 Now, tonight on Prophecy Files, I want to share with you probably one of the most important questions and repeated questions that I get as a pastor. Pastor, help me find the right church. Time to time, I have people moving out of the area into different locations, and they'll ask me, is there a church in that area that you would recommend? I'll tell you, that's really a challenge in the time that we're in. And I want to talk to you a little bit about it tonight. Because in these last days, the Bible says that there would be the increase of those who would not adhere to sound doctrine. But in fact, they would embrace fables and what would be teachers having itching ears. In fact, let's go to 2 Timothy, chapter 4, verse 1, where Paul is writing to his successor, Timothy, and he says, I believe, my friends, that the church is facing a crisis of morals in the society, and at this point, in many cases, even churches have no stomach for the spiritual or the moral absolutes that are preached and taught as doctrine from the Word of God. In fact, if a pastor or a spiritual leader these days decides to take a stand and preach the Gospel, he's written off, or she has written off as irrelevant or even intolerant, and it doesn't fit into the politically correct mindset of today. Even actually in some cases, look down upon by other churches and other spiritual leaders. Public reaction to biblical truth is often so adverse that many pastors are hesitant to take a strong position on the issues of the day of morality and others, even when the Bible teaches it as clear, pure Gospel. Some don't want to answer difficult moral questions or even encourage their congregations to vote the Bible. Instead, they'll detour or even deflect the questions and change the subject to avoid the conflict or even fear of rejection. And I can tell you the same thing was happening in the early church. There was a group of spiritual leaders in the time of the early church who intentionally watered down the message of the Gospel so it wouldn't be offensive. In the early church, these false leaders wanted to be inclusive and wanted others' beliefs and their thoughts to be incorporated into the message of the Gospel and therefore resulting in a deluded message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This infection into the church affected its ability to bring a clear Gospel message that Jesus took time actually to speak to John on the Isle of Patmos in the Book of Revelation and made it very clear. In fact, the reference is found in Revelation 2 verse 12 through 17, and this is what it says. To the angel of the church at Pergamus' rite, these things saith he which is the sharp sword with two edges. I know thy works. This is Jesus speaking to John. And where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seed is, and thou holdest fast my name and has not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, which was a mixture of the Gospel, who taught Balaik to cast a stumbling box before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. Verse 15 says, so hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicoladians, which I hate. He says in verse 16, repent, or else I will come into thee quickly and I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Imagine the Lord fighting against members of a church. Verse 17 says, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that over cometh, well I give to them to eat of the hidden manna. And I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saith he that receiveth it. Now the key to this verse and to this exhortation to this church at Pergamus is, repent. God says, or else I will come to thee quickly and fight against thee. Now the word fight in this verse literally means a full scale battle fought against that group of people inside of that church that are trying to mix the Gospel until victory is achieved. It means that Jesus will not allow his church to be taken over by false doctrine and corruption. In fact, this is a warning to all churches of all ages. There are certainly those pastors and spiritual leaders, preachers, evangelists, all in the five-fold ministry. There are many of them that are preaching and staying true to the Gospel, true to the doctrine of the Word of God, many more than are false. But it seems that many times false doctors have a platform. And then there are those that are not giving in to the political correctness of the day. Their message are strictly from the Word of God and are pure in their content and doctrine. However, there are those who are intentionally watering down the Gospel of the message of Jesus Christ in him crucified in the time that we're in. They're doing that in order to fit into the culture and into this current society. Sound doctrine is replaced with a feel-good Gospel message where the majority of people in congregations week after week eat it up because they don't know the basic Bible doctrines and they are absent and ignorant of the fundamentals of the faith. Some leaders are being deceived into the trendy fads of today, trying to find the direction of which they should go and they find themselves teaching false doctrine. And then there are those that intentionally drift in that direction. Replacing that pure Gospel message many times with some motivational advice and empty words of man that have no power to affect the spirit of that individual. As a result, we are seeing churches right now by the thousands that are void and empty of the power of the Holy Spirit moving in those churches and it's leaving people disillusion to the degree that they're walking out saying there's no different than this message of that of a football coach or a motivational speaker and mostly the demonstration of the Holy Spirit in those churches that would back up the Word of God in pure doctrine. The Bible says these signs shall follow them that believe. These signs will follow the Word of God preached in its purest form. You don't have to make it up. You don't have to pump it up. All you need to do is stay true to the Word of God and the pure doctrine of God's Word preaching the cross, lifting up Jesus and the Holy Spirit will come with demonstration following. Otherwise, it becomes void and empty, lifeless, no power to change the lives of so many who need a change from their old lifestyle into a lifestyle that follows after Jesus Christ and a pure heartedness and a purity of the Gospel. The Bible is the only authoritative Word of God that has the power through the Holy Spirit to permanently transform the life of an individual. So the real question that I started out this teaching with is this, how can I find that kind of a church? Well, let me tell you in the time we're living I believe we're seeing the experience of the exposure of three different levels of churches as identified in the Book of Revelation. One is that those pure, righteous churches