It is no secret that I don’t attend church. Is that something worth bragging about? Certainly not. It is a wonderful thing when “two or three are gathered in His name” (Matthew 18:20).

So why don’t I gather with by brothers and sisters then? Good question. What we call church today is not what the disciples of Christ and the early churches considered “assembling together.” They gathered with far more than rote tradition and social validation as their motivating forces. They gathered with the Spirit. Yet when I come bearing the words of the Spirit to them, they call me strange. Several local church goers have cited the following verse to me as evidence of my apostasy:

“Do not forsake the assembling together of the saints.”

OK, if you are going to cite a Bible verse to another as an admonition, why don’t you first read it in understanding and in context rather than just regurgitating it haphazardly from a place of complete bias?

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:19–31

Even though the word “saint” is not in this verse, as my brothers sometimes cite, let’s look at it, because it is relevant. What is a saint? It is a holy person. Ask yourself, do the people you assemble with for religious reasons maintain real holiness in their lives? Do they meet the standard set above? If the answer if no, perhaps you should pray about your involvement with them.

• Do they participate in Christianized pagan holidays?
• Do they believe, maintain and defend false doctrines?
• Have they adopted and defended traditions and practices that are worldly, unclean or unholy, like New Age or the occult?
• Do they blaspheme the Spirit in unrepentant sin?
• Do they look to the world for answers, comfort and ease rather than God, refusing to hear His voice?

These are some of the reasons I avoid yoking myself unequally with so-called “believers.” Honestly, I find it tempting to cave sometimes because I do have a strong desire to be with others of a similar mind. It’s not that I believe different doctrines than them. I do have major doctrinal differences with most Christians, however this isn’t really the heart of the reason why I don’t go to church with them. It’s something deeper. It is a matter of whether they are seeking the Spirit of truth.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you into eternity—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:15–21

If you love Christ, He will send you the Spirit of truth. Well, if you love the wrong Christ what spirit are you receiving then? The spirit of the world, which opposes the true Christ. The world has found for itself a different Christ. In fact, there are many, each one to the liking of those who claim a name but not the character of the true Christ. It is evident in your works when you run with the world in floods of dissipation, justifying your actions with a man-made idol that is a faded facsimile of the real. I’ll give you an example. Go to just about any church an I bet in majority of them you will see an American flag next to a Christian flag. That’s idolatry. An American flag has no place in a church, especially if you understand that this is, in fact, NOT a Christian nation.

In the 15 years I’ve been devoted to Christ I’ve not found one church that seems to consistently carry the same Spirit as me. Maybe I am a heretic, or maybe, just maybe billions of people are wrong. After all, Christ did say:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14

That doesn’t sound like billions of people now does it? In my lifetime and dozens of churches I’ve attended I can honestly say from experience that I don’t believe majority of Christians actually believe what is written in the Bible.

If you believed the Bible you would not give God credit for divorcing your wife and marrying another saying, “God gave me a good one this time” when Christ Himself said, “Let man not separate what God has joined together” and “the two shall become one flesh,” speaking of marriage.

If you believed the Bible you would not accept pagan practices disguised as Christianity. If you do these things you are not contending for the faith. You are compromising it and encouraging others to do the same. This I simply cannot bear to witness. Going to church and attending Christian events feels like a walking facepalm because of the sheer ignorance constantly encountered. Lord knows I’ve tried to “bear with one another” (Colossians 3:13) as we are admonished by Paul. At what point is one wasting their time? At what point do you ask God if it is truly your place to be with these people, and in what capacity?

On several occasions I have likened myself to a watchman on the wall to my local brethren (if I can even call them that–and I do have my doubts). As a night watchman, I don’t go about their “busy work in the day,” even though I do work a day job with them. I mean to say, spiritually, I am watching over them as they sleep. I stand at the wall around the city looking for the enemy’s approach and sound the trumpet when I see them coming, or when I find that they have infiltrated the city walls. Even though I don’t attend their services I am still their kin. I still care and desire to keep them safe from the evil one, but they don’t want to listen because I’m different from them. This tells me I’m not really welcome, even though I am invited in. And you know, it’s not that I care about them welcoming me. I care about them welcoming God. I see that happening very little. People just don’t believe they can have a personal relationship with Him. Well, I don’t believe it either. I KNOW it.

So what does it mean to bear with one another? Paul gives instructions to the church of Colossians:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:1–17

Here is yet another instance where cherry picking is a problem with the interpretation of Scripture. The context speaks wonderful things about what the ideal assembly should look like, but also things many Christians don’t want to accept. For example, admonishing means to exhort, or warn and council one another regarding their behavior. That’s exactly what all these verses are doing, warning against poor behavior and pointing towards good behavior. I have been admonished thusly — that because I admonish, sometimes very bluntly, I am unloving and therefore break this Scripture. Does that make any sense? The examples set forth by Christ and His disciples do not show people walking around in a hippy daze saying “peace and joy!” No, the Gospel was and is confrontational. It pushes you to choose Christ over everything your earthly senses are screaming at you. Even Christ Himself got frustrated and impatient with His disciples. He rebuked Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane. He insulted some of His disciples when they couldn’t exercise a boy with a foul spirit.

“O unbelieving generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you?” Mark 9:19

Was that nice thing to say? Did He not have the Spirit when He said that? He wasn’t the only one who spoke like that on occasion, either. Paul was very bold at times.

