Preaching and teaching is a calling, NOT A BUSINESS. Beware of those who try to make it a business, and therefore, effectively pilfer your bank account and possibly your soul, making merchandise of you.
Beware of these guys! So-called “Discernment Ministries” who’ve sprouted up all over the place since the advent of the Internet. Many of them I believe the enemy is using to lay a snare for the disillusioned or disenfranchised who’ve come out of the institutional denominational churches, and who are looking for a fellowship.
The first thing to ask yourself when drawn into one of these blogs, websites, or on Pal Talk, is how do you know this person has discernment? That’s pretty bottom-line, right? I mean, just because they say they have discernment doesn’t make it truth does it? Who exactly has made them the dispensers of God’s Word and Truth? The way it looks, if you think about it, THEY DID. Isn’t that what they’re saying when they advertise their blog, or website?
Look, I’m not saying that all online ministry sites are evil, or that they are perverting the Word of God, but think about it honestly….there is a great possibility that they just might be.What do you actually know about these types of “ministries”, since you can’t look them in the eye, face to face, to be able to examine the spiritual fruits in their lives? Would you make a serious business deal with a stranger, that you couldn’t meet and see eye to eye with the person? Of course not. Folks, where it comes to our spiritual walk down the Christian road, other than giving over one’s will and very life, lock, stock and barrel to our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, one of the most important issues in our entire lives;……………….. it’s of vital importance to know who and what we are dealing with. The choices we make in this will most certainly affect our walk with Jesus, and our complete life’s destiny, not to mention the effect on our stewardship.
If these, what I call Mystery Meat “discernment ministries” or “Watchmen” so-called, are dishing out material based on their view of doctrine, then we’d better be doubly cautious. We’re admonished by scripture time and time again, and by the Lord Jesus Christ’s own words to beware of false doctrine, false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, deception, merchandisers of the Word of God, thinking godliness is gain. We need to be sure that what we are hearing and taking into our spirits lines up with the Word of God, as led by the Holy Spirit.
And beware of that PayPal acct, and donations page on their sites. This could be a sign they have a vested interest in gathering disciples unto themselves. Jesus warned that “The love of money is the root of ALL EVIL”. Why? Simply because money has the potential to have a corrupting influence in a person’s life.
Are these men, (and women) telling us they can’t go out and get a JOB!? Apostle Paul did; so as not to be a burden to the church, as well as to lead by example.
I was checking out some of these sites on the Internet, and came across a site warning about such discernment ministries and heresy hunters. This was one that I felt was right on, and in line with scriptural warning to avoid them: http://www.templebuilders.com/anointing/16.htm What it had to say is what has been bugging me for a long time now. Many Christians have been watching the movie instead of reading the BOOK!
Study the Word of God, and pray over it, asking the Holy Spirit, your teacher to teach you from scripture. Like the Bereans!
Acts 17:11
In that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
These things may be of God, but the word may contain leaven. There was a big problem with false doctrine at the church at Corinth and the first chapters of Corinthians deal with it. The church at Berea on the other hand, only received truth and searched it out. It did not matter if it came from Paul or Peter, or if someone was healed prior to the word, or if the fellowship was in love, THEY SEARCHED and so must you search as well, daily whether those things are so in scripture.
This word I am speaking to you may be 99% pure unadulterated word that produces the life of The Anointed One – Jesus, and 1% of that which is tainted by my soulish, natural man. We must discern and receive that which relates to Him only. Sometimes you may have to hear “99%” of that which pertains to the soul and God will change you with the “1%”, like the pearl of great price, you searched it out and rejected all but that one pearl. Jesus is that Pearl; He Who is the Word of God.
“Do you say, “I am of this denomination” or “I of that movement” and “I of this teacher”
It is so easy to allow the revelation of other men to dictate our lives. These men are used of God but none were crucified for you! Early in my Christian walk I had no confidence to hear from God in His Word. I was hungry yet I turned to books written by men and only occasionally read scripture in comparison. Book after book after book until I was totally confused. I resembled these men’s version of Jesus and their view of the Christian lifestyle instead of Him Who sits on the throne and the walk He called me to. This will prevent us from having the mind of Christ. I see so often those in the church will follow a prophet or teacher who has written books and holds conferences, they promote individuals who are but men, and many times will follow them indiscriminately and consequently will receive the error that accompany these men. Many times the same will stop following one – to follow another. This always indicates immaturity; we have yet to get to God’s “more excellent way”. God allows this only temporarily and will use these immature ways in our life in spite of our improper balance and sedition to these men, but there will one day come the REBUKE to mature in – “what food” we have ordered for our table.
What is “Sound Doctrine”? Are we being built up in sound doctrine? That depends on what we are doing in our Christian walk. Are we staying in the Master’s House, in the Bible, or are we listening to or reading commentaries of others take on what God is saying?
Sound Doctrine – Reserved Only For The Matthew 13:8 Good Ground
Are we reporting on what the devil is doing?…. which only gives him more power….in the church, or even in our own lives. And, are we speaking the Truth in Love? One time the Lord corrected me rather sternly when I was critical of some obviously wrong things that were going on in a church I belonged to at the time. This had to do with the new preacher the church had hired. The Lord said this to me,
This is MY CHURCH, not your Church. You are to simply speak the Truth in Love”. In other words, it was not up to me to do any correcting. Truth- there is sin in a multitude of words. Or, hasty words. Sometimes it shows far more spiritual maturity to be silent on a matter and simply go to the Lord in prayer, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal which course to take. It may that of simply minding our own business, and allowing the Lord to work things out, whatever the problem may be.
“Many believers and even ministers are afraid to go to the Word and obtain revelation from the Holy Spirit. They depend on someone else’s revelation or insight. Many churchgoers have formed most of their doctrine from the Pastor’s doctrine.
Ø Evaluate your own doctrine.
Ø Is it based on what you were taught by a minister?
Ø Or is it based on you being in the written word, and in relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s anointing inside of you, being taught of God?
Rev 1:6
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion
Does this mean I do not need my Pastor? God Forbid, Pastors are called to feed God’s sheep. They are a gift to you whereby God’s anointing will speak to you.
I Jn 2:27
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. (NKJ)
Jesus is the Word of God and you must have a relationship with the Word. No one can have that relationship for you. The Pharisee knew the written word not the Living Word or they would have recognized Jesus when He appeared to them. You also will miss Jesus’ appearing in your walk if you don’t know Him Who is the Word.
John 5:38-39
“But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (NKJ)
Ø Only those that seek Him diligently in His Word shall be rewarded.
Ø And what is that reward?
Ø Jesus Christ is that reward.
Ø You are rewarded with the nature of Jesus inside of you.
When you became born again, you sought Jesus, and received the Word concerning salvation, and you were rewarded with the gift of salvation, by grace, nothing you did to merit it. At that point the image of God was born; but just as a seed has an image of a full grown plant on the inside of it, so do you have the image of a “full grown servant in Christ” on the inside of you.
The purpose of scripture is to point you to Jesus! They testify of Him. For example the book of Revelation is not a book of end day events, it is a book that points to Jesus and the culmination of the plans of God that can be found in His Son and His Son’s body; because we are Christ’s we belong to Him. If you read Revelation to obtain knowledge about end day events without knowing the Son, then it is time to come to repentance, because we have made the same error as the Scribe and Pharisee. May God show us the difference!
It is all about relationship – an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. If you got saved and have been living as a Christian and have yet to come to this place, then it is time to abase yourself before Him and choose to desire Him above all things. If you are proud of your “new doctrine” but it is really a doctrine that draws you away, instead of towards Jesus, then toss it! If anything offends you, cut it off, pluck it out. If it is anything that separates you from His love, even a seemingly spiritual thing or a noble thing, then I exhort you to get rid of it before the sun goes down. Maybe the issue God is dealing with you has to do with the “television set”, music or what you read. Whatever issue the Holy Spirit deals with you concerning – cast it away.
If the law, which was the ministry of death, shone with glory on the face of Moses, to the end that he wore a veil, then how much more the glory found in the ministry of the Spirit. Jesus says let him who has eyes to see and ears to hear, hear what the Spirit of God is saying to YOU! Hear God for yourself. God will use His servants to edify you, but He wants a personal relationship with you in the revelation of Who Jesus is, seeing Him in the spirit, as He is, not what someone related to you that He looked like.
Many times we can get distracted into teachings about “the Hebrew code” or other teachings that do not pertain to preaching Jesus and Him crucified. Satan would love for you to consume your time on such things to prevent you from hearing the meat of God’s Word. In your distraction you will remain in God’s Outer Court and you will FAIL TO REACH DOWN TO PULL UP OTHERS OUT OF THE PIT. These types of distractions are distractions away from the feet of Jesus. We tend to think that the “thorns that distract” relate to just the natural things of secular life, however you can be distracted by the seemingly spiritual things in life as well. These distractions will choke the word in your heart. There is one counterfeit for ministry that distracts as well as destroys, it is called heresy hunting, and has become popular in the church. The principles and tactics that they use have always been in use but now their focus has taken on a majority of their ministry instead of just an element.
How Paul Dealt with Heresy
Prov 15:1-4
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good. A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit. (NAS)
Heresy must be dealt with in the church, but our way of dealing with it may not be God’s way of dealing with it. God shows us His way through Paul, who was a spiritual father to the gentile church and could therefore speak to them as none other could concerning heresy and false doctrine. Many in the body who take up the role of exposing “ministers involved with heresy” will use Paul as their example – but they do not measure up to Paul’s example at all. When you labor and sacrifice in love like Paul did, then God can use you to admonish and rebuke as well as encourage. Paul had RELATIONSHIP with those he warned. God will even use you to expose sin in the camp, and false teachers by name, because of relationship, but remember Paul was not just a brother to these Christians, but also a father speaking in love prompted by the Holy Spirit. Another observance in Paul’s ministry reveals that these same Christians that he “warned of wolves” actually had the wolves in the fold.
