I received this in the mail. It sounds like an interesting, MUCH NEEDED book.

Blessed Are The Disillusioned
by Chip Brogden

LINK

We really ought to thank and praise God that people are sensing something of the Lord's dissatisfaction with the way things are. Thank God for that disillusionment. People think disillusionment is a bad thing, but to be disillusioned means you have been stripped of your illusion. You had a fantasy about something, a false impression, and now that false impression has been exposed. You have seen the truth, and you have been dis-illusioned.

When people come to me and say they have been disillusioned with the church, I say praise the Lord - now you can make some progress! And when they come to me and say, "I'm so disappointed with God, I can't make sense out of my Christian walk. I'm so disillusioned," I say that is wonderful - now you're really beginning to grow up spiritually. You cannot see the truth about God, or about the church, or about yourself, until you stop living in the world of illusions. The opposite of illusion is reality and truth. Authenticity is the opposite of hypocrisy. We have already mentioned how much Jesus dislikes hypocrisy. Jesus is the one who disillusions people so that they can see the truth behind the illusion.

But some people are so in love with their illusions that they can no longer recognize the truth when they hear it. I was teaching in a home group one time and talked for forty-five minutes about the difference between Organized Religion and the Church that Jesus is building. There was a long silence at the end of what I had shared, and an older woman to my right said, "Well, you better not speak against the Church, because it is the house of God." I thought I must be a terrible teacher to speak for forty-five minutes and still not be able to show people the difference between the church building and the house of living stones. Then I realized the problem was not with my mouth but with her ears. Jesus said he who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Anything that does not give Christ the preeminence, or gets in the way of that preeminence, or distracts people from that preeminence, is under judgment. First Peter 4:17 says, "It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" Does anyone take the Bible seriously? Peter said judgment begins with the household of God. That's because God cannot, and will not, judge the world, or the people who do not know Him, until He has judged the people who claim to know Him.

When God judges His own household, and purges and refines His own people, the world will finally see that God means business, and He is righteous, holy, just, good, fair, and impartial. And when His Household is judged, the world will see it and be saved. God will accomplish more in two seconds than we have been able to accomplish in two millennia. Now, if you have trouble with that, if that's a little more than you can handle right now, then please pray about it and ponder it in your heart like Mary. Search the Scriptures and just keep it before God for now.

The substance of my message to you is this: that whatever good you may find in Organized Religion does not change the fact the Jesus continues to express His dissatisfaction with the things that He is not pleased with. He will have it all according to His terms or He will have not have any of it. It is called unconditional surrender; there will be no negotiation, there will be no terms. He will not allow you to keep something of the flesh, something of tradition, a little bit of legalism. Not one bit of it. Judgment begins with the household of God. You have been warned.

Jesus says "I rebuke the ones I love when I see them going astray" (Rev. 3:19). So He says to repent. And I say to you, repent. Change your hearts. Change your minds. Change your attitudes and perceptions of things. That's what you need to be concerned with; not changing the way you "do ministry," but changing the way you see God, and see the church, and see yourself.

I don't care if you are in church or out of church. That really doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that wherever you are, you will remember that God's Ultimate Purpose and Intention is for Christ to have the preeminence in all things. And the reason why I must speak out and give this hard word about what's wrong with the church is because Christ does not have the preeminence in Organized Religion. At best it is a distraction from Christ, at worst it is a substitute for Christ. That is the bottom line. Put Him first and see what He says. Test this word. Ask God to show you the truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal these things to you.

If something has been said to encourage you, then praise God. If something has been said to upset you, then ask yourself why you are so upset. This message may very well be a tool that God wants to use to bring some much needed disillusionment. Be willing to be adjusted to Him. Don't resist the Holy Spirit. Don't harden your heart. Don't think it is just Chip Brogden having issues with the church. Lay aside your opinions, open your heart to God, search the Scriptures, and let Him show you the truth Himself.



This excerpt is taken from The Church in the Wilderness by Chip Brogden.

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS:

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I am your brother,
Chip Brogden

May the Lord bless and keep you, May he make his face to shine upon you, May he be gracious to you and grant you peace !

=========


LINK

A NEW BOOK FROM CHIP BROGDEN



Among those with spiritual discernment, there is an uncomfortable, embarrassing difference between the power and practice of the New Testament Church and the religious organizations and denominations that have since come into existence. What began as a living, Christ-centered faith has evolved into something far removed from what Jesus intended when He declared: “I will build My Church (Ekklesia), and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

What IS this Church that Jesus is building? What does it look like? Where is it located? Who is in charge of it? Do the religious institutions and leaders of today really represent the faith that was first given to us by Christ, taught by the apostles and confirmed by the Holy Spirit? Or has Christianity been replaced by “Churchianity”?

Some say God is calling us to restore the Church to what it used to be. They believe the answer lies in preaching, repentance, reformation, and working from within the system to repair it.

But a growing number of Christians say that the Church as it exists today was never God’s intention in the first place. They have forsaken the “old wineskins” and religious structures of Christendom to follow Jesus in the simplicity that the early Christians followed Him. They are not called to fix the system, but to come out of it altogether. They still love the people, and are concerned for the people. They do miss something of the fellowship they once thought they had. And sometimes they miss it so much that they do go and visit other churches, trying to fit in, trying to find a place. But try as they might, something in them just cannot go along with it anymore.

