Brother Sam, a senior elder in the Mississauga assembly, urges the congregation to seek a second conversion and renew a right spirit.

We expect our cardiologist and dental surgeon to post their credentials, but not so a man of God! A man called and processed by God for the ministry does not need advanced degrees conferred by men or institutions. If he has them, like the apostle Paul, he will flush them. "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8).

We may be devout believers, performing all the traditions and mechanics of our religion, yet be rejected by God because of iniquity. In this jarring lesson, Brother Singh compares the Body of Christ today to Israel during the 8th Century BCE. Iniquity may be the most misunderstood offense in scripture. It offends God, and He utterly rejects it, yet it is so easy for God's people to fall into the trap of this pernicious offense. Iniquity is “any form” of religious activity that God has not approved. It typically involves human traditions and philosophy that circumvent the requirement that we "must worship Him in Spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

In Isaiah chapter one, God laments over children He reared and brought up, yet they rebelled against Him. He accuses them of being less appreciative than animals, “for an ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know” — God’s people are devoid of understanding.

Amidst the pestilence of COVID-19 and its associated trials, the saints of God are offered encouragement by Brother Sam, a senior elder.  He asks us if we have lost our vision for the things that pertain to God? Has the hardship and light affliction of the lockdown increased our commitment to the Lord or caused us to drift slowly away from the path we were traveling? These are sobering questions, for self-examination. 

Nobody is born saved. Growing up in the church does not save us!  Each individual needs a personal experience with God. First-generation converts were saved out of the world, from false religion, from addictions, or the prison system, as was this writer. The changes God brought to our lives were publically visible. In many ways, we can testify, "Once I was blind, but now I see!" However, our children and grandchildren who grew up in the church also need a genuine encounter with the Lord.

It is possible to sit in a “strait-gate” church that preaches the narrow way, yet to possess a wide-gate mentality! Jesus never compromised the gospel he preached, although he faced fierce apostate opposition and rejection. "Enter ye in at the strait {tightly restricted} gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Brother Singh states that God sent him both to preach the gospel to the elect and to have his spirit worked upon. God uses imperfect men to preach a perfect message. Jesus told Peter, when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."(Luke 22:32) The apostle Paul subjected himself to a harsh regime, fearing that he could be a castaway, even after preaching to others. (1 Corinthians 9:27).  God's process assures the elect that He speaks through the ministry—that they are not operating because of their intellect, training, or by plagiarizing the work of other men. 

Whom do we consult? The man of God, or the Internet? God provides His servants with "present truth" sufficient to meet the needs of His people for today. If we listen to the wrong voices, we will find ourselves judged with the ungodly. Indeed, if we ignore the voice of God's ministry, we become, by our willfulness, ungodly. "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not." (Job 33:14) 

Whom do we consult? The man of God, or the Internet? God provides His servants with "present truth" sufficient to meet the needs of His people for today. If we listen to the wrong voices, we will find ourselves judged with the ungodly. Indeed, if we ignore the voice of God's ministry, we become, by our willfulness, ungodly. "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not." (Job 33:14) God's people ought to be tuned in to His channel, but it seems as we are distracted by the cares of this world.

The apostle Paul wrote, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise" (Ephesians 5:15).  In modern English, the passage translates as: "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise." (ibid, NIV) Brother Singh has repeatedly reminded us that head knowledge of scripture is worthless if we fail to experience a heart conversion that changes our lives. Theory cannot save us! Walking as children of light, not as children of darkness, will seal our redemption. To walk circumspectly means to live a lifestyle worthy of our calling by God.