This incident in Israel's history occurred right after God had anointed - through the prophet Samuel - Saul as king of Israel. Saul's new throne was in jeopardy and Israel was confronted by the mighty and evil forces as Nahash the Ammonite, whose name means "bright shining serpent," and had encamped before Jabesh-gilead. Nahash's forces were much greater than those within the city of Jabesh-gilead, who sued for a covenant of peace with Nahash, whose answer is the enemy's agreement to a church world seeking peace with an ungodly world system - give me your right eye! If we are not preaching the light of God's word then we are exchanging that which is God for that which is of Satan and embracing that which is of Satan for that which is of God. In this case we have had our right eyes taken out!!!! The answer to this is is found in Revelation when the Lord Jesus encourages us to buy of Him "eyesalve," that our eyes may once again be anointed. We need the power of the Holy Ghost in these last days in the face of this terrible onslaught of apostasy when so many churches and movements are abandoning the Spirit of God for new age humanism.
By Chris McDonald
TEXT: 1 Samuel 11:1-2
Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all
the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve
thee. [2] And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a
covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a
reproach upon all Israel.
Spiritual deception is without a doubt the greatest enemy of truth while truth is always the greatest enemy of spiritual deception. The 'ministry' if you will of Satan is to deceive in an effort to steal, to kill and to destroy it's victim without mercy while masquerading behind certain elements of truth to hide the real intent of the wicked one. Most if not all false doctrine in the church world today rode in upon the back of a morsel of truth that has been twisted and turned to make it very hard to discern between what is scripturally right and that which is in error. Most recognize blatant error sown by the cults but very few recognize error wrapped up in Christian terminology yet in reality is nothing more than New Age humanism! It's always been man's problem that anything that requires man to admit he is a sinner is shunned and outright rejected by most in the professing church. Man wants to be told he is basically good and just in need of "redirection;" the gospel tells man he is a SINNER and in need of more than redirection but a TRANSFORMATION, or a BORN AGAIN experience! The gospel preached right tells man his own works are not good enough to get him to heaven and that no matter how much "purpose" a man may have in this life - HE STILL NEEDS A REDEEMER and the help of the Holy Ghost to make it through in this Christian walk!
The great apostle Peter mentions that in the last days men would "wrestle" with scripture to their own damnation turning the grace of God into lasciviousness meaning that many will seek to divorce the church from the cross of Christ, Christ from the cross and the Holy Spirit from Christ! When the church abandons the preaching of the Cross we backslide - plain and simple. When we divorce the demands of the cross from the gospel we preach we basically turn the grace of God into nothing more than what it has been turned into today - a feel good, social, gospel filled with lust, greed and gain instead of the prophetic message of repentance the gospel has always been and always will be!!!!!!1! No need for doctorate degrees to understand that without faith in the sacrifice of Christ and Him Crucified man is eternally lost! There is NO other way to God except the Son - the Lord Jesus - and there is no other way to the Son except one comes by means of the Cross!
2 Peter 3:16-18
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some
things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest,
as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. [17] Ye
therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also,
being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
[18] But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
This incident in Israel's history occurred right after God had anointed Saul as king of Israel through the prophet Samuel. Samuel had been God's choice to lead the nation but because of a carnal desire to "be like other nations," Israel got its wish - a king. Shortly after this anointing, Saul's new throne was in jeopardy and Israel was confronted by the mighty and evil forces as Nahash the Ammonite who had encamped before Jabesh-gilead. Nahash's forces were much greater than those within the city of Jabesh-gilead, who sued for a covenant of peace with Nahash, whose name means "bright shining serpent," and was a type of Satan, who has brought the church into a covenant of hell through the name of "unity," and "peace," at any cost.
The covenant Jabesh-gilead sought with Nahash is the same one the church world seeks today with an ungodly Satan-driven and infested world system; however, the cost today is the same as it was in the days of Saul "GIVE ME YOUR RIGHT EYE!"
If we are not preaching the light of God's word then we are exchanging that which is God for that which is of Satan and embracing that which is of Satan for that which is of God. In this case we have had our right eyes taken out!!!! The answer to this is is found in Revelation when the Lord Jesus encourages us to buy of Him "eyesalve," that our eyes may once again be anointed. We need the power of the Holy Ghost in these last days in the face of this terrible onslaught of apostasy when so many churches and movements are abandoning the Spirit of God for new age humanism.
