1.  ONLY GOD'S CHILDREN HEAR HIS VOICE

Those who are of the Truth (God's children) hear their Lord and Savior's voice. They will never listen to those of strangers. The Lord Jesus Christ used the analogy of a shepherd and his flock to drive home the point.

1. Christ's relationship with His followers is like that of a shepherd and His flock:
   "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me"
   —(John 10:14 NIV);
   
   
2. Christ's followers always listen to His voice. He knows them and they follow Him steadfastly:
   "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me"
   —(John 10:27 NIV);
   
   
3. Christ's followers will NEVER LISTEN OR FOLLOW a stranger. In fact, they will run away from him:
   "But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice" — (John 10:5 NIV).

2.  THE WORLD'S BILLIONS ARE FOLLOWING STRANGERS (SATAN, DEMONS AND HUMAN BEINGS)

It does not come as a surprise to a true believer in Christ that billions of humans are following Satan and demons. The surprise is that hundreds of millions of people who call themselves Christians are listening to, and following, Satan and demons.

Most churchgoers don't hear the voice of God because they don't have personal a relationship with His Son. And they don't even know what having a personal relationship with Jesus, the Son of God, means; for them a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ means having expectation that God will prosper them materially provided they go to church on Sundays, pay their tithes (which command is not for the New Testament Church) and give offerings. Hence, their enthusiastic embrace of unbiblical messages and false testimonies.

Oh, how they love messages that promote wealth! Deafening shouts of "Amen" and "Alleluia," are the norm when people come out to testify and attribute their financial successes and material possessions to "seed offering" made to the church or ministry of the pastor.

Most Christians shut their ears to the gospel of Christ and Spirit-inspired messages in the same manner that most Jews following the Lord Jesus shut their ears to His teachings during His earthly ministry (John 8:12-58).

"Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don't listen because you don't belong to God" — John 8:47 (NLT).

On the other hand, Children of God listen and believe God's word because they have personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. They love to read the Bible and they are able to understand God's word because they have the Holy Spirit. Hence their ability to differentiate between voices (God's or Satan's or that of human beings). They always use the Bible to judge every message and or testimony. And if a message or testimony is biblical, they rejoice but if it is unbiblical by even a jot, they reject both it and the messenger.

3.  WERE WE NOT WARNED ABOUT THE GREAT APOSTASY AT THE TIME OF THE END?

Some denominations deny the active presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. Others claim that they believe in the active presence of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, both groups have shut out the Holy Spirit from their assemblies. While the former group encourages unbelievers to remain in their unbelief, the latter group stunts the growth of newborn children of God. Both groups have one thing in common: preventing individuals from having a personal relationship with God. Their doctrines encourage ignorance.

Many pastors and general overseers have turned church buildings (where people ought to assemble to hear God's word and to worship God) into places for the worship of money (Mammon) and for the exaltation of self. They have, through their teachings and actions, made their followers see them as intermediaries between them and God. Most of their followers swallow their messages hook, line and sinker; they take their pastors' words above those of the Bible.

But were we not warned that church leaders would mutilate the gospel of Christ in order to increase the number of their followers (see how many of them are competing to see who will build the largest auditorium in the world)? Sadly, even some of God's elect are enabling them to sabotage the gospel once for all delivered to the saints. They have refused to heed the inner voice of the Spirit asking them to leave such apostate churches and denominations.

"I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following" — Acts 20:29-30 (NLT).

Who do you think are the false messiahs and false prophets our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, warned would rise up at the Time of the End if not these mutilators of the gospel of Christ that worship money and who have taught their followers to sin against God?

"For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones"
— Matt 24:24 (NLT).

4.  GOD'S CHILDREN HAVE BEEN PREPARED FOR THE TIME OF THE END (THE LAST DAYS)

One must be 'born again' to have the Holy Spirit indwell her. And a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit, is the confirmation that one indeed belongs to the Kingdom of God.

Children of God love to read and mediate on God's word (the word of God is food for the spirit). They know that any child of God who fails to 'eat' God's word suffers spiritual malnutrition, falls back into sin and ends up in the kingdom of darkness.  

Because they study the Scriptures with the aid of the Holy Spirit, children of God see through the hypocrisy of false prophets, teachers, pastors and general overseers and  therefore cannot be deceived.

God has equipped His children for a time like this. Hence our urgent call to all children of God to rise up and contend for the gospel of Christ being mutilated daily by these false messiahs and prophets serving the interests of the kingdom of darkness.  

"'In the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy" — Acts 2:16-18 (NLT).

5.  WHAT TO DO?

1. You are not born again: REPENT, accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and surrender your life to Him and make a U-Turn from sin.
   
   
2. You know you are born again but you are still dabbling in sin: Confess your sins to God and purpose (really mean it) never to fall again. Pray for His grace to sustain you, make studying the Bible a priority and pray without ceasing. Plead the Blood of Jesus every time the tempter comes calling (he is not going to leave you alone until he knows you are fully determined to follow the Lord Jesus Christ) and you will see him flee.
   
   
3. You know you are truly a child of God but you are a coward (i.e., evangelism is not your thing): REPENT. Preach the gospel in season and out of season. Contend for the gospel of Christ everywhere (you are likely to lose many churchgoers when you do and may be persecuted by the church you are attending now). But whom would you rather be: Approved by God or by human beings?

PRAYERS

In Jesus name, I pray glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to give all who read this newsletter spiritual wisdom and insight so that they might grow in their knowledge of God. I also pray that their hearts will be flooded with light so that they can understand the confident hope You have given to those You have called—Your holy people who are Your rich and glorious inheritance (Eph 1:17-18 NLT Paraphrase).