I’m Speaking Truth…

The Lord has blessed me to serve Him.

As I’ve mentioned ad infinitum, I blog to contend for AND defend the faith that I hold dear, and to warn the sheep to avoid all manner of false teachers, apostates, heretics, wolves and vipers stalking pulpits today. My reward is knowing that the Lord is glorified in all that I do - and an occasional email thanking me for giving someone the inspiration to return to God’s Word and flee the control of a pulpit pimp.

Imagine my surprise to learn that Doug (my younger brother in the Lord) over at Contemplations of a Young Calvinist has passed a blog award on to me. Maybe it’s because of my biting wit, or my recent ascension to the office of Apostle (why should Fred K.C. Price have all the fun?), but the Lord saw fit to use Doug to direct a little more light on my small corner of cyberspace. Glory to God - and God alone!

The Award in Excellence was created by Dan King over at Bibledude.net for a specific purpose:

I have to admit that I am a bit of a lurker, and really should comment more. However, there is a great deal of excellence out there amongst Christian bloggers, and I wanted to take a moment to recognize that fact. So I created this “award in excellence”. This award in excellence has two short statements on it. The first one is, “love the creator.” The first thing that I notice about certain bloggers is that they have this great passion for God. They are serious about their faith, and want nothing more than to see God move. The second statement is, “love the creation.” This one appears on the award because these people also display a great love for God’s various creations. For some, it might be the people that He created. For others it might also be the planet (or some other part of His creation). Whatever it is, they realize that God made all of it. They look at God’s creations through His eyes, and see all of the goodness that He put into it.

A requirement of receiving the award is that I have to pass it along to three others - and I do so with distinct honor. I could give this award to any and all of those folks represented on my blogroll (and well beyond), but I want to draw specific attention to three brothers who defend the Gospel with holy boldness and stand flat-footed on the irrefutable Word of God:

• Darnell McGavock over at Independent Conservative: This brother was the first person I reached out to after fleeing the plantation and has been a source of personal strength to me
• Melvin Jones over at Pulpit Pimps: Boldy calling out the various pimps and their “pimpistries” and directing people back to the Word.
•  Pastor DL Foster over at Gay Christian Movement Watch: This brother masterfully deconstructs the gay christian movement and hearkens us all back to holiness through God’s Word.

I’m blessed to be able to blog about God’s truth - and to serve alongside these true men of God (as well as the other men and women who grace my blogroll, and who’s blogs I visit often). May the Lord continue to strengthen EVERYONE who sees fit to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and defend that Gospel until His return!

This weekend marked a quiet milestone in the brief history of this blog. 

It’s been almost 90 days since I penned my first article defending the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ, and over 10,500 visitors have stopped by since then.

Soli Deo Gloria - To God be the Glory, and to Him Alone.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this blog only exists as a testament to my love for God and his unadulterated Word.

Having been both a perpetrator AND victim of the “church mafia”, my earnest prayer is that every saint learn to read and understand the Word of God so that no man (or woman) can ever deceive them.

Some visitors agree with my approach to exposing God’s enemies, others think that I’m part of the problem - yet I’m daily reminded of the liberating power of The Gospel of Jesus Christ when I read emails from recent escapees of false teachers, pimps, and twisted doctrine.

I won’t break my arm patting my own self on the back, I’ll simply go back to God’s Word - and continue to use it as a standard to identify His enemies.

Here are a few brief videos that take a closer look at the phenomenon known as the “seeker sensitive movement”.

Video #1 - A Spoof:

Video #2 - RC Sproul Explaining the Fallacy of the Seeker Sensitive Movement:

The 1st video is funny - sad, but truly funny.

In the 2nd video, RC Sproul masterfully gets to the core of the seeker movement by asserting it’s fundamental errors: (1) that unbelievers are “seeking” God, and (2) that the purpose of weekly worship is to reach the lost. 

That last statement probably made you stop cold in your tracks.

Let’s face it, the job of every believer is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ - the Good News that if you acknowledge your sinful state, repent of your sins and accept Christ as your Savior, then you would gain eternal salvation and relationship with the Father.

It’s our daily job, evidenced by our daily lives. But because we don’t live the Gospel message, we assume that if we hit “sinners” over the head with a bat and drag them into church on Sunday, then the Gospel will “get into them” through osmosis and they would be changed!

