The Last Church: A Handbook for the Remnant

By John Fitzpatrick

Many Christians today feel that there is no place for them to call a church home. They can't accept the things that they see happening in almost every church. How did the churches get that way? What are these disenfranchised Christians to do. Where can they go? Is there anyone else out there searching and wondering? Does God have a plan for them and for the future? Is there a remnant? How do I know if I am part of that remnant?
All these questions and many more are answered in this unvarnished and unapologetic look at the churches of today and the future.
The reader will find how they too can become a member of the the last days remnant church. As they wait for the unveiling of this hidden church, they can plan for a glorious future for them and their families while preparing for the tribulations to come. Learn how the last church will be built and find your place in the construction crew. Honest and incisive. Asking all the right questions and providing the right answers to those who are truly seeking the truth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Fitzpatrick
• Release date: Apr 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781310385018

John Fitzpatrick

About the author Retired as a senior officer, after 20 years of service, with Navy Intelligence, John (really known as Jack---actually Montana Jack), after several years of self-destruction, managed to turn around and find the Lord in, of all places, the Catholic Church Charismatic Renewal. After reading, just a part of the Bible, he fled for higher ground in the local Assembly of God church. He found a wonderful and patient wife and friend in Eileen, another refugee from the Catholic Church. Together, they share 15 children, 39 grandchildren and 12 (+/-) great grandkids. A year later, they began a journey of discovery and learning that started with preaching the Gospel in the streets of Missoula, Montana. Traveling across the country to Florida, they found a small little group in St. Petersburg that taught all the deep treasures of the Bible and insisted that everyone try to live up to them. After spending six years learning and teaching at the Christian Service Center, they left for places unknown. The journey of exploration and discovery continued as they traveled from place to place all over the country---visiting over 100 (mostly full Gospel/Pentecostal) churches. They met truly “sold out for Jesus” Christians everywhere----except in the churches. Slowly the realization came that Jesus had left the churches. But the churches, and those in them, never noticed. The quest for the answers was eventually successful but is not yet completed. This sharing book is the product of over 30 years of searching, thousands upon thousands of hours of studying and reading. Add to that, untold hours understanding the importance of the Holy Spirit and then being schooled in all the things about God and His glorious kingdom. Oh yes, “Montana Jack” was a name years in the making accorded to me by my wonderful brothers in song as we shared 50 years of ringing chords in the barbershop harmony style and as they followed me in my travels.

Book preview

THE LAST CHURCH

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2017 John Fitzpatrick

Unless otherwise noted, scripture taken from the Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

"Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author."

Contents

Preface

Chapter One How it is

Chapter Two About History

Chapter Three Does God have a new Plan?

Chapter Four About the last church and our place in it-Part 1

Chapter Five About the last church and our place in it –Part 2

Chapter Six About New Testament models and lessons

Chapter Seven The wall is broken down

Chapter Eight Appendix A---Resources

Final thoughts of the author

About the author

Preface

By faith Noah, being divinely warned about things not yet seen, moved with Godly fear, prepared an ark to save his family by which he condemned the world and became an heir of righteousness that comes by faith (Heb 11:7)

Down through the ages since the birth of the church, at Pentecost, the influence of man and his fallen nature has caused a progressive falling away from God and purity of the Gospel. From time to time, the Holy Spirit has intervened, to stop the decline, by giving some new revelation of an old truth, to an ardent seeker of truth. Each revelation, when given, served for some brief period to bring things back to God.

Christian history is replete with stories of great men who sought and received these momentous revelations beginning with Martin Luther and leading up to the Azusa Street revival on the early 1900’s.

Tragically, these revelations served only as the first stage in a repetitive cycle which had this pattern: Revelation, Proclamation of the revelation, Formation of a denomination and hierarchy around a man, development of a denominational doctrine, exclusion of all other beliefs, turning away from the Holy Spirit and ending in Spiritual decline and eventual death.

Excluded from the place He was once welcomed with great exuberance, the Holy Spirit moved along to the next ardent seeker of truth where He imparted some new wisdom and truth, beginning the cycle again and again----with the same sad ending. Those endless cycles of death have brought us to the church of today-----a dead, rudderless, directionless and leaderless institution going nowhere---- and doing so at full speed.

Devoted only to the world and its corrupt value system, the church no longer seeks the counsel and power of its founder, the Holy Spirit of promise and truth. Generations of false conversions have led to a cadre of hireling false shepherds preaching a gospel of comfort and ease to congregations with no sense of discernment. Like mindless automatons, they show up every Sunday to have their ears tickled quickly ----in time for the afternoon football games.

Sunday after Sunday, they practice the same dead rituals, giving assurance to the flesh but never reaching the spirit man. The Holy Spirit departed long ago. His wise counsel and the wall of separation he provided has been replaced by windows, open to the world and all of its influence. Look out the window and be assured that you are in conformity to current popular trends----and still keeping one step ahead of that lost and dying world. Perversity has already begun to creep in to these tombs. Homosexuals are being married and called to leadership in this worldly church. Perversity that will rival that of every prior civilization will be the last step on the road to eternal damnation. Sound doctrine has been replaced with philosophical discourse and political correctness.