Rev. 3:17-22
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and
blind, and naked: [18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that
thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye
salve, that thou mayest see. [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:
be zealous therefore, and repent. [20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup
with him, and he with me. [21] To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with
me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his
throne. [22] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches.
Make A Covenant With Us And We Will Serve Thee
1 Samuel 11:1 - Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee
Our text quoted described how the men of Jabesh-gilead sued for peace with Nahash: "make a covenant with us," they pleaded, "and we will serve thee." Nahash's answer is also recorded in scripture, "on this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel."
Satan's chief weapon against the church of these last days is spiritual deception, keeping the Body of Christ either ignorant of his devices or blinding us to the nature of evil that affects the whole human race! The very nature of the evil spirits that assist him in his destructive work are meant to "blind" the church to number one, it's own need for Christ, and number two, the truth of the gospel message which is Christ and Him Crucified - the ONLY MESSAGE that can set the captive free!!!!!!
As stated, Nahash literally means in Hebrew, "bright shining serpent," which is obvious for the reader to see the analogy of the serpent as a type of Satan.
Rev. 12:9 - And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
[10] And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the
accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and
night. [11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. [12] Therefore
rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the
earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
The name Jabesh-gilead means "hill of witnessing," and as Israel was God's witness in the
world then, so WE the church comprised of both Jew and Gentile, are God's witnesses today. Satan, through Nahash (the bright
and shining serpent), opposed Israel and as the old serpent opposes all that is
godly and of Truth today. When we as the Body of Christ through either denial,
apathy, ignorance or outright rebellion reject truth and embrace false doctrine
we are either unknowingly at times for sure, or more sadly and dangerously willingly taking sides
with the enemy. Ignroance of the enemy's attacks is one thing - WILLFUL
ignorance is quite another. When the church world is confronted with the truth
and rejects truth -the only alternative is error and darkness which in fact
leads to spiritual blindness!
False doctrine has slain its tens of thousands, and has kept entire nations in the deceptive grip of the Devil. This conflict for truth has raged since the dawn of time and will continue until the day the Lord Jesus returns. Satan not only wants to destroy the Church but he also wants the church to compromise its message and mission by conceding his power over us. Although the price is high, sadly, millions are paying it every day. Isaiah the prophet spoke under the unction of the Holy Ghost so long ago that "truth had fallen" in the streets and there was NONE to plead for its cause!
Isa 59:4 - None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
Isaiah 59:14
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth
is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
Isa 59:15- Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
Jeremiah saw a similar evil in Israel that is seen in this atmosphere of the modern church world today:
Jer 7:28 - But thou shalt say unto them, This
is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receives
correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
God was displeased that there was "no judgment," in the land! What does that mean "no judgment?" It means that because the truth of God's word had been compromised by Israel's religious leaders, the nation lost its ability to discern and judge between that which was evil and that which was good! It's the sin of America today! We no longer call abortion evil or homosexuality "wicked," or sodomy a "perversion," or dishonesty an "abomination," in the sight of God! I don't take pleasure in making this next statement but America elected a GODLESS party on Tuesday like it or not. And had we elected the other party we'd not been much better off! Not everyone in either party embrace ungodly values but most do! It is these men American entrusted with passing laws to protect this land from our enemies and ensure equality and justice for all people under the banner of our nation's Constitution!
But neighbor when laws are passed that legalize the killing of innocent babies our laws then place us in a state of hastened judgment by God! When existing laws that do the same are protected by those in power who do not see the evil in such - there is NO JUDGEMENT IN THE LAND and God is displeased! TRUTH has fallen in the streets of America because TRUTH has fallen behind the pulpits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When so-called preachers stopped preaching against sin and labeling abortion and homosexuality as evil and wickedness America's fate and plight were sealed!!!! And unless this nation comes back to God quickly and receives correction from the Lord we are going to be "cut off" and destroyed!! Isaiah lays out the resulting judgment upon any nation that rejects truth! If the party we voted for embraces such values then we are in essence casting our votes for those same values!
