The devil tempted mankind with the lie, that if man would eat from the fruit of the forbidden tree, man would not surely die, as God said, but that the eyes of man would be opened and man would be as God, Ukwazi okuhle nokubi (IGenesis 3:1-5). With this lie, the devil deceived man and caused man to doubt God and His words and eventually ensured that man became separated from God. Instead of believing God and staying faithful to God by obeying His words, man considered the words of the devil as the truth. By acting upon the words of the devil and by eating from the forbidden fruit, man had not only rejected the words of God, but man also rejected God as Father and made the devil his father. And so the devil had taken the place of God in the life of man and (illegally) received dominion over the earth and all there is within. The devil has not changed and still deceives today. The devil deceives Christians and makes them believe his words instead of God’s words and so the devil has succeeded and God is rejected from many churches.
The temptations of the devil in the life of Jesus Christ, uNyana kaThixo
When Jesus Christ, uNyana kaThixo, weza emhlabeni, the devil tried everything in his power to tempt Jesus during His life on earth and to enter His life and take the place of God in His life, but his plan failed (Funda kwakhona: ‘ndiya kukunika ubutyebi behlabathi').
The temptations of the devil in the lives of the sons of God
Ukusukela oko, Indalo entsha; Oonyana bakaThixo (Indoda nebhinqa) were born on earth and the era of the Church; the Body of Christ began, the devil has done everything in his power to tempt the Church, make the Church passive, and to silence the Church.
Kancinci kancinci, the devil has managed to find his way into many churches, mainly through false teachers, inzululwazi (knowledge of this world), (empuma) iintanda-bulumko, amajelo eendaba, ukuzonwabisa, njl., ensuring that the believers would doubt the words of God and would believe his words above the words of God.
With his lies, the devil has persuaded many Christians and made them believe that his lies are the truth, just like the devil did in the umyezo wase-Eden.
Very slowly the devil has transformed the mind of people with his words, ezimele intando yakhe, so that they would think like him, and speak and act according to his will.
The worldliness of the church
Intliziyo yakho mayingabamoneli aboni: Ke wena uze umoyike uYehova imini yonke. Inene, kukho isiphelo; Ithemba lakho aliyi kunqunyulwa (IMizekeliso 23:17-18)
Kuba le yintando kaThixo, Nokuba ubungcwalise lwakho, ukuba nikhumke kulo uhenyuzo: ukuze elowo kuni akwazi ukusizuza asiphathe kakuhle isitya sakhe, enobungcwalisa, enembeko; Hayi kwinkanuko yenkanuko, kwanjengeentlanga ezingamaziyo uThixo: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, Kodwa kubungcwele. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, Kodwa nguThixo, Who hath also given unto us His holy Spirit (1 KwabaseTesalonika 4:3-8)
Many churches don’t separate themselves from the world unto God, by doing the will of God, instead many churches have harmonized Christianity with the world and have become world-like. Therefore they think, thetha kwaye wenze njengehlabathi (according to the world system).
The same worldly spirits, who reign in the lives of carnal people, who belong to the world also reign in the lives of people, abazibiza ngokuba bangamaKristu, kodwa eneneni, belong to the world. Wazi kanjani? Because they bear the same fruit as those, who are carnal and belong to the world.
And so the devil has found a way into the lives of people, by twisting the words of God with his lies and by preaching half-truths, and led them astray on paths that lead to eternal death, endaweni yobomi obungunaphakade.
The fear of the Lord has left many churches
Unyana wam, if thou wilt receive My words, and hide My commandments with thee; Ukuba uthembelela indlebe yakho, ubulumko, kwaye uyisebenzise intliziyo yakho ekuqondeni; Ewe, Ukuba uyakhalela emva kolwazi, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; Ukuba uyamfuna njengesilivere, kwaye imkhathalele ngokwalo yobuncwane obufihliweyo; Uya kwandula ukukuqonda ukoyika uYehova, kwaye ufumane ulwazi ngoThixo (IMizekeliso 2:1-5)
The devil attacked the church and succeeded in removing the fear of the Lord, that was present in the lives of previous generations.
Many modern believers call the fear of the Lord legalism, in contrast to the Word, Who calls the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom.
Ukoyika uYehova kukuqala kolwazi: Ke izitho ngezityhutyhila, zidela ubulumko noqeqesho (IMizekeliso 1:7)
Ukoyika uYehova kukuqala kobulumko: ulwazi lwengcwele luqonda (IMizekeliso 9:10)
Ukoyika uYehova luqeqesho lobulumko; Ngaphambi kozuko lululamo (IMizekeliso 15:33)
Everything begins with a fear of God. Without a fear of the Lord, you shall not submit to God, ILizwi lakhe, Kwaye ukuthanda kwakhe (Imithetho yakhe), but you shall rebel. Ngaphandle kokoyika uYehova, you shall exalt yourself above His knowledge and wisdom and walk in pride. Without a fear of the Lord the flesh shall reign, sin shall abound and be accepted and the devil and his demons shall (okwethutyana) triumph. And without the fear of the Lord the spiritual man shall die.
