I have the answer to America. Honest.
The problem is no one believes I could know what I am talking about. Not that I am anything, but Job 32:8 says But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
The context of that statement is the speaker felt like he would not be listened to because he was in the presence of elders. Elihu said in the preceding verses, “I am young, and ye are very old: wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. I said, days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom,” That is why he wanted to stay quiet. “BUT THERE IS A SPIRIT IN MAN...” That is why he spoke up.
Paul said to Timothy, Let no man despise thy youth. Jesus said to suffer (allow) the little children to come to him. It seems in the Bible, those who knew God genuinely took the time to listen to people. They listened because of WHO God is, and they realized God could use anybody. Or anything!
God spoke through a donkey. God spoke through a burning bush. God spoke through Prophets. God spoke through dreams. God can speak without saying a word. The Bible says that the Heavens declare the glory of God. The Pharisees, however, refused to listen to anyone that didn’t have their degree or credentials. They were in the very presence of their Creator God who made the heaven and earth, and missed it. Instead of being willing to listen, they were blinded by their pride and stuck in their traditions. “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?” they asked. They used that as the gauge to justify not listening to Jesus!
I am not saying anyone today is Jesus. However, the tendency is to take anything said confidently from a “man of God” as THE VERY WORD OF GOD or at least FILTER everything he says through YOU and accept the filtered interpretations as the WORD OF GOD. And to take every Tom, Dick, and Harry the Critic as the voice of the devil. Especially anyone female, new evangelical, anyone not in church, or anyone who doesn’t fit the mold with polished teeth, a 3 piece suit, and who looks, smells, and acts like the poster child for your corner of the truth.
The thinking of the church today is, no, you can’t know the truth. At least, not unless you got it “through us”. Not until you graduate from our Bible college or institute, sit and soak for 10 years, do everything you are told, never mess up, and embrace every doctrine of man that this particular circle pushes and promotes. Follow me, and I’ll make you pleasers of men. Then maybe “we” will listen to you.
Mostly because you will then act and sound JUST LIKE “US“!!!!!!
Is there any wonder that America continues to go to Hell?
Could God possibly be trying to get anyone’s attention at this hour? Hello? Anyone out there? Someone who is not afraid of man, nor impressed and mesmerized by the brethren, and not afraid to go simply to the Bible AND to GOD for the answers?
Could the truth be with that certain whosover, whether young or old, who only knows how to hear from God, and only wants to listen to God? This does not mean they plug their ears to preaching nor censor their counselors. It does mean that when they go to a revival series they listen for God to speak, and ignore the external cues that come from merely listening to men. They are willing to be some of the few in an age where if you are willing to walk with God, you likely must be willing to travel alone. The bible always shows that the majority are never right. The truth always seems to fall on the few. Why do “we” always assume “we” are part of those few in the truth?
We think if we were alive in Jesus’ day we would be one of the disciples. More likely, we’d be one of the pharisees. The church today proves that if you try to live for God all the imps of hell will come against you, and some of them you will find are sharing the pew with you. Look at the examples in the bible for the few that that are not on the broad way that leadeth to destruction. Caleb and Joshua saw God when the rest of the spies only saw the Giants. Gideon’s army was reduced to a handful. The Pastor of the 1st Church of Babel was thrilled he built a huge congregation and had incredible unity in going forward with their new building project. God showed back then that getting bigger and growing does not always mean God is pleased. The motive was revealed in Genesis 11:4 — and they said, and let us make us a name. Have we learned anything in 4,000 years?
Then a few chapters later, there is Joseph against his brothers. The book of Danial tells about the 3 Hebrew children who refused to bow to the image of the King. They refused to bow down even though everyone else was. So they instead fell down. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Ultimately, by refusing to bow, they fell. At Jesus’ feet.
Today we bow to the kings of the land and justify that this is the best solution. If we don’t bow, we will offend the kings and they might never get saved. Translation: we might offend the kings and they might bring their offerings elsewhere. We might look like fanatics and draw attention and then the Corporate CEO that is in charge of our building project might fly the coop. If we bow and get thrown into the furnace, who will be there to replace us on the front row? The majority refuse to bow, and they have scripture, and often a whole church, to back them up.