Who are these people? They are part of a growing number of Christians that make up a “Church in the Wilderness” – followers of Jesus from all over the world who love God, and love God’s people, but reject the trappings of Sunday Morning Religion. This mass exodus of people from the religious system is not only inevitable, it is the fulfillment of prophecy, and sets the stage for “the final chapter in Christianity” – when Jesus suddenly returns to reward the Overcomers, judge the hypocrites, and establish His Kingdom on earth.

In his newest book, “The Church in the Wilderness: What It Means to Follow Jesus Outside of Organized Religion”, Chip tears down the sacred cows and religious traditions of “Churchianity” and paints a picture of what Jesus really wants. This book includes many of his most popular essays as well as some brand new material never released.

If you still attend church, you’ll be confronted and challenged to consider a different point of view. If you don’t attend church, you’ll be encouraged to know you are not alone. But regardless of what you believe, you’ll have your eyes opened to a spiritual vision of “church” the way Jesus meant for it to be.

Softcover, app. 210 pages

I am SOO blessed to be a member of the church I belong to! (Here's its link, if you wish to check it out: http://www.fbcidabel.org/index.php.) Our minister is a sound preacher, and he does not believe in tickling itching ears. Click on the link labeled "sermons," and you'll discover for yourselves how he preaches. Our church's motto is "Connected to God, connected to each other, connected to the lost." If I didn't have access to this church, I myself might have to stay out of church, since so many churches are not sound anymore.

With so many churches turning apostate, it's actually better to worship God at home, if you don't have a sound church to attend, than to have the poison of an apostate church fed into your soul. Fortunately, my church is not apostate, so I'm not forced to make that choice.

Unfortunately, for that reason, there is developing a famine of truth, and that is not good. Not good at all. Again, I am so blessed that there is a sound church right here in my home town. The only quarrel I have with it is that Bible prophecy is not taught, but it's very sound otherwise.

The term church in the wilderness describes how I feel but I didn't have the words.
Thank you so much for the post.

Watchman Nee had a daily devotional called "Table in the Wilderness" that I read until the paperback was falling apart. That was 1970's. Here I am still in the wilderness.

A church may become so focused on occupying until the Lord returns, that it is difficult for people to believe He really will return, let alone soon. They believe as a statement of faith, but if the subject comes up, then "occupy until He comes" is the position, a way out of talking, instead of a shared understanding and fellowship that He really will return.

There is a stirring in my heart that this time is different, we are in fact in the "last days". The "day of the Lord" is coming. I feel like the virgin that said I only have enough oil for me, go to those who sell. Am I being selfish? or making sure my own heart is right with God?

I appreciate the mods and all who post here. Your fellowship, shared belief in Christ's return and searching scripture together is like an opened treasure chest. Each day scooping my hands in and seeing whats coming up. You are jewels.
Our Jesus knows what it is like to be in the wilderness. He said in Luke 4:8 Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Lord please help me and all of Your people to stay focused on You, to worship and serve only You while we wait together for Your return. Come back Lord, please come back soon.

(Since I am NOW up.....)

I agree with you ALL!!!!!!!!!

ESPECIALLY if there is a "false" type of love going on!!!

THAT is VERY TERRIBLE!!!!!

God gave me a dream several months back and described to me
PERFECTLY how "false love" had been used in my life by two
different people.

Believe me, when God shows you, it WILL open your eyes!!!

This below was a post sent last July.

BLESSINGS AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR "CONFIRMING" COMMENTS!!!

Calvin

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Today's "Leaven of the Pharisees" (the NO LOVE churches)

Homeward Bound (on R.I.T.A.) wrote in response to "The SILENT alarms!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There was a student who had to wear a hearing aid in order to hear and was completely deaf without it. One night there was a fire in his dorm and the alarm went off and he wasn't able to hear it. His roommate, who was supposedly his best friend, left him sleeping and ran out of the building. The fire was quickly contained and he escaped any injury but you have to wonder what kind of friend his roommate really was."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The so-called "HEARING" roommate had NO REAL LOVE
nor THOUGHT for the one who could NOT HEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back in 2006, I was living in Mississippi and had been going to
Baptist church (for a short while) where I had, years before, been
a deacon. I did NOT feel the LOVE and I thought there was more
just raw "talk" there than a normal beauty parlor. Not much to do
with REALLY listening to the Lord.

Then, in January, 2006, I had a dream, which, I believe told me to
JUST GET OUT (and just quit going). My nephew was living in the
same location and also had a dream regarding "family" AT THE
VERY SAME TIME!!!!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(from an old letter)

Last week, I had a dream that I was trying to "leave" the parking
lot of a church and, as I tried to move my car, it just kept bumping
into the other cars in the parking lot as "ALL" looked on. It was
VERY embarrassing to me and I woke up with an embarrassed
feeling. I believe a couple of people whose cars were hit were
trying to tell me is was "ALL RIGHT" but most were just staring
with a look of condemnation and accusation.

