Those who know me, know that I’m not a person who beats around the bush. I’m very direct and will say what’s on my mind. When most people think of a pastor, they think of a kindly man who gives a nice, uplifting sermon on Sunday mornings, will give you kind words of counsel when you need them – a generally nice person to be around.
Well folks, I fit that last part – I am generally, a nice person to be around. But the rest of that description? Nope. When it comes to counseling, I have an internal “BS Meter” that can detect it from a mile away – and when it “goes into the red,” I will call it out. And as for my sermons – yes, I will preach an uplifting sermon, as long as it lifts up the name of Jesus.
You see, I don’t go in for this “your best life now” garbage like the Joel Osteen. Your best life is in Jesus Christ – and His salvation. You’re looking for that glorious hope in eternity with Him in heaven. This life has nothing to offer – neither does Osteen. He’s busy fleecing you, and a million other people of your hard earned money.
I will fly commercially with the “common folk” – unlike Kenneth Copeland and his ilk – I don’t need a sixty million dollar private jet, with private landing strip in back of my home. He actually said this on national television – that he never wanted to be trapped in a tube with the devil. That he didn’t want to be bothered by common folk, looking to be prayed over.
Mr. Copeland – I will pray over anyone who asks – and even some that don’t. Who are you, sir, to look on other believer as if you were better than they? I’ve got news for you – you’re not! Jesus walked and talked – and prayed – with common people. You, sir, are no Jesus – and you are no better than me, or any one of my congregation!
And as for those private jets that you paid for by fleecing your congregation and television viewers of their hard earned money. Sir – Jesus walked wherever He went – you, Mr. Copeland, can fly commercial – and humble yourself down a bunch of pegs, before God does it for you!
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
Remember, the Lord giveth and He also taketh away. Don’t whine when He takes your toys away.
I don’t believe that God gives prosperity if you drink special “miracle spring water,” the likes that Peter Popoff is peddling. Yeah, he gives it away, promising on those commercials that a prosperous miracle awaits you, and those testimonies of those people that miraculously received those five-figure checks in the mail.
It’s garbage – save the phone call. They’ll just get your name, number, address and email address, and then spam you for money to continue this charade.
I don’t use race to bait my Christian brother or sister into feeling bad about themselves, because of their so-called “privilege” – see: Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. I look for people to be transformed and changed, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ – not the color of their skin.
Both of these men claim to be Baptist pastors – but they preach hate and division. Race means everything to these men, These men have forgotten the Gospel, that Jesus treated everyone equally – and He came to save everyone – regardless of skin color.
Mr. Jackson, what are you doing about the black-on-black crime in your home town of Chicago? Not a blessed thing! Are you trying to get souls saved? That, sir, is your one job – to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the people, not hate and division.
How about you Mr. Sharpton? What about the rising crime rate in New York – your home town? Not a darned thing! What are you doing to get souls saved? Probably the same as Jackson – nothing.
But if a Caucasian police officer shoot a black individual? They’re out there – in whatever city – raising hell. Even if the shooting was justified – as it is in most cases – they’re out for blood.
I wrote a comment on someone’s Facebook post – that one should not resist the police, it never ends well. If they’re knocking on the door – open it. If they give a command, comply. It’ll go a lot better if you do, no matter the color of your skin.
Black Lives Matter is nothing more than a Marxist organization that provides for diversions to the actual sin and corruption being exposed in the prior administration, the government and this nation. If you don’t dig, you’ll never find out as the mainstream news will never report on this – and I have no time for people who don’t get facts before reacting.
As I said – I’m direct. My wife calls be blunt. Got a problem with that? Think I’m judging you? See my message from two weeks ago: Judge Not? Really?
When it comes to the Word of God and preaching the Gospel however, there is no beating around the bush. God is Holy, and He cannot reside where there is unholiness.
I know of several couples who are unmarried and cohabiting – playing house. One of these couples, the woman has a teenage daughter living with them. This couple claim to be Christians. What kind of witness are they being to that teenage girl? What will they say when she comes home and says, “I’m pregnant” – or worse yet, “I’m moving in with my boyfriend.” She thinks, “heck, they do it, so can I”.
What kind of a witness are they being to others? Not a very good one.
If any of these couples came to me and asked me to marry them, I’d have to decline. One of these couples has been turned down by a good pastor already – for the very reason I would decline – until they stop living in sin and separate for a period of time, say six months, with seeing each other only in a chaperoned setting – and truly repenting of the sexual and other sin in their lives, I will not officiate and solemnize a lie.
Some may call that old fashioned – I say, “God don’t wink at sin”.
You see, it begins with the pastors. When the pastor’s bad, the church needs to act to replace that pastor with a godly man who will bring strong conviction to that church.
And don’t get me started on denominations!
To name a few – American Baptist Churches USA, Presbyterian Churches of America, The Episcopal Church – all permissive of gay clergy and gay laypeople. They – and others – also pervert God’s inspired Word to include female clergy, in direct violation of 1 Timothy chapter 3, and Titus chapter 1.
There are times I wish that we could see God’s hand in a huge way. I think of Elijah, when he called down heaven in 1 Kings 18, starting in verse 20, through verse 40:
So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs (about 14 quarts or 14.6 litres) of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.
God moved in a huge way here! Calling fire down from heaven, burning up a drenched wet offering – the people were amazed – as well they should be! Elijah called for the 800 prophets of Baal to be gathered up and slaughtered that very day.
There are days that I just wish and pray that God show Himself in that kind of way – and send some of these preachers to their punishment.
But then I remember – that one day, very soon, God will show Himself in a way that will be unmistakable. You see – on that day, millions of people will vanish off the face of the earth. These will be true, born again, believers, snatched up – raptured – by none other than Yeshua ha’Mashiach, Jesus Christ – the Son of God Himself. The sound of the Shofar will be heard worldwide,
There will be pastors left behind however – to experience the Tribulation period. They’ll be wondering, “why wasn’t I taken too?”
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
Verses 22 and 23 will start sounding familiar to them too:
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
You see, they will be getting their just punishment, and so will many others who called themselves Christians. Jesus was quite clear when He also said in Matthew 7:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
If you can envision a wide road, that has an exit to a narrow road. The wide road leads to eternal torment in Hell, the narrow road leads to Heaven. All of us were headed for Hell. But we, who are truly saved, who placed our full faith in Jesus Christ, and repented of our sin, have taken this exit off that wide road to Hell, where most of the people are – and are now headed to Heaven.
It’s not too late to take this exit.
You do need to repent of your sins. Repent means “to turn away from” – which means you let the Lord to help you overcome whatever has a hold over you. Jesus died – He paid the penalty of death – for your sins, all you have to is ask forgiveness, and leave those sins at the cross.
You need to believe, with all your heart, that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, that He’s the Son of the one true and living God, that He died on the cross for your sins, and mine, and that He rose again on the third day, and He sits at the right hand of God the Father.
Ask Him to come into your life. Take that exit from eternity in Hell, to eternity in Heaven.
The #Heb10 Church 