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    I Love God But Church Stinks
    I Love God But Church Stinks
    I Love God But Church Stinks
    Ebook118 pages2 hours

    I Love God But Church Stinks

    By Phillip K Clark

    ()

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    About this ebook

    We live in a society today where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. There is no fear of God and there are so many who have no knowledge of the Holy One although they attend church service most Sundays. Unaware the fact that every word of God is pure; and He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. (Proverbs 30:5) Pastors and

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSelf Publishing
    Release dateAug 14, 2024
    ISBN9781964656519
    I Love God But Church Stinks

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      Book preview

      I Love God But Church Stinks - Phillip K Clark

      I Love God But Church Stinks

      By

      Phillip K. Clark

      Copyright © 2024

      Phillip K. Clark

      Ebook ISBN: 978-1-964656-51-9

      Paperback ISBN: 978-1-964656-52-6

      Hardback ISBN: 978-1-964656-53-3

      All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is strictly prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

      All reasonable attempts have been made to verify the accuracy of the information provided in this publication. Nevertheless, the author assumes no responsibility for any errors and/or omissions.

      Contents

      Introduction

      Growing up in the Church

      Sin in the Church

      Lack of Knowledge

      Lack of Love

      Lack of Holiness

      Lack of Peace

      Lack of Teaching

      Lack of Wisdom

      Lack of Faith

      Lack of Understanding

      The spirit of formality

      Introduction

      First, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for giving me the courage to address the 21st century church. Does church stink? Of course, not. The church is the body of Christ. What stints is the 21st century church system, the false traditions, false doctrine, and false rituals that men have put into place. It is so unfortunate that evil men and imposters in the pulpits of the modern-day church are growing worse and worse, as they continue to deceive many while they themselves are being deceived. We seem to have churches on every corner of our cities and there is more chaos than ever. You don’t have to drive far in the rural areas, and you will see church after church. It is so unfortunate that the church has allowed satan to infiltrate our buildings and introduce us to a god that does not line up with what is written in the Scriptures.

      I’m saddened that I have witnessed pastors become CEOs and the church has become big business. It is more important to raise money than it is to save souls. I’m also saddened how the church proved to be under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) when it allowed the satanic government to shut its doors for months, and some are still shut down and will never reopen, during the COVID-19 pandemic (plandemic). After preaching faith for many years, and after telling members, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. What an opportunity wasted to prove to the world our faith and trust in our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must repent and ask God to have mercy on our churches and pray for men who are filled with His Holy Spirit will stand up and preach truth in these last days. Time is running out. We may be the generation to witness the return of Jesus the Lamb that was slain. I pray that as you read this book God will open your eyes and enlighten your mind to know that change is necessary. Holiness and righteous living are required before sanctification can truly come, and that sweet holy aroma will reach the nostrils of God and He will save the church and its members from the wrath to come.  

      Growing up in the Church

      The time is 7:30 am Sunday, and the call comes up the stairs loud and clear. Get Up, it’s time to get ready to go to church, which meant Sunday school. My mother was very serious, and my three sisters and I knew it. She had two different tones when she spoke, and we as children knew the difference. My Uncle Felt would pick us up in front of the house at about 9:00 am and off we would go to Asbury Chapel A.M.E. Church in Waynesburg, Ohio. My uncle was a very good Sunday school teacher, but as a child, I never heard the good news of the gospel. We had a time which was allotted in the class where we had to quote a Bible verse. You may find this to be amazing, but several of us had the ability to memorize John 11:35 Jesus wept.

      It was a typical Sunday school class. The only reason most of us attended was because our parents made us attend. We heard that Jesus died on the cross and on the third day He rose, but the basic foundations of the Christian faith were kept from us. The part about receiving Jesus as your personal savior, Jesus dying for your sins, living holy, the Holy Spirit, living in darkness, and overcoming the flesh, were just a few of the subjects never mentioned. Therefore, the results of not hearing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ resulted in a lot of years that I would call wilderness living.

      Wilderness living is a period in a person’s life when they are on their own spiritually. When a person is on his or her own spiritually, they don’t realize that they are separated from God, and they lack the ability to discern good from evil. Someone may have a knowledge of Jesus and associate Him with the church but don’t know what it means to have a relationship with Him or know who He truly is, and lack knowledge of how much they truly need Him for directions in their life. Then most importantly, there is just a lack of knowledge that He came to die for our sins, and He wants to be our Lord and Savior.

      Some consequences come with the decision to do life without Jesus. It really doesn’t matter how much we attend church. If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, you are on your own. I love the fact that the Bible says, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) But I appreciate and get satisfaction from Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. (By grace you have been saved) That period of our lives when we are dead in our trespasses and sin is wilderness living. The sad part is that there are so many people who attend churches all over the world who are dead in their trespasses and sins and church members at the same time. I have just defined the life of most of you reading this book and probably most people you know who attend a church service weekly.

      The problem is that holy and righteous living is not taught or put on display in most churches we choose to attend. The church has gotten away from the church in the book of Acts which details the church and its beginnings. People were saved by the thousands daily. The apostles boldly taught truth and were arrested for obeying God rather than man. The Apostle Paul was beaten, stoned, whipped, and thrown in prison on numerous occasions but refused to deviate from obeying God and preaching truth. He understood his purpose, and his calling when he wrote in Colossians 1:28, Him we preach, warning every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

      The gospel of Jesus Christ is a mystery that was hidden for centuries but has been revealed to the saints. It has been revealed to true followers of Jesus Christ. Those who have been born-again. God wanted it that way. The mystery is Christ in you, His spirit living in you. He is the hope of glory. This hope of glory is a guarantee for every believer’s future heavenly glory.

      Paul writes in Colossians 1:26-28 The mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations but now has been revealed to His saints. To them, God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

      Now my uncle did teach us Old Testament stories. David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion’s den, Adam and Eve in the garden, and many others. The question is, how was he to teach on spiritual issues when there was no one teaching holiness from the pulpit or no one in the pulpit living it out in front of him? Church service wasn’t any more educating than Sunday school, just a formality. It was a rarity for us to start on time. What I most remember about church service is that husbands and wives who had been married for many years never sat together. Men on one side, and women on the other side, except my grandmother. She always sat three rows back behind my grandfather John, who sat up front with Mr. Cheeks. I believe they ran the church. Both seem to have been highly respected.

      My father was probably one of the greatest gospel singers who never recorded an album. He along with Vera Kelly and Jeanette Stevens could bring most adults to tears on some songs they sang. But when Roy Williams and his wife Delouse would visit from Minnesota, the church would always call on him to play the piano and sing. I thought he was pretty good, but no one could sing better than my dad James Clark. He was the best. I can remember Daddy sitting in the choir stand looking over the congregation. It was like he could see everything at the same time. He was 6’ 4" and weighed 250. My father could swing the meanest belt and I will never forget how it felt when he fulfilled his fatherly duties.

      All the children sat together in the back of the church. We were for the most part pretty good kids. We weren’t exposed to all that these children in the late 90s and early 21st century children are exposed to. Our parents put fear in us. I didn’t understand why, but I appreciate it now more than ever, what they did and how they did it. My father would sit in the choir and look at us a certain way, and we knew we better get it together or else.

      It seems every year or two we would be assigned another minister. Some could preach others couldn’t. I didn’t know the good from the bad, because I don’t remember listening to any of the

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