Miserable, Poor, Blind and naked

Including Dramatic Testimonies of people who have escaped the snares of professing Christianity

Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked Rev3:17

Experience has shown that the most miserable people on the face of the earth are those caught up in the false Church System under the Strong Delusion of doctrines that absolves them of their human responsibility to come clean with God and walk in a morally upright manner as His followers. They conceal their misery well in a pious ‘form of godliness, pretending they have a firm persuasion of trust in the finished work of Christ and that ‘obeying Him is NOT making any effort to repent and stop sinning, but ‘believing that the sufficiency of His Grace has you covered. That’s why they will hide behind such nonsensical platitudes as follows:

Show me one scripture in the entire Bible that states that we have to "repent of our sins to be saved. When we believe on The Lord Jesus Christ, we do repent, we change our mind about unbelief to belief in Christ. Turning from sin is a work. So you believe in a works based salvation, by telling the lost to repent from their sins. The ones that have obeyed Him are those that have received the message of grace, and not those who made some efforts to stop sinning.

So when Jesus says: ‘Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and Keep it’ Lk11:28, He really meant ‘Blessed are those who don’t do it, but ‘believe its been done!’ And of course this would apply to everything else He said about STRIVING to enter the Narrow Gate, Counting the Cost and taking up your cross! Accordingly then ‘Obeying the Gospel, Jh3:36, is accepting the fact that you don’t have to Obey and if you actually do make any effort to stop sinning and take up your cross you’re Self-Righteous. 

Let’s look at this logically, if that’s even possible. You Obey the Gospel by ‘changing your mind about who Jesus is and what He did. We put forth no effort whatsoever to turn from our sins and receive the message of grace. The incentive is to ‘believe, not ‘Strive, Keep, endure or serve, so this removes ALL imperative to DO anything! Since your ‘Salvation is Done (free gift, never revoked) future conduct is never a matter of concern. If you sin it’s without consequence and if you make any effort to Stop sinning it’s of no merit.

This is the Ultimate bondage and has brought more people to ruin and misery than anyone could know. They are trapped between a rock and hard place. If they actually make an effort to Stop sinning and do what is Right, they are labeled self-righteous hypocrites and ridiculed by their professing Christian friends. If they continue in sin (as usual) they are constantly assured Grace has them covered. So there’s no incentive or motivation to ever do anything to please God because it has no bearing whatsoever on the outcome of your Salvation. Thus they are ensnared in the ‘Wretched man and filthy rags cycle of ‘doing things in the Church but ‘Doing nothing toward ‘cleaning up your act and walking morally upright.

The Two Constants:
1) ‘It’s not of works, you do nothing but believe, change your mind about Jesus
2) ‘You do NOT Turn from Sin, just receive the message of Grace

What they have done by building a gospel around ‘believing and not doing’, is ‘Judged themselves unworthy of eternal life’ (Acts13:46) and negated the redemptive process ordained by God. (which is repentance and faith proven by deeds) If ‘Doing the will of God is merely ‘believing in His Son, and no further action is required, why did the first son, after ‘repenting’ (changing his mind) feel is also necessary to go and DO what the Father had required of him? Obviously it was simply because at first he was ‘unwilling and but after ‘consideration, CHANGED his ways (came clean stopped rebelling against his father) and did what was his duty to do.

But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, ‘The first. Mat21:28-31

Our Duty to Obey God is not trying to be Justified by the: ‘works of the law’, its doing what He has asked us to do based on our ability to DO IT. To say such things as ‘The ones that have obeyed Him are those that have received the message of grace, and not those who made some efforts to stop sinning’ is DISOBEYING Him and the Gospel. We are to do what it is our DUTY to do! (because we are able to do it!)