Ukoyika uYehova kukuthiya ububi: ikratshi, kunye nekratshi, kunye nendlela embi, nomlomo otyhafileyo, Ngaba ndiyayicaphukela (IMizekeliso 8:13)
Ngenceba nenyaniso, ihlanjululwe ubugwenxa: Kwaye ngokoyika uYehova, Ingabi ebubini (IMizekeliso 16:6)
Ukoyika uYehova kusa ebomini;: nalowo unako uya kuhlala ehluthi; akayi kuvelelwa bububi (IMizekeliso 19:23)
The warning for false teachers
Kodwa kwakukho nabaprofeti bobuxoki phakathi kwabantu, njengokuba naphakathi kwenu kuya kubakho abafundisi ababuxoki, abaya kungenisa bucala amahlelo entshabalalo, bemkhanyela uMnini-nto-zonke owabathengayo, bazisele intshabalalo emsinya. Baninzi abaya kulandela intshabalalo yabo; eya kunyeliswa ngenxa yabo indlela yenyaniso. Bathi benokubawa, banibonelele ngamazwi alalanisayo: abakugwetywa kungaphumliyo kwakudala, Umgwebo wabo awozeli (2 UPetros 2:1-3)
The fear of the Lord was present in the lives of the apostles. The apostles were not prideful, kodwa bona wayemthanda uThixo Ngeentliziyo zabo zonke, umphefumlo, ingqondo, and strength and they yielded to God and Jesus Christ and balandela uYesu; ilizwi.
They warned the churches of Christ of false teachers, who were among them and privily tried to sneak in false doctrines, that deviated from the truth of the gospel.
Because even in those days, the devil tried to enter the churches through false teachers and tried to lead the churches astray and cause apostasy.
But the apostles were spiritual and discerned the spirits. They knew the will of God and they knew the imisebenzi kaMtyholi and recognized the false teachers, who were among them or tried to enter the church with their vain and compelling words.
Ngelishwa, nowadays this is hardly the case anymore and many false teachers preach behind the pulpit or those, who preach behind the pulpits, promote false teachers, who preach according to their own knowledge, uluvo, experience or research and prophecy from their own insights and imaginations, into abantu abafuna ukuyiva.
UThixo wagatya iicawa ezininzi
Ekoyikeni uYehova kukho inkoloseko eliqele: and His children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, Ukuze emke ezirhintyelweni zokufa (IMizekeliso 14:26-27)
Ukuthobeka kwentliziyo nokoyika uYehova bubutyebi;, nembeko, kunye nobomi (IMizekeliso 22:4)
The Holy Spirit has been rejected from many churches through pride, Intando, and the flesh that reigns. I Word has been rejected from many churches through the opinions and philosophical and scientific knowledge of man; Ubulumko nolwazi lwehlabathi.
The rejection of the Holy Spirit and the Word from many churches has ensured that many churches don’t discern good and evil and because of that sins and iniquities are tolerated.
Many people don’t know the will of God and therefore they approve of everything, which is evil in the eyes of God. Oku kungenxa yokuba bahlala besondla iingqondo zabo ngezinto zenyama zeli hlabathi nangenxa yoko, banengqiqo yenyama yehlabathi, nto leyo emele ukuthanda kukaMtyholi.
Ngentetho nezenzo zabo eziphuma kwingqondo yabo yenyama, bayazenza ezo zinto, eziya ngokuchasene nentando kaThixo kwaye zithobela intando kamtyholi nangenxa yoko, baqubuda kumtyholi. Kwaye ke bamnike indawo umtyholi ebomini babo nasebandleni.
Guquka kwaye wenze uYesu Kristu iNtloko yebandla
Ukoyika uYehova kuphelile kwaye kukugatya uMoya kaThixo kunye neLizwi likaThixo, UThixo ukwaliwa nakwiicawa ezininzi. The devil managed to find his way in and take the place of God and established his throne in the lives of people, who believe his words and obey him and therefore worship him.
Kodwa logama uYesu engekabuyi, fortunately, there is a way back, namely the way of inguquko.
Don’t let the devil triumph, but let the church repent and return to God, His Word and receive His Holy Spirit and walk after His will.
Let the church look at Jesus Christ and follow His example of how He resisted the devil and refuted his lies with the truth of God.
Let Jesus Christ; the Word reign again in the church and let the church obey His words and do what Jesus has commanded to do, so that the church shall represent and bring the Kingdom of God on this earth instead of the kingdom of darkness (Umhlaba).
Icawe mayingabi liziko lentlalontle, apho umtyholi elawula kwaye abantu baziziko kunye nolawulo kwaye inyama yonwatyiswa kwaye yondliwe. Kodwa uYesu Kristu makabe yiNtloko yebandla kwakhona kwaye iLizwi lilawule kwaye intando kaThixo noBukumkani baKhe mayibe sisazulu sebandla nomoya wondliwe..
‘Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi’
