Have We Been Living a False Christianity

By Russell J. Schmidt

So much of the doctrine of Christianity that has been recognized throughout the world has been so corrupted by man-made doctrine and the cross-breeding from other religions that the Christianity we observe today would not even be recognizable to the apostles who began it all – through Christ, of course.

Things that are viewed as morally accepted within the Church today, would be considered blasphemous to Jesus and the apostles, as they initiated the Church Age with the preaching of the Good News of the Gospel.

From the acceptance of abortion, to the LGBTQ lifestyle as being acceptable within the Church, to even those who preach the health and wealth gospel as a sign of being a true believer, as well as many other false traditions that have become all to common within the Church, we are entering a dangerous stage in history that Jesus described as a time of deception. The apostle Paul also wrote about the deception or what he called a “falling away”, or “apostasy”.

Just to clarify, as far as the health and wealth gospel is concerned, I’m referring to those who build their ministries solely on this premise, and use the acquisition of wealth as a barometer of how faithful you are, and by how much you are willing to donate to them.  

These ministries have begun to fall in the past couple of years, and in time, they will all fall. The Gospel is not about wealth. Will some be prosperous? Of course, but for the most part, when God refers to prosperity in His word, He is referring to prosperity in all aspects of your life, with a strong emphasis on the spiritual because it is through the spirit that you commune with you Father.

We have the example of Ananias and Sapphire in the Book of Acts, who were clearly more wealthy than most. After they sold their possessions, they chose to hold back some for themselves, probably because they felt, why should they give so much more than others. We are not told this was the case, but we easily see how human nature would view it that way. The result was instant death for both.

A clear indication that wealth was something that can easily corrupt. Many preachers today who preach this message and brag about their own wealth that they claim comes because of their perceived morality, will one day find that they were totally misguided and corrupted. When they hear Jesus say to them, “Away from me you evil doer, I never knew you,” they will find out too late that their doctrine was a doctrine of demons.

There are segments of, what I call, “false Christianity,” that really believes Jesus would be okay with today’s interpretation of morality and what Jesus Himself would accept. I just read an article this morning that, although nothing seems to surprise me anymore, I still shake my head in unbelief that we have strayed so far from true doctrine and into the bowels of Moloch worship.

Rather than go through the entire article, I will just present the first paragraph, because that’s all I was able to read without feeling an absolute disgust over what has happened to our society and the disgracefulness that has been called “Christianity.”  

The article is by Dr. Michael Brown of askdrbrown.org, and entitled, “The Personification of The Spirit of Jezebel.” Now, before anyone discounts this quote from the article because of allegations that have surrounded Michael Brown of late. The questions he presents here are legitimate and questions that we should be asking.

Following is the first paragraph:

How does Jesus feel when an Episcopalian priest, someone ordained to represent His name, is a well-known champion of abortion? How does He feel if that same priest is an outspoken lesbian, "married" to her partner? And how does He feel if she says, "Abortion providers are some of my personal heroes and modern-day saints"? I'm speaking of the very Reverend Katherine Hancock Ragsdale who was recently named President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation.

How in the world can you call yourself a Christian, let along claim to be a minister of the Gospel and hold up abortion providers as your personal heroes and modern-day saints? That just boggles the mind!  

Anyway, that’s as far as I’ll go with that because that question doesn’t even deserve an answer. Anyone who even remotely considers themselves to being a Christian will see that as a complete abomination and, Yes, as Dr. Brown titles it, “a spirit of Jezebel.”

What I want to talk about here isn’t even that far out of touch because most of Christianity do even hold those views and consider it an extreme case. It is traditionally accepted Christian doctrine that has been slowly and systematically perverted over time since the apostles laid the groundwork and set the foundation of our faith.

Simple things like the Holy Day’s that God commanded “all generations” to observe (see Leviticus 23). Why don’t we, as Christians, observe them today? Well, the big reason that I’ve always been told is that they were done away at the cross through the redemption of Christ, and we are no longer under the law. But where do they get that from? And did Christ do away with the law?

I don’t find anywhere in Scripture that those important days on God’s calendar are not to be observed by followers of Christ. On the contrary, we have scriptural evidence that leads us to believe that we should be observing these Holy Days in honor of God and as a reminder of what He has done for all mankind. We see this and more in Deuteronomy 11:18-21.

