The Other Side Of The River by Kevin M. Reeves
This book is a "must read" for anyone who has come to their senses within
an apostate church and wondered what to do and
how to do it. The Bible is clear that we are to mark and avoid
false teachers (Rom. 16:17) and separate ourselves from those
involved in sin (1 Cor. 6:17) while continuing to pray for them.
But the issue of rejecting heresy and false prophesy becomes a matter of
personal fortitude and deep emotional hurts when it involves close friends
who have been brainwashed by "the river".
My testimony is similar to Kevin's in certain ways, though the Lord
saved me from deep involvement in the Third Wave. I lost a
number of close personal friends when I found myself in the position
of either obeying the Lord and His Word or coming to
consensus with men. But the Bible does not give Christians an
"option". We are to stand for the truth whenever and wherever it
is demanded of us, whether in the world or in the churches. We must
stand for unity, but that means we are to put on the unity of the Spirit
and strive for unity in the Faith (Eph. 4). When unity of the Faith
(unity in the core doctrines as taught by Jesus Christ and the Apostles)
is not being upheld and taught, then the individual Christian is duty bound
to reject that heresy and seek fellowship elsewhere. The Bible is
clear that those who obey the Lord prove they love Him, and conversely
those who disobey Him prove they do not love Him (John 14:15, 23, 24).
We have many choices each day whether or not to obey the Lord. All
of us fall down on this account. But we cannot be reconciled to the
Lord without (1) repentance of sin and (2) not allowing ourselves into
a situation of habitual, continual sin. Staying in a church that
is teaching heresy, participating in false prophecy, and promoting false
anointings (which are of another spirit) is putting yourself in a position
where you are violating both of the above criteria for staying in the love
of Christ. Only Jesus Christ can save because of His perfect substitutional
salvation He purchased for us with His blood on the cross. But we
must repent of our sins and turn to Him, taking up our cross daily and
following Him. You cannot follow the Lord while living in habitual
sin, and you will not be saved as long as you remain unrepenant.
Remember that many will come saying "Lord, Lord" in the end but they will
go to hell. They are those who think they will be justified by their
many works of doing miracles, prophesying, casting out demons, etc.
Today we have a whole generation of Christians who are enamored with works,
and defend those they follow by constantly referring to them. But
the Lord says this:
Matt. 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
What is the will of the Father? That we obey Jesus Christ.
Jesus says we are to reject heretics by marking and avoiding them.
The commands of the Lord are simple, but the reality of obedience is not.
But we cannot be blessed by the Lord and gain
eternal life without obedience.