So, the church and worship service becomes a marketing event that uses worldly tools (car raffles, coffee shops, provocative sermons, etc.) to attract new clients worshippers.

Sproul said it best:

If you want a power in your Church, be an expository preacher; preach the Word because that’s where the Spirit is. Isn’t that God’s strategy? If we believe God’s strategy, we’re going to preach the Word.

Amen, RC…Amen!

I wrote about an example of the “seeker sensitive” movement a few months ago, and it appears as though it’s rearing it’s head again here in the Metro-Atlanta area. An article in this weekend’s Atlanta Journal-Constituition jumped out at me - “Gas to save your soul? Church has offer for you”.

Let me be clear - I don’t know anything about this church, their doctrine, or their pastor - so I’m not condemning them or their desire to attract more people to hear the Gospel message.

I am concerned, however when churches use “gimmicks” to make the message of the cross more palatable. The Apostles never offered gimmicks to make disciples of men, they simply preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the message itself stirred the faith of those who would believe (Acts 14:21-22).

Romans 9:33 reaffirms that Jesus Christ is a Rock of offense - meaning that many will be offended by His message, and reject it.

Should we assume that He is less offending if you dangle a chance to win a gas card or an 8 year old SUV (which will guzzle MORE gas…) in front of Him?

Sure, some may come for the raffle, but will they come again to learn of or return to the True and Living God?

Will their perception of the message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ be cheapened by thoughts of disappointment that the gas cards weren’t higher in value? Alright, I don’t want to seem cynical, but could there be a different motivation for “gas & SUV card Sunday”? Well, the article says: 

The church has about 9,000 members on it’s rolls, but only 2,500 regularly attend Sunday morning services, the pastor said. Obviously, that something he hopes to change.

Hmmm.

I’m just going to come out and say it - and I pray that I don’t offend anyone:

I HATE CHRISTIAN CHAIN EMAILS!

There, I’ve said it.

I know, “hate” is such a strong word, but I wanted to emphasize my frustration with the phenomenon. I am not against sending someone an inspirational email, or forwarding one that you receive. Who doesn’t want to hear that Jesus loves them, and that their day is going to get better? I sure do.

I don’t, however, like to be threatened into forwarding an “inspirational message”. I’ve already put my friends and family on notice: if you ever send me more than one of these chain emails, I will permanently block your email address (unless they’re from my mom, then I’ll just delete them - you can’t just “block” your own mother).

Don’t know what I mean? Well, the letter generally says:

Someone who loves you wants you to know that Jesus loves you. Jesus died so that yo would have a great day! Is your boss making you angry? Well, Jesus’ Resurrection should put joy in your heart.

If you love Jesus, then you’ll forward this message to 7 other people. You do know that 7 is the number of perfection, right? Well, if you send it to 7 people, then God will give you a perfection miracle.

Jesus said that if you deny Him before men, then He’ll deny you before His father - don’t delay - forward this to at least 7 people right now!

Pray this prayer and you’ll receive a $100 blessing when the 7th person opens their email:

“Father, in the name of Jesus I release the blessing of the “7″ miracle over my life. I untie the hands of God and declare that I will receive a financial blessing because of my obedience. In Jesus’ name…”

Hurry, time is running out! You’ll spend eternity tormented by demonic imps and hell fire if you don’t send this message right now!!!

God Bless You…

Of course, I just made all of that up - right off the top of my head (not a bad facsimile, huh?). The chain emails I’ve received aren’t that different from my illustration above.

While some people pass them along as a joke, others really do believe that you can exercise your faith and demonstrate your allegiance to Christ by forwarding spam.

This is a by-product of the twisted prosperity gospel that the pimps have been pushing for some time now (you did know that I would blame this on pulpit pimps, didn’t you?). Many Christians have been taught that all you have to do is go through a few motions, and God will respond to our insane requests (“go to the car dealership and lay hands on the car you want” or “go to the neighborhood you want to live in and lay hands on someones house”).

This is also a by-product of our lust of the flesh. The spiritually immature think that we can tell God what to do, and He’s beholden to our demands. If we just “turn to our neighbor and say money cometh!“, then money would…well…cometh.

I don’t speak as merely a casual observer. When I was on the Long and Landers plantation, I believed that spiritual gymnastics and odd ritual would “compel God to move”.