“18 Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.”  

And as far as the law is concerned, once again there is a huge misunderstanding with this topic that is leading believers astray. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”  

I highlighted “jot” and “tittle” because both of those words mean the smallest part of something; in this case Jesus is referring to the smallest part of the law. It is a double entendre which signifies its importance, or His emphasis on the smallest part of the law, and that it will not be done away with until all things are fulfilled. The last I looked, the sun, moon, and stars are still with us, and will be with us until God Himself comes down to earth with the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation chapter 21.

Let’s Start From the Beginning

Since there is so much to talk about and understand, I’m going to digress and start from the beginning and how the true nature of God has been so misunderstood.

No matter where you are or at what age you are and how much of life you have experienced, I’m sure you’ve either heard or have even yourself asked a “why” question directed toward God – and probably many times. Why do bad things happen; Why is there suffering in the world; Why did so-and-so die; why, why, why?

Those “why” questions are endless, but there is a very easy and simple answer to all those “why” questions. The only problem is that we, as a Christian culture, have been so brainwashed by all the false doctrine and misunderstanding of scripture that it’s difficult for many to comprehend the truth, and the ease of knowing the answers to that truth.

For many, it comes down to an ego issue where they don’t want to admit or accept that they have believed a lie, or at the very least, believed a false doctrine. It’s an insult to them to be corrected and to admit that they’ve been duped.  

Now, with that said, I want to point out there is an enemy out there who is intentionally perverting scriptural understanding and also planting those insecure egotistical thoughts within us. Of course, that enemy is Satan and his demonic realm.  

Yes, Satan is real and can place thoughts in your mind through your spirit of man that falls short of the glory of God, and through sin, is in-tuned with the secular realm, which is Satan’s dwelling place. But that’s all Satan can do. It is up to us to do as the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, to take those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.  

In other words, we need to renew our minds so we can differentiate what is from the devil and what is not. This may sound ludicrous to think that we can mistake the devils thoughts as being godly thoughts, but it happens all the time. Unless you are always aware that Satan is at work and attentive to his wily schemes, you will be deceived, he is that good at what he does.

This is why God told Joshua in Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

And God follows up in verse 9 by saying, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

You see, if you walk with God and adhere to Godly doctrine and truth, you will be able to discern good from bad, and there will be no reason to fear anything or worry about anything, for the Lord your God will walk with you wherever you go.  

Jesus reiterated this when He spoke of not worrying about food or drink or what you will put on your body in Matthew chapter 6. He ended His admonition on worry with, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Very similar to what God told Joshua, Jesus is basically telling us; as long as we stay focused on Him and God’s Word, all the blessings that we need, will be provided for us each day. It is when we lose our focus on the righteousness of God that those blessings are hindered and we miss out on receiving them.  

Will there be troubles? Yes, of course, Jesus just confirmed that, but with God walking with you there is no reason to fear those troubles, yet the necessities of life will be provided. Jesus said in John 16:33, “…be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” When you do go through a trying time, remember that God is walking with you through the Holy Spirit who will be there with all true believers during good times and bad.

Now, with that said, there are many Christians who will say that they do follow Christ, yet they don’t seem to reap the promise of all their needs being met and they will begin to ask the “why” questions.

Yet, those same people who say they are following Christ are not reading scripture regularly and are involved in secular things that do not edify. There are all kinds of reasons why they don’t read scripture regularly or spending time with God in prayer, things like their lives are just too full of everyday activities like work, school, household chores, and family responsibilities; they’re just too busy and can’t find the time. Yet, they make sure they don’t miss their favorite TV programs or miss keeping up with social media; and then they wonder why things often don’t work out.

We also forget that Jesus gave all of us a Great Commission that He expects us to fulfill. That can be found in Mark 16:15-18:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  

Are you fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ or, like so many Christians, are you just going to church on Sunday and are looking to be filled yourself and just worrying about your own salvation? This goes for many churches as well. This boils down to a Godly “agape” love. Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

If your church doesn’t have an outreach program and doesn’t expect its member to being good stewards and to be sharing the gift that they have received with others who desperately need Jesus, then that church falls short and you should find yourself a church that does apply the Great Commission of Christ.