So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do Lk17:10

Until a person is ‘honest enough with himself to admit he is ABLE to Obey God and do what He said, they will forever be in a miserable state of bondage to their own ‘unwillingness to act. From that point all they will do is search the Scriptures for more excuses NOT to obey God and stop sinning. The Word can only take Root and produce a result in the ‘honest and good heart, prepared to receive it in the self-cleansing humility of repentance. (Parable of Sower Lk8:12-15) If man is rendered ‘unable to make a departure from iniquity in repentance proven by deeds, then he can only resort to some ‘System of Doctrine that absolves him of his responsibility to come clean and ‘believe he is saved in his sins. AND this is Exactly what they have done by saying: ‘Show me one scripture in the entire Bible that states that we have to "repent of our sins to be saved’ Thereby if man never ‘Turns from his sins, he will NEVER Stop sinning and remain in bondage.

The VERY essence of ‘Repentance is TURNING from Sin! Acts3:19 ‘Repent therefore and be CONVERTED that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord!’
If ‘repentance is merely a ‘change of mind about who Jesus is, WHAT did Peter tell them to TURN (convert) from? His Concluding statement summarizes this type of repentance: 3:26 ‘To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities   This is the PURPOSE of repentance proven by deeds!

Again they keep saying you don’t have to ‘repent of your sins’ to be Saved, because that would be ‘works. But Jesus fully associated ‘repentance WITH TURNING from Sin. Luke13:2-5
And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

If as the bondage keepers love to believe is true: ‘You must come to the place where you know and believe that all your sins are forgiven. that there is no sin that will ever disqualify you from God's blessings that there is no sin that will ever send you to hell because you are forgiven and saved eternally, there is no sin that will ever disqualify you from God's blessings that there is no sin that will ever send you to hell because you are forgiven and saved eternally.  WHY did the indebted Servant in Matt18, forgiven of his massive (sin) debt, FORFEIT the Mercy extended him by the Master (God) and face FULL Payment of that debt in prison? (hell) BECAUSE under human responsibility the ‘Gift of Remission of PAST Sins (Rom3:25) is NO guaranteed Cover of all Future Sins! Your Past Sins will not be remembered against you, BUT if you continue to ‘Sin Willfully against your knowledge of the Truth’ you WILL indeed SUFFER the Consequences! Heb10:25-31

Jesus DID NOT: ‘Pay your penalty, suffer your punishment or get cast into prison in your place! Matt18 PROVES that Mercy is granted on virtue of Repentance proven by deeds. No one had to Pay the Servants debt, suffer in his place or be cast into prison for him. SIN is Bondage (slavery Rom6:16) Redemption is Release form bondage. So if you are ‘released from the bondage of your sin (through repentance proven by deeds) and RETURN again to that Bondage, you go back to your former SLAVERY under FULL obligation to Pay what you owe! BUT under the ‘Bondage Gospel you begin in bondage to your sin, remain in bondage to it and NEVER escape its corrupting influence over your life. THAT’S why when a person DOES come to their senses (like the prodigal in the pig pen, Lk15:17) and ‘honesty assesses the horrible delusion they have been subjected by ‘believing these lies, they can’t DO enough to express their sincerity to God in a Repentance PROVEN by Deeds! It’s then they FULLY admit the Wretched Condition of their heart they have been concealing with excuses and biblical platitudes mimicked by the pundits. The ‘Searing of the Conscience is certainly prevalent among professing Christians and many are experts at defending the lies. But fortunately not EVERYONE is this far gone and some (FEW) do come out. Notice the common thread in their testimonies, how the LIE had them in total bondage to their flesh, but ‘believing they were ‘incapable of doing anything about it kept them pacified. Surely these people could say: ‘I was rich and increased with goods, but inwardly wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked’

Testimonies from people have have actually escaped from those who live in error:

A Person who has recently escaped give an extended version of coming to their senses:
Your doctrine requires you to condemn me to hell, otherwise you are in a lot of trouble. It was frightening and painful for me at first too, but once I came out of the darkness you are in, the light shined in on my sin, and the truth set me free. I pray you come to the knowledge of the truth today. Come into the light, and have your deeds reproved. Until you do so, you are dead in your sin.

