Time To Humble Ourselves!

Will you not hear the word of the Lord?

“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

God has always brought judgment on a people because of those chosen and called out by his name.  So many prophesies going out against America are a result of the people of God not standing in their rightful place, or standing on the word of God uncompromisingly.

We have partnered with the world system and have compromised the word of God for the dollar.  We have changed our biblical doctrine to suite the world’s sensibilities, thus removing the old landmarks.  We have shun to stand on the word of God when placed in public arenas, or news casts; choosing rather to sugarcoat, or deny the truth of God’s word for acceptance by the world.

In order to receive financial help from the government we have agreed not to tell them of their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed continuously.  We have the nerve to think that it is the world that God is angry with; at least they don’t know they are going against the will of God, but his people do.

We make a choice to yet engage in sinful pleasures, to hate and devour one another, and engage in the abominations of this world; thus making the power and authority of God of no effect in the world.

There is no fear of God in our eyes, why do we expect it in the eye of the world.  There is no reference of God or his spirit, because we do just what we want to do, and Jesus is just supposed to suck it up because he is a god of Love.  He is also a god of justice and judgment.

“If my people who are called by my name…would humble themselves”!  The world is not called by the name of the Lord, but Christians say they are called by his name and yet they will not obey him.  We make excuses for why we do what we do.  Why we sin, why we lie, why we exhort ourselves, why we have children out of wedlock, why we have multiple sex partners, why we hate, why we judge one another unjustly, why we can’t obey the word of God, and why we are sensual and devilish.

The spirit of the Pharisee have taken hold of the Body of Christ for we are blind to the fact that we are of all most to blame for the state of this great nation.  Jesus gave us power and authority to rule in the world, but we have traded it for the pleasures of this world.  We have allowed the world’s stuff to take hold in our services.  It’s music, fashion, and dance has all taken the place of the spirit of God, and we have chosen entertainment rather than Godly edification.  We are afraid of the very demons that Jesus gave us authority and power over.

Our ministries are geared to prosper the one and not the many, to bind rather than loose, and to make captive rather than setting the captive free.

Where is the authority to cause even governments to fear before the name of Jesus Christ?  Where are the Apostles, and Prophets who stand on the truth of the Word regardless of the outcome?

We must humble ourselves and stop lifting ourselves in pride against our God.  Lay down the titles and positions.  Pastors come from behind your pulpits, humble yourselves in prayer before God, and repent of your prideful ways.  Restoration will start by the people of God humbling themselves and turning from their evil ways, and seeking the face of God again.

Come out from among them and be separate.  If you can’t maintain a 50c3 status and speak the truth of God’s word then loose the status.

America is wrong for its sins against God and will be punished however, we shall receive the greater punishment, because we didn’t stand and represent our God the way he requires.

Let This Mind Be in You

It is written, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”.  Well lets examine that for a moment.  What was the mind of Christ?

Was it to party and have fun all the time?  Was it to see how many women he could bed before he turned thirty?  Maybe his mind was to get all the money he could, thinking only of his self and to hell with what anyone else needs?  I speak as a fool: Perhaps his mind was to fight with the disciples about who is the greatest, or argue about positions and titles, then become all arrogant when the title is obtained: not being able to be called by his first name, or not answering those who called him until they called him Christ.  Maybe Jesus was busy looking for different careers, fame, and fortune.  I wonder if he used his platform to become famous in the eyes of man.

There have been many things written about our Lord and savior, but I have never read, or seen this kind of mind in Jesus.  Jesus had one mind, one faith, and one baptism meaning his only focus was to do the work the father gave him and to finish that work. He was humble, meek, and lowly; terms that would make most men feel like punks today, but Jesus was anything but.  He stayed with his assignment through being ridiculed, persecuted, slapped, punched, spat upon, lied to, tempted, whipped and beaten within an inch of his life, rejected by his own people, and finally hanged on a cross to die for our sins saying: “It is finished”.  He didn’t start his new assignment until he had finished the first one:  He came as redeemer, and left as savior and king.

