Tag Christian Awakening

JETTISONING JESUS

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

A Watchman Report on Foundations, Feasts, and the Straw House of Modern Churchianity

There are moments in history when a people drift so gradually from their foundation. They do not realize the ground beneath them has shifted. This happens until the earth itself begins to tremble.

The modern church stands in such a moment.

We have not merely wandered from the ancient paths. We have quietly dismantled them, piece by piece. All the while, we convince ourselves that the structure still stands.

We have tossed out far more than the proverbial baby with the bathwater. We discarded the bathwater and the tub. We also discarded the plumbing and the blueprints. Additionally, we discarded the very foundation stones upon which God Himself once built His house. In their place, we erected a sentimental straw cottage. It is charming in December and pastel‑pretty in April. However, it is utterly incapable of withstanding the slightest gust of truth or trial.

This is not exaggeration.
It is diagnosis.

God’s Feasts: The Blueprint with Jesus’ DNA Embedded in Every Line

The feasts of the Lord were never cultural artifacts or Jewish relics. They were the architecture of redemption—the prophetic calendar of the Messiah, the divine storyline etched into time itself.

Scripture declares plainly:

“These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” (Leviticus 23:4)

Every feast carries the unmistakable imprint of Christ:

  • Passover — “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)
  • Unleavened Bread — the sinless One laid in the tomb
  • Firstfruits — “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
  • Pentecost — the Spirit poured out (Acts 2)
  • Trumpets — the King’s return, “at the last trumpet.” (1 Corinthians 15:52)
  • Atonement — the Day of Judgment (Leviticus 16)
  • Tabernacles — God dwelling with man (Zechariah 14:16)

These are not rituals.
They are revelations.

They are God’s fingerprints pressed into the calendar of creation.

And because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), His ways do not change.

The Cornerstone We Quietly Replaced

Scripture is unambiguous:

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 3:11)

And again:

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” (Psalm 118:22)

Yet modern Churchianity has replaced the Cornerstone with seasonal mascots and cultural nostalgia.

We crowned Santa Claus the patron saint of December.
We enthroned the Easter Bunny as the herald of spring.
We wrapped the birth of Christ in tinsel and sentiment.
We draped His resurrection in pastel eggs and plastic grass.

We did not remove Jesus from the church.
We simply replaced the foundation beneath Him.

We swapped God’s blueprint for a man‑made substitute and convinced ourselves the house was still sound.

But a house built on straw can not endure the wind.

The Straw House and the Big Bad Wolf

Jesus told this story long before the Brothers Grimm imagined three pigs and a wolf. He spoke of two builders. The first builder dug deep and laid his foundation on rock. The second builder built quickly, confidently, and carelessly upon sand.

“The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:27)

When we replace:

  • God’s feasts with man’s festivals
  • God’s patterns with cultural traditions
  • God’s blueprint with sentimental holidays
  • we are building on sand.

The Illusion That ‘Jesus Fulfilled the Feasts’

One of the most successful deceptions in Churchianity is the claim:

“Jesus fulfilled the feasts, so we don’t need them.”

But the feasts were never about ritual. They were about revelation.

Jesus did not abolish them. He filled them with Himself.

To discard them is to discard:

  • the architecture of redemption
  • the prophetic map of salvation
  • the timeline of the Messiah
  • the continuity of Scripture
  • the foundation God Himself laid

We kept the vocabulary of Jesus while jettisoning the calendar that reveals Him.
We kept the holidays but lost the holy days.
We kept the name of Christ but replaced the Cornerstone with seasonal pageantry.

A Wake‑Up Call, Not a Hammer

This message is not written to condemn. It is written because the enemy is playing for keeps.

The church has been lulled into a coma-induced apathy. It is a soft spiritual slumber where straw feels like stone. Substitutes feel like Scripture. He has convinced us that God’s appointed times are obsolete. Yet, he ensures that Christmas and Easter—those unfulfilled, uncommanded, culturally crafted observances—return every year without question.

It is a masterful illusion.
And the church has swallowed it whole.

But the Lord is sounding a wake‑up alarm.

Not a gentle nudge.
Not a polite reminder.
A trumpet blast.
A watchman’s cry.

