OPPOSING THE FALLING OF THE CHURCH
APOSTASY – AN ABONDONING OF WHAT ONE HAS BELIEVED IN.

APOSTASY OCCURRED DURING THE FIRST CENTURY

THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS

KJV Revelation 2:1-7
 1.  Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
 2.  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
 3.  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
 4.  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
 5.  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
 6.  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
 7.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

THE CHURCH AT SARDIS

KJV Revelation 3:1-6
 1.  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
 2.  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
 3.  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
 4.  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
 5.  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
 6.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

THE CHURCH AT LAODICIA

KJV Revelation 3:14-21
14.  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
 15.  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
 16.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
 17.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
 18.  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
 19.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
 20.  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

WE ARE WARNED OF THIS AND TOLD TO BE WATCHFUL
KJV 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
13.  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
 14.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
 15.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

KJV 2 Timothy 4:1-5
1.  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;
 2.  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
 3.  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;
 4.  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
 5.  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
 

SOME CURRENT THREATS OF APOSTASY – IT IS OCCURING NOW

(1.) DENOMINATIONAL BAPTISM

There are those that believe that as long as one enters into the water and is immersed then that person has put on Christ and his blood saves them.  I want to point out some brief facts on this line.
 

TO BE BAPTIZED YOU MUST BE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST 
KJV Romans 6:3-5
 3.  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
 4.  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
 5.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

CHRIST HAS ONE CHURCH
KJV Ephesians 4:4
4.  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

KJV Ephesians 1:22-23
 22.  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
 23.  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

ONE MUST HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST, HIS CURCH, AND NOT ANY OTHER MAN’S CHURCH.
THIS COULD BE THE ONLY ARGUMENT AND IT SHOULD BE ENOUGH

HOWEVER, BEFORE BAPTISM ONE MUST REPENT.

DENEMONATIONALSIM IS SIN
KJV 1 Corinthians 1:10-13
 10.  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
 11.  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
 12.  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

(2) DENOMINATIONAL FELLOWSHIP
THE VERY FACT THAT DENOMINATIONALISM IS SIN ALSO CONTACTS THE DENOMINATIONAL FELLOWSHIP THAT IS OCCURING.

THIS SHOULD BE CALLED THE “NUMBERS GAME”

KJV Romans 16:17-18
17.  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
 18.  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

KJV 1 Thessalonians 5:22
22. Abstain from all appearance of evil.

(3) THE TIRED OF FIGHTING CROWD!!!

There are those that think that the problem is not there’s to deal with.  The problem is not their problem.  Yet if a health problem arises in a part of the body such as the leg are we to not worry?  We are to remember that we are all part of a body, Christ body and we need to keep viruses out.

KJV 2 Timothy 2:3-4
 3.  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
 4.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

KJV 2 Timothy 4:7-8
 7.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
 8.  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

WE ARE IN A SPIRITUAL WARFARE, DO NOT TURN FROM GOD AND RUN IN THE HEAT OF THE BATTLE.

DO YOU WAN TO JOIN THE LORD’S ARMY?  HE IS LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD SOLDIERS.  THERE IS NO TEST – JUST UNMOVEABLE FAITH REQUIRED!!! 
JOIN THE CHURCH TODAY!!!!
YOU HAVE HEARD (ROM 10:17). BELIEVE (MARK 16:15-16), CONFESS (ROM 10:9-10), AND BE BAPTIZED FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS (ACTS 2:38)
 

Copyright 1999 by Brian Yeager may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others.