that are staying true to the doctrine of the Word of God, holding fast to the truth, and they're facing the brunt of the opposition because they refuse to bend to the trends of the day. That's one church. Then there is that church that is trying to ride the fence, that they're in the middle. They're trying to accommodate something that is different than the Word of God in order to be politically correct and to avoid persecution and societal rejection. That's what you find in Revelation 2 at the Church of Pergamos. And then a further drifting away and a falling away I should say of churches today that's exposed is that church of Laodicea. That's the last church, those seven churches in the Book of Revelation where they completely compromise the message still calling themselves a church belonging to Jesus but they're completely void of the power of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and according to the Scripture they leave Jesus standing on the outside of the door. I want to tell you it's not too late to find the right church, a church that's full of the Spirit, full of the demonstration of the power of God and staying true to the doctrine of God's Word. In fact, it is never too late as long as there is a believer who is willing to submit to what the Spirit is saying to the church today. So how do I find a good church, a righteous church, a Bible believing church in the time we're in in these last days? Well, here's a few things that I can give you to help you. First, make sure it is a Bible believing church. Go on their website, check out the information, find out what they're teaching. So many times people will just go to a church because the outside looks good or it has some kind of charismatic leader. What are they teaching? Is it true to the Word of God? You'll have to study the Word of God and look at their foundations of faith. Find out is it truly from the Bible or another book? Secondly, make sure that it preaches the moral standards of God's Word with grace for everyone. I can tell you that God is certainly a God of grace, but he's a God of justice and judgment as well. There's the balance that's found in the Word of God. Are they preaching the moral standard or have they lowered that to the degree where anything is acceptable? We're finding that replete inside of many churches today. I want you to know God's standard in the Word of God could never be written by just mere men. It had to be inspired of the Holy Spirit because it is a standard that is far above what any man would be able to write down and adhere to. Certainly man would lower the standard to such a degree that any lifestyle would be welcome, but what is found in the Word of God is the standard that we will be measured by on the day of judgment. Third, here's another way to find the right kind of church. That's to make sure you check the fundamental beliefs of that church, not just what they're believing in the Word of God, but what other things are they including in that? Are they mixing it like the church of Pergamus to lower the standard with some other kind of doctrine, some other kind of belief? Check it out. Many times churches are putting what they believe on their websites or in their apps, and you can find that out very clearly. Measure it to the Word of God, not to the Word of man, but to the Word of God. Fourth, does that church believe in the moving and the operation of the Holy Spirit? Are they a church that embraces the gifts of the Holy Spirit? These are questions you need to ask if you want to find the right church to worship in. Fifth, does that church preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified and resurrected and coming again? Is that part of their regular ministry that comes from behind that pulpit? I can tell you if the cross is not mentioned, the blood that is the availing atonement for all man's sin, the cross of Jesus Christ being lifted up to that congregation, pointing everyone to Jesus Christ. My friend, that's what you need to be looking for. Do they preach the resurrection? Do they preach that Jesus could come again at any moment? This is critical. I want to encourage you to investigate what people believe before finding a church. Knowing your Bible is critical. Not compromising for a feel-good gospel in this hour is critical. Let the Word of God be a challenge to your heart. When you go to a church, does that ministry challenge your spirit? Don't worry about whether or not it touches your flesh or your emotions. Does it challenge your spirit? My friends, you can go to any concert in any location where your emotions are stirred up and I can assure you that your emotions will be involved in worship. But is your spirit man being changed? Are you being drawn closer to God or is it closer to man, closer to this world? Is there a conviction of sin inside of that church, of righteousness and of judgment? These are the three things that the Bible says in John 16 is the operation of the Holy Spirit wherever people are gathered together. The Holy Spirit will always point towards Jesus Christ in righteousness, judgment and conviction of sin and the coming judgment the Bible says. God, I believe, wants to send a revival among us today my friends and one of the reasons why that he wants to do that is because certainly the harvest is ripe in the time that we're in and I can assure you he is going to use the church, the called out, the ecclesia to be the element, the organism that he pours through for that revival to come. It will not come through the city governments or through some other entity, it will come through the church. That's why it's so important that you're in the kind of church that preaches the whole Gospel that believes the whole Bible and stays true to that regardless of the trends and fads that are around us. Not every church in these last days will experience the move of God. So you make sure you're in the right place where God can move by the power of His Spirit. I can assure you if you'll do that you'll experience the presence of God even in this evil day like Enoch did of old. Like the saints of God did in the middle of persecution during the time when those early church fathers were martyred for the faith they stayed true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now I can assure you they're making up that great cloud of witnesses right now. After everything they've walked through surely you and I can stay true to the Gospel in these last days and be faithful to follow the faith of those that have gone before us. I'll leave you tonight with this passage of Scripture that reminds us to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Thank you for joining us for Prophecy Files. I encourage you to stay tuned to Prophecy Files in the future so you can stay updated and ready when Jesus comes again. Till the next time we get together remember Jesus Christ is coming soon.