To use Paul’s example of naming names, you must be dealing with a fold that you have relationship with, that you have labored in love with, and you have raised these children up as their father in the Lord and you must see the wolf IN THE FOLD (or local church) ready to devour. That is if you are going to use Paul as a scriptural basis for the practice. If indeed this is not the case then using Paul as your example to give the name of a minister that is a wolf – is not scriptural. The enemy can get you totally carried away with defending your flock from external wolves because there are so many of them. Teaching truth and teaching both milk and meat to the fold causes them to see external wolves for themselves. If you take the position as the “identifier of external wolves” then the enemy can easily get you to speak on your own authority instead of on His authority, and the enemy can get you to quote scripture the entire time you do it. This is the wrong spirit and this practice is also not scriptural if you look at the complete example given by true apostles like Paul.
Understanding other principles of ministry found elsewhere in this book is important. From beginning to end this book on Temple Building teaches you how to build in ministry and with words. Temple Builders teaches to speak only on God’s authority, to speak only as you hear, and to speak, that which is PROCEEDING out of the mouth of God for this moment.
This is a long chapter and for good reason. If you have taken on the role of exposing sin and heresy then this chapter is an admonishment to keep you in the fear of God. If you are the target of the heresy hunter then you must obtain understanding of the strategies that Satan is using. If you have a loved one that is consumed with heresy hunting then we present to you truth that you can use to persuade them back to God’s true ministry. God has had me research for years the “books and articles of heresy hunters” also know as discernment ministers. Every time I read one of those books or articles, the Holy Spirit in me has been grieved. They use scripture, they use good arguments, and they warn us of danger – what can be bad about that? God’s ways are not our ways, and those that will be led by the Spirit make His way plain. The entire scripture is our pattern for living, not parts of it. Many ministers justify their evil deeds using scripture verses – while ignoring other scripture verses that condemn their wickedness.
Prov 18:19-21
A brother offended {is harder to be won} than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle. With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied {with} the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (NAS)
The Spirit of Christ will expose false doctrine and the false ways of man; this is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about the WRONG SPIRIT. We are talking about the counterfeit for “contending for the faith”. We are talking about falsely accusing the brethren. We are talking about those that go after brothers and sisters in the Lord who are born again and they tell their audience that they are not born again. We are talking about those that go into the past of others that God has called forgiven and speak this past to others as though it is not forgiven.
I could easily be accused of the same error that I accuse heresy hunters of doing when I write this chapter. However you will not find names listed here and that is one big difference. To publicly name a minister of God is to TARGET them instead of targeting a doctrine, as well as causing other damage that we shall discuss in this chapter. This “targeting” is the fruit of something underlying that does not have its source in God’s way.
If indeed one has an unction to address false doctrines, then God can give grace to speak these truths that both expose and bring life from scripture in such a way that the “brother in Christ” will not be damaged and yet the lie of the enemy will be dealt with in a way that pleases God. As we continue addressing heresy hunters we have to be gentle but firm, merciful and yet confront; indeed we must demonstrate the true contending with the faith in this chapter. We simply realize that these men and women of the faith are temporarily confused because the truth of contending for the faith was not presented to them. THEY ARE NOT THE ENEMY, they are only temporarily being used by the enemy. In fact their motive is just like Paul’s before he saw the light. Paul attacked and oppressed because he thought his truth was the truth of God. After seeing what Jesus really looks like he repented and received true sight and true contending for the faith. The light of truth however is strong and very corrective concerning this issue.
Categorically False Ministry
Prov 6:16,19
16 There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: A false witness {who} utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers. (NAS)
This “move”, this counterfeit for contending for the faith is one that is CATEGORICALLY LEAVEN, one of another spirit, and one that is not scriptural. If indeed a minister is caught up in this move then he has received a cancer that destroys to the bone. I am not saying the individual is categorically leaven, just their ministry. However I have witnessed some of these ministers so consumed with this ministry that they have called God’s Light – darkness. We must not see them as enemies but as brothers that must be rescued and presented this Gospel of truth. By the Spirit I will show you why repentance must come by those consumed with this activity and then we must all hit the altars if even a fragment of this leaven is found in our own hearts. This is a serious matter, it is life and death, and it is a leaven that if left un-purged would destroy countless ministries and ministers. The very thing that these ministers see in others will be the very thing that happens “through them” if this issue is not dealt with. The role of exposing false doctrine is not the main issue; the spirit behind those that call themselves “discernment ministers” or “heresy exposers” is what God wants to deal with. There is only one way to expose false doctrine and that is to shine Light upon it. Light is a Person, not an argument, not a cause, and we are not the CONTROLLERS of that Light. We speak the Light as HE PERMITS! Our role is submission to the Light of God – Jesus. Our role is to speak what the Spirit of Truth is saying and only WHEN the Holy Spirit is saying it. We must speak the Light with the character of Love and God’s nature of Life as we shine His Light of Truth.
Those in the body that play this role of heresy hunting have not labored in love and the result leads to death. Much of the New Testament letters to the churches deal with false doctrine and heresy, therefore leaving the example of how we must deal with and how we should not deal with heresy. The scripture says, “be angry and do not sin” because anger and likewise “opposing heresy” is borderline into stepping over into the flesh, into faultfinding, into debate, into being a busybody, and into contention. Without Christian maturity we will normally be in the flesh and not in the Spirit when we get angry, expose sin, and reveal heretics. This chapter is about SIFTING OUR MOTIVES AND INTENTS OF OUR HEARTS. Please do not “read into” what I am saying, hear with a true heart what the Spirit is saying.
Prov 12:13-19
13 An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble. From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies. Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. (NIV)
I have something of the Lord to say concerning God’s displeasure of all those who step into the business of exposing. I do not speak to you as someone who has been attacked or hurt by them, for I have not been attacked or hurt by them, but I am sure one day, just as Paul was, the self appointed “exposer” will target me, just like they will get to you. Paul was frequently the target of criticism by other ministers, and the church received these sayings against Paul – because of their immaturity. In one case, Paul had to show them plainly, the evidence that “these other apostles” indeed were “false apostles” while he was the “true apostle”. No one should ever have to prove their apostleship like this but if we allow those with a critical gospel to continue then they will subvert the “hearers” – that have yet to mature. However, at other times Paul would take the false accusation and simply dispel it with truth – defending the gospel that he preaches instead of his apostleship. Finally, there were times when leaders of the church, ones that were reputable and esteemed as true apostles also accused Paul. They had heard from other Christians that Paul was guilty of preaching against Moses and the law. Paul simply bore these sufferings without self-preservation, without defense. The very thing that he had done to Stephen is the very thing he experienced – but this time by true apostles! (“Acts 21:21”) Misunderstandings and false accusations are the sufferings of Christ that we must endure and these accusations may come through the ministries of true apostles as well as immature ministers. All heresy hunters are immature in ministry and yet some may be truly called ministers. In today’s church we see that most heresy hunters are simply the wrong spirit therefore we must examine why.
First we must remember, everybody is open game with one who makes their entire ministry a “heresy hunter” because most of them do not fear God in teaching the scriptures and they think nothing of accusing entire ministries, movements and ministers by name. They focus on the origin of doctrines and moves of God; they focus on the error of the origin and then if you can be tied to this origin in any way then you are the current “target of the day”. They have rightfully observed Paul exposing false doctrines and even listing the names of some false teachers and therefore they have deceived themselves into thinking that they have reached Paul’s maturity and they can do the same type of exposing. Again the activity itself is not what is evil; their activity is evil primarily because their own life is not mature and their ministry is out of the wrong spirit. In the gospel of Jesus, in teaching God’s Word, right and wrong are never the issue. The issue always surrounds whether you are teaching what the Holy Spirit is saying or are you picking and choosing what you want to preach and teach. This type of ministry is evil because the method that is used lacks the character of Jesus, and because they have sought to expose others on their own authority and initiative instead of only on God’s authority and initiative.
Proof of this is usually seen in that – if you do not say things the way they think it should be said or if you do not do things the way they think they ought to be done – then you are TARGETED. They misunderstand other Christians because they are not attached to the body in love; as Jude says, “they are wandering stars”. They conduct this activity with scripture and they say they are commissioned of God as a watchman on the wall. When compared to the ministry of Jesus and the apostles we observe that the strategy of the words of heresy hunters does not match up to God’s character or plan. Some examples are seen in the use of certain tactics such as “guilt by association”, or “linking the opponent to a previous doctrine or move of the spirit in church history”, and they practice “omission of known truth to win their case”. Normally a heresy hunter will assume the role of an attorney instead of the judge when presiding over a court case. Of course the job of the attorney is to observe facts and arguments and present them in a one-sided case. It can also be observed in the heresy hunter (discernment ministry) camp where they simply circulate rumor and false accusations that have no basis in truth. Lest you think they are of great evil remember that Christian Jewish leaders misunderstood Paul. The difference however occurs when we become HABITUAL, and when they are confronted – they do not repent!
I am sometimes blinded to make pre-judgments and speak them out against someone. When revealed, it shows our frailty to this sin we are discussing. It is only because God had mercy on me… is why the sin did not become habitual in me. If I had chosen to continue and justify the sin then I would have caused a void of the love for Jesus and the love of the brethren in my walk. Let us look into the mirror and examine our hearts. Jesus said take heed what we are hearing. What have we heard and what are we saying?
Prov 26:20-25
Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts. Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart. A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. (NIV)
Again, let us make it very clear that any ministry, whose ENTIRE focus is on exposing the heresy of others, is in itself heresy; this is habitual sin against their brother. They sometimes talk about others, as being “extra-biblical” but their entire ministry is extra-biblical because there are NO New Testament ministries in the Bible whose primary purpose was to expose others. Only on occasion did Paul, who had obtained great maturity, expose others by name, but his spirit was out of the nature of Jesus in doing it. Paul had also learned to receive the suffering of being falsely accused on multiple occasions and yet respond in Christ. The pattern of Paul in dealing with error, heresy, and false teaching was to bring to light the lie and apply truth that sets you free. Paul’s word provided an answer like Elihu’s word instead of Job’s three friends. Paul’s own life was free of heresy as he did it. Those who wish to do what Paul did had better be walking in the Wisdom, the Love nature of Jesus and the Power that Paul did or they will eventually be calling that which is Light – darkness. Many ministries that call themselves “discernment ministries” or “heresy hunters” are liken to Job’s three friends. “They condemn but have no answer from heaven”. They tout scripture and maybe wise saying like Job’s friends but they never produced eternal fruit in the lives they seek to warn. But God has called us to be as Elihu, pointing out the error at the proper moment, in the way of God and providing the answer of life from heaven. The three friends had to offer sacrifices in repentance and that is what is required of every minister that seeks to help others and does not possess God’s answer and yet condemns them.