There is a lot more I could write about my life, but I will keep this to my recent past. I walked around thinking I could continue in sin, I believed in Jesus. I wouldn't admit that, but it’s exactly what happens to people under these false doctrines. It’s the Doctrine first taught to Eve in the Garden ‘You will not surely die, and when I think about it now its exactly as the Prophets have said, ‘the imaginations of my own heart’, believing in a Jesus who doesn't care about your sin at all and just loves in spite of it. But I found there was no evidence in the Bible whatsoever that you could continue to commit crimes against a Holy God and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, the opposite is true. When I finally started reading the Bible from cover to cover, I was deeply convicted of my sin. Although I still kept fighting it with ‘you only have to believe there was a physical ache in my heart. My soul knew it was condemned. That is the only words I can use to describe it. But the fact is that during this time of deep sorrow. Actually, it was shock. I knew I stood condemned. And worse, I thought all this time I was STILL a believer in Jesus. I saw myself as evil, vile, and wicked. I saw nothing good in myself. Until it finally hit me square between the eyes and I cried out to Him in a bitter season of Repentance. When I came clean of my sins His Blood Cleansed me and sit my feet on the Solid Foundation, not I am crying out to others caught in the same mess I was in for so long, to STOP living in Sin and excusing it, don’t wait another day, you are not guaranteed another breath! You are going to die and face a Holy God and give account for your sinful deeds you refused to give up. It may be ‘frightening and painful at first, but it’s you only hope to break free from your bondage to sin. Come to Him now!

This person was ‘Trapped in a cycle of sin-repent
I think it’s very important to tell you this: You probably get a lot of ‘flack’ from people considering your teachings to be ‘self righteous’ etc  so I would just like to tell you how you have really helped me. (my wife,) Whether to a deeper level of awareness (or maybe even not having been born again as I supposed from ’93 certainly backslidden)  without doubt I was trapped in the cycle of repentance/confession/sinning again loop – in short I did not have VICTORY over sin. Through a season of deep (and at times quite painful repentance) God truly purged me from my sin & I TRULY felt that sin no longer had/has dominion over me. I also have more  awareness of the Holiness of God & intense HATRED for sin.  I might not get a chance to meet you this side of eternity, but God willing, I will look you up in glory & warmly shake you by the hand for your clear view/teaching of the true gospel

Here’s a vivid description of what happens to a person under the lies:
I was telling my parents at the time of all the blatantly wrong things the preachers and teachers were saying showing them out of Jeremiah 23 that this was happening now. It's like they hated what I was saying and told me (especially my dad) that you can’t bring Jeremiah to present day tense and I was taking everything out of context. Basically they shot me down and being so young my spirit was confused to the point of just not caring for a lot of years. I got married, had kids, and even though I read my bible more than anyone I knew, I still sinned constantly. I always knew that God knew exactly what I was doing be it porn, lying, smoking or whatever. It got to the point where I just didn't care and obviously this really put a wedge between me and my wife. 

This man has come out of decades of ruin in the Churches, here’s his summary:
Here is what causes a person to be snared very young and be very still and content while his captor takes him to be slaughtered. Like a dove in the hands of the fowler.
1. Born in sin. No one can be righteous. Born to go to hell.
2. Repeat after me.
3. Once saved always saved. Jesus understands your condition.
4. Penal substitution. He took your place on the cross. Whew! Thanks Jesus. All I have to do is just believe the aforementioned and voila, I am in.
That is the snare. Tell them there a sinner going to hell and can't do a thing to please God, so repeat after me. Now that you've done that your justified and when their conscience doesn't agree tell them Jesus took their place on the cross. A masterful lie as the enemy delivers the bound up in their sins to the fire. I have just painted you a picture of the progression of my life. Of course there has been a lot of carnage along the way. But that is how you snare a soul.

