EXTREME OWNERSHIP

The Apostle Paul unashamedly preaching the Gospel in Corinth

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” -Philippians 2:12-13

In today’s spiritual climate, it's become common—even popular—to blame churches, pastors, denominations, or movements for our theological confusion or spiritual disillusionment. It might feel justified because of the rampant abuse of power, theological compromise, celebrity pastors, and doctrinal drift that exist everywhere today. But before playing the blame-game, let's consider how any of those things happen in the first place. God's WORD exposes the reality that it's all because people loved darkness rather than the LIGHT (John 3:19).

People love their excuses. And what better excuse than to stand before God and attempt to blame people like: Joel Osteen, T. D. Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Bill Johnson, Todd White, Lou Engel, Mike Bickle, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, Rob Bell... and countless others for not taking ownership of their faith?

The problem is two fold: First, God's WORD reveals, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Yes, it's true that false teachers, prophets, apostles, and preachers will indeed be judged for their deception (2 Peter 2:1–3), but King Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish...” Everyone will give a personal account to God for what we did, and what we failed to do. Attempting to point the finger at anyone, rather than owning it, is a fatally flawed strategy.

Second, God has repeatedly warned us about the scallywags, scoundrels, nefarious reprobates, charlatans, hooligans, and hypocrites. In the Old Testament we read, “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you... and says, ‘Let us go after other gods’... you shall not listen... For the Lord your God is testing you.” Over and over again in the New Testament we read passages like, “The Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.”

Therefore, the bottom line is that people don't get duped because they are innocent. It happens because they invite it. Romans 1:18 reveals that people suppress the truth in their wickedness, their love of the darkness rather than light, in their seeking the teachings of deceitful spirits, and listening to demons rather than the voice of the Good Shepherd. That’s why consumer oriented megachurches preaching lies and false gospels are packed to overflowing.

Goats will eat anything.

God didn't just warn us about these things, He also told us what to do about it.

Warnings! Part of the Gospel:

Jesus Himself said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). The Apostle Paul warned repeatedly of deceivers who would twist Scripture, preach a different gospel, or lead entire churches astray (Acts 20:29–30; 2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6–9; 2 Timothy 4:3–4).

Peter said many would follow destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1–3), and Jude wrote that certain people would sneak into the church unnoticed and distort the grace of God into a license for sin (Jude 3–4).

These warnings aren’t hypothetical—they’re historical, and they’re happening right now. So here’s the sobering truth: If people fall for the lies, it’s not because they weren’t warned. It’s not simply because they didn’t listen to the warnings. It's because they want to be deceived. They want to live in rebellion rather than living for Christ. They've put their hope in excuses rather than in King Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God.

Blame Doesn’t Save — Christ Does:

Yes, false teachers exist. Yes, countless churches have gone off the rails and failed miserably. But Jesus never said, “Follow personalities.” He said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19).

When we blame others (or even culture) for our spiritual confusion and delusions, we’re saying—whether we realize it or not—is that Jesus hasn’t provided, the Bible isn’t sufficient, the warnings in Scripture were lacking, and that the Holy Spirit failed at His job.

All lies.

God has given us:

• The Word – divinely inspired, inerrant, perfect, and wholly sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

• The Holy Spirit – to lead us, seal us, teach us, and to guide us into all truth (John 16:13)

• The Church – yes, imperfect this side of heaven, but it's imperfection is part of God's perfect design (Ephesians 4:11–16)

• Clear warnings – reaching unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ, so we don't fall to the shifting wind of false doctrines (Ephesians 4:13-14)

The question isn’t What have others done to distort truth? There’s no end to what masquerading charlatans do in the name of Christ, and no wonder! Their father, the Devil, masquerades as an angel of light! The proper question is: Are you seeking the Truth for yourself? Are you taking ownershp of your faith? Are you diving into God’s WORD for yourself?

Stop Consuming. Start Contending:

If you’re disillusioned with church, with Christianity, or with pastors, welcome to the club. But let me ask: Are you reading God's Word for relationship or personal prosperity and blessings? Are you diving into God's Word to know the Divine Author or for trivial bits of spiritual crack for a spiritual high to get you through your day? Are you listening to sermons and podcasts for uplifting words of affirmation or searching the Scriptures for divine revelation? Are you praying and pleading with the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth? Are you living out John 3:30, "He must increase; I must diminish"?

The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians:

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" -2 Corinthians 13:5

The objective test is not your personal feelings. It’s not about your past hurts, hang-ups, or habits. It’s not about your opinion of the church or God’s redemptive plan. The test is the unchanging, perfect, and sufficient Word of God — objective, eternal, and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).

The “Jesus Inside You” Lie:

One of the most dangerous errors today is the idea that since “Jesus is in me,” Therefore, I don’t need to repent and turn from sin to Him. I don't need to worship Him, submit to Him, or be ruled by His authoritative Sovereign Word. That’s not Christianity. That’s called self-deification. It's the same sin that Satan succumb to in Isaiah 14:12–15. It's the sin of egotistical, narcissistic, idolatrous self-worship cloaked in pseudo-spiritual language.

The real Jesus—the eternal Son of God—commands us to deny ourselves, not affirm ourselves (Luke 9:23). He doesn’t come into our lives to validate our misguided beliefs. He doesn’t take up residence on the throne of hearts that are deceitful above all things and occupied by you. He comes when we yield and surrender to Him. He can only transform us through our repentance, being born again, and our total surrender to Him as our God, Creator, and King… as The only Way, The only Truth, and The only Life… the ONLY way to the Father.

False theology frequently takes a sliver of biblical truth (e.g. that Christ dwells in the believer by the Holy Spirit) and twists it into a narcissistic doctrine of self-deification. But the real Jesus—the King of kings, Lord of lords, and Eternal Son of God—demands, commands, and receives EXCLUSIVE worship, not as an option or a suggestion; it is His divine right as God the Son.

Jesus Is to Be Worshiped:

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” -Genesis 49:10

➡️ This is a Messianic prophecy. The tribe of Judah would bear the King, and to Him (Christ Jesus) belongs obedience and allegiance from all peoples.

“Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” -Psalm 2:12

➡️ The Son is divine, and rejecting Him brings judgment. Worshiping Him brings blessing.

“Behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man... and to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him…” -Daniel 7:13–14

➡️ This “Son of Man” is Jesus. He receives and is due divine worship, reserved for God alone.

“And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” -Matthew 14:33

“He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped Him.” -John 9:38

“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” -Philippians 2:9–11

➡️ This is obvious worship language — bowing is a posture of submission and adoration. King Jesus is not a feeling or a “force” inside you — He is the exalted Lord, seated on high. He is the eternal Son of God.

“For by Him all things were created... and He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together... that in everything He might be preeminent.” -Colossians 1:15–20

“Let all God’s angels worship Him.” -Hebrews 1:6

➡️ If angels worship Jesus, what makes us think we don’t have to?

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” -Revelation 5:11–14

➡️ Heaven worships Christ eternally. You don’t get to rewrite that theology. You either join the song, or you’re on the outside looking in.

Desperate Dependency, Not Detached Disbelief:

The only path forward is not spiritual deconstruction — it’s desperate dependency on the Holy Spirit. Cry out to God. Ask Him to open your eyes. Ask Him to bless you with the gift of faith - not mere belief! Even the demons believe and tremble! Open His Word and keep reading it until it reads you. Don’t strive to apply God’s WORD to your life! You read that RIGHT! Instead, our desire must be to apply our lives to God’s WORD for His glory! Don't settle for vague and worthless spirituality. Don’t follow the crowd into counterfeit Christianity, i.e. the wide path that leads to destruction! Stop blaming and start owning your relationship with Christ Jesus.

He is not far from any of us. But only those who seek Him on His terms will find Him.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.” -Revelation 3:20

Final Encouragement:

If you’ve been burned by false teachers and their false teachings, I’m sorry. So were the Bereans, the Galatians, and the Colossians. They didn’t quit. They searched the Scriptures daily to see if Paul's teachings were true and accurate (Acts 17:11). Take ownership. If you've recognized the garbage you've been fed in the past as such, thank God! Jesus' sheep hear and know the voice of the Good Shepherd! Worldly self-help psycho-babble isn't the answer. Stop consuming pseudo-spiritual junk food from Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, and Oprah.

As C. S. Lewis once stated, "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." There's no substitute for the pure, powerful, living Word of God. Are you hungry for that? How can anyone truly say they love Jesus, the eternal WORD of God, and not desire to know Him personally through His WORD?

In the end, blaming others won’t justify anyone before God. Only Jesus will.

We must know Him. Not just in name. Not as bits of trivia or as a prophet or holy man. Not in ecstatic emotional experiences either. But in truth. By His Holy Spirit and through the washing of the WORD. We know Him through His WORD and the Father's revealed will. King Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

Is your hope truly and exclusively in Jesus, the eternal Son of God, our incarnate, crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended, and returning King? Or is your hope in living your best life now? Is it in your ability to justify sinful rebellion, self-worship, and love for darkness while banking on lame excuses? Have you truly taken extreme ownership of your faith and accountability to God? If not, the words you'll hear are these: "I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!"

For as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that all are without excuse."

Blessings & love,

Kevin M. Kelley

Pastor

Big Island Christian Church