Our Own Iniquity
Lest we also condemn these heresy hunters we should look into the mirror of the Word to see if we have the same spirit in our hearts. It is very easy sometimes to see the error in ones like this because their sin is so blatant, their sin is habitual, and their sin is categorical, but many times we have the same sin and error but in a smaller measure. God wants us to deal with what is in our hearts. In reality most heresy hunter would never read a chapter like this except for the purpose of finding fault. The reason is because it has never been about truth; it has always been about “being right”. Truth exposes ALL OF US, however, “being right” brings selfish pride. Truth causes submission; it produces humility of mind and the showing of mercy. Being right produces a soulish pride that never yields to the other side. So the objective here is to not to just warn you of a categorical “type” of soulish ministry but to look within our hearts to see the EXACT SAME INIQUITY.
I have in the past and have observed many others that have contended with these “discernment ministries” and we have harbored the very SAME SIN. The very sin we can preach against and hate is sometimes the very iniquity we are blinded to – that dwells inside us. Therefore let us look inward, in that hidden closet of our heart. I knew a pastor once that got violently mad at the heresy hunters because of their error. You would assume that he was so adamant against that sin that there would be no occasion for that sin to exist in him. He so despised the piety and self-righteousness of the heresy hunter because they targeted him. It would surprise most that a man like this easily turned around and did the same thing. It would also surprise us that the same iniquity in the heresy hunter will manifest out of us when we contend with the heresy hunter. We must watch our own words instead of always monitoring the words of others.
This pastor’s leadership also opposed the heresy hunters, they did not believe in ANY discerning and judging of others. They felt like if you were to say that one was in error or you discerned them as a heretic or a wolf – you were a prideful judge. This is a pendulum swing to the other direction. Again the irony of this leadership was their blindness to that same iniquity in their own lives. They judged others who judged. They had to determine and make judgments upon others concerning doctrines just as the heresy hunters had done to them. And as deception would have it, they did so with unrighteous judgment. They became the very thing that they hated and yet were blind to see it.
We are all called to judge but not to condemn. We are called to judge others as well as a matters in the church but never in condemnation. This judging is called discernment, we are called to do it in maturity, and it must be righteousness spoken in Jesus’ Nature. Therefore God will eventually call all of us to discern situations, this is part of growing up, but it has to be done in the right spirit, in the right context, and in the time & manner that God requires. It will never preoccupy our entire ministry and anytime we do it there will be the temptation of self-righteousness along with it. If you are in relationship where our brother is receiving false doctrine we must discern and we must admonish in God’s Spirit and rightly dividing truth. If our own life is full of heresies, unrighteousness, and lacks fruit – we will be nothing more than “Job’s three friends”.
Jesus confronted the Scribes and Pharisees and also drove out the moneychangers, but He also was able to be overflowing in the Love of the Father in doing so. He was able to move and speak only on the prompting of the Father. Jesus also healed the sick, set free the captives, raised the dead, prophesied, and preached good news to the poor. We cannot choose to “oppose heresy” and be unwilling to do ALL that Jesus is doing. It is much easier to walk in love as I lay hands on the sick, then it is to expose error and confront the Pharisee. It is easier to minister Jesus as the healer of the brokenhearted then to drive out the moneychangers and sin not.
We are not to become contentious or become involved in debate, this is the wrong fruit and the wrong spirit. Scripture calls this a work of the flesh and it does not matter who is right and whose facts are accurate, it is a work of the flesh and God despises it.
WATCH for contention and debate among your brethren that is done “in the name of truth”. Watch for unrighteous discernments. The way of Christ is this, in an argument, the first one to lay down his life wins – in other words you must lose your life to win it, you must yield. There is never a right side when you enter into an argument or contention, for not one shall come away having received the crucified Christ. The present day heresy hunting that Christians do is a counterfeit. When you bite into the fruit – it contains death instead of Life. They call it “contending for the faith” but in reality God’s truth is preserved in scriptures and if one desires Jesus and His truth instead of self-preservation, that same person will find Truth. If a person is satisfied by answers from men and by traditional doctrines then that is what he will receive. True contending for the faith has nothing to do with exposing others. It is preaching the word that the Holy Spirit tells you to preach, in season and out of season – in love. Arguments that are preached that expose the deception of others may be sweet to the mouth but when it reaches our inner man it will be bitter. That bitterness will separate the love that we have for other parts of the body. We will no longer want to lay down our life for that brother that we think has received a false doctrine. It is simply a ministry that causes division. It is certainly not the “Joshua and Caleb witness” of the land. One minister says, bitterness is a poison that one takes in hopes that someone else will die.
Some of us that preach the gospel have allowed this “leaven of exposing” in our own messages. We call it “warning our brother”. We must WATCH how we present the gospel. We can deceive with a great power of deception if we do not take heed, because we can use our true facts and subvert the hearers. We can use man’s own common sense reasoning power to persuade others and use the scriptures to win them over. Our own words can expose sin and deception in the camp. “What a noble cause” we may say, or “I am keeping them from deception” is our response. “We are just keeping others informed about the current events of what’s happening in the body” we justify ourselves by saying. But hear God’s heart on what we are doing and learn to discern as a spiritual man who has eyes to see and ears to hear.
Paul told the Galatian church about the heresy of Peter, however, he communicated the truth in love and never destroyed Peter or the ministry that God called Peter to perform.
Gal 2:8
(for He who effectually worked for Peter in {his} apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles),
Paul put his stamp of approval on Peter’s ministry before he brought up the example of the heresy of “law observance” that Peter propagated. Paul even confronted Peter on the hypocrisy of “SEPARATING FROM OTHER TRUE BELIEVERS”. Like us, Peter operated in human frailty; he had a revelation of Jesus as the Christ and denied Him moments later, because he did not have a revelation of a suffering Messiah. Peter also took his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus thinking he was going to assist Jesus. We also many times thinking that we are assisting Jesus, will take His Word and cut off a few ears. When we do this, we show no compassion or mercy on others who preach the truth but who fail in an area of doctrine or character. We tend to magnify the error and highlight it and sometimes we never qualify it with the truth. This is the spirit of Satan as the accuser of the brethren. We are dangerous to those that hear us when we act like this.
If we will give others the name of the minister, the church, the ministry, the movement or the denomination and label them as associated with false doctrine then the hearer may deny them categorically and miss out on something God may be trying to teach them. They will refuse to sit at God’s table. Our chapter called “Sit at God’s Table” is real pertinent to this message. We will have trouble with our table manners if we heed “expose’ ministry” and if we preach it – we will cause others to have bad table manners. How can we eat properly if we focus on the things we see that are in error concerning our brother and that is all we see, but in reality there are many areas that may be right, there are things that God wants us to receive that they have to give – we cannot cause someone to categorically reject another’s ministry until we know that God has categorically rejected their ministry. Even then we can only speak as we have heard Him say; and scripturally the ministry being exposed should be a wolf that has found his way into your local fold.
An example of this would be a congregation that has accepted the ministry of a false prophet. The elders of that congregation or any other gifted minister related to that church could expose the false prophet. This is scriptural but still must be done with God’s approval and with His method for every instance. This is also expose’ that is under-performed in churches that need it. As you see, most counterfeits can be based on a truth that is taken too far. Truth taken too far is truth where we take control instead of being in subjection.
Titus 3:2
To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. (KJV)
We tend to focus on the small percentage of someone else’s false doctrine as if we have no false doctrine of our own. Many times we can show one the leaven of someone else, all the while presenting our own leaven of false doctrine. We must present the Truth that sets others free. True statements about others can lead to bondage. In fact many of us in the church are acting like daytime talk shows that we see in the world. We commit spiritual adultery in our immaturity and are still willing to cast the first stone. Not even the accusers of the adulteress were so spiritually proud. WATCH the words that proceed out of our mouth.
Be careful about judging entire moves of God, denominations, ministries based on the most extreme element of something you disagree with – you can cause fear of reproach. This is a reproach that can cause others to be afraid to even use certain biblical terminology because of the damage that was caused. I have read articles and books from “discernment ministers” that list words that are used by ministries that they have deemed heretic. They teach that if you see these words used then you should QUESTION THOSE MINISTERS. The saddest part of the list is that over half the words or terms are found in the Bible or based on God’s ways. Many of these terms that are not found in the Bible are certainly words that are in agreement with the Bible. Because of the “list” we have witnessed their targets having to change their terminology away from these biblical words so they do not end up branded as being a heretic. Then the tenacious heresy hunter recognizes the counter strategy of his opponent and starts a new list with “affiliations”. The new list reveals all ministries that are heretic, and if a minister has an affiliation with any on the list then he must be heretic as well. This causes some to fear being “branded” and have broken off God ordained relationships. Of course the response was wrong, we must suffer the attacks of the heresy hunter and respond like Jesus. You see how wicked these attacks become and how they have nothing to do with the true body of Jesus and the love that God expects. Why does God allow them? It is a test of responses! How will you respond in the matter? One famous pastor prophesied death on his heresy hunter opponent. This is a test that was failed. I personally have been falsely accused and attacked by ones quite close to me. They were my “God-ordained Judas” that God will send to each one of us in this maturing process. Sometime I responded like Jesus and other times I was full of self-preservation. We must repent from self-preservation! Jesus knew who would betray Him. We are not so fortunate. God knows that if we had this “knowledge of who would betray us” – we would protect ourselves from our God-ordained Judas. Instead we are betrayed and we must learn to not take it personally. In fact what happens is our God-ordained Judas is in actuality betraying Jesus as he did before. This time Judas betrays Jesus – His Body.
Another problem is seen when we may spot an error and make it known to others and categorically state that the entire ministry is deceptive, when in fact the deception that may exist is only a fraction of what is preached in that ministry. We see this activity in the world when we observe journalism. This same spirit can come into the church and it can be quite dangerous. Paul dealt with Peter and it produced fruit. Paul dealt with other heresies and heretics and we have several books of the Bible because of it. Paul had to name names for us and he said to avoid these men categorically – these were utter false prophets. Paul also admonished those that have simply swerved from the faith in an area, but there are few Christians on the Earth that have Paul’s maturity to discern when things are not so “utterly evident”. Does this mean we are not qualified whatsoever? No, it means that we must be completely sure that we are speaking on God’s initiative and have selected the words that God had selected for us. We have to keep our heart and motives on the altar of God, we must also have the “Elihu answer”, and we must fear God with every word lest we fall.