This brings us to the so called “church” the body of believers who say they are Christians (Christ like) and have the mind of Christ.  If you will now say: “I don’t think I have the mind of Christ, or I never said I had the mind of Christ” then you are wasting precious time and energy, because you can’t fulfill the assignment of Christ without his mind being within you.  He whose spirit dwells inside of you, if you have the Holy Ghost, of whom it is written: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth (the Holy Ghost), is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13).

We the blood washed people of God who are supposed to represent Jesus Christ in the same manner in which he represented himself, have not truly represented him.  We who are arrogant over titles and can’t be called by the name our parents gave us without pastor, apostle, prophet, or minister being placed before our names.  We who fight and spar over positions within the four walls of a building instead of attending to the true war in the kingdom.  We don’t finish one assignment before we are off starting another one; many times without the Lord.  Jesus had one assignment, one mission, one purpose, and here we think that we can split our focus between 5 different ministries.  This is not what Jesus meant when he said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father“.

We are unforgiving, prideful, selfish, self-willed, liars, adulterers, murderers (if you hate your neighbor you are a murderer), lacking of faith, destitute of truth, and distasteful in the Lord’s nostrils.  We don’t want to hear the truth though we are born of the truth, and we house the spirit of truth.  We have said as it were: “…Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits”.  We would rather continue in our folly, than to adhere to the true word of God; this Jesus did not do.  We spend our time stroking our egos while seeking others to do the same.

We lie before the Lord saying: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me“.  We quote this scripture with such vigor, yet when it comes to the practice of if we fall short.  To be crucified with Christ means that I am dead in Christ, but many of us are not dead.  We have our own mind, thoughts, dreams, gifts, and hopes which we use to benefit ourselves and not the purpose of God.  Even the gifts given by God we use to promote ourselves to cause our own names to be called, or become great.  It is written: “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men”,  it does not say that man shall make room for his own gift.  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

The Lord Jesus never promoted himself, but he promoted the father in word and deed for he did only those things he had seen with his father.  He spoke only those words which would magnify the Father, and would bring glory to his Father.  Therefore, out of the confidence he had with the father he could say who he was while promoting the father.  He even told us to pray to the father in my name.  In other words, don’t pray to me, pray to the father and he will give you the desires of your heart in my name.  Yet we want people to come to us, depend on us for prayer, and we make ourselves a mediator between God and man.

We think that we are so ready to see Jesus yet because of the way we have represented him, there is no fear of God in the body of Christ, or the world.  We have no fear in sacrificing our salvation for a quick moment of lust, anger, or hatred and for these we would use scripture to attempt to justify our actions, which scripture has no justification for!

We have embraced the dead thing, the accursed thing in order to draw in the world, and we have removed the spirit; the Holy Ghost from our presence and have replaced him with entertainment.  Do you think Jesus will justify you for this?  No dead thing has ever resurrected a dead thing.  Jesus drew the world, but not by the world’s stuff, but by the spirit of God for it is written: “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jer. 31:3).  Also: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).  We can not hope to draw the world by incorporating the world’s music, dance, or anything that is the word’s for what is of the world is of the devil, and is death.

Blood washed believers,  It is past time that we allow the mind of Christ to be in us, and choose again the things of God.  Without the mind of Christ it is impossible for us to fulfill the assignment and commandments of God the Father.  Without the mind of Christ we are doomed to continue the works of destruction.  Without the mind of Christ we are simply doomed.

Please heed the words of the Lord, deny yourself pick up your cross and follow Jesus.  Renounce all the hidden things of dishonesty.  Put off promoting your self, and get back to promoting the Lord Jesus.  Die in Christ that he might live in you.  Love your enemies, do good to those who mistreat you and despitefully use you.  If one hits you on the one cheek turn to him the other.  Being reviled (to speak abusively), revile not again.  Suffer yourselves to be defrauded.  Suffer the loss of all things.  Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  Let this mind which was also in Christ Jesus, BE IN YOU!

Why The Lord Delays His Coming

The following scripture is the main reason given for the delayed return of Christ:

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (see Matt. 24:14).

However, the Lord has said:

“The gospel being preached to the world is no longer the reason I have not returned.  The Gospel is preached and broadcast all over the world now, and when anyone wants to tune in they can.  Missionaries have been traveling to the far reaches of the world for centuries.  So the Gospel has reached the four corners of this world.

