Enemies of the Cross of Christ
"For many walk, of who I have often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross," Philippians 3:18.
Have you ever told anyone that they are an enemy of the cross. I have on a few occasions in the last 30 years. These enemies are not the unsaved or the followers of the world’s many non-Christian sects. The true enemies who pervert the Gospel of Christ are among us. (Galatians 1:7) However, Paul, the Apostle of this dispensation, the church age, said, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8)
This long journey we have been on for several decades has produced a multitude of confrontations with many, many saved men and women who, when confronted with this gospel which Paul preached, turned away to being man-pleasers (Galatians 1:10) and not the servant of Christ. It is amazing to me how these enemies of the cross still carry on as if all things are alright between them and the Lord. It seems as if they believe that Jesus is a compromiser as they are. They love to do what is right in their own eyes. They oppose every prophet, teacher, or man of true discernment, that has walked the earth and they have turned to fables.
What would happen if we preached Galatians 5:19 and told these Christians that they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?
Many enemies of the cross are those who have reverted back to the previous dispensation and follow the laws of Moses, worshipping in temples with their separated clergy-laity division, doing ‘works’ for salvation and trying to work to become acceptable in God’s sight. Why are these people enemies of the cross? Because that ‘work’ was accomplished by Jesus the Christ at the cross, and those old dispensations are over forever. Try staying in these old ideas and you will be denying what the cross is all about.
Most Christians do not have enough maturity to even know or understand how the Lord sees their position on this subject. Why is there no power in the church today? Where are the ones who stand on the finished work of the cross? Where are those who are the true witnesses of the family, the body, the called out ones, the overcomers? Where are the groups of saints who are not leavened? (A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump - Galatians 5:9) They are not the ones who sit for more instruction on a pew each Sunday, pay their tithes, and join the sect. (Galatians 5:20)
This last week a man from the past called me and told me of a vision he had received from the Lord. In that vision there were twelve men, of which I was one, who were going to join up again for this major end-time event. It would be a great anointing , a great power, a great movement for God’s glory. He was even shown the place, the high place on a hill where this was all going to happen. I listened with great astonishment until this story was finished. I said to him, "How will the Lord take these other men, most who have denied the faith, rejected the truth which is in Jesus and His cross for 30 years, have compromised on all levels of the gospel, have been man-pleasers even to this day, have operated in the previous dispensations and are enemies of the cross? How are they going to all of a sudden become called, chosen, and set apart for a work that they have fought against for decades? I would love to see this miracle. I am for this vision to come true - it is my great desire to see this among the nations. However, all these men must go back to where they left the Highway of Holiness, go back to where they left this gospel behind, to where many men of discernment gave them correction and they rejected it for the love of men."
True repentance, and fruits of that repentance, must come first, before pressing on to the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus, before this will ever happen. All that they will have is just a dream and all they are is dreamers (Jude 1:8).
Do not be deceived, the line that will be formed in front of the sign which reads "Enemies of the Cross" will be a multitude of people who call themselves the sheep of His pasture. Jesus said, "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that send me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death into life." (John 5:24)
Oh how wonderful a gift from God is His Son. Oh how we need to embrace Him and His completed work. He said, "It is finished", and I have received that finished work. We need not live in anything but the gift that the cross has given to those who believe.
Jim D. August 2003
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