What does your church really believe?

By Helen Jesze, 9th October 2015

”… ​holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and​​keep far away from them…”

2 Timothy 3, 5 The Amplified Bible

S​everal years ago, while living as missionaries in the south of Germany, we often had some young people living with us. They came from England, Germany, USA and New Zealand and helped us in the office, house and in evangelistic outreaches. Others had been sent to us because they were in some need.

One young German lady — we will call her Maria —­­ was 30 years old, very tall and painfully thin; dark eyes looked out from hollows in a very white face, and she seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. Once we picked her up from her father’s house, where she had been visiting, and I noticed there was some unhealthy atmosphere between the two. Moreover, every time he wrote her a letter, Maria would have a migraine headache, be violently sick and have to stay in bed for two to three days. Her father was well­ respected and a speaker on Christian radio­ programs, a born ­again Christian, but very opposed to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Every morning we had a time of praise and worship, prayer and intercession, bringing needs to the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit to move amongst us. One day, Maria fell full length onto the carpet under the power of the Spirit. No­ one had touched her so we left God to do His work. I had known before this that Maria needed deliverance, but had not been sure how to approach her, but on this day, I knew the time had come.

Later, I said to her, ”Maria, after lunch, let’s go for a walk together, and if there’s anything you want to share with me, then just feel free to do so.” So after lunch, we went for a walk in the woods. As Maria was having difficulty sharing what was on her heart, I helped her.

“Maria, it’s something to do with your father, isn’t it?” She burst into tears and told me her heart breaking story.

When she was 11 years old, her father came into her room one night and raped her. He did this again at different times. She hated him but did not have the strength to resist him. But gradually this relationship turned into an ‘affair’, for she was now finding pleasure with him. At the same time, she knew what they were doing was wrong – they were committing incest. She was also a born ­again Christian and she was often overwhelmed with condemnation and shame, although her father was first to blame for falling into sin and bringing her down with him. She was just a child when it started.

This relationship went on for some years. They tried to keep it secret from Maria’s mother, but she eventually found out, and died soon after. The doctors could not find any medical reasons for her death and said she had died of a broken heart. Here was more shame for Maria, for despite all the wrong ­doing, she had loved her mother and now she felt she had murdered her. When she turned eighteen years old, Maria would not allow her father to touch her any more, and moved out of the family home.

But although she was now physically away from her father, she had ​mentally ​and ​spiritually taken him with her. This soon took its toll on her body; she could hardly sleep or eat and grew thinner every day. She went to different preachers for counselling but gained little help; there seemed to be no way out of her torment. This was her condition when she came to us. But the presence of the Holy Spirit had begun to deal with all this mess and brokenness. He began to heal Maria even before she was aware of it.

From that day she began to get better. Soon she was eating more and held her head just that little bit higher. There was the light of hope in her eyes, condemnation was losing its hold on her. She began to smile more and joined in the praise and worship – Jesus, the Friend of sinners and the Healer of broken hearts was at work. Maria stayed several months with us and we saw wonderful changes in her, but after she left we did not know where she had gone and lost all contact.

Some time later we were at a large meeting in Germany and met someone who knew Maria. This lady told us that Maria was very ill and was not expected to live. We were shocked to hear this and asked what had happened.

“She started to go to the ____ church,” the lady told us. “They told her that all she had heard and experienced at your house was not of God, but of the devil. She believed them and she has became worse than she ever was before! Now the doctors say, there is no hope for her!”

We were extremely sad to hear this. It is true that as Christians, we need to watch what people are teaching and preaching to us, but the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, whether what they are saying is in accordance with the Bible, and the fruit of their lives and their prayers should be our answer. Jesus said in Matthew 7, 15 – 18:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. “

If we had been ‘false prophets’, as these other Christians had told Maria, then how could the love and power of Jesus been healing her in our home? The ‘fruits’ spoke for themselves, but their hearts were too hard and they were too blind to see this.

I am mentioning this today because there are many churches and Christian denominations, and we praise God for every one that is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At the same time, it is important to look at what the church or denomination believes, to which we belong. If they do not believe in the power of God, deny and fight against the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit, if they do not believe that Jesus can still heal sick bodies and minds today, then they are believing only ​part ​of the Bible, even though they may love Jesus and be wonderful people.

Some Christians believe that Jesus is only our Saviour from sin, trusting in His sacrificial death on Calvary. That is a good start and the only basis for our Christian life, as we accept Him to be our ​personal ​Saviour. They may have heard about other benefits which God has offered us in His Word, but they do not see or want that in their lives at the moment, yet are tolerant to those who do believe more than just salvation from sin.

But there are others, influenced by religious spirits, who fight these other truths with all the strength they have. These were the type of Christians with whom Maria had come in contact. All this young woman had experienced was despised and ridiculed. Instead of holding on to what God had done for her and believing His Word, she opened her heart to this deception and sorrow.

My husband was preaching in a meeting and a lady came for prayer. She said she had suffered from depression for many years, and the pastor and the elders at her church said this was her ‘cross’ and she must bear it. She then went on, ”But tonight you have said that Jesus wants to deliver us, that He bore my depression on Calvary and it is not a cross I have to bear!” That night, after prayer, this lady was indeed ​set free​!

The people at her church did not believe that God had done this, and she and her husband left to join a church which ​really believed the Bible​. There are occasions where God leads us to stay in a church or denomination where we see there are definitely things which are not scriptural or where people do not accept certain parts of the Bible, so that we may be a light and point others to the Truth. But then in addition to our normal church life, we need to have fellowship and attend services where the ​whole of the Word is preached, and hold fast to what we know and have experienced.

We should not choose a church only because it is fashionable, or close at hand, or our friends go there, but it should be ​where God leads us to be planted​. A church is not a ​club​, but a living spiritual organism. ​The day may come when you and I are in great need and if we have continued to go to a church where we cannot receive prayer and help, we will be the losers, it may even mean our ​death. The Denominational Handbook from our church is not our Bible! If it says something different than what God’s Word says, we should seek His Will whether we should still belong there. Don’t let us just believe everything we are told, but study God’s Word for ourselves and find the treasure and truths He has promised in it for us!

Jesus said in Rev. 3, 11: “…I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your victor’s crown!”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Body on this earth ­­ the Church of the living God, made up of millions of your blood­-washed children! Teach me to learn, to understand, to discern your eternal truths and not to cast them away. Open my spiritual eyes to your plan and purposes, by your Holy Spirit. Set me free by the power of your Word and help me to stand in that liberty.
Thank you, Father, in the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.