The natural mind will reason with us, “well the intention is good, to stamp out the evil of heresy”, “this motive alone should be enough”. Heresy is sin, heresy is “thought processes” that are separated from God; but we must be careful when we take it upon ourselves to stamp out heresy because we can easily do it in our own strength. I see the oppression of God’s people because of heresy and I myself have been tempted of Satan to do something about it on my own, but let me give you a couple of truths that will help. Moses also saw the oppression of the people of God when an Egyptian beat Moses’ brethren, and Moses slew that oppressor. But it was not on God’s authority, it was not God’s way, it was not God’s time; though Moses’ intention was true. Moses afterwards spent 40 years in the desert and had totally resolved in himself, that in himself he could never do anything about the oppression of his brethren. This is when God can really use us, and when we see Moses used of God you will notice it was a method where only God could get glory and not the servant of God. Moses also suffered with those oppressed, 40 more years in the desert – demonstrating the longsuffering type of love. Men can bring attention to themselves when they speak; Jesus said this of the learned scribes who knew scriptures in the head and not the spirit. When we do these things we have unfortunately abandoned the ministry of reconciliation to which we were really called and are now being used by the enemy to subvert anyone who listens to us.
Ø We are not to be God’s holy Exposers!
Ø We are not to listen to anyone who thinks they are!
Ø Guard You Heart!
You must sow mercy to receive it. All of us have missed the mark and fallen short in our growth to manifest Jesus in pure and sound doctrine. The book of James says that he that controls his tongue is a perfect man. The plan of God is to be perfect and control our tongue, and may we show mercy to others as we walk towards that perfection; because we need to obtain mercy for that which we speak – because our speech will also miss the mark of representing Jesus Christ until that day of maturity.
If you were to avoid false doctrine then you would have to be removed from the earth. False doctrine is anything that misrepresents Jesus, whether His character or His plan and at least a small element can be found in most messages. If you were to isolate yourself from the gifts of apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and teachers, then you would not be perfected, equipped, and edified. What we must do is receive only what the anointing in us is teaching.
Ø If we teach truth it will expose ANY darkness.
Ø If we teach truth then the body of Christ will learn to discern for themselves.
We do not have to be the discerner or exposer for others. For example if I tell you the name of ministries that I discern as in error, you may avoid them, but the next new one will be in line to take its place. I would also be destroying that ministry and its ministers, even though they might be called of God and have been temporarily mislead like Peter was. Again Paul did address some deceivers by name, but it was deceivers that were wolves in sheep’s clothing and his audience was churches he had fathered in the faith. You better be hearing from heaven when you step out and expose a name in public. It is scriptural to do so but then so is thrusting out the moneychangers from our temples, and many other activities are scriptural in public ministry but you never have the RIGHT TO DO THEM. You have no rights in God’s kingdom; you gave all your rights up when you made Jesus your Lord over every action of your life. You decide as He bids you to decide. You reveal to others as He gives you permission. You expose only when He exposes, then it is not you exposing, it is Jesus bringing light to darkness. The result will be pleasing to God and will cause unity. If you do the same activity apart from relationship, on your authority – it will always condemn and provide no answer from heaven.
This is Satan’s strategy revealed. Satan as the accuser of the brethren will come to you to condemn you. He will show you the parts of your life that do not look like Jesus, but he does so to condemn and judge your spiritual man. He has passed the sentence of death on you and if you accept his sayings, you will shut off your heart from manifesting Jesus to the world. Your soul will become hard as unplowed rocky soil, you will keep that sprout of life from breaking through the shell of the seed; you will have placed a bushel over the light of His Presence in you.
The Holy Spirit will come to you as well, also to judge and to condemn; but He CONDEMNS THE NATURAL MAN. He reveals the parts of you that do not look like Jesus, for the purpose of letting it become consumed with fire on the altar. The Holy Spirit gives grace and ability to put to death our ways that are evil and allow that within us to break forth and sprout life, to shine, to manifest the Love that is found in Christ.
2 Cor 4:7,10,11
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
This is the Holy Spirit judging your natural man! It can only be done by the Spirit, for the cross of Christ is never self-inflicted in it’s dying.
11 For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
Satan passes sentence on the spiritual man and the Holy Spirit passes sentence on the natural man. Now when we are condemning others whether in our daily relationships or in condemning those that are a part of the body, we are as Satan, shutting them off from manifesting Jesus to the world. Now when we admonish, we are as the Holy Spirit, allowing them to break forth, to spring life, to manifest Jesus to the world. Both use TRUE FACTS, but only One produces life. Again God can use you to expose others by name but FEAR GOD and let it spring from compassion – do not deceive yourself in this matter.
Ø Why all the emphasis on this topic?
As we progress towards truth, towards maturity, towards spiritual discernment – there will lay ahead a trap. As we see error and immaturity in OTHERS, there will be an opportunity to respond to the error and immaturity in a way that does not please God. We will be tempted to point out this error and immaturity – to other mature believers, or whoever will listen to us, thus becoming a BUSYBODY. We must mind our own affairs before God. We must be a people that show compassion towards those who have not yet received these truths that God has been revealing to us. If we have received anything that is of the Lord, it is only because GOD SHOWED US MERCY IN – SHOWING IT TO US. Compassion is AGAPE that shows mercy and we are not showing mercy if we have received a great revelation of God’s plan and criticize others who have yet to understand God’s plan. In your Sunday service, you may observe something that you discern as of the “soulish man” instead of the “Spiritual man”, what is your response? Did you respond with compassion; forbearing your Christian Brother, Sister or Pastor? Or did you forget the mercy that God showed you when you were ignorant in your sins? Finally, a busybody also criticizes others about how they raise their kids, what type of personality an individual has, and what religious convictions another person may hold – PUT AWAY THE INIQUITY OF BEING A BUSYBODY. Put away the critical spirit. Prefer your brother as MORE IMPORTANT than yourself.
As you become a father in the Lord to others, you will be dealing with “exposing sin” and “false doctrine”, whether you wish to or not. Therefore you must be mature and sober in your own walk – being free from heresy in you life… or you will be limited in helping others get free of heresy in their life. Allow no self-righteousness and spiritual pride in your heart or the consequences will be severe in exposing unrighteousness and pride in their heart. My natural children like to play house, one plays the father and my little girl plays the mother. If we step into the activity of pointing out the heresy and deception of others and we have not obtained deliverance from heresy and deception then all we are doing is “playing house”. When you become a true spiritual father then you will know how to deal with these issues without slaying the Egyptian as Moses did and the result will not be “who made you our Lord”. God will do the slaying and your true children will leave Egypt, though, many that are not true children may fall away. The objective is to enter the promised land of rest and bring others with you.
You Will Be a Victim
As you progress in your journey of righteousness you will be misunderstood. Brothers and sisters in the Lord will falsely accuse you. They will judge you as teaching heresy or of being of a wrong spirit. Leaders may even judge you saying, “Who do you think you are”. Your motives will be questioned; your immaturities will be talked about. THIS IS CALLED THE BREAD OF MISUNDERSTANDING. You will become bitter or you can choose to eat of the bread and become better. It is a test of responses sent from God. Crucifixion hurts and it comes from those close to you. This is where growing up will hurt. Those you had confidence with – are the ones selected to betray you. God has selected your Judas for you and has hidden him in your company. Again, Jesus knew his Judas but God does not do the same with us. Why? Because if we knew our Judas then we would protect ourselves from the cross that we are called to endure. Therefore God hides him till the time of your crucifixion.
Why does God allow leaders and believers to judge unrighteously? To test your response to the crucifixion, and to see how you eat of the bread of misunderstanding. It hurts, it causes our feelings to get hurt, but it causes you to trust in His grace to bear it. In learning the purpose of affliction we must include this as a certain type of affliction designed to test our response to others that are in the body but are being temporaily used by the enemy to attack us.
I had a couple that had misunderstood one of my teachings and went to leadership to have me corrected. They served the leadership a morsel of deception. Righteous discernment would have caused the leadership to reject this morsel. Instead, the leadership ate of the wrong tree and did not discern. They brought me into a tribunal meeting and tried me with no evidence. Because these leaders were of the “shepherdship doctrine” they felt justified to control the situation without prayer. I was scheduled to preach on the coming Sunday Morning and that was now defeated. God only gave me one word for the leadership before they brought me into the tribunal. The word was “tell them you taught on My authority and that I put My stamp of approval on everything you taught”. I said what the Lord had spoken and the response of the leadership was to call the teaching a work of the flesh. My view of Christianity was called subjective (of course relationship is always subjective).
I had to eat of the bread of misunderstanding. It resulted in God calling me to leave the church though the leadership did apologize for judging me incorrectly when other witnesses defended what I had taught. This church was to be dealt with by God, in God’s time. It is a serious thing with God to call the work of God a work of the flesh. God set them up to have done just that. I lost friends and of course it hurt, crucifixion always does. Though the revelation that comes from these assaults are priceless. First, I had a revelation, as never before that all those that attacked were not my enemies. Satan is our enemy not people. Satan will temporarily use immature believers but that does not mean that they are your enemy. Now, those that habitually attack you with hate are simply not born-again according to 1 John, but most of the time, others in our life are simply temporarily used to attack us – it will test our response.
In my particular incident, I was only briefly hurt because I had gone through this type of affliction earlier in my life. The previous time that this sort of thing happened, it was a miracle that I even endured. This time because of the grace bestowed upon me to understand His ways and also knowing the strategies of the enemy, I was only briefly affected. When you know that you are suffering for righteousness sake the response should be the one of 1 Peter 3:14 “to count it joy”. Concerning this incident that happened to me, it was uncovered quickly that the leadership had made a mistake. Though only the couple was questioned before the tribunal meeting, the rest of the attendees that heard the teaching defended me and testified that all was well with what I had taught. Though not necessary to my affliction God will sometimes come to your aid concerning your reputation.
Sometimes incidents like this happen to work on your character and sometimes it happens to deal with the attackers. The attackers in my situation had received the leaven of shepherdship and through “covenant relationship” between leadership and the couple that had turned me in; it was a leaven that would spread. I was one that spoke as one with authority having a gift of hearing clearly the voice of the Lord and receiving revelatory truth. The leaven of shepherdship doctrine has a stronghold that seeks to prevent such authority. Shepherdship wants to be the authority in control. The utmost thing opposed by shepherdship is preaching on the intimacy of having Jesus as your Husband. This drives the devils of shepherdship nuts. I preach this message of intimacy constantly and was about to preach it to the entire church. This is how the strongholds can manifest at times.
Shepherdship doctrine requires sheep to submit to leaders. The submission is perverted into controlling the sheep. This is a stronghold that will attack whenever it encounters true spirituality and discernment. It is a stronghold whereby the one who wants others to submit to them believe they have the discernment of God and NOT the sheep under them. It perverts God’s design for the church government office of elders. The end result was shepherdship doctrines have destroyed thousands of Christians and still exists today under different names. Here is a truth for you. Whenever one says to another “submit to my authority” then they are no longer under God’s authority. God’s authority causes the first to be last, the elder to be the washer of feet. The elder under God’s authority would instead try to find opportunity to lay down his life for that same individual. The same goes for those that say “touch not God’s anointed” saying that they are God’s anointed. Soon as you say it like that, you then cease to be God’s anointed. God empowers elders who act like Him, not like prideful politicians. God’s anointed are empowered to reach out not to protect themselves.
Whenever events happen like happened to me, you can face the dilemma of “who is right?” Jesus is right! Jesus gave us a gift and His Name is the Spirit of Truth. This gift comforts us with His knowledge. We must have the faith of God in this relationship to believe that He will show us our true heart in any of these issues. To see areas of immaturities in us as well as seeing areas of immaturity in those that attack us. We cannot be prideful to where we always disregard the attack as always being the enemy; on the other side, we cannot always be tossed to and fro when others attack us. We must hear God first, and then we must stand firm on what we heard. Remember that the standing is as important as the hearing. Knowledge of a truth does not equal possession of that same truth. The “standing” and “practicing” of that truth is what causes possession.
Many of us want to be liked, that is something we must die to. Preaching Truth will cause you to die to wanting to be liked. I write and preach based on what I perceive the Holy Spirit to be saying. This perceiving can be called subjective, but it is the way of every true minister. I simply call it the way I see it in a manner that is in agreement with God’s character and God’s scripture, and all of this measured against my level of maturity. If I say it immaturely, it is because I am immature in that area. Sometimes the word God gives you, only incurs the wrath of others. I see these messages as being a way of dealing with the pride of the speaker. It is a test of whether he will be obedient to speak a controversy and it is a test of how he will respond when the word is rejected. Always remember the way of mature growth is accomplished through a series of circumstances that test your responses. So ask yourself, “HOW DID I RESPOND?” Both heresies and the heresy hunters exist to test our responses.”
I had to go through many frustrating pages on YouTube to find a real teaching on what is considered the actual position the church should take on homosexuality. I found several that did, but unfortunately those were from whom I considered false teachers themselves- according to scripture.
Sigh 😦 Such is the state the church is in today, rampantly apostate and fallen away for the most part. Finally, I came to the following link. The funky speaker doesn’t claim to be a teacher or pastor. I started to click off, but then began to listen to what he was saying, and let me tell you, he says it pretty straight! Hang on to your hats and listen! It is the truth.
Homosexuality has overran the church, by “The Junk Yard Dog”
Well, that pretty much tells it like it is. If you think that was a tad too, well, lets say, “graphic”? Please consider what the Apostle Paul said in Romans Ch 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.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Dare to defy who? The church? Who me? Are you kidding?? They will call me a back slidden sinner trying to avoid my responsibility to assemble together and pay my tithes, etc. OK, that was years ago, and yes I did and yes they did too.
I was pretty well raked over the coals for “daring to defy her” and leave the church once and for all. It was a very traumatic episode in my life because it was kind of like a slave running away from the slave master that had controlled their lives. Once outside, on the road to freedom, with the LORD leading the way, I felt the liberty of being truly free to serve Him the way He wanted me to, and not under the authoritarian, patriarchal, controlling Nicolaitan religious system! Praise the Living God! http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/wilderness-testimony.html
I love this prophecy by Steven Crowder that the LORD gave him many years ago, “Dare to Defy Her”. The LORD spells it out very clearly. To be sure, He has been calling His people for almost 2,000 yrs to come out of the Pharisaic religious system that bears no resemblance to the early church Jesus set up in the Book of Acts. A Holy obedient people. Today’s Christian looks nothing like those in the primitive church. Today you see a bunch of spoiled Laodicean, “rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing” Starbucks, Big Box type Christians that run from the refining fire of God and the flesh crucifying Cross, just as the Hebrew children ran from the mountain where the Holy Purifying God Manifested His Presence.
Dare To Defy Her (Steven Crowder)
“Come Out Of Her, My People!”
I moved to southeastern Washington and lived near the Snake River for six years. During that time, I sat by banks of the river and recorded what the Lord showed me. After the sixth year, I was blessed with a heavenly visitation, followed by a very difficult series of events that led to the writing of this prophecy. The hand of the Lord was very much upon me at this time, and it was during this period of strong anointing that I spent the next eighty days experiencing what you’re about to read, followed by writing down what I’d been shown. It is my great hope that this message will be a blessing to those who still have an open ear to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to His people
Your Brother—Steven Crowder On the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the year 2001, the Lord sent me to a destination in Washington state, twenty-two hundred miles distance, and He said, “There is an eight by forty home awaiting you at the end of this journey. Reside there, near the Snake River, close to Hell’s Gate, on the way to Hell’s Canyon, and wait patiently for Me at this place until I show you what you’ve been sent there to see.” And so I dwelt there for many days, and I was thrust into the Refiner’s fire until I cried out with all that was within me for deliverance, and through Him I was able to overcome these things, not by my strength, but through His Spirit that strengthened me. And the wife of my youth was there with me to help me through this difficult trial. And the Lord said, “I have delivered you and strengthened you to overcome these generational curses, and I have caused you to be sick at even the thought of these things. From this day forth, remember that I have a work for you, so be careful not to defile yourself in any way.” And I was grateful for this, and greatly humbled. And I heard a song being played over and over again, and the word were: “I’m here waiting in the wings.” And then the Lord said, “I am also bringing your brothers and sisters through My refining fires at this time, so that they can become overcomers, and this is the reason that they’ve been made to endure these difficult times, because My true vessels are vessels of honor, says the Lord. These are vessels formed by My hand and passed through the fires of My choosing. Those who endure My fires shall be made into vessels capable of holding the new wine, and all others shall not be fit to hold that precious anointing that I shall pour out liberally and without measure. Behold, it shall be a new thing, says the Lord! And all who see shall be amazed, and all who call themselves by My name in that day; yet who have not been purified, they shall seethe inwardly, although their masks shall speak otherwise.” In the early morning hours of my forty-eighth birthday, I was taken into the heavenly realms, and it was so overwhelming that my heart was barely able to contain the joy! Within the weeks that followed, a series of events occurred that baffled me, and at times they overwhelmed me. This gave way to anger and then to overwhelming grief, and afterward, the veil was removed and my eyes were opened to what was occurring in the spirit realm concerning these matters. And then the Lord spoke to me and said, “It was eleven years ago when My Spirit fell upon you, and with trembling hands you recorded the message entitled, ‘Woe be unto you all you enemies of the cross!’ Now, behold, and write down what I will show you, for this is what becomes of and what will become of these enemies of the cross, these conquerors who call themselves by My name, yet who have continually practiced non-payment.” And I said, “Lord, what do you mean when you say ‘non-payment’?” And the Lord said, “Non-payment! Behold what will become of these conquerors. Show them what I spoke through your pen eleven years ago, and then show them what will become of them if they do not repent and change, if they do not separate themselves, if they do not come up higher into that place that has no leaven.” And I said, “Yes, Lord.” This is the word of the Lord given eleven years ago. February 1997 “Woe be unto you all you enemies of the cross! To all ye who say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us,’ woe be unto you! Woe be to you who merely take My name to cover your sins, yet who refuse My cross, My bread, My robes of righteousness—yes, even Me, says the Lord! Woe be unto you who embrace covetousness and refuse correction—who turn My house into a social order and not a house of worship.” “Woe be unto you who have drawn My watchmen near to merely tickle your ears! When the strong messages come, instead of contrition, you embrace murder to protect your idolatrous hearts! And how you murder My servants—though they come to you in love and in a spirit of hope. Instead of repentance, you have opted for murder you sons of Cain! My wrath is even now being kindled against you—you who take My name and bring reproach upon yourselves in sight of all and for all to see.” “And behold, here is your judgment, even now [in 1997]—because you have chosen to make My house a social order and not a house of worship and prayer, and because you have chosen to shout and not bow down before Me—behold, your prophets shall hear a mixed word, for none draws close enough to hear with clarity My still, small voice amid the din and the uproar of your congregations. It is true that the gifts are without repentance, but a leavened, mixed word does not bring the life that you think it does; it only leads to lukewarmness—and that I shall not tolerate. A contrite heart and a broken spirit I shall not despise, but shouting, lukewarmness and pride I shall reject, says the Lord !” “Behold, the day is coming when you shall look, and behold, the righteous man shall not be found among you, and only partial words mixed with vain imaginings from your lukewarm prophets shall be heard—words that do not bring life.” “Woe be unto you who are at ease in Zion! Woe be to those who say, ‘Rapture! Rapture!’ and refuse to pay the price of bearing their cross—you who refuse to lift a finger, yet lay heavy loads for others to bear. The spirit of the Pharisee is upon you, and you likewise will perish if you do not repent! Woe to you who have assumed charge of My household, yet who beat My messengers who come to you for your correction. Do you not know that I will come upon you in an hour that you are not aware of, and I will cut you to pieces and assign you a place with the unbelievers as your reward? ‘Peace and safety,’ you shout, and in so doing, you deceive yourselves from any preparation!” “Woe be unto you who seek the deeper things, and embrace Jezebel and not Me, says the Lord! My paths will lead you to the cross. The true treasures of the Living Word lie through and beyond the Jordan, that place of death to self. Jezebel will lead you to circumvent the cross and not go through it! Have I not said that I am the door to the sheepfold, and all who enter in must enter in through Me? (John 10:9) In fact, there is no other way that you can partake of the true heavenly treasures but through Me and through the cross of death; wherein you will indeed find life. Pray that you will understand this! But woe be unto you who have twisted the cross and made it a dainty thing, for it is not a dainty thing, but it is an instrument of death! In the very spirit of Rome, you have carelessly romanticized the cross and taken away its use!