Matthew 7:113 says Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Most are lost, most get deceived, most fall for a false religion, and I would argue that most even in a good church are not following after God. I believe the majority in attendence in the church of America on any given Sunday, any church, are false converts headed for Hell. Fifty years ago, that was already the conviction of many men who knew God. How much worse are things today? Matthew 7 deals with the majority. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Jesus speaks to the MANY and says in Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me , ye that work iniquity
If the majority of churches, or leaders, or Dr So-and-So’s of any camp, seem to be all repeating the same mantra, watch out. If the majority are going in one direction, that is a good clue to start swimming as hard as you can upstream in the other direction. Most circles are better at following the crowd than to follow Jesus. The church today caters to “crowd surfing” instead of walking on the water alone, because they teach they are right and if you dare march to a different beat, you are a rebel. They equate being alone with being a rebel. Not necessarily, perhaps we just are trying to stay close to the Shepherd’s voice. Could those that are frustrated that we are not in awe of their voices instead, simply be insecure because deep down they are not be as convinced they are God’s spokesmen as they claim they are?
I am not saying to reject any plea or program announced from the pulpit. I am fighting this idea that “we” seem to exist today solely to advance the church, and not the kingdom. We are pushed and prodded to deny ourselves, pick up our church, and follow them. This does not automatically translate to me following Jesus. My position is God wires us with individual talents and desires, and if we as individuals went to God and fell in love with Him and pursued him, he would put us in a ministry. He said He would build his church, and he would build it with individual servants all tuned to the master Shepherd and the result would naturally flow with men and women at rest, loving God and letting him serve. If all we can find at the tent revival, or the teen camp, or the Children’s play, are workers that are busy bees but producing no honey, something is amiss. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Today we are not only producing Martha’s to run every event, we are promoting them. Mary, you can stay home until the next prayer meeting.
I am merely trying to point out that a lot of what echoes loud and clear today flies in the face of the greatest testimonies of the past several hundred years. When I look back at the great missionaries of the day, the one common denominator is I see folks who were willing to be mocked by the world and church alike to follow the dream that God alone put in their heart. Someone came up to a man named Jim in the midst of a prospering business career basically saying, “Jim, you are a complete fool to want to leave your business and chance risking your life to become a missionary to a bunch of savage Indians. What do you have to say for yourself?” The martyred missionary Jim Elliott said “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
The church seems to shun a dream they cannot control. That is a Disney fairy tale they think that someone can only find somewhere over the rainbow. Yes, Disney fairy tales say to follow your heart, but that is something different than Biblically obeying the cry of your heart. Disney encourages you to follow the ungodly desires of your heart. “Wow, he/she is so cute! They will cause me to live happily ever after!” Jesus woos you to let him put his desires in your heart instead. The Bible says to delight yourself also in the Lord and he will give thee the desires of thine heart. A good clue that your dream is not just one from the ghost of Walt Disney past, for adventures in the great wide open, is this. Disney dreams do not involve the salvation of souls, lift up the Jesus of the bible, or make the church sweat a bit. People also will think you were of the lunatic fringe if you want to follow God’s dream. And the loudest critics often come from the pews and pulpits.
Revivalist Leonard Ravenhill said, “All you have to do is get in a closer walk with God and you’ll find your enemies are in your own church.” In the bible, only Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water. In the church today, the response would be to tell Peter he was rebellious and he failed to listen to his elders. And they wouldn’t look out in time to see him walking, but they would be able to remind him how he sank for years to come. New Evangelical John Ortberg said, if you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat. However the church is seated comfortably inside the boat where it is safe and warm, and as soon as someone stands up to take a step of faith, they immediately grab hold of him and pull him back in to the closest seat they can find. Just like a bunch of crabs in a bucket of water pulling down the one who sees a way out of the trap. Except these are the crabs of the church.
Yes, the bible says there is safety in the multitude of counselors. But the bible doesn’t say that the reason there is safety is because everyone is telling you the same thing. If God is telling you to take a leap of faith today, the majority will say, “What are you crazy?!!? Don’t jump!” If you talk to the majority you will get discouraged and climb back to be at the same level as they are. I would believe that a multitude of counselors means that you are going to get a variety of options. Then you give the options to God, weight out everything, pray for wisdom, and trust in the Lord with all thine heart and in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3). We are not to lean on our own understanding, so why do we lean on everybody else’s?
I might then take that to mean that if you hear the same thing from 2 completely different sources with 2 different backgrounds and 2 different circles, there might be more reason to trust it than to hear 1,000 similar objections from everyone from the same mold. The majority of counselors would have told Peter “DO NOT LEAVE THE SAFETY OF THIS BOAT! If you sink, we are not going after you! And you will sink, we promise you that!”