Isa 3:12- As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
A few days after the election I wrote these same
thoughts in an email and got blistered by a close family member breaths and
bleeds "Democrat." He told me that he was tired of me making the Democratic
Party out to be the devil because he didn't see anything wrong with what the
Party represented. And that is the crux of this journal - when our right eyes
have been thrust out by Satan we WON'T see the evil or anything "wrong" with
killing babies, promoting homosexuality and seeking to remove the message of the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ from our society, schools and
government!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God is about to deal with America friend but before He deals with the nation, He
must deal first with the CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today, there is an
unprecedented onslaught of deceiving spirits upon the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the
fulfillment of that which the Holy Ghost explicitly made known to
the church through the apostle Paul of a great onslaught of deception that would
take place in the last of the last days. John the Revelator also saw this conflict in the
heavenlies as he witnesses the Serpent, the Beast of Revelation "make war with
the saints."
Rev. 13:7
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and
power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
1 Tim. 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart
from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
The term "saints," in Revelation refers to National Israel in the literal
translation, but the spirit of the passage is very relevant to the times we live
today! We are living in the last of the last days neighbor and the fight for
truth will not get any easier even though God will make it very much more
pronounced. In other words very soon God is going to remove any obstacles that
allows the church to sit in "gray areas" of doctrine and belief. We will either
embrace the Cross of Christ and the truth of the gospel or we will reject this
message and wind up in abstract apostasy and error. The church's greatest hour
of peril will provide her with the stage for her greatest hour of power! God is
about to shake the church to its core. What took place last week with the
revelations of the gentlemen in Colorado is just the beginning friend! It's the
first shot fired across the brow of heaven to the world that God is cleaning out
the spirit of Sodom from behind pulpits and church leadership areas FIRST - THEN
He is about to deal with America as a nation next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul said "perilous" times would come to the church in the last days and friend,
perilous times are what we are in!
This conflict from the supernatural realm, from which Satan has sent forth an army of "teaching spirits," to deceive all who would open to teachings by spiritual revelation, drawing them, unknowingly away from full allegiance to God, is real today friend make no mistake. Worldliness has without a doubt always been a great danger to the modern church but the danger of the ROOT of this spirit of worldliness is greater - spiritual deception. Men embrace the world's spirit and system because first they are spiritually deceived and as Israel of old have had their right eyes "thrust out."
That I May Thrust Out Your Right Eyes
1 Samuel 11:2
And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant
with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach
upon all Israel.
This strange request made by Nahash to the men of Israel has many symbolic and demeaning aspects but there was a practical reason for this request as well. Warriors of that day fought with swords in their right hands and shields in their left. The shields almost totally covered them from attack and were designed to be held over their faces, leaving ONLY THEIR RIGHT EYES available for vision. This is why Nahash demanded that all the fighting men of Jabesh-gilead (the hill of witnessing) have their right eyes put out. In effect, he was seeking to remove their potential for attack - or for defense - by making them BLIND.
Spiritual blindness is a horrible condition without a doubt but sadly one that affects millions of so-called believers. Ask the normal American church going Christian today what they think of the movies out there today and they will say "I don't see anything wrong with those movies; there is not that much filth in them, etc." We have rock groups parading as Christian musicians who come into our church and bring the sprit of Satan down front and parade his wears to our young people and yet preacher after preacher says "we don't see anything wrong with that." Millions of Christians embrace the Purpose Driven Life book as the Bible and don't even think twice or stop to understand what the true message of this book is really saying or that it's message has been birthed in hell yet wrapped up in a Christian wrapper.
Most of what Warren proclaims in the Purpose Driven Life is in fact a new age guidebook to Christian humanism, not a path to the born again experience as outlined in John 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We're not born again because we have the right purpose on earth in the sight of God!! The purpose of man's life is summed up in one word - REPENT, believe the gospel and receive the Kingdom of God through the ministry of the Holy Ghost as a result of one's faith in the Cross and turning from sin! Millions of churches - both Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal alike - embrace humanistic psychology as a means for deliverance from sin and bondage without thinking that the roots of this hellish philosophy is based upon one of Satan's biggest lies he's ever spun to the world that man is basically "good," and not sinful and wicked.
