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The Rise of the Remnant Church, Part 3

By Lyn Leahz on September 28, 2012 • ( 2 )

The Responsibility of the Remnant Church

http://raftercrossministry.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-rise-of-remanat-church-part-3.html

The Remnant Church as the Body of Jesus Christ has a responsibility to Him in these last days. Following the leading of His Holy Spirit, the Remnant Church yet has a responsibility not only to fulfill the great commission and the great commandment, but to act as defenders of the faith and watchmen on the wall. The Remnant Church is called to a deeper intimacy with Christ, to hunger after God’s Word and to reveal His Prophetic teaching. The Remnant Church will understand the sufficiency of Christ, the interdependency of believers, and the need to stand fast as family to protect the Body. The Remnant Church will be a persecuted church, but enduring persecution we will understand the joy of being found worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ.

In these last days the Remnant Church, in subjection to the Word of God, will grow in the power of the Holy Spirit so as to be salt and light until that day when our Savior is told by His Father to step out on the clouds of glory and call us to himself. The Remnant Church will follow that lonely narrow way holding fast to the faith in which we have been called seeking only to glorify God and fulfill his purpose.

Within the New Testament Scriptures I find at least six Responsibilities of the Remnant Church.

The first responsibility of the Remnant Church is its calling to understand Worship, and to Worship God in spirit and in truth.

In John 4:23&24, Jesus, speaking to the woman at the well, says that an hour is coming and in fact has come when worship must take place in spirit and in truth. He is saying that worship does not take place in a physical building or geographic location, but in the hearts of the redeemed. That means that true worship doesn’t occur in church meetings. Instead, it is a continual act of the believer throughout life.

True Worship means that we are constantly aware of Christ in our lives, and are in a state of constant thankfulness in all that He has done and is doing for us. He loves us, paid our sin debt, is our hope, calls us to service, sustains us, teaches us, protects us, provides for us, has made us members of His body, and will one day return for us to give us an eternal home with Him in the presence of our Heavenly Father. This is True Worship, to have these things continually at the forefront of our minds, the point should be clear, true worship touches everything in our lives. This is the worship God desires from us. In these last days those who are worshiping God in this way will see miraculous things happen as God works through them because of their continual state of worship.

The second responsibility of the Remnant Church is to study and discern the word of God.

In 2 Timothy 2:15 the Apostle Paul encourages Timothy, and by extension all believers, to study the Word of God. We are to study, not just for study’s sake, but so that we can rightly divide the Word of Truth. This means we must study with a discerning spirit, asking the Holy Spirit of Christ to reveal the mind of Christ to us through the written Word of God. Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would reveal prophecy in the Word to us in John 16:12-14 “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you”.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 that through the work of the Holy Spirit we will be able to understand the deep things of God as the Spirit reveals them to us. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ”.

In this passage we also are told that the “natural” man, that is the unregenerate man, will not be able to understand Gods Word. We see this clearly today in the modern or mainstream churches that have turned away from Prophetic Scripture. They just do not have the capacity to understand it. In fact, Paul says it is foolishness to them.

Looking back to 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We are not ashamed because we have the ability and capacity to understand the revealed Word of God because of our relationship with the risen Christ and His Holy Spirit. The Spirit of truth is the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ who is opening the eyes of prophetic understanding in these last days.

This is the call to the Remnant Church, to rightly divide the word of truth, and to “speak thou the things which become sound doctrine” Titus 2:1.

This brings us to the third responsibility of the Remnant Church in these last days. To speak, preach, and teach sound doctrine.

In Matthew 28: 19&20 Jesus gave instruction to his disciples regarding their primary mission. We know this passage as the “Great Commission”. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen”. This then is the mission of the church of Jesus Christ, to tell the world about Jesus Christ.

In these last days the message and mission has been corrupted and co-opted to the point that most “churches” have no idea what the true Gospel is. They speak, preach and teach; however their message has absolutely no resemblance to the message taught by the Apostles and the early church.

The Remnant Church must heed the instruction of the Holy Spirit as given to the Apostle Paul. In 2 Timothy 4:1&2 Paul instructs Timothy “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” And, once again in Titus 2:1 Paul encourages Titus “but, speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.” Speak, Preach, and Teach doctrine, and not just any doctrine, but Sound Doctrine, the doctrine given to us in the written, revealed word of God.

