2Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
If it look like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be a duck is not always true. A robotic duck can do all of that, but it is not a duck.
There are many groups that have buildings they call churches and use Christ's name, but are not of the Body. Some were, but have apostatized. Others were started by tares and false prophets who appropriated many external forms of Christianity and wrest Scripture out of context and redefine terms. They have form, but deny the power.
Indeed, there are many men coming out of seminaries that are practically atheists as they do not believe in heaven or hell, the resurrection, the virgin birth, creation, inspiration or much else to the point that you have to wonder why they even went to seminary and why the institution calls itself a seminary.
2Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
That many weird groups have risen and are rising while once solid groups are apostatizing is no real surprise. We are in the last days and the devil likes to deceive with knock off versions of Christianity and to destroy flocks from within.
Many founders of the mainlines would not be welcome anymore. Many have strayed so far from what their Founders taught let alone from the Word to no longer be a part of His Church. They are harlots and with a form or appearance of godliness, but have denied the power and thus have no power.
The power is in the Gospel which they have completely tossed away or morphed to their own definitions. However, even those who have remained true to the Gospel in that they still hold the truth about Jesus, His substitutionary atonement, resurrection, His return and the inspiration of Scriptures still lack power.
Many preach sound expositional sermons and still do not see much fruit in their ministry, if any. They have the word, but not the power. Having been a cessationist for forty years, I believe I understand why. They have a full understanding of God and Jesus, but no much the Holy Spirit. They have hobbled Him and told Him what He can and cannot do on suppositions that are not fully based on Scripture.
They also look at people who are fakes or are the abusing the gifts like the Corinthians and throw the baby out of the bathwater. Some Scriptures are taught in a way that the Scripture does not mean and confuses the issue. Other things come from silence or perhaps best said as eisegesis not exegesis. Thus the Holy Spirit will only work as much as they allow by their belief.
Matthew 13:58 And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Unlike many cessationist folks, I do not cast all cessationists into Hell because they are not believing in all the gifts of the Spirit. They tend to look at some and judge all. They do however lack some power and they wonder why people are not saved or why they do not grow in Christ. It may be because they are not allowing the Spirit to do what He wants because they do not believe He will do it. The gift they need may well be the one they reject as well as the ones their people need.
The groups that have only the form we need to avoid and pull real believers out of them. They will not reform or restore the group once the leaders have departed from the faith. Paul said to come out of such a situation, not try to recapture it. Pull the brands from the fire, but do not go into the fire.
The groups who think believe that God, the Father, does not change and Jesus, the same yesterday, to day and forever, but the Holy Spirit has been relieved of some of His duties just love them and teach them gently.
Live love and truth in front of them and take no offense of what they may say. You can only change so much, so fast. There is hope. I was a pretty hard nut to crack and had the full body IFB tat and assumed that all non-cessationists were either crazy or lost.
Study and speak the truth in love. God will do the work!! Maranatha!
