Apostasy in the Church – Part 1

Apostasy in the Church is one of the indicators that we are close to the catching away of the true believers in Jesus Christ in what we call the Rapture. We are told by the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ² not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God”. (emphasis mine)

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Jesus tells us of the many signs that indicate we are in the final stages of this age we are now living in. Many of these signs are listed in Mathew 24 and 2 Timothy 3.

Deception is a major end times sign. Likewise, deception can come in many various forms. I have posted many articles dealing with the topic. You can review them here, here, and here.

The term “falling away” comes from the Greek word “ἀποστασία”, which is translated as apostasia.

According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: ἀποστασία, -ας, ἡ, (ἀφίσταμαι), is a falling away, defection, apostasy; in the Bible namely, from the true religion.

There seems to be a pandemic of apostasy or a falling away from our Creator God, especially in the USA. Why is this happening?  I will be sharing various views, excerpts, and clips that I believe you will find helpful in answering the why question in the next few postings.

Now more than ever as the Lord’s return approaches, we must stand firm in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Remember that Satan himself wants to devour you with his lies and deceptions. He hates your guts! Nothing would please him more than the destruction of the true Followers of Jesus Christ.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

In this post I will mainly focus on and share excerpts from an interview I watched on “Christ in Prophecy”. Where  Jeff Kinley, co-author of the book “The Coming Apostacy” was being interviewed.

I personally have read the book and found the interview enlightening.

How Big A Problem Is Apostasy In The Church?

In the interview which aired on April 4, 2021, Jeff Kinley, was asked how big a problem is apostasy in the church? Is it an individual Christian problem, or is it a corporate problem? The author stated the following:

I think it is more of a corporate thing, more of a global thing, actually because people in churches are really opting for expediency. Because what has happened is we’ve seen a huge decrease in church attendance, specifically in America. So, that sends many pastors into panic mode saying, “We’ve got to do whatever it takes to get people into this building.”

So, what has happened is, that we begin to compromise some of the values, and scriptural truths that we see in the Bible, those doctrinal truths, in order for the expediency of getting people in the building.

Seeker Sensitive

Kinley continues: We’ve shifted from being Bible-based and faith-based to being what they called Seeker Sensitive. It seems like since we’ve adopted the Seeker Sensitive Movement, we’ve drifted away from mainstream Christianity.

And let’s be honest, we love technology. We use technology. It’s a great tool. But as one pastor recently said many churches today are nothing more than a light and rock show followed by a TED talk, it is something to really to just motivate people for their daily life…

Pastors are opting for entertainment more, instead of equipping the Saints for the work of service. And what is the result of that? We are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.

The Worlds Values

Apostate Pastors Are Leading Their Flocks Astray

A recent survey released in May by Dr. George Barna, the Director of Research of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, found that only a small minority of the 1000 pastors surveyed, just (37%) have a biblical worldview.

Unfortunately, the large majority of the 1000 pastors surveyed, (62%) possess a hybrid worldview known as Syncretism.

Syncretism is the blending of ideas and applications from a variety of holistic worldviews into a unique but inconsistent combination that represents their personal preferences.

The following chart shows the Biblical Worldview breakdown by various positions held by Pastors.

The Worldview Deficit in the Pulpits

One of the more troubling revelations emerging from this research, according to George Barna, is the worldview of pastors who work with young people.

“Keep in mind,” Barna cautioned, “a person’s worldview primarily develops before the age of 13, then goes through a period of refinement during their teens and twenties. From a worldview perspective, a church’s most important ministers are the Children’s Pastor and the Youth Pastor.”

He continued, “Discovering that seven out of every eight of those pastors lack a biblical worldview helps to explain why so few people in the nation’s youngest generations are developing a heart and mind for biblical principles and ways of life, and why our society seems to have run wild over the last decade, in particular.”

Read the full report here: AWVI 2022: Shocking Results Concerning the Worldview of Christian Pastors (Release #05: 05-12-2022).

More Excerpts from the “Christ in Prophecy” Interview with Jeff Kinley

“The Watershed Moment for the Church.”

In the second part of the interview, Jeff Kenley was asked what he thought was “the watershed moment for the Church.” He replied:

We identified the June 2015 decision about homosexual marriage. It represented really a hinge point in our history as a nation.

