Different Kinds of Soil, Different Kinds of Responses

1/6/2008

Now, if you haven’t decided you want to “die daily” with all of your heart for the Lamb and His Bride, then that’s that. If you don’t yet think it would please Jesus to lay all that you are on the Altar for Him—your pride, your sleep and material objects when need be, your energy, your evenings and weekends, your career and relationships for Koinonia Jesus-Life—then it would seem “unnatural” that you would have read even this far. The rest of this discussion won’t likely benefit or please you, either. It doesn’t serve any purpose to consider responses to disKoinonia, as we are about to do, if there is no devotion to Jesus’ heart for 1Cor.12 Life. If individualism and pride and selfishness and attendance pretty much describe the world you are in, and you don’t mean for that to change, then that’s that. But, if you are willing to pay the whole Price for the Pearl in His Kingdom, then you’ll need to know what you are about to face when you remove Fellowship from various kinds of people.

What kind of reactions do folks have when true Koinonia is lost to them because of their obstinate or stony response to Jesus and His Truths? Because disKoinonia was Created by God Himself, it is meant to be a Redemptive Tool for those who will soften their hearts to Him and learn, and allow their hearts to be Changed by Him. But, some whose father is the devil, scoff at Redemption. Like their father the devil, they even quote twisted Scriptures to justify their sins.

Jesus said there were four kinds of soil in response to His Word, the Seed of Life. This is not meant to parallel the “four kinds of soil,” but there are actually various ways people respond after they’ve been disFellowshipped. Here are some types of responses you can expect if you lay your life down to participate in Koinonia in your midst, and then are obedient to remove that Fellowship when Called to do so…

1) We’ll describe this group quite thoroughly, because this gang is demonically “inspired” with the enemy’s twisted, dark wisdom. These will be the ones who will try incessantly with their hot breath to do you and your family harm, if you are not “aware of Satan’s schemes.” This bunch, the scoffers, will nose-dive headlong into sin when they are faced with disKoinonia. Their sins are those which they had never renounced from the heart, even though because of the Quality of Life around them, they had been held back from these sins while living amongst the Church. When these guys are finally “free” to have no Standard of Jesus held up around them, they invariably lapse into a feeding frenzy of indulgence to satiate all of their flesh-animal desires. Since their hearts were “far from Him” and religion was for show, or for standing, or to have relationships—they may have stopped practicing some of the more evident sins while around the Church. But, because they had never truly repented to Jesus Himself about these things that “crucify afresh” the Lamb of God, they’ll “return to their vomit.”

Those who never really turn to Jesus with their sin and self-life in the quietness of their hearts, eventually “accumulate” a sense of having been “cheated all along” from filling up their flesh with pagan holidays, lust, pride, ambition, alcohol, wander-lust, and other “gods” they worshipped. Some who we disFellowshipped for living in “strange fire” and loveless false religion immediately degraded themselves into alcohol and carousing after we “expelled them from our midst.” Others gave themselves to flirtatiousness with co-workers, leading to later divorces and adultery. Some became abusive of their spouses, and used Jesus to justify being arrogant control-freaks in their homes. Others became totally consumed by hobbies or occupation. Some were drunk on gossip or slander, lying, doctrinal delusions, religious activities where their lives are unaccountable, materialism, pride, fear, anger, foul language, or the various forms of internet darkness (evil photos, slander, gossip, waste of time, strange religion, secret relationships, and other porn-darkness). This vulgarity after they were “expelled from our midst” confirmed quickly that the decision was Right to break Koinonia, because their hearts were clearly not His Alone. Their hearts could NOT have belonged to or have been settled on Jesus. They regarded Him for nothing in their speech and actions as soon as there were no others around them to prop them up. THAT is not Christianity.