The reason for my delay is my people, those who have received the indwelling of my spirit, they have not honored me or walked in my ways, but have played the harlot, they are friends with the world; they have compromised my Gospel, and denied me before men.

The pastors have rejected me choosing rather the stuff and fluff to gain members, but not the truth to produce sons.  They have murdered the spirit of my people from their pulpits by the lies they have taught, and are having church rather than becoming the temples (church) for the Holy Ghost.

My people are whoremongers, homosexuals and all things I hate, and if I return now many of them will be lost.

Once the fulfillment of the scriptures are complete I must return, but will I find my people faithful, or will they continue to returned to the filth I redeemed them out of?  Will they make excuses for why they can’t obey my word?  Do they not understand that they are running out of time?”

People of God it is time that we return to the truth of the Gospel, and stop compromising the Word of God to satisfy a group of people who don’t love the Lord in the first place.  Homosexuality is wrong, abortion is wrong, sex before marriage (fornication) is wrong Period.  You are nasty, you have always been nasty and it’s time to be transformed by the power of God, and stop making excuses for why you are the way you are.

God is not impressed by your dance move, your singing, or the performing that you do to impress people. It is time that we get back to impressing God through Jesus Christ.  He is not impressed that you can quote chapter and verse of the Bible, he is impressed when you live chapter and verse daily.

Just because you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ means nothing.  Demons believe and they tremble.  What are you doing more than demons?  If you are telling lies, demons do that.  If you are cussing your neighbor, or cussing period; demons do that.  If you have hate in your heart for anyone you are a murder; demons do that.  If you are having sex out of wedlock, demons influence that.  What are you doing that demons are not doing?

God is not looking for Sunday morning saints.  He is looking for sold out, dead folks, people who are dead to this world and alive in him.

When the Lord does return where will you be standing?  On the right-hand, or on the left, you make the decision.

The Prophetic Mantle

Prophets, the prophetic mantle is not given for us to glorify ourselves, or to make a name for ourselves, but it is given by God to the Glory of God. True prophets are not to magnify their gifts, but to magnify God and to be examples of Christ’s love and affection for his people.

We Prophets, are the mouths, eyes, and ears of the Lord. We hear the spirit, we see in the spirit, and we speak from the spirit of God; NOT from our intellect, or our own knowledge. We must never operate from our own emotions or feelings, but strictly from the presence and power of All Mighty God. We do not prophesy based on our feelings nor correct in our own anger, but embrace the total persona of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our spirits must never be unruly, self willed, or proud, but we must personify all the fruits of the spirit. We do not collect God’s people, but we direct the people to God and we never ever speak or prophesy anything the Lord has not spoken.

True prophets do not charge or take gifts for their prophesy, as this could persuade to speak the will of the people; instead of the will of God. As some have done and became the mouth of people, instead of the mouth of God.

The Mantle of the Prophetic is not given until the spirit of the prophet has been broken. The prophet can never have his/her own mind, thought, or wisdom. He/she ceases to exist as themselves, and become totally the property of the Lord. They must never be driven by their own desires, hopes, or dreams. They are only the Lord’s. We take our assignments from the Lord, we can not take an engagement without the permission of the Lord. We are not in a popularity contest, but on assignment to complete the work given by the Lord himself.

Prophets, we are to respect the Mantle the Lord has placed on us and never pimp this mantle for vain glory, acknowledgment, popularity, or praise.

It is time we walk worthy of this Mantle and set the standards again for true prophets of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I Am Not A Sinner Saved By Grace! Are You?

This writing comes from my frustration with the Body of Christ accepting any wind of doctrine that sounds plausible.  We pronounce this with such vigor, such tenacity.  We wear it like a suite of armor, and some would even argue this point to no end. We negate the fact that the bible it self debunks this statement time and time again, but most of us are not bible readers; we are bible hearers.  Meaning we listen to the word preached, but don’t search, or read the word for ourselves.

How many times have you heard someone say, or said it ourselves: “I’m just a sinner saved by grace”? While I will admit that it sounds good and it will make for great preaching; it is not true.

