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Will
Christianity Work
There are many moves on foot
today to bring about this desired result, one great
world-wide church. The Federal Council of Churches in
America is an organization that has been working for years
and years to accomplish this thing. But the Federal
Council of churches leaned a little too far toward
communism and she split the ranks of Protestantism wide
open because there are evangelical bodies in the
Protestant world that refused to co-operate with the
Federal Council in bringing about, one world-wide church
because of the fact that the Federal Council had leaned
too far toward Communism. Therefore, seeing her mistake in
splitting the ranks of nominal Protestantism, the F. C. C.
has turned out to through another channel, which is just
as dangerous as the F. C. C. itself. And the council
through which it is working now is the National Council
Churches of Christ in the United States of America. N. C.
C. C. U. S. A. it is branded, and it is only a subsidiary
of the federal council, comes under the same organization,
under the same body of men, working the thing identically
as the Federal Council of Churches has been trying to work
out for years-leading the religious organizations up to
one thing, and that is an ecumenical church. That word
ecumenical means general, an means world-wide in its
extent. And we read throughout religious digests all over
the nation of this ecumenical church being formed through
this organization. But there are churches all over the
nation that oppose bitterly this idea. Some words of
strong denunciation have been uttered against this one
ecumenical church. The America Council of Churches is one
organization that is fighting it with all of its power.
The National Association Evangelicals is another movement
that is fighting with all of her power. I want to say,
beloved, that we as children of God should register our
protest against it too. I am not merely going to quote to
you what somebody else has said about it and show you the
perils and dangers that lie within the thing, but by GodÕs
help I Ōm going to register my complaint as a New
Testament minister of God, and my complaint is going to be
based on this. I say, beloved, that we need to register
our complaint against this thing. Now the goal of this
ecumenical church is a legitimate goal. I would not deny
that one church throughout the world is a legitimate goal
and is something to be desired. And it's that goal that
blinds multitudes of men and women. All they can see is an
ecumenical church, or world-wide church. That's all they
can see; that's the very thing Jesus prayed for, isn't it?
He prayed in John 17 that they all might be one,
"that the world might believe that thou hast sent
me." Now maybe you say, "Now, Bro. Barber, don't
you think there ought to be one worldwide church?" I
do, but I don't think it will ever be brought about to
please God, as these organizations are endeavoring to
bring it about, I'm not in the least agreed with the idea
of one ecumenical church throughout the world because I
see the dangers involved in the developing of such a
world-wide organization. I'm going to tell you about some
of them. Now the road the religious world is traveling
today to obtain that desired result is the wrong road
altogether. > We hear about inter-faith movements all
about, donÕt we? We hear about groups that are meeting in
communities. ItÕs a mixture of every denomination in the
community. If Roman Catholicism happens to be there, sheÕs
right in with them. ItÕs one big meeting in the community
or city. No, I donÕt agree with that, wonÕt have any
part in it. Even though the preachers in my community say
we need to get together, I say, beloved, I have no part in
them, and I will refuse to take part in any of them. IÕll
show you why I refuse. How many of you love freedom? LetÕs
see your hands. Almost everybody. Well, if youÕd testify
youÕd say that you love it. I do too, and above all I
love religious freedom. But this thing weÕre headed for
today is going to rob people of their freedom. This
ecumenical church idea is going t rob the public of the
right to worship God as they choose, or as God directs. I
have clippings in my possession telling of inter-faith
movements, inter-faith gatherings throughout the United
States and Canada. In Quebec not so long ago there was a
great unity meeting. A mixture of Protestantism and Roman
Catholicism of every brand. This meeting was hailed as a
big step toward the ecumenical church. In Chicago another
meeting held where 200 ministers were gathered, some in
long white robes, long black robes, and some in street
clothes. They had a great meeting. They called it an
ecumenical meeting. I want to say when You mix Roman
Catholicism, Jewish people, Protestantism, and Roman
Orthodox, you canÕt have the presence of God in that
meeting. God will not work in such a mixture of unbelief
and idolatry as we get together in such a meeting. Why,
here's a Jew who doesn't even believe that Jesus is the
Son of God. Can you with him and have real fellowship with
him? Can you worship with Roman Catholic men and women and
have true fellowship with them when theyÕre looking to
one thing, and that is the priest or Pope to take away
their sins? Why Peter said there is no other name under
heaven whereby we must be saved. When we turn Jesus aside
and begin to seek other channels and means to get rid of
our sins, brother , weÕre outside of the kingdom of God.
ThereÕs no hope for us until first we turn back to God.
But I
say these meetings are being held all over the nation. At
Berkeley, Calif., they started an inter-faith school, a
school that is operated by the Protestant organization, by
the Catholics, by the Messianic Synod, by the Lutheran
Church, the Christian Science Church. A mixture of all of
them have started an inter-faith school. When the teachers
get together to decide what they are going to teach and
how they were going to teach they had a big problem on
their hands. IÕm not surprised. It was a big problem. But
you know they agreed among themselves that nobody could
proselyte. It would not be fair to proselyte. They also
agreed that no teacher was allowed to use refreshments to
entice a non-member to come and be a member of his class.
And on those agreements and on that basis the school was
started. the result will be; I'm curious to know. Beloved,
thatÕs not the way to unity. That's not God's plan at
all, inter-faith movement. IÕm fully aware that he man
who opposes this move in any given city or community is
the man who received the public scorn and ridicule and is
looked upon as the disgruntled somebody and narrow minded
somebody who does 't want God's people to get together.
That's where the persecution will come. I'll tell you the
salvation of the Lord won't mix with everything and
anything. Salvation is something that is separated from
the isms of men. Regardless of how much we try to put them
together and mix them up, they will not mix.
Now,
beloved, the road the world is traveling in the developing
of this ecumenical church is a road that leads to
spiritual darkness and bondage, back from which the world
came out of in the 16th century reformation. I want to say
again that the road the ecumenical church is traveling
today goes back to the spiritual darkness and bondage as
in Martin LutherÕs reformation. If you have studied
church history you know that in A. D. 530 Papal Rome,
Roman Catholicism, as we know her today , came into full
power. From A. D. 530 to A. D. 1530 Roman Catholicism was
state church at that time, and it was be a Catholic or
die. Roman Catholicism worked in harmony and co-ordination
with the civil law. When she sent out a decree and some
one failed to obey, Roman Catholicism used the civil law
to destroy that man or woman, and in that period, childen
of God were found only in caves and catacombs, hiding and
worshipping God in secrecy. Are you not glad that thing
isnÕt today? We couldnÕt be here like this. No, we
couldn't enjoy the privileges we have today in open
daylight were we to live back in those 1,000 years. not
the way to unity. The civil law of the land would not
permit it. Then to think of going back, dear ones, is more
than I can bear. It's more than I like to think about,
notwithstanding the fact we're heading back that way as a
world, going right back to it. God spoke to Martin Luther
and gave him a revelation of truth back in Wittenberg,
Germany. The truth that God gave him was that the just
shall live by faith. He began to preach the new birth. He
began to preach you must be born again. Of course, it
began to bring about a breach between Luther and the state
church, or Roman Catholicism. He was admonished and told
to quit preaching it, but it came from God; and he could
not quit preaching it. When God delivers a message to his
true ministers, theyÕll give out that message if it takes
their heads from their shoulders. When they fail to do it,
they have lost out. ThereÕs only two things, do what God
tells you or else lose your soul.
Martin Luther kept preaching the glorious truths revealed
to him. The longer he preached, the wider the breach
became until finally Roman Catholicism excommunicated him
and branded him and his workers as Protestants because he
was protesting against something. Too many Protestants
today cease to be Protestants. They donÕt protest
anything. They just put their arms around the spirit of
tolerance and they will tolerate almost anything under
heaven. Now the Federal Council of Churches has come forth
with a formula of tolerance to offer the United States
concerning Russia. And that formula is based on these
three things I want to read to you now. First, the
existence of conflicting beliefs must be considered as
normal. Second, all men must renounce their efforts to
spread abroad their way of life by methods of intolerance.
Third, the U. S. must accept primary responsibility to
secure international acceptance of the method of
tolerance. When the Federal Council of Churches comes
along and tells the United States of America, a nation
that's based on the foundation principles of Christian
liberty, she must adopt methods of tolerance to a pagan
nation, I say, beloved, there is no foundation to build
upon there. When we fail to protest against some things
and accept the spirit of tolerance, we've turned the
Spirit of God out, because the Spirit of God is not a
spirit of tolerance. It will not tolerate anything and
everything. It tolerates one thing, and that is faith and
obedience to the word of God. Let's never get the idea in
our minds that the Spirit of God is a spirit of tolerance.
It would never tolerate the things that men would like to
get us to tolerate. I'm glad that we can stand before a
gainsaying world with that Spirit of God in our hearts.
That's not narrow-mindedness, that's not fanaticism,
that's just the Spirit of God having his way. Every other
way is false, and with David I say, "I hate every
false way." Amen. David said he loved the way of
truth and I love it too. This is it, the way of truth, the
way of righteousness that leads to the portals of glory.
again, I say the present path that our religious world is
following leads right back to the same spiritual darkness
and spiritual bondage that existed for a thousand years
between A. D. 530 and A . D. 1530 and, beloved, I don't
want to go back to that. I don't want to go back to an age
where men and women have been robbed of their spiritual
freedom. This ecumenical church idea and inter-faith
movement isnÕt a thing but regimentation. Regimentation
merely means gathering together in groups or units for
central control. The only central control I want to
recognize is that control in heaven. Yes, beloved, that
control in heaven, where God controls his people from the
throne of grace.
This
ecumenical church idea that is developing in our world
today is going to develop in great power and authority and
is headed by a group of unbelieving infidelistic,
modernistic men who will have the authority and power to
lay their finger on the man who does not obey their ethics
and commands. The result of the move that is being
developed today will be a group of dictators who will work
from a national office somewhere, and they will dictate
their commands a through state office and then a county
office, then community office; and, beloved, it will
affect every congregation in the U. S., and it will also
affect every individual in America. Now I know a lot of
folks want to say that this is some fantastical idea we
have gotten hold of and that it is a bug-a-boo that
doesn't exist, but I say it does exist. Already in the
United States of America, a land of freedom, a lot of good
preachers have been off the radio because the Federation
of Churches not want them there. Is that freedom? There
will multitudes of other preachers who will be silenced by
this organization that is developing. One great reason why
I believe it is going to develop and mature is because it
is in line with scriptures. The Bible teaches that very
thing is going to happen. Maybe you didn't know there were
any such teachings in the Bible, but they are there. I am
going to turn and read one scripture passage that pictures
this organization named the ecumenical church. In Rev.
16:13-14, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs
come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out the mouth of
the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For
they, are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which
go forth unto the kings of the earth and of whole world,
to gather them to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty." In this portion he said he saw three
unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the
dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth
of the false prophet. Those three symbols in this passage
of scripture symbolize; the dragon, pagan Rome; the beast,
Roman Catholicism; and the false prophet, Protestantism
today. Now John saw the three unclean spirits like frogs
come out of the mouth of those three organizations, and
they went out on the breadth of the whole earth and to the
kings of the earth to gather them to the battle of God
almighty. And as we look at current events today we look
at those three organizations moving together to
collaborate with one another to destroy genuine Christian
religion. Just a few years back you never did hear tell of
Protestants and Catholics going together. It was an
unheard of thing a few years ago, but today you pick up a
newspaper and read about their having their inter-faith
movements and gatherings and enjoying it. Truly the signs
of the times point to the fact the enemy working through
those three organizations is gathering his forces together
to stamp out genuine Christianity. Now I want to turn to
Rev.20:7-9. "And when the thousand years are expired,
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out
to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of
the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And
they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed
the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and
fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.Ó
This brings us down to the end of time, or the coming of
Jesus. DoesnÕt that picture the gathering together of the
different religious organizations all throughout the world
to form one great world-wide church? And in the scriptural
understanding of the whole thing it points to this beast
that is pictured in the 17th chapter of Rev. Gog and Magog.
Gog and Magog is constituted of all of the false religions
of the earth binding together their forces to destroy
real, true Christianity. But in the midst of their
encompassing the camp of the saints, fire came down from
heaven and devoured them. Thank the Lord! he'll just reach
down right in the midst of that great mess of confusion
and lift his great glorious bride, the true and living
church of God and take her to glory to present her to his
Father. Thank God for the privilege of being a part of
that bride of Christ, the privilege of having our
spiritual eyes opened and spiritual understanding
enlightened by the word of God and by the Spirit of God.
Now I
said my subject was "Will Christianity Work? Do you
believe Christianity will bring about the desired results
of a Christian world today? Do you believe Christianity
will bring about one world-wide church? Is it possible for
God to save men and women in like manner and melt their
hearts together into one great organism, the church of the
Bible? Is that possible? It is possible through genuine
Christianity, but it is impossible the way world is trying
to develop it. God will save one and will save another man
just alike. When he saves them, he puts them both into one
body, which is church, the body of Christ, and when we get
to the point where we speak of inter-faith gatherings, I
fear we are just a little bit beside ourselves when it
comes to the Bible teaching. The prefix inter means among
and so indicates more than one. So when we say inter-faith
movements we mean movements of different faiths. How often
we have heard someone say, "You're not of my faith
and order." Dear ones, there's only one faith. I want
to turn to Paul's writings in Eph. 4:4-5, "'There is
one and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of
calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism." When an
individual comes to God to be saved, he gets salvation
through and by one faith and faith is just believing God
and trusting God. When one man comes to God to be saved,
he gets saved by believing, obeying, and trusting God. It
is by faith. Then another comes to God saved. He has to be
saved by the same kind of and same kind of trusting the
first man got saved by. Beloved, there is no such thing as
different brands of faith. Paul said there is only one
faith. Then it is impossible to have interfaith gatherings
in the light God's Bible. That's the reason I won't take
part in any of their services; that's the reason I am
preaching to you as I am today, that God will open our
eyes to the dangers that stand out before us in the
developing of a world-wide church which will rob men and
women of their privilege to serve God according to the
teachings of his word. Not only is there one faith, but
there's one body, as Paul said in Eph- 4:4, "'There
is one body and one Spirit...Ó How many bodies did Paul
say there were? One body, and one Spirit, even as you are
called in one hope of your calling. I believe if Paul were
here today, heÕd preach the same message he ,wrote in the
fourth chapter of Ephesians. He would tell men and women
there's only one body, one faith, one way and one Spirit,
even as youÕre called into one hope of your calling. Then
he said in I Cor. 12:13, "For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all
made to drink into one Spirit." Not into six bodies,
not into two hundred and fifty-six, not into two, but
we're baptized into one body by the one Spirit of God and
by one faith. Beloved, when God opens our eyes to the
teachings of his word and reveals his glorious church,
thereÕs no place for anything else. How I praise him this
afternoon for the glorious light of the gospel that shone
on my pathway and revealed the glorious bride of Christ.
Hallelujah to God for the truth of his blessed word. They
can form all the organizations they want to, but say, the
glorious body of Christ is separate from it all, no part
of any of it. Now what is that one body? We read in Eph.
1:22-23 what that one body is. Paul was telling there in
those few closing verses to the Ephesians of the exalted
position of Jesus Chris—exalted above every name in
heaven and earth. Then he closed out the chapter by saying
God "hath put all things under his feet, and gave him
to be the head over all things to the church, which is his
body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."
Praise God for that wonderful truth, the truth this is his
wonderful body. Their Paul, said in Romans 12:4-5,
"For as we have many members in one body, and all
members have not the same office: so we, being many, are
one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.Ó
Do you know, beloved, the plain simple teachings God's
word have confounded the wise and prudent of this world?
They're clear beyond the simplicity of Jesus Christ and
have missed it all. But God said he would reveal it to
babes. Now if you want God to reveal it unto you, youÕll
have to humble yourself as a child. you must let go of
everything youÕve had injected into mind since you came
into the world, , get rid of all the prejudice get rid of
everything else, and God will reveal to you the most
beautiful thing that ever existed. HeÕll open up your
understanding; he'll open up your heart; he wlil open up
your eyes, and you will see the most beautiful bride you
ever beheld in your life. Thank God for the revelation of
truth! Friends, it only comes through God, the Word of
God, regardless of how much mental ability we have, or how
much we may develop that mentality. The Bible is a closed
book to the man who has not experienced the divine touch
and been born by the Spirit. The natural man receiveth not
the things of God because they are spiritually written and
spiritually discerned. The reason men and women fight the
teachings of GodÕs word concerning the one true church of
the living God is because they are blinded spiritually and
have never been in touch with God; they've never been born
again, their spiritual eyes are sealed; the veil has never
been taken away; and they can't understand the word of
God. But, friends, when the glorious hand of God reaches
down and touches the heart and quickens the spirit and
gives a new heart, you can understand then what the church
is, but not until God comes in, not until God comes in,
not until God performs the work of the Spirit in your
heart. Beloved, may God open your eyes to the dangers
before us in the forming of this organization called the
ecumenical church that is designed to rob us of religious
freedom and religious worship. Yes, those things are
coming, dear friend; they're coming, but I thank God that
Christianity will work. Christianity will bring about one
church; bring about one body, and the only way we'll
obtain unity is to get our hearts in tune with God. God is
unity; he is the very sum and substance of unity. You
can't divide God. God is composed of the triune God, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. There was never a
division or a split between them. There never will be.
When men are born of the same Spirit and are placed in the
same body by the same Spirit of God, nothing can result
but the glorious body of Christ.
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