Over all these years, God has always had a secret remnant that was solely devoted to Him and His glorious kingdom. Solely dependant on His province and the guidance, protection and direction of the Holy Spirit, this small remnant has passed the torch to succeeding generations. This tiny flame has always been there----secret and hidden from the eyes and influence of the world and the religious Pharisees. A bruised reed He shall not break, and the smoking falx He shall not quench; He shall bring forth justice faithfully (Is 42:3)

This final version of God’s secret church is being prepared for an unveiling in the very near future. God has taken steps to ensure that perversion of His pure doctrine and love can never find a way into His remnant. He has simply kept them apart from one another until He alone is ready to bring them into view of this world, with power and glory, including Holy Spirit inspired preaching of the Gospel of His peace and reconciliation ------followed by signs and wonders.

When will it all happen? Only God alone knows that time and the date. This remnant is only tasked with preparing themselves for that unveiling---both physically and spiritually. The last days of this earth and this civilization will be marked by violence, death and deprivation. The remnant must be prepared for all that is to come, by learning to really rely on God for everything.

It is the purpose of this book to attempt to explain what has happened to the church and to assure those who are listening that they must get out of the dead pagan church and get themselves ready for the coming tribulation. Start by living a holy and set apart life with everyday and constant reliance on the Holy Spirit. Do not try to hook up with others to form a group. If God wants you to do so, He and He alone will make it happen. Nothing will have to be organized or forced.

Strengthen your faith. Exercise discernment in every area of your life. Be prepared to become a vital part of a holy and living temple. Start building your own wall of separation from the wickedness of the world. Do everything you can to shut out worldly influence over the values and decisions of your family. Learn to be in the world but not of it. Recognize that your citizenship is in heaven. Preach the gospel where you can. Spread the world to those who are listening. Help them to find the way out of the pagan church and into the last day remnant church of the living God. Start accumulating and storing food and other supplies that you might need for the worse deprivations that you can imagine.

Really begin to study the Bible as you have never studied before. The single best defense against the lies and deceptions, that are promised to come, is the armor of the truth. Ephesians Chapter Six describes, in detail, the armor of God. Notice that the first element of that armor is the belt of truth. The coming deceptions are going to be so powerful and subtle that many will fall away. Make certain that it won’t be you or your family or friends.

This book will not provide all the answers. Hopefully, the author has shared some things he has discovered on his own personal journey as he travels back to Jerusalem to help rebuild The Last Church of the last day’s remnant. Take what you find here and continue your own journey. Be certain to share your travels with others on the same road to discovery. Continue to seek the truth, preach the Gospel and, above all else, be prepared physically and spiritually.

Hold on, with all of your strength to this (and every) promise of God: But now, thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob and He who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name and you are mine. When you pass through waters I will be with you. And the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame kindle on you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of the Israel, your savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom , Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My Sight, you have been honorable and I have loved you; therefore, I will give men for you and people for your life. Do not fear for I am with you…………… (Is 43:1-5)

As it was in the days of Noah, the end of days will be upon all of us long before we realize----and suddenly.

Chapter One

How it is

About the church today

Now the Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith and pay attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their consciences seared with a hot iron………. (1 Tim 4:1-2)

Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself as God (2Thes 2:3-4)

With every head bowed and every eye closed. If you want to ask Jesus into your heart, just hold up your hand and I will see it.

How many times have we heard those words and accepted them as a true representation of what is related in the Bible---as the real Gospel. For many earnest believers it is the only Gospel that they have ever heard and they hear it again and again----every Sunday.

What the Bible really says is: REPENT and be saved. Yet myriads of people truly believe that they have come to the Lord and been saved without ever having repented of their sins. You might wonder how one can lead a Christian life if they never truly entered into it.

The second chapter of Thessalonians warns us that the day of Jesus will not come until a great falling away has occurred. Actually the great falling away occurred in the 4th century. Since that time, the Holy Spirit has tried to resuscitate the church by offering, over the years, clear and progressive revelation to certain men of faith.

Unfortunately, every time the Holy Spirit shared these new insights of revelation, and they were proclaimed, men gathered to the (so called) prophetic voice, formed groups and groups of groups (denominations) and elected leaders. Eventually, the leaders sensed that beliefs, contrary to the mainstream tenets of their new work, were creeping in and threatening the orthodoxy, they now had to protect.

The next natural order of business was to hold a church council, establish a statement of beliefs and require all members to swear allegiance to these tenets----or be sanctioned.

All of this gathering, and walling off, effectively shut out and silenced the Holy Spirit-----the founder of the church and the one who gives inspiration, truth and power to the church and to individual believers.

Disappointed, but undeterred, the Holy Spirit took the box, that the nascent denomination had built for themselves, put it up on a shelf, and moved along to impart more truth to another faith filled man, in an effort to start anew with this next revelation of