When Jesus walked the earth, He was confronted by non-believers who would listen to His words, but not accept what He said unless there was “proof”:

48“Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” (John 4:4

Sadly, Jesus was speaking to the people who either didn’t believe that He was the Son of God, or those who were new to the faith and didn’t know any better (yet). If we are to be truly mature in Christ, then we’ve got to believe that He is the Son of God, and that through Him we have eternal victory.

Don’t wait for Him to send you a check in the mail as a result of your allegiance to a silly email request.

Just believe…

I have a process-oriented mind, so I have a hard time thinking creatively. My mind logically flows from point A to point B and so on - I get nervous if I’m asked to jump from A to Z back to F and over to P…you get my point.

As a Christian, I understand that I have to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) - and that is my daily prayer - but I also understand that God gave me a sound mind to make wise decisions (2 Timothy 1:7).

Which brings me to the point of this post. What if the wolves and charlatans in the Body of Christ made it tougher for me to do my job (blogging to expose the truth to counter their lies about God)?

While this blog does allow me to channel my frustrations with pimps and their pimpery, I’d be happy to go read a book or play Wii if they just went away.

In the meantime…

What If…

• …pastors aspired to preach God’s Word, instead of  aspiring pimpdom?

As I’ve stated in earlier posts, it seems as though most pastors are either pulpit pimps, pimps in training (who are “spiritual sons” to super or alpha pimps), or wannabe pimps (longingly waiting for their day to “shine”).

We know what a pimp is, and what he (or in some cases she) does, so who would want to emulate that?

I understand that this can be construed as a general statement, but my perception (and what I’ve seen up close for the past 11 years) is my reality.

I’m only in my mid-30’s, but when I was growing up, the pastor had a full-time job, and he preached on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s because he was led by the Holy Spirit. My mother can attest to the same from her childhood (and she’s in her early 70’s).

Now, pastoring has become a fulltime “racket” that could be confused with any pyramid scheme out there today - except the product that’s being exploited is the Word of God.

While many pastors do labor in the Word of God so that believers will be matured in Christ (and you don’t generally see them on TBN, The Word Network, Daystar, or BET), others take one verse of scripture (out of context) and distort, butcher, & hoop it until it’s dead - while imparting nothing.

• …pastors preached without compromising God’s Word?

It seems as though many pastors preach the Word of God from a perspective that furthers their own agenda. Worse, they seek the scriptures that will “illustrate” their point (again, out of context of course).

Anyone who has ever taken a Hermeneutics course knows the difference between exegisis and eisegesis. Exegisis is an interpretation or understanding of scripture based on the text itself. In other words, when you exegete the bible, you read scripture with an open mind and asking the Lord to impart His wisdom about His Word in you. 

Eisegesis, however, is an interpretation of an existing text that introduces one’s own ideas. When you eisegete, you have an idea in mind, and YOU interpret scripture to suit YOUR purpose. God isn’t involved at all.

When pastors preach about how we should accept homosexuality (because they’re in the closet themselves), or when they preach the prosperity gospel (because they want more of your money), or when they preach about salvation apart from belief and acceptance in Christ (because they don’t want to offend society at large) - and they use scripture to make you believe it - then they are guilty of eisegesis.

There are many in the body of Christ today who’d rather eisegete than study the Word, and recite it verbatim. Even Paul had to encourage Timothy to stand flat-footed and preach the true Gospel:

2preach ^(A)the word; be ready in season and out of season; ^(B)reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great ^(C)patience and instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2)

I guess it’s easier to please the crowd than to please God.

• …pastors didn’t “shake you down” for money?

7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV)

If this is true (and I believe that it is), then why do pastors beat you over the head and drag you back into bondage by demanding that you tithe, give them a “love offering”, a “first fruit” offering, and birthday and anniversary money, etc. by distorting 2 Corinthians 9:6?

God commands that we care for the needs of those in our homes and communities, so why are you “cursed” if you focus on giving to the mission field vs. giving to the “man of God”?

Also, in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Paul clearly talks about putting aside some of your earnings to give to the saints.

We should practice what I call “grace giving” - giving what the Lord leads you to give to whom He leads you to give it to.

When we “pay God” because of the pimps extortion, then we begin to resent Him when He doesn’t give it back to us “30, 60, 100 fold).