Epistle to the Churches of This Age

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

To the assemblies scattered across cities and suburbs, grace to you. This extends across denominations and traditions. It reaches across sanctuaries filled with worshipers who bear the name of Christ yet often lack His life. Peace comes from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Call to Awakening

I write not to condemn you, but to awaken you. For many among you have received a form of godliness yet deny the power thereof. You have inherited the customs of your fathers. You have learned the doctrines of your teachers. You have followed the rhythms of your denominations. However, you have not discerned the one thing that marks the children of God: the indwelling Spirit.

For it is written, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” (Romans 8:14) And again, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9) These words stand as a witness. They oppose every tradition that substitutes ritual for regeneration. Ceremony is not a replacement for union with Christ.

The Cross: The Place of Death, Not the Source of Life

You have been taught to look to the cross as the place of power. However, the cross is the place of death. It is holy, yes, for there the Lamb of God bore the sin of the world. But the cross does not indwell you. The cross does not breathe life into you. The cross does not lead you. The cross does not seal you. The cross is the altar where the old life ends, not the wellspring from which the new life flows.

The Water: A Symbol, Not the Substance

You have been taught to look to the water as the moment of new birth. Yet the water is but a sign. It testifies to burial and resurrection, but it does not impart the life it symbolizes. For the Lord Himself declared, “It is the Spirit who gives life.” (John 6:63) And again, “Unless one is born of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5) The water may wash the body, but only the Spirit washes the heart.

The Misplaced Celebrations of the Church

You have been taught to celebrate the seasons of Christ’s earthly life. His birth is celebrated with pageantry. His death is honored with solemnity. His resurrection is marked with lilies and trumpets. Yet you have neglected the day on which His life entered you. You have adorned your sanctuaries for Christmas but scarcely lifted your eyes for Pentecost. You have honored the manger where He lay. However, you have not honored the upper room where He came to dwell within His people.

Christ’s birth brought no forgiveness. His birth brought no indwelling. His birth brought no power. The incarnation is the miracle of God with us, but Pentecost is the miracle of God in us. And without the Spirit, you remain forgiven yet powerless, cleansed yet empty, religious yet unchanged.

The Spirit: The True Mark of Belonging

Do you not know that the Spirit is the seal of your salvation? It is the witness of your adoption. It is the life of Christ within you. Do you not know that apart from the Spirit, no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except as empty words? Do you not know that the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God?

Why then do so many of you live as though the Christian life is a matter of doctrine alone? Or is it merely morality? Or solely tradition? Why do you cling to the cross yet resist the Spirit? Why do you honor the water yet ignore the fire? Why do you celebrate the birth of Christ yet neglect the birth of the Church?

I fear for you, beloved, that you have embraced a Christianity defined by your denomination rather than by the Scriptures. Many say, “We are Baptist.” Others declare, “We are Methodist,” or “We are Reformed.” Some claim, “We are Catholic,” or “We are non‑denominational.” Yet few say, “We are led by the Spirit of God.”

And yet this alone is the mark of the children of God.

Not your creed, tradition, baptism, church membership, your moral conduct, nor your theological precision.

The Question That Will Be Asked on That Day

For on that Day, when many will say, “Lord, Lord,” He will not ask for your denominational statement. He will not inquire about your church attendance. He will not review your religious résumé. He will ask one question alone: Did My Spirit dwell in you?

For those who are led by the Spirit of God—these, and only these, are the children of God.

The Final Exhortation

Therefore, I write to you with urgency: return to the foundation laid by Christ and His apostles. Do not stop at the cross, for the cross is the place of death. Do not stop at the water, for the water is the place of symbol. Press on to Pentecost, where the life of God enters the soul of man.

Let every church, therefore, examine itself. Let every pastor search his own heart. Let every believer ask, not “Do I know Christ?” but “Does Christ know me?” For He knows His own by the Spirit, He has given them.

And now I say to you plainly. I speak without hesitation or apology:
All churches should be Pentecostal — not by denomination, but by indwelling. They should not be Pentecostal by style, but by Spirit. They should not be characterized by emotionalism, but by the life‑changing dynamism of God Himself dwelling within His people.

Benediction

May the Lord awaken His Church to the fullness of His salvation. May the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwell richly in you all.

Grace be with you in the Spirit

of our Lord Jesus Christ.