But also for the Church, because it gave the Church an opportunity to begin to address this issue.

Unfortunately, instead of standing up for what Scripture says, many churches have just simply taken their cues from these worldly decisions out there and forgotten that it is God who determines who we are, not the Supreme Court.

The reason why it is such a watershed decision is because it is like a tsunami of values that are coming into our country right now.

And the Church has a choice to stand up like Daniel, or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for such a time as this like Esther… or to simply assimilate into the culture, which is what many churches have done.

Jeff Kenley goes on to say:

I believe that we are in a stage right now where we are witnessing a massive cultural shift. It has come in stages but right now Christians are having to have a huge gut check as to:

• What do I believe?
• What defines me as a Christian?
• Is a Christian just something that someone who believes in Jesus, as a concept, or does this Jesus have some sort of authority over my life?

Danger Signs of Apostasy in the Church

Another question asked was what danger signs should we be watching for in the Church? And how can we guard against apostasy? Jeff Kinley’s response was:

I think the biggest sign is what is happening in the pulpit. When I say the pulpit that is sort of an old-fashioned term, but what is happening up front on Sunday mornings?

• What is the pastor actually preaching?
• What is he leading you to?
• Is he actually giving you just good thoughts for the week, kind of like a horoscope or a devotional?
• Or is he really equipping you in the Word?
• Do people have Bibles in their hands anymore at your church?
• Are people getting in the Word?
• Is he teaching you to be a self-feeder?

I believe, that the greatest need in the Church today is biblical discernment, and it begins with pastoral leadership.

Christians have to be grounded and build their lives on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. And as long as we have breath we must contend earnestly for the truth.

You can watch the 28-minute interview in the video below.

The Greatest Threat To The Church

In addition to Jeff Kenley, Dr. Mark Hitchcock also co-authored “The Coming Apostasy”. The following are a few excerpts from his teaching during the Understanding the Times 2017 Conference held by Jan Markell. His message was titled “Apostasy: The Sabotage of Christianity from Within”. Dr. Mark Hitchcock states:

The greatest danger to our churches and to each of us individually is on the inside of the churches.

Judgment begins in the house of God. It is only a repentant Church that can survive and win an unrepentant world.

The enemy is working feverishly today in seminaries, denominations, and churches to pry people away from trust in the inerrant inspired Living Word of God.

Apostasy is an inside job if you will and that is the greatest threat to the church today. The greatest threat to the church is on the inside.

The subject of apostasy has little to do with the condition of the unsaved world which has always rejected divine truth and therefore has nothing from which to depart.

Rather apostasy pertains to the spiritual temperature within God’s church.

Apostasy is Both Doctrinal and Moral

Dr. Mark Hitchcock continues: Oftentimes we just think of apostasy as doctrinal it’s departing from the doctrinal tree of Scripture but in the Bible, apostasy is both doctrinal and moral. It shows up in belief and behavior.

Whenever people begin to depart from the truth and their doctrine of what they believe and evitable your behavior goes with that.

But also you see people that begin to engage in behavior that’s outside what the Scriptures allow and they want to justify that behavior, so they go back and change their belief.

So belief pulls behavior with it but behavior can also affect what we believe so these two are inextricably tied together and we see it in our culture.

2 Timothy 3:1-5, a passage I’m sure many of us are familiar with Apostle Paul writes this:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Today there’s a landslide of apostasy in many seminaries. Today apostasy is engulfing entire denominations. We hear about it all the time. In fact, it may even be the denomination you’re in or maybe the denomination you’ve left. It’s swallowing up churches. Churches everywhere are imbibing a cocktail of toxic ideas.

You can watch the full 52-minute message in the video below.

Final Thoughts

This is only the tip of the iceberg. In the next few posts, we will dig deeper into this deception of Satan to attack and question the facts and solid truth of the bible.

I knew from previous research that many who call themselves “Christians” are in fact not Christians as the Word of God defines what a True Follower of Christ is.

Billy Crone, the Pastor of Sunrise Bible Church in Las Vegas, NV, and founder of “Get A Life Ministries” goes into much more detail.

In part 2, I will be sharing excerpts from Pastor Billy Crone’s 6-30-22 message to the congregation at Calvary Chapel Kaneohe titled” The Coming Great Apostasy”.

I hope you will return for part 2. However, before you move on I need to ask you…