John 14:6“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Romans 10:9“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” This is sound doctrine, Jesus plus NOTHING! There are not many paths to heaven, just the “Narrow Way.” The Remnant Church must be willing to study, understand, and teach every doctrinal truth found in God’s word and to guard against false doctrines.

The fourth responsibility of the Remnant Church as it teaches sound doctrine is to defend that teaching and stand for Christ in these last days.

In 2 Timothy 4:3&4 we find a warning of what will happen in the end times. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Yet back in verse 2 of this passage we are told to “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”

In 1 Corinthians 16:13 we are told “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” and in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”

In these last days when the world is full of false teachers, false doctrines, and false religion, the Remnant Church must become a lighthouse of truth in a world enshrouded by the darkness of spiritual deceit.

Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Ephesians 5:8 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” 1 Thessalonians 5:5 “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

Ephesians 6:12 & 13 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

For the Remnant Church to stand and defend the Gospel in these last days we must be diligently wearing the full armor of God found in Ephesians 6. There can be no compromise in this battle. Compromise, tolerance, and worldliness are the hallmarks of the apostate church. The hallmark of the Remnant Church must be to stand for and defend doctrinal truth as we look for the return of our Lord for His church.

And so the fifth responsibility of the Remnant Church is watchfulness. Jesus is coming soon; the signs of the times get clearer every day.

Understanding Christ’s teaching in Matthew 24 brings us to the conclusion that the end of this age must be near. Seeing the fulfillment of prophecy as God’s chosen people Israel are a re-established nation in their own land, allows us to look at this passage and know that the end of all things is at hand. The wars and unrest in the Middle East, the signs of worldwide economic collapse, the cataclysmic events in nature all point to the end of days.

Yet we do not know when Christ will return for his church. Matthew 24:42 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” With this truth before us, we must become watchmen in these last days. Luke tells us in Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” This is a call to understand the times, the coming tribulation, and to follow Christ now to avoid the things which will transpire after the rapture of the church.

This message is not a popular one in the world today. Those of us who hold a pre-tribulational, premillennial understanding of the Word are finding ourselves under continual attack from not only the world, but especially from within the “church.” There has arisen a new movement within the “church” that call themselves the “religious left.” They along with others reject the sovereignty of the covenant relationship God has with his chosen people, Israel. They follow a false theology which says that the church has replaced Israel, becoming “spiritual Israel.” This false doctrine permeates many denominational churches as well as Catholicism. They choose to ignore scripture, and denigrate those of us who hold to a literal translation and understanding of God’s word.

The result of the false doctrines being followed by most of the mainstream, modern, denominational, emergent, apostate churches and the false religions and cults is that the remnant of believers who I believe make up the Remnant Church are about to face unprecedented persecution worldwide.

And, this brings us to the sixth responsibility I see of the Remnant Church; to suffer persecution for the cause of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Lord promised us it would be so. John, Peter, and Paul also write of persecution to come for true believers. Yet Christ has promised also that He will preserve us and protect us.

I believe the responsibility of the Remnant Church is very clear. Our calling is to worship, study, teach, defend, watch, and even to suffer. I believe we will suffer persecution, but in the end we will wear a robe and crown, and we will reign with Christ for eternity.

We will look at this sixth responsibility as I see it, the Suffering and Persecution of the Remnant Church, in our next article.

My prayer is that we, the Remnant Church, will be found faithful until Christ’s return. Amen! Even So Come!

About The Author:

Dr. Tucker Whitaker: Grapevine, Texas, United States; Tuck Whitaker is a buckaroo preacher who has spent the majority of his adult life working in the ranching and agricultural community. He has been a Working Cowboy, a Roughstock Pro Rodeo Cowboy, a Ranch Manager, Tracker and High Mountain Ranger. He co-founded Cowboy Church Ministries to Pro Rodeo and has been involved in Ranch Rodeo ministry in Texas and the southwest for many years. Ordained in 1983, Tuck has an earned PhD in Ministry, two Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degrees, and a Masters degree in Theology. Today Tuck Pastors the Cowboy Heritage Church of Grapevine, continues the work of an Evangelist, and is an End Times Prophecy Speaker.