“Wild-eyed, loud-mouthed, and religious” is nothing like Jesus. But, this is often the unHoly “boldness” that these scoffers feel the need to foster in order to attempt to justify their sins. “You can’t fire me—I quit!” For eighteen years a person longed to be with God’s People and receive the massive spiritual and material and relational benefits found nowhere else but Koinonia, in this fallen planet of emptiness and pretense. But, when “expelled from our midst,” soon they must begin calling names and hating. Soon after being disFellowshipped, one said in print, “in eighteen years I never witnessed anything questionable.” Before a few more weeks had passed, when the insanity of sin had taken root and blossomed, he went into froth-mouthed convulsions trying to concoct lies about those who had carried him for many, many years. He was previously obviously elated to be with the Church, and never made the slightest effort to leave or complain for 18 years. Makes sense so far. But then…. he convulsed into insanity. In his own words, even expressed many times on tape, all was peachy—until he was asked to leave. THEN everything was different. “You can’t fire me, I quit! Let me fabricate an alternate version of history, even if it contradicts hundreds of witnesses from even other cities, and contradicts my own words and actions.” Hmmmmmm.

Those without the Spirit, or those trampling His Blood, will press hard. Blaming others, blaming God, twisting Scriptures, or just mind-blocking and conscience-searing. The “infra-natural” demonstrations are impressive. And then there is bizarre “fellowship of Darkness” as perverted people magically find each other. But then, because they are basking in sinful flesh, they can’t even get along with each other for long, as they talk about each other behind their backs, and betray even each other.

It’s impressive how far and how dark a person can go, still acting “spiritual” in silky weird words, once they are given over to depravity. Even honest outsiders, including unBelievers, see their deranged natures, as they hunch over their computers on company time, or in the dark hours after midnight, inventing schemes to try to maliciously harm and lie about others, as well as harm their families. If they are, like Judas, given over to sin and the darkness has “entered in”—they stalk, and they hate, and they stalk some more. Even a decade later, they have no life beyond hating and stalking and lying in the continued vain attempt to justify themselves when supernatural Life was lost to them forever, without repentance.

God did say that some would be like that. It’s the same spirit that caused the Pharisees to conspire to kill Jesus after they witnessed him healing a man! Seeing God’s love and life and power didn’t soften them—it made them murderously angry. That’s not a response of honesty… but then “our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers.”

Their relentless obsession for evil and darkness and revenge can only be equated to that of a religious version of Ku Klux Klansman. Today’s “white pointy headed cloth mask” is now a higher tech version of the same spirit and objectives—hate and kill all who represent something you despise. Today’s media and internet is the KKK mask, as they attempt “grocery sack over the head” anonymity so as not to lose their jobs or civil freedom for harassment and hate crimes. Maybe the “WWW” is just another way for some to spell “KKK”. Of course, you’ll remember, the KKK thought they were the most “spiritual” and “right” in their days of persecuting others, too. They thought they were doing everyone else a favor by persecuting and hating others. After all, they were “cleaning up the world.” “It is the same now.”

It’s actually even intriguing how a person can give themselves over to the Enemy. Once the “Walls of Protection” are removed, they can mutate into something from a bad Sci-fi horror movie in a matter of weeks. That’s the nature of the “powerful delusion” from God. They actually “believe” the delusions of their “perspectives” and “reasons” and “re-writing of history” that they and satan have created in the petri dish of their sins. And THEN God even “sends” convincing “proofs” to those seeking self-justification and revenge, rather than Jesus and repentance. God Himself, oddly enough, has sworn to help their foul consciences to self-justify. It’s really quite miraculous and impressive, all of it. They are simply returning to the vomit they had never fully renounced in their hearts.

As Peter said, they “promise freedom” with big talk and “fine sounding arguments.” This is starting to sound like Paul at Miletus, and 2 Peter, and Jude, isn’t it? Maybe they weren’t kidding? It’s true. In “real life” this gang, for all of their warped doctrines and lies about a “freedom” that does not involve any accountability for their actions to God or man, are themselves slaves to depravity. These (in “group one”) were only PROTECTED from their animal desires while in the Church, amongst God’s People. But, when they were asked to leave, they were cut loose to their depravity and the acting out of the sins still in their heart. It was contained, for a time, by the Quality of Life around them, in the Life of Christ in His Church (Mat.16:18, Eph.3:10, 1Ti.3:15). Their expulsion without repentance “proved they were never a part of you.”