This person was in the System for years and found nothing but bondage until he finally obeyed Christ
Often the behavior that I saw displayed against myself and others often for the simple act of having asked a question related to something that came to mind during individual studies of God’s Word (ex. respectfully and humbly inquiring as to why did it seem that the Bible contradicted well-beloved and accepted concepts like the ‘alter call/sinner’s prayer, once-saved/always-saved, rapture theory etc.) was so violently and verbally opposed that you were practically condemned for even asking! No matter how gently or politely a subject or topic was presented by anyone who dared to question the ‘party line, the resulting reaction was so hostile that I finally left the entire system. As far as when sin must stop in order to receive salvation, I personally feel that the sin absolutely  MUST stop BEFORE salvation can take place. In other words God’s Word clearly shows that  UNLESS a person has abandoned; forsaken, and  turned away from their willful-sin and continued sin with a  contrite and broken heart toward God there is simply NO SALVATION available to them! Just as the prodigal Son HAD TO do a 180-degree  turn-away from the lifestyle that he was living; repent of his sinful actions and behaviors; admit and FORSAKE his WRONGDOING; and RETURN TO his FATHER (as well as confess his sins and be willing to face whatever consequences that would result from them) he COULD NOT call himself a CHILD of his FATHER. In fact just as the prodigal-son was trapped and enslaved in a lifestyle of sin and was seen (by his father) as dead until he turned from his sin, he would have REMAINED dead in such sins.

And if they choose to remain a slave to their sins and will not forsake them and do a 180-degree return to God, they simply CANNOT be a Christian (no matter how many leisurely-strolls they take in response to an alter-call or how many times that they sincerely ‘repeated the sinners-prayer, or if they go to church or join the promise-keepers or attend moody-bible-institute or dallas-theological-seminary or listen to ‘christian radio and music or sit and wait for the non-existent rapture; and so forth) In addition, the prodigal had to truly and fully repent BEFORE he was considered ‘alive by his father, AND he didn’t Stop half way out of the pig pen and consider himself a Son by believing in the Father, and then ‘depend on the His Mercy to Cover his wrong doings. NO, he completed his TASK of coming out of his sins and coming clean with the Father. The Bible makes it clear that God REQUIRES that a person demonstrates REPENTANCE and that this action of one’s demonstrative-contrition MUST occur BEFORE ‘salvation can occur. James 4:8 openly implies that IF people EXPECT God to provide them with the ‘gift of salvation they had better FIRST have clean hands and an end to their Double-minded ways. Thus a person cannot honestly claim to be one who follows-Christ until and unless they FIRST ‘repent AND STOP SINNING! The very act of ‘repenting is the initial-proof of their sorrow for their past sins and their desire and willingness and determinedness to follow Christ.

This man was snared by the System of lies for many years and all they could do is tell him he was saved in sins
Through all the turmoil in my life I learned some valuable truths, which was coming to realize that real repentance was that the sin must stop in repentance first, through a season of godly sorrow, that must take place, as you cannot bypass the godly sorrow, get saved, then hope to repent and stop after a false conversion, it doesn't work that way! The stopping of the sin came from my strong desire to STOP my disobedience towards God, and seek His mercy, (Isa 55-7) and all this was proven by my deeds, (stopping the sin) and my crisis of conviction which came when I finally realized I wasn't saved, and actually needed to do something (repent first) or suffer the consequences! This was the great turning point in my life, as I learned much about the lies being taught as truth in the church system. The strongholds were then released, by me realizing the truth on what real repentance is, and also realizing the church never taught this properly. I had a choice, to continue in the church system and be deceived, or come out of her, (Rev 18-4) and fall back into her lies that we are saved in our sins, that Jesus took our place and our wrath, and substituted His righteousness for our own. I finally learned, which was never taught in the church, that we are workers together with God (,2Co 6:1 But working together, we also call on you not to receive the grace of God in vain) in a working faith of purity and righteousness and obedience, out of a loving heart of devotion, fear, and reverence for an all holy God. Who is waiting patiently for us to come out of the false system, to stand firm on the truth of repentance and faith proven by our deeds, not get saved, then try to repent, and hope to get cleared up gradually, which is a lie right out of the pit! Since I have come out of her (Babylon) the strongholds on my mind have been released, and I have been set free from my bondage's of sin and worldliness, by the power of the cross, to guide me out of the darkness and lies, and into the light, where the freedom comes from Christ, who died to put to death the works of the devil in my life.