1 Timothy 1:15 states: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…”  If Jesus came to save sinners and we are sinners saved by grace, is Jesus’ coming and death in vain? For the scripture says that he came to save sinners, we therefore say we are saved; what are we saved from if we remain sinners. It is therefore, impossible for us to be sinners and saved by grace.  For if we are sinners saved by grace then our sin remains, and Christ’s death is in vain.

Romans 6:2 states: “…How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” We were buried into Christ by baptism into his death, and have risen in the newness of life in the likeness of his resurrection.  If this be so, then we have been redeemed from the death of sin into the glorious life of Christ who knew no sin.  If Christ knew no sin, and we are born into Christ by baptism into a new life free from sin, how say we then; we are sinners saved by grace? Being born of a sinless God, if be that the Holy Ghost which is sinless dwells in us; as stated in the scripture: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9)”

Sinner saved by grace gives us the consciousness of sin therefore, because I am just a sinner saved by grace, my constant falling into sin is understandable, or even expected. It is often used to make others comfortable in living a saved life filled of compromise. Never able to move into holiness because we are sinners saved by grace.  Wherefore, we never obtain the fullness of Christ because we live a life conscious of sin.

True believers of Jesus Christ would, and should renounce sin at all cost.  They would not want to be associated with sin; even in name. For either we will be sinners, or we will be saved, but we cannot be both.

Can sweet and bitter water come out of the same faucet? Neither can anyone be a sinner and saved.

Is it true that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17)”?  If so then a sinner is who I used to be, saved is who I am now therefore, if I am saved and sinning, I have chosen to sin. Calling one’s self a sinner saved by grace is a choice to keep on sinning, because by its meaning I will never be able to grow past being a sinner saved by grace. Wherefore, sinner saved by grace takes the place of the law which reminds me of sin.  Paul said in Romans 7:7: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

Sinner saved by grace reminds me of sin therefore, reminding me of death, because the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23).  It constantly reminds me of the sin I was slave to and brings me back into bondage of sin. However, if I am simply saved by grace, then am I free from the law of sin and death to which Jesus’ blood cleansed me from. Wherefore, we are not sinners saved by grace, we are simply saved by grace, because the saved that I am has freed me from sin that I should not obey sin in the flesh.

Sinner or saved, you make the choice, but you will have to choose because no sinner will inherit the kingdom of God.

Are You Ready?

If Jesus should appear right now, or death should close your eyes; are you ready?
Have you made your calling and election sure, or are you still living with the pigs and happy with having to repent daily?
Are you still a sinner saved by grace, or a holy people bound to a holy and sinless God?

Are you happy to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, or are you seeking a more indepth relationship with Christ where sin cannot dwell?
Perhaps the lure of the crowd still can persuade you to lie down with the devil and abuse the temple of the Holy Ghost?

Know that Jesus is coming back for a people who look like him. 1 John 3:2 states: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. The bold text implies that when Jesus shall appear we shall be like him, signafying that we shall not see him until we are like him. Therefore, just like him we must be sinless, righteous, and loving. He must be our only focus, our only dedication, and our only love. This means that we must die to our own way of doing things, we must die to the nature of our flesh, we must die to the “I” in ourselves, and live to Christ in the spirit.

Are you ready?

Are you still finding pleasure in that which God has commanded us not to do? Fornication, Adultry, hatred, murder, backbiting and the like? Is your heart telling a different story than the one you pertray? for God looks at our heart, not the outer apearance. Therefore, when you come into the presence of God and he begins to search your heart, please let the story match your actions.

ARE YOU READY?

Lay Members

The term is meant to represent persons who either don’t know as much as someone else, say like a pastor, or has no assigned function during service. In any meaning it is not a biblical term, nor is it representative of Christ. For which part of Christ’s body does not have a function? Every member of the body of Christ has a function, a calling, and a responsibility in the service and in the world. If not, it is cast aside and burned in the fire.

This term is responsible for alienating a whole group of people who feel like they have no part in the congregation, or that their only function is to be seated in order for the pastor to have someone to minister to. Therefore, we have some who come to service and do nothing, because they feel like they are not needed, or not accepted as those who work, or hold an office in the congregation. Jesus rejected this notion when he spoke against the Pharisees who thought they were more important because they had a great position in the temple. Nay, the people who are more important are the people who don’t hold any position in the congregation, because they meet newcomers first. Therefore, the way they are treated is the way they will treat guests. If you make them feel less important, in order to feel important they; will make the guest feel less important.