We have so "redefined" Christianity today that the true gospel message of Jesus Christ is being pushed aside for lies and the religious "consumer," is presented with a message that demands no repentance, no holiness, no humility, no fruit of Christ's nature inside of us, no integrity, no confessing the fact we're lost and without God, no recognition of our fallen condition and no renouncing of our old lives! This is a false gospel and one that is preached by scores of preachers who have had their right eyes "thrust out," by Satan.
When Rick Warren addressed the Religion Newswriters Association annual conference in 2005 he announced a new bold agenda to solve the world's five largest problems. He told these writers, "What I am about to tell you is going to change the American church," and went on to tell them about his P.E.A.C.E. plan - an ambitious project to mobilize 2 billion Christians to wipe out the world's biggest problems (plural) scheduled for release this year (2006). "We are going to release it to those 400,000 congregations we have trained, and I believe it will change the world." (DEWAAY)
Warren has been labeled America's "new superstar pastor" and wants to re-brand and re-define evangelical Christianity. However, Warren is not the only perpetrator of this damnable deception. Preacher after preacher gets on television talk shows and in print news magazine interviews denying the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth that there is only ONE way to God and that is through faith in the shed blood of Christ and Him ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One well known evangelist whom this writer respects deeply but is as deeply saddened of the apostasy he has sunk into as his final years on this earth approaches told Newsweek magazine in an October interview that if the Muslim died without faith in Christ that it was up to God whether he would go to heaven or not, not up to the fact the Muslim rejected Jesus. That is rank heresy and blasphemy but it is not blasphemy coming from the mouth of a cult leader or the Jehovah's Witness! It's coming from the mouth of one of America's household name preachers whose words were taken by the New Age gurus behind pulpits and repeated to millions who needed assurance that they would go on being a good Buddhist, a good Muslim, a good whatever and still be saved. Neighbor that is a LIE and this preacher has had his right eye THRUST OUT by the power of the devil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Getting back to Warren and this 2005 speech before millions of applauding pastors who whole heartedly accepted it worldwide but, who, like Warren makes no mention of the gospel, no mention of hell, no mention of repentance, no mention of the demands of the Cross, no mention of the description of the Person and work of Christ, and no mention of anything that would lead one to believe that conversion from dead works to faith in the resurrected Christ is THE ONLY WAY ONE CAN BE SAVED AND ENTER INTO HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
None of these things had or have a place in any of Rick Warren's "plans," which does nothing more but lay the groundwork and structure for a social gospel that grips the souls and hearts of MILLIONS today of sitting in church yet in spiritual darkness, blind, having their eyes "put out" by Nahash the bright shining serpent!
Warren also did a great deal of "bragging" in this same speech he had spoken before the United Nations and the Council on Foreign Relations. The Apostle Paul likewise was able to speak to kings and dignitaries including the highest levels of the Roman Empire, but there is a vast difference in content of the two! When Paul stood before Agrippa he didn't back down one bit preached the Person and work of Christ, including His resurrection from the dead. He preached the gospel. Never did Paul tell kings or rulers that he could help them solve social problems in their kingdom. He preached CHRIST and HIM CRUCIFIED - a message that ultimately cost Paul his life. The version of Christianity that Rick Warren presents to world leaders redefines the message of the cross - which was the message of the FIRST CHURCH and the message that shook the world of that day to its knees under the power of its message. Warren's new gospel is popular with the world and the church because men who are in leadership and needing to be more discerning have lost their SIGHT and blindly accept this damnable heresy.
A message that is void of Holy Ghost power and conviction will always appeal to the religious consumer. Warren is no dummy and he has devised a business system to mass-market this message to the world and reated a way for pastors to share his "success." Religion has become big business in the church growth movement of the modern church realm. But what is being applauded by millions of deceived pastors is a demonic attempt to transform the meaning and preaching of the Cross of Christ into a humanistic based gospel that is sending millions to hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The CROSS OF CHRIST has always been the centerpiece of the gospel with NO EXCEPTIONS!
The Cross of Christ makes no COMPROMISE with the sinner and makes no concessions! The Cross of Christ wins its arguments by killing its opponent and SILENCING him for good - the sin nature of fallen man which is rendered powerless through the power of the Holy Ghost through all those who come to Christ in faith! The Cross slew Christ and spared Him not as well as ALL anyone else put on a cross. Jesus was alive when they hung Him on that cross and completely DEAD when they took Him down six hours later. That was the CROSS of human history and it is the CROSS of all things spiritual history as well! The Cross, the cross, the Cross is the central focus of ALL doctrine not just some side show to place on our tenant of faith to make people think we have a church in existence.