God gave Joseph a dream. His brothers were not too thrilled to hear about it. They inspired the phrase, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Joseph could have said, “No one believes me, it must not be from God. Woe is me. I better stop dreaming.” Are we not more often dream killers in the church today? Unless the brother fits the mold, does everything he is told, gets the right degree from whatever education system the particular church pushes, gets the ordination rubber stamp of approval, embraces whatever doctrinal slant the circle embraces, and worships the ground of those above him, he is not welcomed into “the Club.” This is the club of the elite, the group that speaks for God, the group that is so close to God they are the very voice of authority and know exactly what is true. Did we not leave this air of superiority at the altar of Roman Catholicism?
We say we want the truth. To quote a Hollywood blasphemer, “You can’t handle the truth!” This reminds me of chapter 22 in 1st Kings. Verse 8 says, And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but EVIL.. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
Let’s see how this plays out. What the church needs today is for someone to speak truth to the leaders, in love, because this really is the only hope for America. America is asleep because the church is asleep. The church is asleep but not allowed to dream. If the Pastors wake up, then the church can wake up, and if the church will wake up, then America can wake up.
Here is why it is a long-shot. Who is going to wake the sleeping Pastor? You need a Prophet. Today there are “no prophets” but you can basically say the same thing as an “Evangelist” but you can’t do that without a “license” and you really are only allowed to wake up the congregation who won’t wake up because the Pastor is sleeping. Who gets licensed? Those that agree with the Pastor or inner staff or bible college committee or Missions Board and are completely mesmerized by whatever doctrinal slant that particular group specializes in. Yet to get the so-called license to do this, you have to be “ordained”. By the very people you are called to prophesy not good but evil toward. Good luck with that calling. And now back to my regularly scheduled pharmacy.
Isaiah 30:10 says Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. The problem is the American church today thinks ‘we’ are God’s gift and ‘we’ want to think all is wonderful and yet, no one can discern the sign of the times. And so ‘we’ would rather keep our head in the sands of denial. So ‘we’ insulate us from the critics by creating a culture that says “Go ahead and search the scriptures!” yet at the same time, black lists anyone who finds that um, surprise, ‘we’ are actually following tradition more than the Bible!
I am NOTHING. But I have the GOD WHO MADE EVERYTHING wanting to be let out. My options seem to be either LET the God in ME OUT or ‘LET ME GO’! I have always, since salvation, tried to live by wanting the TRUTH more than I wanted to stay right. I searched out positions and let God give me some strong convictions that can’t be shaken. I found the King James. I found a young earth. I don’t care how educated you are. I will not be swayed regardless if you are in conservative circles or modern circles. I will not be bamboozled by the Gap theory, I was not elected to be a Calvinist, I will not be impressed by modern versions, I don’ t care that you mastered the Greek, and I will not be hypnotized by your drum set and electric guitar.
I also think 95% of the churches are beyond salvaging. If you were already off your rocker before the modern bibles came out in the 1900’s, relax. I am not interested in you. It is not that I am not concerned about your soul, it is just if you have already been spiritually dead for over 100 years, there is little I can say that will open your eyes. You can baptize babies to your hearts content. Enjoy the confessional unhindered. I won’t touch one crumb of your Jesus cookie. However, if I am stubborn and seem to not get people’s hints that my opinions are not welcome in the more conservative circles, and my “critical eye” needs to be plucked out, I cannot apologize for simply trying to obey God. The Bible says to prove all things. The church says, “Trust us, we are right with every jot and tittle.” The bible says to contend for the faith. The church says to contend is to divide and ‘we’ prefer the unity of compromise.
Simply, in summary, I just want to contend for the truth. My heart goes toward any church that has at least some truth still in it. However, as God is showing me, even those with more truth than error need to wake up. We are blinded by all the dead religions out there, and comparing ourselves to them, and far too content if we can simply find the faintest of pulse in ourselves or our converts. We are content to be 3 degrees above lukewarm. However, I just studied this. Lukewarm is 90 to 100 degrees F. Yeast doesn’t die until 135-140 degrees and yeast is a picture of error and compromise in the Bible. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. We will never be pillars of truth and the light of the world until we get the churches back on fire.
Today it is very easy to get off track. The Jesus of the Bible was very balanced. He was GRACE and TRUTH. A God of Holiness and a God of mercy. The Cross merged the Love of God and the WRATH of God.