Rather, we must empower this group of people who are in fact the forerunners in the congregation. Their life, the way they present themselves, and the way they treat guest will determine if the guest stays, or returns. Furthermore, the purpose of the so called lay member is to learn the ways of Christ, and then perform them. They are to grow in Christ and become leaders themselves. Not stay in a particular congregation all their life and never grow beyond the four walls of one worship center.

The worship center should be a revolving door where new people come in, learn to follow, hear, and obey Christ on their own. Then when God says it’s time, they should leave, begin their own ministry (not necessarily a congregation) and make room for someone else to take their place.

Pastors, we must delight in the sending forth of new leaders into the vineyard, but instead we have become people hogs. We want to keep everyone to ourselves, and then let none go. You are, and have hindered many who God has sent forth. Many who would have been a great help to you, you have denied their gifting, and diminished their anointing in order to make yourself look good. God have mercy on your soul, for he has never given you people to rule, but to lead, to teach, and to empower. The congregation, and thereby the worship center is a learning center for all people. I challenge you to throw out the term “Lay Members”, and empower all people to serve God in the way he has chosen them to serve him. It’s not about us, but about Him.

A better term would be Students Of The Kingdom, because they are being groomed by the Lord.  They are having their senses exercised to discern between good and evil, and we never stop being students of the kingdom.

However, don’t fool yourself, not all those who don’t hold an office, or are not on the choir stand, and the usher board.  Some of them God himself have placed them there to pray you through, to carry you in the spirit, to combat demons who seek to interrupt the flow of God, and to interceed and cover new believers.  Not from the pulpit, not from the choir and not from the ministrerial Staff, but right from the pew.  They war in the spirit; they are there during service, and as soon as the benediction is done they are in the wind; because they are on a mission from God, and they can’t sit around chit-chatting about nothing.

We must change our view of those who we feel are not working in the service.  Some of them are working, only not in ways that you can measure.

Where The Body of Christ Needs to Grow

First of all let’s stop calling what we do in service church. Church is not a service, it’s a people called out for God’s purpose; people who are filled with the Spirit of God, and washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Second, lets start being honest with the people of God. Stop trying to show our self as some great prophet, pastor, leader, and put God’s Spirit back in the drivers’ seat. Stop making people more obedient to us more than they are to God; and carry our own briefcase. Put more of the responsibility to serve God where it belongs; in the hands of God’s people. Teach God’s people to go to God for themselves, rather than making them come to us for all the answers.

God sent His Spirit that we may be one with Him; sons and daughters partakers of His divine presence. He chose pastors over His flock to teach us how to come closer to Him, and then allow us to depend on Him. Put freedom back into our time of worship, and stop holding people to our scheduled service. Give people back their free will. If they don’t want to attend service they don’t have to.

Third, please abolish membership. The house of worship should be a place where we come to share with each other the wonderful workings of God. Not be obligated to attend services every time the doors open, and if we are not in attendance we are counted as backsliders, or looked upon as if we are doing something wrong. I am the church; therefore, I take my body where ever the Lord leads me.

Fourth, can we please have a central place where everyone can put their offering; instead of having an open offering where people who do not have an offering are made to feel less than those who do. Put a container at the door of the sanctuary, and let those who are giving; place their offering into it without any fanfare. Then assign the ushers to watch it while worship is going on. Furthermore, please stop with the hundred dollar lines; where we parade people around who are giving their hundred dollars. Giving should be between the person giving, and the Lord. This way our time of worship can be unhindered by these customs and traditions we hold for our own benefit.

Fifth, for goodness sake, can we please stop selling dinners after service, and allow people to come and eat freely. There are a lot of people who don’t have the money to buy food from the store, let alone buy it from us. This is not another opportunity to steal money from God’s people. Freely you have received freely give.Certainly we could involve the young people in our service, make them feel like they are apart of our worship. How will they learn worship if they never see it, if they are not seeing it at home, they should certainly see it in our times together.