After Christ was risen from the dead the apostles PREACHED HIS MESSAGE - THE CROSS! Wherever they went into the wide world they carried the cross, preached the cross, lived the cross and lifted HIGH the name of JEsus who declared that if He be lifted up He would draw all men unto Himself!
John 12:32-33
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. [33] This he
said, signifying what death he should die.
This comes as a result of the seed or wheat of corn falling into the ground and
DYING!
John 12:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abides alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
And when we embrace the power of the Cross, we can be healed of our spiritual
blindness and our hearts will be healed!
John 12:39-40
Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, [40] He hath
blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with
their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal
them.
The radical message of the cross transformed the killer of Christians, Saul of
Tarsus (put that one on your resume and see how many churches call you as their
pastor) into a tender believer and an apostle of the faith! Its power does more
than just change bad men into good ones it sets GOOD MEN free from their
self-righteousness and their own goodness into the glorious freedom of Christ!
Both man's goodness and his EVIL are dealt with at the cross! NO FLESH glories
in the presence of the Cross for at the cross ALL stand condemned and guilty
before God as sinners, not as just dysfunctional humans who need a better way of
life, economic status, education or social class. The cross of Christ shakes off
the long bondage of paganism and completely changes the whole moral and mental
outlook of those who embrace it. It causes those who embrace the cross to SEE
and not have their right eyes thrust out by Satan.
It's more than some symbol
men hang around their neck to ward off evil spirits - it is the POWER OF GOD
UNTO SALVATION. That is why we preach CHRIST and HIM CRUCIFIED.
1 Cor. 1:17-22
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of
words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
[18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto
us which are saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written, I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of
the prudent. [20] Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer
of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? [21] For
after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. [22] For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
As long as the church allowed the cross to be just that - a cross - it's power
changed the world and those who embraced it. Today however because of spiritual
blindness men have made it a symbol of beauty instead of one of death. When men
made it a magic sign to ward off those evil spirits then it became at best a
weak emblem, at worst a positive fetish (TOZER). As such it is revered today by
MILLIONS who because their eyes have been thrust out by Nahash know absolutely
NOTHING about its power. And the calamity is always Jabesh-gilead - the HILL OF
WITNESS of the church's testimony to a world lost and dying without God and in
need of a redeemer!
The Fault Lies SQUARELY Behind The Pulpits!
Matthew 15:14
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the
blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
What I am about to say I temper with a ton of true understanding of what pastors go through in leading sheep. This writer is a former pastor and about to embark once again upon the original pastoral call God placed on his life many years ago this coming January. I know that is not easy being in leadership nor is it always the fault of the shepherd when churches split or people go astray. The role of the shepherd is to lead people to Christ and be a conduit of the Holy Ghost to those who wish to follow him "as he follows Christ!" To me the role of pastor is the most difficult because when the glitzy evangelist leaves or the headline-grabbing "prophet" heads out of town the pastor is left to either clean up the mess the evangelist or prophet has made or at the very least deal with the repercussions of those ministry. As my dad always told me through the years - the evangelist don't have to live with the sheep so it's easier for him to say what is necessary sometime "and just leave town afterwards!"
There are precious few shepherds today and in reality maybe they have always been in short supply! There are as one writer puts in in his commentary on this passage that there are TONS OF SHEEP HERDERS and HIRELINGS! What is the difference between sheep herders and true shepherds? One word and one word alone defines the difference - CONVICTION! Sheep herders stand for absolutely nothing yet allow EVERYTHING to go on in their church without standing up and saying "THUS SAITH THE LORD," this is wrong or that is wrong and we won't embrace that!