With these, don’t fool yourself into thinking that they will not lie about you, totally disregarding even unbelievable sacrificial kindnesses and gifts to their family’s survival financially and in every other way. It happens. Don’t be surprised for someone (with now-massive degeneration into dark evils of nasty videos or websites, or demonic warcraft participation, or alcohol tirades, or malicious immoral divorce) to be slandering you to total strangers, making up lies and accusations that totally contradict what they themselves said in written form just weeks earlier. Enraged by jealousy, lying is no problem for the deranged with seared consciences. Jesus said even one’s own parents or children, or siblings, will sometimes bare rabid fangs and turn on them. “Members of your own household, two against three, and three against two.” Can you imagine your own mother or father turning on you and viciously attacking you to strangers? It happens, if you dare to truly serve God, rather than just be religious. “If they hated Me, they will hate you also.”

A brief primer, a tutorial in dealing with those who are given over to a “powerful delusion” when “their father the devil” is motivating and inspiring them. Don’t think that “good communication” will clear anything up, or that kindness or humility with these will accomplish anything positive. Certainly, that is the Right response ANYWAY. But it would be a serious error to think that information or reasoning or facts will help anyone who loves to slander and hate. Nor will it help those who love to listen to their gossip, slander, or cruel hate. Their tactics are about “power” not truth. If you correct something they say with absolute proof, they will never apologize or alter their viewpoint. Their viewpoint and attacks were never based on anything except hatred, anyway. They were weapons, not confusion or misunderstanding. “Don’t confuse me with the facts” remains their motto. When proven wrong, they will simply change the subject, or accuse you of being defensive. They will not apologize or correct their error with those they slandered you to. It’s a heart issue. It’s not about what is true or not true. They don’t care at all what is true, and therefore “information” or “proof” of ten thousand testimonies means absolutely nothing to them. If they are deluded by the enemy, they will simply change the subject and keep on attacking.

Read the book of Nehemiah and you’ll see again and again Satan’s smear tactics (and a man of God’s Response in the Spirit). The “chri-Islamic terrorists” love the cloak of darkness to stalk and harm God’s people and their families. They have no conscience about lying and slandering those who cared for them, and sacrificed personally to help them out of their miry pit earlier in their life.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking people like this are honest in any way. They are not just “trying to get you to do the right thing” as if they were innocently misunderstanding. You can’t “change” enough or “admit” enough to ever sway them from their KKK course, even for decades to come. They are intent on destroying you (if that were possible)—not “reasoning” with you, or helping you, or serving Jesus. They don’t want to hear about anything except your blood in the water. JESUS’ Blood over your life—by your total trust in His Blood alone for your Salvation—will mean nothing to them whatsoever. Being “clothed in Christ” will not mean anything to them, or dissuade them from being “accusers of the brethren.” They will even pray to their god, they admit, for your demise. They honestly believe they are serving their god.

As long as you Stand for something they despise—the Character of Jesus lived out in daily Life—they will relentlessly hate and stalk you to the sacrifice of food, or sleep, or even the loss of their jobs for illegal internet use during work hours. They will watch their own families fall apart around them, and have no real friends whatsoever, but they will barely notice because of their drunken obsession to hate and kill and get revenge for being disfellowshipped, even a decade or more later. In their delusion and lack of connection to the Vine or any Positive reason for living, they will believe you are uniquely qualified to be hated and hunted. And the only good prey is bloody prey, which they will spend their waking moments imagining how to accomplish.

Do you think that’s an exaggeration? Not really. A man who had been caught in a terrible lie tapped a brother on the shoulder in a public place, many months after anyone had seen him, and greeted him with a tirade of fury. “I’m a blackbelt in martial arts and have laid awake many nights pondering how I am going to dismember you.” With Jesus, people with that much hatred and conniving were even temporarily able to accomplish that feat of killing Him.

But God had another Plan, for His Son, and His sons. It’s Friday, but Sunday is on the way.

Wild stuff, eh? Non-human, even. Those who are “given over to a powerful delusion, that they would believe the lie” are quite the trip. These are they whom the Apostle John wrote of in 1John 5, some sixty years after Pentecost, having watched how religious lives could mutate into the monsters Paul, Peter, and Jude had prophesied would emerge.