For some reason, I shared the dream with my nephew 2 days ago.
AMAZINGLY, David (my nephew) had "JUST" had the "SAME" type
of dream. Most likely, he wouldn't have told me about it had I not
shared mine. In his dream, he had been told to move a car that was
parked in front of our house where our family home is but the car was
"JAMMED IN" with other cars. While many in the family looked out
the front window, he eased the car that he was to move "forward" but
it got hung up on the bumper of the car in front.

There is NO FREEDOM OR LOVE in depending on "JUST" church
doctrine or family traditions I don't care "HOW STRONG" your family's
history is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few years later, after I had this dream, I heard of a lady and man
(whom I know) told of a certain incident in this same church. They
were both elderly and her husband (who was not well) had fallen down
while coming out of the church on Sunday morning and NOBODY
stopped to help him up. She went to the pastor later and later just left
THAT church and went to a MUCH more loving church (her testimony).

Anyway, Homeward Bound's comments made me think of an old
post that I wrote on Five Doves on 8/8/03:

(8 Aug 2003)
"Today's "Leaven of the Pharisees""
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lord has been dealing with me over the identity of the
"leaven" which Jesus warned his disciples of in Matthew 16.
The church seems VERY confused about what the leaven of
the Pharisees was (is). It may be that they DON'T WANT to
"see" or know. If it weren't important Jesus would NOT
have mentioned it to his disciples.

Matthew 16
5 And when his disciples were come to the other side,
they had forgotten to take bread.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of
the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is
because we have taken no bread.

11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it
not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of
the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware
of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

What was the leaven? It was the “doctrine”. What did that
encompass that was so powerful and dangerous that Jesus chose
to warn His disciples about this? I believe that the “doctrine”
of that type of thinking done by the Pharisees is that which is
based on:

1. Pride
2. Knowledge (which puffeth up - 1 Corinthians 8:1)
3. And a “man-controlled” type of relationship with God that
TOTALLY robs one of joy.

This type of religious relationship with God which robs the joy
out of religion and deems the Holy Spirit as “unnecessary”, I
believe, has become the norm today EVEN IN VERY RELIGIOUS
HOUSEHOLDS!!! Many have simply quit the search for joy.
Arguments are the rule of the day.

I did a search once (when someone was trying to pick a religious
fight with me over something I hadn’t even said or inferred) and
it amazed me what the Bible says about the NON-PRODUCTIVITY
of arguing. I believe that, many times, that religious “type” will
argue to try to gain more credibility for no more than the slight
reward of that credibility.

Isaiah 59
3 For your hands are stained with blood,
your fingers with guilt.
Your lips have spoken lies,
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice;
no one pleads his case with integrity.
They rely on empty arguments and speak lies;
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
5 They hatch the eggs of vipers
and spin a spider's web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.

Isaiah 50
10 Who among you fears the LORD
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let him who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the LORD
and rely on his God.
11 But now, all you who light fires
and provide yourselves with flaming torches,
go, walk in the light of your fires
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:
You will lie down in torment.

Many times, sad to say, a wife will wish to gain power over her
husband in a relationship and will use an argument (or even the
"possibility" of one) to gain the edge. This type woman can get
the idea that this is the “norm” (to argue and gain a sense of
power) thus bringing DIS order in the God-given order of a
marriage. Even Eve when she had bitten into the apple wanted
someone to share in her guilt and implored Adam to join her.
Adam relinquished his God-given order and we have all been in
trouble ever since. WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT HERE IS
HOW THINGS CAN GET OUT OF HAND!!!

Isaiah 3
12 Youths oppress my people,
women rule over them.
O my people, your guides lead you astray;
they turn you from the path.

13 The LORD takes his place in court;
he rises to judge the people.
14 The LORD enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
"It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding the faces of the poor?"
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

Here is the New Testament description of the NON benefit of
many arguments:

2 Corinthians 10
4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself
up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every
thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready
to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is
complete.

Colossians 2
1I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for
those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united
in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete
understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God,
namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you
by fine-sounding arguments. 5For though I am absent from you
in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see
how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

2 Timothy 2
22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness,
faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord
out of a pure heart. 23Don't have anything to do with foolish
and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
24And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be
kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

Titus 3
8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these
things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to
devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are
excellent and profitable for everyone.
9But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments
and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and
useless. 10Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a
second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

I once went to the funeral of a man who was the father of a VERY
fundamentalist Baptist preacher. The preacher (the son) in imparting
his eulogy to his Dad, did so in a manner which I have not forgotten.
He reminded his dead father of all the arguments that they had had
over scripture and then ended by saying, “I was right!!!”

Now the preacher many have been “right” about some scripture…but
in God’s eyes…”Was he really?” The preacher’s words and actions
that day told me that they probably didn’t have a very loving, peaceful
relationship AND YET THE PREACHER SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH
HIS WORDS AND ACTIONS. To me, THAT, is the destructive force of the
leaven of the Pharisees…NO REAL LOVE is developed and lived out in
relationships!!!

1 Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not
love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and . 2If I have the all
knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor
and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love,
I gain nothing.