Note: Melvin Jones over at Pulpit Pimps did an excellent thesis on the error of tithing, and Independent Conservative took a closer look at ”first fruits” - one of the fastest growing scams in the church. You did know that the “first fruit” offering goes DIRECTLY to your pastor, didn’t you? 

• …pastors didn’t intimidate you into staying under their “covering”?

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, the pulpit pimp is an expert at making you think that you need him in order to hear from God. You can’t possible seek God unless you’re “submitted to them” or “under their covering”.

I never understood how insecure people use their insecurity to try and convince you that you can be secure with them. It’s maddening. If your pimp was truly preaching God’s Word, then the Word would speak for itself.

He wouldn’t have to twist it to make sense to you. In fact, if he believed what he was preaching to you, then he would “allow” God to move your heart - he wouldn’t rely on threatning you so that you stay (”you’re cursed if you leave your covering”; “I’m God’s mouthpiece, you can’t hear from Him if you don’t listen to me”, etc.).

There are many more things that I can point out (and you’re welcome to leave your comments and add your own “what if’s”), but I could go on forever.

The bottom line is that Christ died on the cross to redeem us back to the Father. He didn’t die so that pimps could distort His image and sell His Gospel for earthly gain.

Listen to Peter describe the role of elders (pastors) in the church, and see if your leader is a pastor…or a pulpit pimp:

Serve God Willingly

 1^(A)Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your ^(B)fellow elder and ^(C)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a ^(D)partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,

 2shepherd ^(E)the flock of God among you, exercising oversight ^(F)not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and ^(G)not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;

 3nor yet as ^(H)lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be ^(I)examples to the flock.

 4And when the Chief ^(J)Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^(K)unfading ^(L)crown of glory.

 5^(M)You younger men, likewise, ^(N)be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with ^(O)humility toward one another, for ^(P)GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.

 6Therefore ^(Q)humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:1-6)  

I’ve blogged far more than I expected to this week - and quite frankly, my head is beginning to hurt - so I’ll (prayerfully) make this my last proactive commentary for the week. I had to chime back in, however, in defense of the faith.

What does that mean? Well, I’m passionate about the cause of Christ. I know who and what I was before He found me (or before I surrendered to His will, rather), and I’m keenly aware of what my life looks like when I’m left to my own devices. My love for Christ and His liberating message of salvation, reconciliation, and restoration is what drives me to blog - especially since I was operating in (and subsequently resigned from) a ministry that has veered of the Kingdom path. Call it my cathartic therapy, if you will.

Anyway, I was doing some research last night and I came across an article from the September/October 2007 edition of “Ministry Today” magazine about the phenomenon of “online heresy hunters” (as they call it). The overall tone of the article (authored by Pastor David Cannistraci) was civil and informative, and the general question posed was whether or not people like me are hunting for anyone who errors in teaching God’s Word - and bullying them online.

Rather than reprinting the entire article and injecting my notes throughout (which was my first thought), I’ve decided to copy some of it, and to direct you to the link so that you can read it in it’s entirety:

“The War on Error: Are online heresy hunters bringing needed correction in the church or sowing disunity?”

Infidels beware: A new generation of crusaders is on the march, ignoring history’s warnings about the damage unrestrained spiritual zeal creates. Their mission? To protect us all from religious fraud and dangerous doctrines by investigating and exposing those who push past the accepted boundaries of conservative evangelicalism. They have pledged themselves to defend truth and liberate the kingdom of God from the threat of apostasy.

From discernment ministries to watchdog groups to bloggers to anonymous Web site commenters, the Internet has created a breeding ground for unbridled criticism. Though truth and correction are essential to the health of the church, this new wave of heresy hunters may be taking things too far. Their targets are not the likes of David Koresh or Jim Jones—we would thank them for that. Instead, they’re aiming at many of today’s most popular charismatic Bible teachers, including Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes.

These zealous soldiers of orthodoxy aren’t afraid to fight dirty, either. Armed with ample evidence to prove their case, they quote, deride and scoff at any ministry they “discern” as dangerous. In this biblical blitzkrieg, no question is too trivial, no accusation too personal and no ridicule too cruel.

Blogs and Web sites are littered with cartoonish caricatures of well-known Christian leaders labeled as “heretics,” “pimps and pimpettes,” “bozos,” “Bible-thugs” and “fairy godmothers of the faith.” Online databanks are loaded with transcripts and video clips of damning evidence: everything from salaries and sailboats to litmus tests on the Trinity and the hypostatic union. There’s no need for dialogue or discussion; one side of the story is adequate ammunition in this fight for the faith.