I bore with these people for years while watching them walk the opposite way as me, straight down the path I was walking away from. At this point they are so far down that path that I have long since greeted them and kept walking the other way. They had become nationalists, zionists, New Age practitioners and began being immoral, among other detriments to their faith. Many consider themselves conservatives yet they are starting to think like liberals (I don’t play party politics by the way). The sins of God’s people are piling up just like they did with Israel. One compromise led to another and no one listened to my trumpet when I sounded just like no one listened to Jeremiah when he warned the Jews. How he lamented!

“How lonely sits the city that was full of people. How like a widow is she who was great among the nations, princess among the provinces, has become a slave. She weeps bitterly in the night. Her tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers she has none to comfort her.”

How can I possibly be happy with that? How can I possibly have peace when this nation and this American church has become like Babylon? No, I do not believe Trump has turned that around just because he pays lip service to God. If you can’t see that he is just another politician involved in organized crime you really should take your blinders off. he is not making America Christian again. He is rug-pulling markets to make billions. He was friends with Jeffrey Epstein. He has an unhealthy obsession with his own daughter. He’s a disgusting man. If you think that’s worthy of admiration and support, I can’t bring myself to take you too seriously. This nation is not getting back on track just because one politician spoke out against transgenderism. Is that really enough? This “Christian nation” is way down a hole. It will need a lot more than that to set things right. There are many watchman out there guarding this nation and sounding their trumpets. By and large, none of them have been heeded.

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:1–5

I have stayed awake in vain. I have labored in vain for them. Their quivers are full but they are speaking with the enemy at the gate, inviting them in. I have been praying, asking God, “Should I abandon my post? Should I kick the dust from my heels?” So far, He has kept me here, but I don’t know for how much longer. In fact, I’m beginning to see the writing on the wall for this community in which I live.

In late April construction was started on the railroad near my house. I live on Railroad St. The city put up detour signs, but they put them in the wrong places, pointing people toward the construction rather than away from it. Every day I drive to work in the morning I see a sign pointing me in the opposite direction of my job. Every time I drive into town for lunch, on my way back to work I see a sign directing me towards my house on Railroad St. I’ve been praying for a long time about whether I should quit my job and commit myself to ministry. I have been working on this website and coding my own writing app for about a month now. So are the signs I’ve been seeing literal signs from God? Well, the sign pointing me away from work is pointing directly at the local hardware store which I recently wrote a blog about called Aleph-Tav is New Age. If you have any doubts perhaps this will make it clear. [UPDATE: The sign pointing home was removed, but oddly enough, weeks after the construction was completed the sign pointing towards Kountry is still there]

After all the years I spent here spinning my wheels in Montezuma, trying to find a place to fit in, knowing all along that I don’t, I have to come to terms with the truth. I have to keep going down the path God sent me on, even if everyone around me is walking the opposite direction. At some point people are given over to their ways. They will have to learn the hard way. God will allow you to make destructive decisions for yourself. It’s part of learning, and unfortunately, many are going to be left in the dark for an age because of their disobedience and obstinance. I can only hope I am not one of them. Christians seem to think that a confession of Christ is a free ticket to Heaven. They are missing so much. Many will be left outside the door of His wedding feast. Many are not oiling their lamps.

I have warned against the adoption of the world into the church. I point away from practices and traditions that distract from the original doctrines taught by the apostles. I have read the whole of Scripture and can’t ignore the errors, the cherry picking and poor lifestyle choices. Do I not love my brother when I spend my time trying to help him? Do you really think I am seeking my own glory by calling you out on your sin? Since when has that won anyone any awards from other people? In most cases, people reject correction, not only from others, but from God Himself, because they refuse to hear His voice. They choose their own families, careers, communities and desires over God.

You cannot put community and family on par with God. It’s not Scriptural and it’s not spiritual. Scripture tells us to first love God then love your neighbor as yourself. The latter is like loving God, but it is not equal to it. Your participation in community should be driven by your love for God, and your love for God should drive you to tell your brothers when they are walking off a cliff, instead of “bearing with them” for the sake of peace and safety. There is a point where your bearing with another becomes complacency, complicity and an outright copout. That is the state I find the churches in Montezuma, GA these days. It’s lukewarm. I can’t bear with that, and neither could Paul when he told the Galatians he had his doubts about them when they returned to celebrating holidays and keeping the Law of Moses, and when he scolded the Corinthians for not confronting sexual sin in their church. Certainly, he would have chided Christians for celebrating Christmas and Easter, and for compromising on the doctrine of the Trinity. You are supposed to be led from glory to glory, not from sin to sin.

It’s not about the doctrines. If you believe Hell is eternal, I’m not going to shun you for it, but I have found that one error leads to another. At some point that error in judgment will lead you to believe the Rapture or that the Son if equal to the Father. Then you’ll start believing that anyone who doesn’t fully support the nation of Israel will be punished by God, and that guns are OK for self defense. Then you’ll start saying all Christian denominations essentially believe the same thing for the most part and we should all have a big ecumenical kumbaya. Eventually, you will take the mark of the beast because by then you will have trained yourself to do so. That, my brethren, is the great tragedy in which the church is going to find itself in the last of the last days.

“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8