I was driving home the other day and was listening to a local minister on radio in the two Lisa and I live try and defend his stance of allowing contemporary Christian and Christian rock music into his church. His church actually promotes such by getting these big name groups to come and selling discounted concert tickets to the community at large to "get the young people" to come to church. When has it become the church's responsibility to "get the young people to come" to our church? Neighbor, if we have to entertain the young people with ungodly music to get them what makes us think it won't take that to "keep" them! When the HOLY GHOST brings them in the RIGHT WAY, believe me He will keep them in your church for the RIGHT reasons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sheep herders allow sheep to pick the easiest route while they just tag along, doing little more than whipping the "stragglers" into line. Sheep, of course, fall easily into this trap of accepting sheep herders for shepherds. Is it possible that many of these sheep herders are actually hirelings which are no more than "wolves" in sheep's clothing! They are individuals who exploit the body and have little concern for the SPIRITUAL development and growth of their people. Since "self" and "entertainment" have become the new gods of the modern church, most pastors are more than willing to bring these damnable idols into the church and bow the knee with the people gladly to get the numbers so they themselves can gain personally from a large association of people. As long as the board member who pays tithes keeps paying those tithes we don't care if he is sleeping with someone other than his wife or he is a raging homosexual and not ashamed of his conduct or sin!
Who cares that our music leader is full of the spirit of Sodom and blatantly promotes things that we'd fire a person in the secular world for but because he brings in the young people with his charisma and his type music we let him to it with glee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These so-called Christian rock and roll singers are hirelings friend. Pastors I love you and have a deep burden for what you have been called to do and I understand the depth of the weight of what is upon you! But you need to wake up and kick NAHASH out of your church and ask the Lord to anoint your eyes with eye salve so you can see the EVIL that what your embracing is doing to the church God has called you to lead!
Many of these so-called Christian rock bands call themselves the "new" prophets of the young, but behind most of them if not ALL of them is the motivation and god of money and mammon! Their inspiration comes from the demigods of the rock culture yet they have the audacity and lack of the fear of God to link such foolishness AND WICKEDNESS with the Holy Spirit!
Other hirelings are the purveyors of today's "prosperity gospel," which many in their hearts know is wrong yet they keep preaching it! The gullible devotedly seek to find a quick and easy way to become rich and so much the better if it is cloaked with spirituality and Christian terminology. Nahash has thrust out our right eyes and we don't see the evil in this any more. How sad to think that we would embrace a doctrine that cares more whether people are rich instead of whether they are saved. I heard one revivalist many years back write "it's better the church be poor and be saved, than to be rich and be lost!"
Another type of hireling are those who allow the spirit of homosexuality to exist in their leadership and do nothing about it. As I close this first of the journal I want to share this experience I had in Atlanta, Georgia this past summer. I was selling portraits at one of the largest Methodist Churches in the city when I mentioned to the host of the horrible division the Methodist church was experiencing over this very issue of whether to ordain homosexuals as pastors and leaders. The room got deathly quiet as I spoke and I could tell the host was embarrassed.
As I was packing my stuff up later that evening she walked up to me and said, "your comments hit a nerve because our song leader is gay and his partner is actually the piano player. Our church is one of those 'progressive' churches that don't hold to the old time doctrines that have kept us away from reaching people." Neighbor if that is a progressive church I would rather stay where I'm at than "PROGRESSIVELY" go where this church is headed unless the leadership repents! Nahash has thrust out their right eyes!
In part two of this journal I am going to take a look at how many label unity as meaning we all believe the same thing even if what is being promoted is evil! That is not unity friend that is demonic deception!
Pastor, I love you today. Don't take these comments as shrill or uncaring or callous to your plight as the leaders of God's flock. I pray that if Nahash has made an offer of a covenant you have rejected his offer and have asked the Lord to ANOINT YOUR EYES with HIS EYE SALVE - the HOLY GHOST! The price we pay for a covenant with Nahash is spiritual blindness which, if we as pastors are blind, then we will lead others who are blind in to the ditch with us! We need to repent! We need to repent and come back to the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! I know there are still some who have not made the covenant with Nahash and I thank God for them. If you have today I pray you ask the Lord to bring back your spiritual vision to see evil for what it is and to know the difference between that which is of God and that which is Satan! The souls of men are at stake pastor! Those under your care will either enjoy eternal life or experience eternal damnation as the result of how you lead and teach. Think about that the next time Nahash comes calling! Praise God.
Related: Rick Warren Visits Syria- The Purpose-Driven Lie - Joseph Farah
Graphic: World Evangelism Press, Baton Rouge, LA.
"Behold, I stand at the door and KNOCK"