Have these modern-day knights of the cross truly been sent by God, or has a new era of witch-hunting begun in the church? In the quest for truth and accountability, does anything go? Or is there a way to clean up the messes in the church without lynching good people and inciting division in the body of Christ?

I believe there is. We can be safe and pure if we replace our anger, fear and criticism with honesty, wisdom and humility. (go here to read the entire article)

As you can see, it’s a provocative argument. So much so that I had to seek the Lord last night and search my heart as to why I blog about declaring God’s truth. As I’ve said before, I served in ordained ministry at a mega church for several years (after being a member for a decade). I’ve seen the “underbelly” of a large ministry…

I’ve seen the pastoral neglect.

I’ve seen the “grow at all cost” mentality - directed from the office of the Senior Pastor.

I’ve seen benevolence doled out (or withheld) based on whim vs. biblical mandate.

I’ve seen money “redirected” from areas of need to areas of want (fancier adornments in the new building instead of bibles for children’s church).

I’ve been in meetings were members were referred to (and seen as) “giving units”

I’ve seen where membership growth was measured by attendance instead of the fruit of the Spirit

…and I “fell in line” because my flesh was impressed by the oratory skills of my former pastor, the charismatic “move of God” that took place every week, the parade of big name Bishops, Prophets, & Prophetess’ that came and went - and I wanted to be a part of it.

I was doing what I had to do in order to keep being elevated in ministry - until I had my Damascus road moment. One Saturday afternoon, God spoke into my spirit about the Apostle Paul (I’m not trying to be super religious or “spiritual”, but it really happened). He reminded me to go and look at the book of Acts and the Pauline Epistles - and see how true ministry was conducted on His behalf.

It was then that the scales fell from my own eyes - and I saw how far off base we were. Paul is considered (arguably) on of the driving forces behind the growth of the New Testament church. Not because he wore fancy clothing, spoke with perfect diction, captivated crowds with his mastery of scripture, or sought to advance his agenda.

No, Paul simply chased after That which had hold of him (Philippians 3:8-14). Even with his credentials, Paul wasn’t satisfied that he had found Christ - he wanted the world to know Christ as well. I shared this revelation with my former leadership, and I was asked to “reign it in”.

I was bound by false teachers (pimps) and their twisted non-contextual “gospel” message, and now that I am free I can’t just sit by, pray for others, and keep moving along my way. Sure, my commentary can be biting at times. I can be a little irritated and my writings may reflect that. I can be unflinchingly direct when God’s Word is blatantly misrepresented. I don’t mean to offend, I really don’t, but everyone can’t handle truth.

I blog anonymously because I don’t want to distract you from my message - and my mission. As passionately as I am above revealing God’s truth, there are those who are just as passionate about keeping their game going. Like any good pimp, they want to protect their revenue stream - and they’ll do whatever they need to do to keep the sheep “in line”.

As a side note, there are some who take exception to the term “pulpit pimp” and say that it’s a racist term that’s generally hurled at black ministers. Well, I’m a black man from the south side of Chicago. I’ve seen pimps up close - on the street and in the pulpit. While I was submitted to black pulpit pimps, there are many “others” who occupy the role as well - namely Paula White, Pal & Jan Crouch, Kenneth Copeland, Mark Hanby, Bishop Don Mears, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, and many more.

Anyway, the bottom line is this: If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then it is your duty to defend the faith. Not by coercion, intimidation, childish taunts and name calling (I’m aware that this happens on other “Christian” blogs). The mission is simply to expose the false teachers that we are warned about throughout God’s Word (for example, 2 Peter 2), and hopefully save someone from the heartache and disappointment that we’ve experienced when falsely chasing after men.

I’m well aware that we’re all human and that we make mistakes. As I’ve said before, I truly understand that - and I can forgive unintentional error or misdirection. I cannot sit quietly, however, when there is calculated, willful intent to deceive and take advantage of God’s people.