To use a worldly example, when I was a young boy, I can remember the Miller Lite beer commercials Two sports announcers would argue back and forth, “tastes great” and “less filling”. It was annoying, but the point was made. Both were “true” from a beer drinker perspective, and yet they both held onto their position.
Today the modern church cries out “God is LOVE!” and so we in the “truth camp” seem to reject that and yell back, “God is wrath!”. As I said before, we seem in our circles (the independent fundamental Baptist group) to be ok giving the “God is love” to the lost that come to our Christmas programs, and Watermelon Fellowships, and Game Nights. They pray the prayer and earn a free church membership and eternity in heaven in the process. Then they get comfortable and want to join the club, and only then do we introduce them to the “God is wrath” side of things. We use fear and intimidation and guilt trips to keep them in line, because they don’t have the spirit to do this. Messages on the love of God are quickly forgotten because the guilt trips that you are not good enough soon reappear.
I might not have this whole thing down, but what I see is the church seems to pull out the “God is Love” card when convenient and the “God is wrath” card when just as convenient The God of wrath is pulled out when someone criticizes the leadership, leaves the church, fails to tithe, quits their position in the nursery or criticizes the Pastor. God says touch not the Lord’s anointed, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to address errors. It means you need to do it from the side of reconciliation and truth in love and with a goal of restoring the brother. However, when leadership messes up or hurts you, the God of love card is pulled out. You must forgive! You must forget! You must not be hurt or you are letting the devil win!
A leader or someone who holds a pivotal ministry position falls into sin, and grace is demanded. “Our flesh is very weak. Give them a break! They are human!” Yet, someone who is expendable and makes the church look bad is treated as a leper and shunned. “Unclean! unclean! Get them out of here before they contaminate us!”
Church kids that fornicate are just sowing their wild oats is the attitude. The church seems to look the other way and dish out the God of Love in this instance. Church kids that turn out to be homosexual are treated as outcasts and dished out the God of Wrath. The deacon’s kids can be pregnant out of wedlock and are treated with kindness and yet if someone walks in with the hint of a past that makes us uncomfortable, they are watched and treated as a hardened criminal that God could never use nor restore. “I know they are up to no good, make sure they don’t feel a hint of hospitality!”
If someone feels the call of God and leaves the church to start his own work, he is accused of sheep stealing should anyone get excited for his vision and want to join in on it. Yet the same church will later bring a guest Preacher behind the pulpit that will say, “I thought we weren’t owned of men” when defending one of their own who got excited for his vision and wanted new members to join in from another church.
If a leader has a house fire or a car break down, it is the Love of God. “Let’s take care of them! Quick get the offering plate! Please give generously!” If someone in secular work loses their job or loses a leg, especially when they have a tithe of impact, they are shown the God of wrath. The attitude is no one is to get in the way of the judgment of God on their lives. “Get a job, bum! If a man doesn’t work, he need not eat. Get off the coach, chubby, the tithe on your unemployment is not going to pay our bills!”
Galatians 5:2 says Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. I should feel free the more I am in Christ. If the more I am in church, the less free I feel, something is wrong. Yes, don’t trust feelings, but why does the average Baptist look so worn out, weary, and miserable? If all I experience is more oppression and all I am surrounded with is the misery I see from everyone around me, that should be a red flag. You know a tree by it’s fruit. Is our fruit one of liberty unto holiness, fruit of the spirit and zeal for God and reaching others with the gospel?
Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden is light. If we come to him, he will give us rest. If the average Baptist is worn out, weary, burdened, and joyless, it should be obvious we might be coming to church, but WE ARE NOT COMING TO HIM!
The problem is if you stand fast, you might stand alone. But this does not mean we aren’t supposed to stand. I will not bow to the image of anyone, even if I am throw into the fiery furnace.
The church is crying out, bow, bow, bow! They see the flames, and they might just sincerely want to protect you from going down in flames. However, in their over-protectiveness and their fear, they are missing the very thing that only the fire can produce. A real meeting with the 4th man of the fire.
Danial 3:25 says, He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
If you want to meet Jesus, you might have to ignore the crowd. And go against the grain and even against the church.
Know it is not always because you are a rebel. It might just be that you and you alone are listening to the quiet still voice of God. Instead of the louder pleas of the brethren.
Genesis 35:5 says, And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
Don’t hate me because I have a dream. Or because I want to be with Jesus.