This brings me to another point similar to the Holy Days that I mentioned above. And that is those who proclaim Sunday to being the Christian Sabbath, when God said that “His” Sabbath – the seventh day of the week – is to be observed by all generations to come?  

We need to know that Sunday is not God’s Holy Sabbath, the seventh day is – which we call Saturday – and we Christians need to acknowledge that (see Leviticus chapter 23). The observance of Sunday as God’s Christian Holy Day comes from a number of false doctrines regarding a supposed new Christian Sabbath and was being observed as far back as the first century AD.

One of the more notable reasons why Christians justified the changing of the Sabbath to Sunday is in 1 Corinthians 16:2-3, where the apostle Paul writes, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.”

For anyone who takes this as meaning the Christian Sabbath was changed by Paul to Sunday is not doing his or her due diligence in searching scripture. Let’s take a look at some scripture in the Book of Acts that refutes this teaching.

Acts 13:13-14: “Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.” The chapter goes on to say how Paul was invited to speak to the people after the reading of the law.  

This synagogue must have been a Christian synagogue in order to let Paul Speak. If it had been a synagogue led by the Pharisaical Priesthood, I highly doubt they would have let Paul speak. I know there are examples early on, especially with Jesus who was allowed to speak in the synagogue in front of the Pharisees. However, by this point in Paul’s ministry, this movement called, “The Way,” was being persecuted by the Jewish leadership and would never have been allowed to be preached in their synagogue.

Acts 13:43-44: “Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.”  

Verse 45 tells us that after seeing the multitudes that on the Sabbath went to see Paul and Barnabas in the Temple, the Jews became envious. This answers my last point. The Pharisees knew what the apostles were preaching and they became envious because Jews from their synagogue were most likely leaving to go and listen to the apostles in their synagogue, or wherever it was they were preaching.

Acts 16:13: “And on the Sabbath day we (Timothy, Paul, and Silas) went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.” (Parenthesis mine.)  

We find here that prayer was now customary at the riverside. This could also bolster my conjecture that the Jewish Pharisees had enough of the apostles teaching and no longer allowed them to speak in the Temple, so these new Christians would meet by the riverside.

Acts 17:2: “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures…”

No need for commentary here, as it was Paul’s custom to be in the synagogue on the Sabbath.

Acts 18:4: “4And he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.”

If we go back to 1 Corinthians 16:2 and Paul collecting money on the first day of the week, which would be Sunday; don’t forget, Paul was raised as a Pharisee and he still may have followed the letter of the law by not accepting money on the Sabbath itself, so any tithes and offerings were brought to him the next day, the first day of the week. Once again, this is just speculation on my part, but the important thing is that it’s clear that Paul continued to keep the seventh day Sabbath.

Some other reasons I’ve heard in reference to Sunday being the Christian Sabbath was because Christ was resurrected on the first day of the week. Because of this it was believed by some that Christians should observe that day as the most holy day of the week. However, scripture gives no credible reason for assuming that.

Another reason that I’ve heard is that God began creation on the first day of the week, so it should be made holy. The problem with that idea is that God Himself sanctified the seventh day and not the first, so why would we now change that? This for sure is Satan’s deception in trying to corrupt God’s Holy Sabbath, which in turn corrupts the keeping of His law and each individual Christian’s spiritual life.

The one reason that I believe was the solidifying factor in cementing Sunday as the Christian Sabbath was in the early fourth century, emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire, after defeating two other emperors of a divided Empire, unified the empire under his rule and put an end to Christian persecution, and accepted Christianity as his own faith.

Since the Romans had many false pagan religions they observed, in order to keep peace and not alienate and anger any one of the religious factions, he designated Sunday by law as the Empire’s day of religious worship. This appeased many of the Christians who were already observing Sunday, and also appeased many Romans who worshiped the sun god in keeping their day of worship intact with the acceptance of Christianity. Christians who held fast to the traditional Hebrew Sabbath of the seventh day or Saturday were looked at as law breakers. A clear indication that they were on to something, like the truth!

Does it make sense now why we call the first day of the week “Sunday” and why this is not the true Sabbath of God? And as a matter of fact, during the Roman Empire, the seventh day of the week was called, “Sun Day;” two words, not one as we call it today. Why? Because it was the “Sun” god who they worshiped on that “day.” Are you beginning to see the corruption here?