At the end of the day, the decision is yours. My God-given mandate is simply to speak His truth…

“I’m waiting on God to tell me when to leave”

“I can tell when he’s lying, so I just close my ears on those parts”

“I’m going to pray and intercede until change comes”

Do these quotes sound like the arguments from an abused wife on why she stays with her abusive husband? They do - but they’re also the same excuses that people use when they talk about why the continue to submit to their pulpit pimp and his twisted doctrine. Nobody is perfect - except God and Jesus. I don’t seek perfection from ministers, and I have ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM praying for them when they make mistakes while pursuing Him, repent, and seek to do the right thing.

I draw the line, however, when a viper intentionally twists God’s Word to enrich himself, all the while knowing that most folks will either let him run rampant (because of their lack of study), or feel that they can “pray him” back on the path of righteousness. I WILL NOT support anyone or any organization that seeks to distort, misrepresent, and malign the Gospel of Jesus Christ - PERIOD. Not with my time, nor my money.

For background, I attended a mega church for most of my adult life, and I served in ordained ministry for the past several years. I know Apologetics, Hermeneutics, the Old & New Testament, Pastoral Care, and much more - yet I still fell under the spell of a charasmatic pimp (or pimps, more specifically) because they appealed to my selfish flesh, and my pursuit of material gain. I finally had the scales lifted from my eyes and I now see the clear message - as well as the mandate of the Gospel.

Even when I discovered that my pimp wasn’t operating under the unction of the Holy Spirit, I still struggled with leaving (because I was “comfortable”, and moving up the ministry ladder), and I diligently sought the Lord for strength to leave - as well as the comfort that His Word provides.

If you’re struggling under the influence of a pimp who massacres the Word of God, you are compelled by the Word of God to leave his presence (Proverbs 14:7). Let me make this even more clear - YOU MUST REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS HERESY & FALSE TEACHING! You can still pray for him, but you don’t have to be in his physical presence - or under his “spiritual authority” to do so.

I hear you…”I’m waiting on God to tell me to leave”. I was in that boat as well, and I came to realize that God already told us to leave this heresy behind. Want proof? Well, here you go…God says that we must turn & keep them away, reject them, don’t keep any company with them, rebuke them, not partake of their lies with them, not be equally yoked with them, have no fellowship with them, etc. We’re not even supposed to invite them into our homes (your pimp probably doesn’t even know you exists - let alone where you live):

Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances ^(A)contrary to the teaching which you learned, and ^(B)turn away from them. (Romans 16:17)

Now we command you, brethren, ^(A)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you ^(B)keep away from every brother who leads an ^(C)unruly life and not according to ^(D)the tradition which you received from us. (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

Leave the ^(A)presence of a fool, or you will not discern words of knowledge. (Proverbs 14:7)

1But realize this, that ^(A)in the last days difficult times will come. 2For men will be ^(B)lovers of self, ^(C)lovers of money, ^(D)boastful, ^(E)arrogant, ^(F)revilers, ^(G)disobedient to parents, ^(H)ungrateful, ^(I)unholy, 3^(J)unloving, irreconcilable, ^(K)malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, ^(L)haters of good,  4^(M)treacherous, ^(N)reckless, ^(O)conceited, ^(P)lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  5holding to a form of ^(Q)godliness, although they have ^(R)denied its power; ^(S)Avoid such men as these. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

13But as for you, ^(A)brethren, ^(B)do not grow weary of doing good. 14If anyone does not obey our instruction ^(C)in this letter, take special note of that person ^(D)and do not associate with him, so that he will be ^(E)put to shame. (2 Thessalonians 3:13-14)

 5For this you know with certainty, that ^(A)no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom ^(B)of Christ and God. 6^(C)Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things ^(D)the wrath of God comes upon ^(E)the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be ^(F)partakers with them; 8for ^(G)you were formerly ^(H)darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as ^(I)children of Light 9(for ^(J)the fruit of the Light consists in all ^(K)goodness and righteousness and truth),  10^(L)trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.  11^(M)Do not participate in the unfruitful ^(N)deeds of ^(O)darkness, but instead even ^(P)expose them;  (Ephesians 5:5-11)

10^(AJ)For there are many ^(AK)rebellious men, ^(AL)empty talkers and deceivers, especially ^(AM)those of the circumcision, 11who must be silenced because they are upsetting ^(AN)whole families, teaching ^(AO)things they should not teach ^(AP)for the sake of sordid gain. 12One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “^(AQ)Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13This testimony is true. For this reason ^(AR)reprove them ^(AS)severely so that they may be ^(AT)sound in the faith, 14not paying attention to Jewish ^(AU)myths and ^(AV)commandments of men who ^(AW)turn away from the truth. 15^(AX)To the pure, all things are pure; but ^(AY)to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their ^(AZ)mind and their conscience are defiled. 16^(BA)They profess to know God, but by their deeds they ^(BB)deny Him, being ^(BC)detestable and ^(BD)disobedient and ^(BE)worthless ^(BF)for any good deed. (Titus 1:10-16)

The bible is full of such admonitions, so you get the point. It literally grieves me to see God’s people mistreated - and for them to subject themselves to such abuse on a regular basis.