John wrote that some are so deranged that God would not answer prayer regarding their futures. Some are in so deep against Jesus, calling good evil and evil good, that He has turned them over to their master, the devil. These, He said, are not the ones we should spend our time in passionate prayer over, according to Jeremiah 7:16-20 and 1John 5:16-17. We should pray for those who can yet be Turned, who have not been “given over to a powerful delusion” and are not yet fulfilling Hebrews 6:4-9 or Hebrews 10:23-31. Pray passionately and lovingly and patiently for those who are still honest in their hearts and want to hear His Voice and be Changed. These who are caught in ignorant or habitual sins, but with hearts very soft and desiring of Jesus as John described in 1John 3, pray for them, and passionately desire to help these! “See to it brothers!” that they get the daily help they need, in person, “called alongside,” as the Hebrews Writer also Commanded (Heb.3:12-14). But do know that some are past our ability to help them. In some ways this is reassuring, as we face satan’s marionettes and tear down his kingdom, as Paul insisted Father has Called us to.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.”

“He will soon crush satan under your feet.”

While these types are allowed to be on this planet by Father for our strengthening and learning, they do truly mean to do you harm. God means it for Good, however. And God wins. “We are more than conquerors” through Jesus Christ. Since these dark ones have nothing you want and are nothing you ever hope to be, they can’t harm you. Because they can take nothing from you that you haven’t already died to—not popularity, not reputation, not material goods, not wealth, not power, not comfort—they are no threat to anyone but themselves, and perhaps some few naive with no Root. And, those who would believe deranged sinful men or women actually need to be seduced by those guys, so they won’t be a trouble to the Saints and “use up the ground.” That, too, is part of God’s Plan. So be it, and Amen.

There are other quite different responses that can occur when one was NOT connected to the Head, the Vine. In spite of some “nice people who enjoy hanging around God’s People” (and blending in, as far as they are able), if they are not HIS, then breaking fellowship with them eventually happens, also. Here is their response:

2) Some will really do nothing in their lives after they are asked to leave (in whichever of a myriad of ways that one can be asked to leave). In such lethargy and irresponsibility, they are demonstrating that JESUS is not what they are “about,” truly. They lack love and passion and reality. And, by not “pressing on” after being disFellowshipped, they definitely make an unfortunate statement about where their “faith” was all along. This, again, is actually a confirmation about what had been discerned about their lack of Connection to the Head, and thus His Body. There certainly must have been something other than JESUS that had their heart and interest all along, or they could not have lapsed into nothingness. When a person can’t stay focused enough to LIVE COURAGEOUSLY, and in Faith and Love, COME WHAT MAY, then they still need to find JESUS in their hearts and lives, and cannot have the Body if they aren’t clinging to the Head. They need to be Converted, no matter how “spiritual” or “knowledgeable” or “nice” they seemed previous to the day they were “cut loose.” Becoming “driftwood” when they are “on their own” is a Sign that they don’t know HIM, yet.

But all of that can totally change, if they’ll approach HIM honestly and humbly, and “call on the Name of the Lord.”

3) When asked to leave, and separated by Decree (“one more year….”), some will try to “do something” even if they are NOT in the VINE, Jesus. These “religious” and “creative” and “energetic” self-efforts will often be hatched in a) ambition or b) craving attention or c) craving “respect” or d) craving “relationship”—even if it is mere religion, and still Christ-less. It doesn’t take much to satisfy them, because if they get the attention they crave, or can feel good about themselves, then that “drug” keeps them happy.

Some of these men or women will be movement-oriented—hoping for gratification, popularity, power, or pesos. This is certainly far from Jesus and true Christianity. Real Christianity is CROSS-oriented and requires no “pay back.” Sometimes the strange-fire energy to “start something” is hatched out of guilt, or pride (“I can do it better” or “I know more” or “MY MINISTRY” nonsense), or habit (culture, or up-bringing, or life-long hobby that they use to “define” themselves), or an “I’ll show you!”-based religion.

4) Some will do what the man in Corinth did (referred to in 1Cor. 5, 2Cor. 2, and 2Cor. 7). It’s possible to REPENT and turn to Jesus, and be merged into His Life! And then, he might be joined back into that local Body of Believers that had disfellowshipped him or her. OR, perhaps, working with the previous Body of Believers (never ignoring the disFellowship of another Body of Believers, EVER), he or she might be merged into the Life of Christ with other true-hearted obedient REAL Disciples of Jesus. These, too, will never give him a “free pass” on the pathetic life in sin, crucifying Jesus, either. He can, we can, look to Jesus, “the Author and Perfecter,” turn from sin, and be merged back into the organic daily Life of Jesus in His Body, if there is true repentance. “Times of refreshing come from repentance!”