Woe be unto you!”
“O’ My people, it is not My desire that any man should perish, and therefore I have made provisions for you, but you must accept the paths that I have chosen for you to walk upon! My paths lead to life, but that life only comes through death. When you let the cross do its work in your life, then you shall then know the power and the life that is hidden from the proud. Won’t you hear My voice? Draw near to Me and I shall draw near to you. Look therefore to Me, and not to any man. Draw near to Me and hear My still, small voice. Behold, the day is coming when the proud shall be swept away, therefore humble yourself before Me, and in My time I will exalt you, says the Lord.” The Lord further counseled me and said that the distorted cross that man has created [as a replacement for the true cross] that this is an evil thing in His eyes, and that to twist the cross and to take away its intended use is to deny its power, and that this is one: an abomination and two: a judgment to anyone who refuses to repent of this. The Path That I Was Put Upon
In the year 2002 I was given a job in a kitchen, where I worked preparing food and washing dishes. After five years, I was promoted to the management position, and the owner praised me and told me that I was doing a good job. The owner of this business was my boss, and I answered directly to her. She had a daughter from a previous marriage named Crystal, and she stated that she had divorced her first husband because she said that she had “never loved him and that she got tired of serving him.” After she divorced her first husband, she lived a carefree party life, acting more like a wild teenager than a responsible parent. Eventually she got pregnant, and then she remarried, this time to a man that was almost young enough to be her son, and through this marriage she had two sons, whom she named “Clay” and “Dusty”
Her daughter from the previous marriage also worked in the place where I was employed, and when she first started working there she was kind and polite. However, this all changed as soon as her mother allowed her to have any authority, and after this power was given to her, she became full of venom and hatred. She walked around in a very haughty manner, abusing all of the employees, myself included. I tensed up every time I saw her, because she really enjoyed hurting people, and she did that as often as she could. She was entitledto do this because her mother was the owner, and she allowed her family members to do things that anyone else would be terminated for doing. When my eyes were opened to see what was happening in the spirit realm, I saw a demon inside of this daughter that manifested itself through a quick smirk, a smile that took over her face directly after she would purposely injure someone. One morning I was ordering supplies for the restaurant, and the daughter told me to order a particular item. I told her that I couldn’t do that, because her mother had told me not to order this expensive item any more, due to a smaller budget. That’s when the demon inside her manifested, and she attacked me. She began ranting and screaming at me, and I was thankful for the peace that the Lord gave me to endure this without defending myself. She told me that “this was what my problem is,that I always have to be so dramatic about everything!” Then she screamed at me, saying “Just do what I said “Just do it! Just do it!” And then she sarcastically shouted, “Thank you!” before stomping off in her indignation. Although I was shocked at what had taken place, I stood my ground and I didn’t bow to her pressure, for I’d been told what to omit from the purchasing order by her mother, who was the one in authority over me. [Note: this part about operating under the authority placed over you is very important] In the end, the mother caved in to her daughter’s controlling ways and she let her get what she wanted, letting her over-rule her authority, rather than standing her ground with her. For several weeks after this incident happened, this daughter would spit venom in my face at every opportunity, and she was so controlling and manipulating that despite my best efforts, her mother would always side with her in order to keep from being attacked by her, the daughter that she “supposedly” had authority over. In the end, the mother told me that I could only work on the weekends, because her daughter and I could not be in the same building at the same time. The daughter’s self-righteous, controlling ways, complete with mercilessly punishing anyone who dared to defy her [self-imposed] authority ended up ruling, trumping even her mother’s authority! I could not afford to only work on the weekends, and it was then that the Lord blessed me with another job that didn’t require any effort to seek out. When I put in my notice, I told the mother that I’d given them five and a half years of faithful service, and that I’d done nothing wrong to deserve the treatment that I’d been made to endure. There was no bitterness or hatred in my heart toward her, and I told her that when she gives in to her daughter’s controlling ways that everyone ends up suffering. And, with that being said, I put in my two weeks notice. I returned to my home after putting in my notice, and that’s when the Holy Spirit opened my eyes and explained to me what had just occurred, and He assured me that He had placed me there for the purpose of seeing and experiencing this particular highly symbolic sequence of events. He reminded me that He’d previously sent me thousands of miles to dwell in places that I’d never been before, and to take heart and be encouraged, because, just as I’d been positioned in these previous places in order to eventually prophesy, I had also been placed in this kitchen for the same purpose. So, with this in mind, to those who have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying, here is the interpretation. The First Level of Interpretation is Given
There is more than one layer of depth to this interpretation, and it’s best to start with the simplest one. The Lord said to me, “What is the daughter’s name?”
And I replied, “Her name is ‘Crystal.’”
And the Lord said to me, “This is because what has happened through her shall be made crystal clear, so as to instruct My people, to warn them and to encourage them. Also, what has been shown here is purposed to call those who still have an ear to hear My voice to ‘Come out of her My people, be ye separate, I will be your God and you shall be My people.’” And as I pondered this, the Lord opened up my understanding. He said, “The woman who had authority over you, she is a picture of the modern-day [religious] church. She was married to someone that she neither loved nor wanted to serve, although when she espoused herself to this man, she called herself one of My people, and she promised to remain faithful to him before Me. The daughter that she brought forth from this loveless and unfaithful union is truly made in her image, and she protects her at all costs, even when she knows that it’s wrong to do so. This daughter is so loved and cherished by her, because; in her eyes, she sees her as an extension of herself—an expression of what she has produced and how she has “evolved.” The mother is a picture of the carnal [fleshly, unchanged] church who will always justify the actions of her daughters, because she herself has been taken over and is being controlled by a conquering spirit—that spirit that rides upon the white horse, going forth “conquering and to conquer.” (Rev.6:2) Her firstborn is named Crystal, and she too is a conqueror; in fact a much stronger and more determined conqueror, foul within her heart, filled with spirits that I allowed you to see, and she takes great pleasure in her fleshly beauty and in her ability to punish anyone who would dare to defy her self-imposed authority, and, although they are “innocent in My eyes, they are guilty in her eyes.” The mother did not deal with or become accountable for her own life, and hence she is powerless to deal with or hold accountable her firstborn’s life, and now that this daughter Crystal has grown up, the mother is being controlled and conquered by her to the point that she will defend her at all costs, having lost the ability to discern good from evil. By living vicariously through her daughter, she has been forced by the spirits of darkness to call good evil and evil good, lest she too gets mercilessly attacked by this rebellious daughter. By living this way through her daughter, the mother is able to justify her flesh, and by justifying her flesh, this is proof that she is under the influence of a conquering spirit, for to admit defeat and be changed by the hand of the Lord would be to lose control, and conquerors always have to be in control.” “The Lord’s overcomers overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and because they did not love their life even to death. (Rev. 12:11) They do not control things around them or attempt to conquer the world through knowledge, using their heads “like goats” in order to get what they want. Remember back to the garden, when Eve was beguiled and chose the tree of knowledge over the tree of life. Like sheep, the Lord’s true servants merely follow their Shepherd wherever He leads them. It’s that simple, and yet man has made it so complicated! The Lord’s true servants walk upon the paths of His choosing, and by doing “this,” they’re given a testimony, because they willingly laid down their lives in order to follow Him. They’ve laid aside their own plans, willingly walking away from them, so that they can be led by the Spirit of God, hence, ‘following Him wherever He goes.’” The Lord instructed me further, saying, “The woman who had authority over you had this authority through the proper means, because she owned the business that employed you. Her daughter’s “authority” was self-imposed, and she demands that everyone bow to her wishes, because she operates out of a very strong ‘conquering’ spirit that has to control everyone and everything around her. You were under the authority of someone higher than her, and when you stood your ground and refused to let this daughter named Crystal control you, that was the trigger that set loose the demon, and hence you were attacked and then accused of the very thing that she was doing. When she said that you were being ‘dramatic,’ it was her way of accusing you and berating you in an effort to control you, just as this same tactic works with her mother, who has lost all control over her. This same technique is also used on everyone else that she comes into contact with. She had; and still has, no authority over you, and when you wouldn’t bow to her demands, she did the only thing that she was capable of doing, which was to stomp off like the spoiled child that she is, and then she plotted against you to make sure that you paid for your transgression. That is the reason why she was so venomous and hateful toward you after you dared to defy her.” “Crystal” is her mother’s firstborn, the product of a loveless marriage, and the children from her second marriage are named “Clay” and “Dusty.”
“To admit defeat and be changed by the hand of the Lord means to lose control, and conquerors ALWAYS have to be in control!
Thus saith the Lord”.