If you are contemplating leaving your pimp and his false heretical doctrine, I pray your strength in the Lord.

I pray that the Lord grant you enough clarity to see His truth, denounce the teaching you were submitted to, and seek His Word for your self - and a bible based church that will grow you for His service instead of shake you down for their enrichment.

…hat tip to Cry Loud  for the inspiration to explore this subject

OK - I received an email from one of my covenant brothers. He asked me to post it, and I’ll honor his wishes and post exactly as he gave it to me - especially since I believe that his frustration is warranted: 

I AM HOTTER THAN A 2 DOLLAR PISTOL!

In 3 days residents of the South Metro Atlanta area will experience some historic and amazing events:

1. On Sunday February 17th Henry County will get its 1st “African American Mega Church”. The largest Edifice built on the South Side of “The ATL”
2. On Saturday February 16th The Grand Opening for this historic edifice will take place and the spiritual focus of ministry will leave Clayton County Georgia and reposition in Henry County
3. On Friday February 15th 2008 Clayton County Public Schools will be put on notice that they have until September 2008 to rectify issues on their school board or loose its accreditation.

What is wrong with this picture? Focus! When we focus our attention on the things of man and not on the things of God we loose focus on what really matters. When we become more concerned about building monuments (Not Schools) to edify the flesh and less focused on our most precious resource, children, we ultimately loose.

It is evident that Federal, State and Local Government is broke, and to a certain degree so is the Body of Christ. We have the resources to do powerful things (Raise $650k in one night). However what are we focused on? What are we doing all this stuff for - i.e. building edifices and replica Ark’s? Homes, businesses, families and yes schools are built on faith. Schools are one of 4 pillars of faith.We cannot sit by and schools suffer because we lack focus.

The mega churches of this nation have too many resources to let our children down. People can say what they want about the Catholic Church. However the Catholic Archdiocese is cash rich, fiscally sound and produces top notch scholars. What in the heck are we focused on! So I can hear the whaling now “Oh lets pray for Clayton County”. But what are we going to DO for Clayton County?James admonishes us to not just say a kind word for those in need but we should also lend a hand: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”. (***ST NOTE***for full context read James 2:14-26). I like verse 16 “but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” What good is it that we have a brand new building to go into with a community that is suffering? So what, we look good and operate in excellence yet we own homes and businesses in a jacked up county.

Wow! What can I add to that? I heard that this church was building a replica “ark” to march into their new building and I thought to myself “that’s not biblical”. The 9th chapter of Hebrews explains the significance of the Ark and the Temple, but rendered it unnecessary when Jesus died on the cross – it is symbol worship for the sake of a religious show (Hebrews 9:2-12). If we’re building replica arks, then we should put Jesus back on the cross because His sacrifice was clearly not appreciated. 

Also, I can’t hold the Catholic Church as an example of virtue either because of their worship of saints and pope’s (I’m studying that in scripture now - more on that another time). he bottom line is this - many of you leave your communities, go out deep in the suburbs to worship in multi-million dollar facilities, have a good time for 2 hrs, then come home - driving past many of God’s people who are in need.

Maybe we should commit to tending to the needs of those in our communities before we trip over one another running to the alter to lay our last dollar at the feet of the “man of God”.

Oh well…it’s just a thought…

***As a frame of reference, here’s more on the accreditation problems of the Clayton County (GA) public school system.

I was trying to use this blog as an “online bulletin board” to post random “cute” thoughts and sayings, but I must be honest - God has called me to do much more. I can’t waste this opportunity to reach others by religating this medium to another waste of cyberspace.

I tried to sit quietly and pass the opportunity to comment on something I’ve noticed recently in the Body of Christ - but I can’t.

Now that I’m ready to “stir the pudding”…

Take a look at these logos: