meeting the requirements of My God or perfect in His sight. So call to mind the lessons you received and heard; continually lay them to heart and OBEY them & repent. In case you will not rouse yourselves and keep awake & watch I will come upon you like a thief and you will not know or suspect at what hour I will come." 
Notice the language Christ used in this passage and how perfectly it applies to the situation at hand. Ask yourself, is THIS what I am doing? Stirring myself, Keeping awake, strengthening my faith, obeying the Word? If not, you are among the 'dead' and stand in danger of His Judgment. Not many will pass the test! 
"Yet you still have a FEW names in your church who have not soiled their clothes and they shall walk with ME in white because they are worthy & deserving! Thus shall he who overcomes be clad in white garments & I WILL NOT blot his name from the Book of Life!" 
Take special note of the promise, given to those who have ALREADY kept themselves unspotted by sin, still they must OVERCOME to make it through. What of those who are comfortable & self-satisfied in their complacency? Will they awaken in time to escape Judgment? Chances are very slim they will be roused in time since they have been so long asleep and under the influence of strong delusion. 
"He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the churches!" 
The Dead Church has works, lots of them! No denying that. The outward appearance is one of godliness. They are feeding the poor, sending out missionaries, supporting numerous social programs. They have lovely buildings, comfortable pews, Choirs that sing with the voices of angels! Some visit the sick & elderly and even minister to prisoners, widows and orphans. BUT they have NOT kept themselves UNSPOTTED by the world! They have forgotten that Purity of heart goes hand in hand with Obedience to the faith. The inward defilement of the flesh makes everything they do unacceptable to GOD! Sacrificial acts from an un-clean heart. 
"Remember then from what heights you have fallen. REPENT---change the inner man to meet God's will--- and do the works you did previously (when you first knew the Lord) Or else I will visit you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent!" Rev2:5 
Those of you who insist on remaining in the dead churches know that your eternal soul is at stake. This is not a game. The Spirit of God is not saying one thing to you and something entirely different to us. Those who are hearing Him comprehend the desperate hour we are in. Unless you have absolute Divine PROOF verified by scripture that you should remain in your church to warn them of the impending danger, LEAVE NOW before it's too late. How much time remains is solely in the Lord's hands, but He's calling out His Bride to MAKE HERSELF READY. (rev19:7) 
Even the Lukewarm has Works: 
"I Know your record of works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are LUKEWARM and neither cold or hot, I will spew you out of MY mouth! For you say I am rich, I have prospered and grown wealthy and I am in need of nothing; and do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked!"
The lukewarm have excluded Christ from their midst. Although they don't realize it, He is standing outside the church knocking on the door! He loves them dearly and wishes to tell them of their faults, convict, convince, reprove and chasten them back to obedience. (rev3:19) This is the reason He wants them BURNING HOT or Stone Cold, because in between they are NUMB to His prodding. With earnest & burning zeal REPENT, He says, and I will grant you to sit beside Me on My throne! What a promise! Given to those wallowing in sin & rebellion. Such is His undying Love. No one will be able to stand at the Judgment and say that the Lord didn't give them EVERY chance to turn from sin and come to Him. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever, the Judgments of the Lord are true & righteous altogether! (ps19:9) 
The warnings have gone forth
FEW are the faithful and of little power (on earth) Yet the Lord has set before them an open door that NO man can shut! (rev3:8) They reside in the very 'abode' of satan himself, as sojourners in a strange & hostile land. BUT they have KEPT His Word and GUARDED His message and have NOT renounced His name! (rev3:8) They are the FAITHFUL, who throughout history have patiently endured every hardship & remained Steadfast in the face of all obstacles. Refusing to compromise the blessings & the cursing of their God. Holding forth the WHOLE Counsel, warning the Righteous & the wicked that sin will bring them to spiritual death. 
"I am coming quickly; HOLD FAST what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown!" (Rev3:11) 
The final warning from our Lord to Overcomers:
HOLDFAST to what you have, take firm possession of it and hang on securely! Beware lest anyone use trickery & guile to deprive you of eternal life! GUARD what you have as a precious treasure, a pearl of Great price! Protect & secure it from loss. Blessed it the man who hears the Word of God and 'KEEPS' it! (lk11:28) Overcome by the word of your testimony and the Blood of the lamb! (rev12:11) 
If you are numbered among the faithful then you know these words are true. However, if you harbor doubt and resentment because these things don't seem to fit into your 'doctrinal' views, your spiritual slumber is almost complete! He who searches the minds, thoughts, feelings and purposes of the inmost heart, KNOWS where you stand. (rev2:23) 
Examine yourself today in His Holy Light and prove once and for all He is reigning in your heart and keeping it Pure and upright. Make no excuses, you are only cheating yourself.