The Next Level of Interpretation
The Lord’s true overcomers do so by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and because they did not love their lives even to death. By laying down their lives and all the ambitions that come with them; which simply means their own plans, the Lord is able to set them upon the paths of His choosing. He is the Great Shepherd, and it is always His desire to bring His sheep (meaning His children) to maturity. It is always His plan to bring His children past the flesh life and into spiritual maturity so that He can fill them with His blessings—blessings that the world (worldly-minded) cannot receive or even understand! And, just as the Great Shepherd laid down His life in order to serve, the Lord desires to fill His servants with gifts so that they too can lay down their lives and serve in a greater capacity. However, these servants; these vessels, must be passed through His refining fires and they must endure these trials before He can pour out a greater portion of His Spirit into them. This is exactly like a clay vessel that is formed by the potter’s hands and then it has to endure multiple firings in a very hot oven before it is a finished product, capable of holding the oil that will be poured into it. To pour oil into an unfinished vessel would be foolish! Hence, the oil of the Holy Spirit is only poured into those vessels that are capable of holding it, and He is the one doing the pouring! There are no “Holy Ghost Bartenders,” as some have claimed to be. If people want to argue about this, then argue about it with the Lord. I’ve said what the Lord gave me to say concerning this subject, and the Lord has sternly warned me to not argue with people about it or to even discuss it. Again, the Lord says this—“If you want to argue about this matter, then argue with the Lord and not with a man!” Although the Lord has and does use people to pass on His blessings through the laying on of hands, this is only done by the leading of the Holy Spirit. So much of what you see concerning this subject which is occurring in the Inner Court Holy Place of Religion is a show at best, and a sham at worst. Remember, there is a difference between the Lord’s true followers and those who merely operate under the guise of religion. The religious church and the true church are not the same thing! The Lord desires for all of His servants to take on His nature, which is the nature to serve. The Lord desires for all of His servants to grow and mature so that they can produce fruit. Mature trees produce fruit, and immature trees do not. The Spirit of the Lord comes looking for fruit in His servants, and this fruit only comes from mature trees. And what is this fruit? It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5) The Lord tells us that to the person who has, more will be given, and as you walk faithfully in what you’ve been given, more will be given to you, and it’s then that you’ll begin walking in abundance, and also in authority—not a (self-imposed) authority of yourself, but because you’re following the Lamb, walking in the Spirit, and under the orders and direction of the Holy Spirit, you will be walking in His authority when He tells you to do something. And, when you’re walking under the authority of the Lord, you will not bend to the authorityof another. God’s Word says “My sheep hear My voice, and to the voice of another they won’t hearken unto.” (John 10:4,5) Those earthen vessels that mature and endure the fires of His choosing will be filled with that which the Lord desires to put into them, and as they go forward doing His work, they’ll know His voice of authority, and to the voice of another they will not hearken unto. Thus saith the Lord! Now, please come with me for a moment, as we need to return to the kitchen, seeing that this is the illustration that the Lord used. The young woman named Crystal—she had no authority over me, and when she gave me an order that I was instructed not to do (this ordering “not to do” being given by the person in authority over me, this person who was in a position of greater authority than the daughter named Crystal), I dared to defy her (Crystal). When I “dared to defy her,” it wasn’t because I was being rebellious or argumentative, it was because I was obeying and honoring the authority that had been placed over me. The daughter named Crystal is a conqueror, and conquerors always have to be in control. I was guilty in Crystal’s eyes but not in the eyes of the Lord. I “dared to defy her,” just as Luther dared to defy her (the “religious” church), when he nailed his 95 thesis on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, being God’s mouthpiece to “come out of her My people.” Luther “dared to defy her,” and his protest caused him to become the very first protestant. Sadly, the modern-day church has lost her protest, because they refuse to defy her! “Why is this so??? I inquired of the Lord. I asked the Lord, “Why do God’s people refuse to defy her [the religious church] and why have they lost their protest” I also asked the Lord, “What is a ‘protestant’ that lacks protest?” And the Lord answered me, saying, “A protestant without protest—this person is merely a talker and not a walker—a protestant in name only, with nothing to show for it. These are trees without fruit. With many, it’s because they’ve lost the ability to discern good from evil.” “And Lord, what does that mean?” I asked. “Behold, she sits as a queen, and she says in her deceived heart, ‘I am not a widow,’ meaning that she claims to have [Me] as a husband, and, she also says, ‘I will never see mourning,’” He answered. “This is the modern-day church that operates out of a counterfeit spirit—the spirit of the Great Theatre. And, as I spoke through My servant Ezekiel, My sons of Zadok will teach the people to discern the difference between good and evil. (Ezekiel 44) This goes much deeper than teaching My people to obey ‘thou shalt not’ laws—the good and evil here means that which is holy and true and that which is profane and not true—that which is nottrue—meaning counterfeit, artificial, false, in place of, antichrist! The Lord will bless those who overcome with the fullness of His Spirit, and there will be people in the religious sector that will attempt to walk in this, but it will be a counterfeit anointing, a mock Holy Spirit, a mere fabrication that will be able to fool the many, but not the few that are truly walking in My Spirit, says the Lord! And this counterfeit is an evil thing! In and through the spirit of the Great Theatre, they will play the role, they will pretend and act out, making this ploy appear genuine, but the only thing genuine about it will be that it will be genuinely false. And My sons of Zadok will be there to show the people how to discern the difference between good and evil, between that which is genuine and that which is not. Behold, this is the word of the Lord!”
The Difference Between the Genuine and the Imitation January 11, 2008 And as I laid upon my bed this night, I dreamed intensely, and the hand of the Lord was upon me in a powerful way, and He ministered to me even as I slept, saying, “Come out of her, My people that you may not partake of her plagues!” And again, I heard Him say, “Come out of her, My people, and be ye separate. I will be your God and you will be My people!”
And a third time I heard the Lord pleading with His people,
“Come out of her, My people, that you not partake of her plagues!” And I said, “Lord, what plagues are you talking about?” And the Lord said, “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his or her flesh, shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.
And, being greatly intrigued, I inquired, “Lord, how do they mock you?” And He replied, “Mock, imitation, counterfeit. They mock Me in their assemblies! They call another spirit My Spirit! Come out of her My people, that you not partake of her plagues, for I have given them what they truly wanted, for they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved!”
And I said, “Lord, how did this happen? How did this happen?” And the Lord said, “They did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved, and for this reason I’ve sent upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, mock, counterfeit, in order that they would all be judged who took pleasure in wickedness.” And I said, “Lord, what is this deluding influence?” And He answered me and said, “They refused to go up the mountain like Moses and Joshua, ‘lest we die,’ they said. They refused to carry their cross and let it do its work in their lives, and in doing so their flesh remained alive and I answered them according to their flesh and their fleshly desires. Behold, they have set up idols for themselves.” And I said, “Lord, what are these idols?” And He replied, “They mocked Me in the houses that they say they’ve built for Me, which; in most cases are nothing more than monuments built to honor themselves! And in these houses they mocked Me, saying, ‘This is the Spirit of the Lord! This is the Spirit of the Lord!’ when it is NOT My Spirit, but a counterfeit spirit according to the flesh! These perpetual children that refuse to grow up, they have produced the only fruit that immature trees produce, and by their fruits you shall know them! They refused My cross, and in its place they embraced a fleshly cross, so I have sent upon them a deluding influence so that they will call another spirit My Spirit! They embraced a fleshly cross, one that did not crucify their flesh and put it to death, and they refused to ascend the mountain with Moses and Joshua, ‘lest we die,’ they said. They wanted the self-life and the life of the spirit at the same time, and I answered them according to their desires. And, like tares, they will all be gathered together in order to be burned, so come out of her, My people, that you may not partake of her plagues, these tares that look like wheat, yet there is no fruit! Behold, this is what happens to those who become enemies of the cross!” And in a terrified voice, I shouted, “Lord, this is a terrible thing!” And the Lord said, “The great and terrible day of the Lord! A great day of blessing for those who have gone through the cross and walked according to My ways, and a terrible day for those who have become enemies of the cross, walking according to man’s substitute ways—the fleshly cross. Woe be unto them! To those who mock Me in their assemblies, woe be unto them! To those who have said in their hearts, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us,’ woe be unto you!” “Now show them the vision of the cross,” the Lord said to me.
And I said, “Yes, Lord. This is the vision that You showed me in the eighth month of the eighty-eighth year.
Testing your church or your Internet teacher; Have you been feeding your spirit with spiritual milk, (fast food), or spiritual steak and potatoes, (real food that will stick to your ribs)? These are pretty important questions considering that 10% of church membership has left the church to looking for something more they can find the reason for staking their eternal destiny on.
When I was a new Christian, I was criticized for visiting other churches in the area, and was told, “I should bloom where I was planted”. One Christian lady told me, “I heard you wuz church hopping”, it sounded like a put down and that I should knock it off. That old trite phrase is well and good, but what if a new Christian has questions about what he or she is being taught, and finds that perhaps instead of “blooming” where they were supposedly planted, find they are wilting..or starving for real spiritual nourishment. Or, perhaps they feel they need to compare what they have been taught in their church with what other churches are teaching? And another thing, what is so wrong with merely fellowshipping with the brothers and sisters in other groups. Some of these non-church hopping folks act like you’ve committed an act of spiritual treason if you visit another church, and some will even give you the third degree if you miss a service saying, “Where were you last Sunday?”, or “We missed you last Wednesday night”…which raises the question in my mind, do they think I belong to them, have they bought and paid for me with their blood or do I belong to Christ?
May I suggest to you that neither the Apostle Paul or the other apostles were merely content to be couch potatoes after receiving the revelation of Christ as the Son of God and their Savior and Redeemer. No, they did take an active part in going from church to church, telling the good news, and discipling others. They were not content with being spoon-fed with milk and never going beyond what their teachers chose to feed them with, or hanging out in the same ole place where they were supposedly planted 100% of the time. (sound like a fairly good way to stagnate in some cases). They armed themselves with the truth of God, the scriptures. Personally, I have found that NO church or Internet ministry has the total corner on the truth. Better think twice if you believe they do. And, better think twice if you’ve begun to hang on their every word and are quoting them instead of Jesus. You know, the LORD has this “thing” about being a jealous God, and his people turning to idols, (preachers, teachers, ministries), and such like.
Christians nowadays are too prone to sit back, willing to be fed at their Master’s Table, and then do nothing further about it, all the while the fields are white with the harvest ready to be reaped at this end of the age.
Did Jesus call you to do this? To only be armed with what your pastor or Internet teacher is teaching you, or are you supposed to be able to answer questions about why you believe, (apologetics)? Are you willing to give up the easy believism and dig into the scriptures on a deeper level, as part of your rightful service?
Mainstream Laodician churches pastors, and that may include some of the Internet “ministries” teachers as well, seem to think it’s good enough to appeal to Christians who are satisfied with spiritual junk food with few nutritional calories, and well, really…maybe that’s all these guys have to offer them. And the junk foodies don’t seem to know the difference. Remember…Satan is an expert in pulling off counterfeits!
A simple word search in the scriptures reveals that God didn’t have very many good things to say about pastors. Check it out. YOU have a responsibility yourself to search the scriptures, to do the work Christ has called you to do. YOU are the one who will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Not your church pastor or Internet teacher. YOU will be accountable for what you’ve learned, what you’ve studied, what you believe…and what you’ve passed on to others.
As I closed my eyes during prayer this morning I could see a mass of people coming toward me, more than I could count. I was above their heads as they came. As I watched they raised their hands in praise to God I knew in my spirit the praise was for delivering them from the world and the ways of the world.
In the distance I could see from where they had come. They were coming out of many different churches. As I watched I understood in my spirit they were leaving because they had been pushed out.
Now thus says the Lord. These are My people called by My Name. In every church and in every denomination I have placed My people, called by My Name, serving Me in truth, serving Me in humility, and serving Me in holiness.
There is coming a time when they shall not compromise the Word. And there will come a division between those of My people who will not compromise the Word––the Word of God––and those of the world which fill the churches having placed themselves in positions of power, and positions of control, and have made the churches power of none effect.
For the church power is My power, says the Lord, and none of it is being put forward in these churches because of the control of the people of the world over the people of God.
There is coming a great war within the church, a non-compromising people, some of which will leave of their own free will but most will be pushed out in this war, a great spiritual war, which will see many people pushed out of the church. And they will come out dazed and not understanding that it is My will for them to come out.
For you see there is a great compromise within the churches: a compromise of My Word, a compromise of My will. And as I bring out My people they shall become united like the first century church and they shall go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit and the church shall return; and the church, the true church, the people, shall be united in great strength on the streets, and in the cities, and in towns, and wherever you go. They shall be united. And they will become the church.
Yes, there will still be divisions, denominations here and denominations there, but they will not be of Me! For either the denomination will repent and bow its knee and serve Me and just become the church and not a denomination, or I will reject the denomination and bring My people out. For I will not have a divided church in the last days. I cannot have a divided church in the last days. I need My power to flow through these people. I need unity, not division. I need humility, not arguments over differences of doctrine. And I need My people to flow in the strength. For in these last days there must come a great harvest of souls into the church and without this unity it can never come.
For I am not in favour of this war, but I must bring it to pass to bring the unity again. I must create a division between those who compromise and those who serve. I must bring a division between those who are of the world and are in control, and those who in humility want to serve Me. And they must be in unity with Me. Those in humility––they must be in unity.
This will come to pass. You are seeing a little bit now, as a few people are called out of the denominations. But many of My people are still there. Many of My people still want to be there. And I am telling them now, there is coming a time I will bring them out.
Don’t rush out, and don’t rush to stay in. Heed My Spirit and when it comes, follow the Spirit of the Lord. Be in unity one with another. Do not argue differences of doctrine, but rather join in ranks in the power of the Holy Spirit, and be a sign unto the world, and be a witness unto the world, and be a power of the Holy Spirit. And this will bring in the great last day harvest of souls of which I will bring in hundreds of thousands throughout the world into the gospel way. So says the Lord!
Has something similar to this gone on in a church in your city or town? Probably, but since the advent of the Internet, Christians all over America, or for that matter, the world, have been able to connect the dots. Again, I thank God for various blogs that have exposed the previously “best kept secret” of the church….that of spiritual and sexual abuse. I know of one serious instance of sexual molestation of a very young teen boy by the “youth minister” in a church where I live, and in fact, that I used to be a member of. What did the church do? Nothing…. except cover it up. The boy was so traumatized by the molestation, he didn’t “tell” for a long time.
Although a crime/crimes had been committed the church covered it up and allowed the so-called youth minister to continue “ministering” to teen age children, oftentimes picking them up at home and taking them places without parental or church supervision.
Scripture says to remove a hypocrite from the church. The law says to report such crimes. This church played God and took the law in their own hands and did neither, “not wanting to ruin the reputation of the man, or the church”. The single parent was discouraged by church leadership of reporting the crime to the police saying it was a “spiritual issue”.
Although this should have been reported to the police, it wasn’t. So, what did they do for the child?…and make no mistake, a 13 yr old boy IS a child and at a very vulnerable stage of development in his life. No one from the church went to minister to, pray for, or counsel the boy. He was left to struggle with the aftermath of this abuse by himself. I found out about this after the fact, but I knew the boy personally, and know that he desperately needed counseling. He still has trust and other issues to this day because of this molestation.
Also, I am almost positive that another boy of the same age was molested by this same man several years later. I observed this myself when I went back several years later, that this boy was having serious emotional and spiritual issues….. that he acted very strange, as did the youth minister, but again, nothing was done. I asked the boy’s mother if she had questioned her son and asked her if she had asked her son if he had been sexually molested by this man, and she said yes, but that he denied it. However, denial by a victim is not all that unusual in some cases.
So, what happened to the molester? He died suddenly and prematurely. God has a way of taking care of situations where someone has harmed one of his little ones. As for the church…it is not doing well or prospering, not surprisingly, but continues to pretend “to do the work of the Lord” and inviting the unsuspecting into its fellowship.
About another church in the same general area…this is a bit of pretty accurate hearsay, but the church grapevine indicated a 9 month pentecostal “revival” conducted by a traveling evangelist abruptly ended due to a “sexual incident” with a 15 yr old girl. This was after he had been conducting “deliverance and casting out sessions” in the back room of the church. One young woman I knew to be a fine Christian suffered a nervous breakdown, and landed up in the psyche ward of a local hospital after a suicide attempt, and has now quit her job due to being unable to work, and is on medication. And apparently, the traveling evangelist traveled on to molest some girl, and/or, spiritually harm someone else in another church down the line.
I am a Christian but I can tell you that I am disgusted by the way many churches cover up incidents of spiritual and sexual abuse by church members or church leadership, and I will not be party to such spiritual or legal crimes by participating in such churches, or ministries, I don’t care whether they operate behind the closed doors of a church building or from behind their laptops on the Internet. And neither should anyone else. No church is above the law, and no church is above the law of God making themselves a law unto themselves. And neither is any so-called “online ministry”.
Although it’s illegal to issue a disclosure statement hiding facts about known issues in a real estate contract, churches have continued to cover up and abuse with impunity. The same can be said about many online ministries which operate in an entirely different realm than local church communities, and have become virtually untouchable, with very little or no accountability to anyone.
As for churches in general…
Meanwhile, people from these two churches I mentioned continue inviting people to “go to churrrrch” with them. I personally think they should hand out disclosure statements, ( similar to those that must be issued when one puts a house on the market for sale, listing all the potential problems and issues not apparent upon surface examination)… stating they allow molestation in their churches and commit spiritual abuse in general. When churches invite the unsaved or morally unregenerate into their churches, they’ve already gone against scripture. The Lord’s church is supposed to be the Body of Christ, not a haven for perverts and wicked people. If they want to do an outreach, then keep it separate from the church assembly and keep a close watch on the kids. The next child to be molested could be yours.
As for so-called “online ministries and fellowships”…...
What do you actually know about these people? Have you looked them in the eye, face to face? Would you enter into a serious business deal with someone you’ve never personally met, no matter how good the deal looked on the surface? And yet, they are asking money from you, by virtue of their PayPal or donation page?
I’ll say it again, as I have on other posts, preaching or teaching is a calling, not a business.
As for me………
I’ve experienced spiritual abuse and witnessed it damaging other people. I’m not out there with a “ministry”, teaching doctrine. I am what I am, not a perfect vessel, but willing to be made into what God desires me to be. I use this blog to warn people about things I consider to be very important. But one thing I do not do, and that’s put up a Pal Pal acct, or donation page asking money from people for what I do here that I have freely received from the LORD.
I’m just saying…the choices are up to each person, and not me, God, or anyone else is going to force anyone to do anything against their own will.
Infatuation with preachers, teachers and ministries makes about as much sense as a man living with a woman who doesn’t love him just because he’s physically hooked on her, or a woman who sticks with a man who abuses her….and every bit as dangerous.
When Jesus talks about your enemies being in your own household, it can certainly be true they may be living under your own roof, but I believe he was primarily speaking of those wolves in sheep’s clothing set in the churches, or even coming through your television set.
34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36And a man’s enemies shall be they of his own household.
37He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38And he that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me.
39He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.Matthew 10
Have we in the church not seen the changes in our country, in our culture, in the economy, in the signs of the times- escalating exponentially…even in the last several years? And have we not seen the changes in the churches as well? And that, not for the better?
Or did we think things would go on as they always have, with peace and prosperity? This is the time of great change in the world. If we doubt that God would ever touch America, or even the church, let us remember to look at the history of how the LORD dealt with his people Israel down through the ages.
History repeats itself, over and over, and it is a fact that nations and people who rebel against the LORD are set for judgment and overthrown. America is on the slippery slope. Christians who will heed the Word of God and serve their God in spirit and in truth will have to go through some hard times in the very near future, but they will be spared the harsh judgment of God, for He will protect and make provision for them.
“The words of the Lord have not often been followed by those of the church. The ways of God are not the ways of the world. But My people, those who call themselves by My Name have turn their hearts to the ways of the world.
Look at what is said of My so called people. They align themselves with the world, and look like the world. They talk like the world. They act like the world. They work at the things of the flesh. Always seeking a new house, a new car, a new this, or a new that.
I have spoken: we are sojourning through a strange land that you are not citizen to. You are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Look and know that the way of the Lord has to be spoken by the people of the Lord. They have spoken the ways of the earth. Sin is at the door of My House, the church. I have looked upon it and I have grieved in My heart for the strong ways they have had toward the worldly system of seeking the things of the earth. They have made it their sole occupation to search out, and find the most comfortable life within this earth.
Therefore they shall be judged by the wrath, says the Lord. They have sought the things of the earth. When I bring My wrath down, lets see if they can survive without Me. They have survived without Me in this earth, so lets see when the going gets rough, whether they can walk without Me or not!
Now this may seem to be somewhat fierce from Me, saith the Lord, but it is not. I have brought judgments in the past, and I will bring judgments in the future. But those who will walk with Me, shall be blessed by a protection from the wrath of Me. Those who will not seek Me will fall by that judgment. Those who will repent can then find that wrath protection from that time of repentance onward!
Know that this is a warning of the seriousness of being caught up in the earthly, worldly, system that you are in. Remember, be in the world, BUT NOT OF IT!!”
Spiritual Abuse Sanctuary 