Music Link: https://youtu.be/DkrXQLFNK1Y
You know, I have been thinking. There is an issue in my life in which very few people know about. Nevertheless, I believe that it is time to confess.
It was almost fifty years ago, when God called me from a hospital bed having just overdosed on some drugs, when he asked me to move up to a college town and to become involved in a church.
Well, I was obedient and ever since becoming involved in the church, I have harbored this ‘secret little sin,’ which few know about. I mean, Jesus himself had to remind Peter that no matter how many times he would be tempted to deal with it, he still had to obey the “word of God.”
Well, have any of you guessed my “little sin?”
None of you?
I’m surprised, I would have thought at least a few of you might have guessed it.
“Yes, I hate Preachers!”
Why, I remember one time when I had to go before the Lord, and in my defense, I told him, “Well, I have forgiven these guys seven times seventy already and then the Lord replied, “No, you have to forgive them seven hundred times seven thousand, like I do, John.”
So anyway, since I have been a Christian there have only been a few who I have regarded very highly. There is one in particular who right now is a contemporary and not one from another era, where most of the other highly respected preachers from me have been from.
I couldn’t tell you the number of times where I have “praised,” the teaching which has come from his ministry or sermons. I have a whole folder of his sermons, as some have been the most anointed sermons that I have heard. And it is funny because many times I will have been on the road and then be led by the Holy Spirit to a platform or venue where he is speaking. One time, I was around Tennessee, and I just felt led to stop by Norvel Hayes ministry. I had only visited Norvel’s ministry one other time in twenty years. Cleveland, TN was a bit out of the way from most interstates that I traveled on.
Nevertheless, when I got there it just so happened that John Bever was preaching a whole series of meetings for a few days. Another time I was out in Southern California and all of a sudden had an inkling to go visit Aimee Semple Macpherson’s Temple which she built. I had heard that Tommy Barnett’s son had opened a church called the “Dream Center, so I thought that I would visit. Again, John Bever had just come to visit and to preach there, as well. I believe there was another time when I caught him at Christ for the Nations, while I was living in the Dallas area, as well as hearing him in Tulsa at a few “Word Explosion Conference.”
In fact, the first time that I heard him was at a church called “Cool Springs Church,” in a suburb of Nashville when I was living there for a year. I had never heard of the guy, but was checking the various churches out around Nashville. As I recall the church was down the interstate in Franklin across from a big Mall.
Nonetheless, what I wanted to point out was that I have never ever spoken an ill word concerning this highly respected Preacher. I have promoted the man’s ministry a number of times, just as I am doing now.
For something like twenty five years, I have only said ‘good things,’ concerning his teachings and I have almost been in total agreement with everything that he teaches.
Nevertheless, a number of weeks ago, I wrote a paper and while referring to his ministry, I stated that it was a “works based Ministry.”
I meant no disrespect but I was only sharing what I believe to be true.
You see, I believe that any ministry which preaches that Christians ought to be legalistically “Tithing,” is nothing more than a “Works,” based ministry.
Now, let me add this, I have heard John report during his sermons how his ministry began “Tithing,” and through the “works,” of Tithing principles, which are referred to in the Bible, he has been able to grow and to grow to do greater things for the ministry. Also, I have heard how he has lived in very nice homes in the mountains of Colorada, or in Florida. I have heard him preach about how that he has been so blessed and his family will all take their dirt bikes and go riding trails, or perhaps their Jet Ski’s on vacation, whatever.
My only point is that he lives very much above his fellows, just as anyone of these other contemporary Mega Church or gifted ministers live.
Well, we don’t see this kind of living in the scriptures among the disciples or apostles in the Early Church.
The reason for this, I believe is that in the modern church we have incorporated the “Works of man,” into the “Ministry of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.”
You see, I believe that this is one of the reasons why the church today is so powerless, or so barren of the supernatural or of the model of the church which has been laid down in scripture for the benefit of us today.
And I am not condemning John Bevere for his practices because he is living as “tradition,” has been laid out for every minister in today’s American concept of Church.
But all I ask is that if these leaders wish to live through their “works,” unto God, then please don’t confuse the new believers into this idea in which a successful financial ministry means that you are a “man,” who walks and exemplifies the “Faith,” spoken about in the Bible.
And again, I admire Mr. Bevere’s ministry as one who has handled it well, such as a man like Oral Roberts. What Oral Roberts did was to leave a legacy on Earth for the benefit of those who would come after him. Well, I feel as if Messenger International has operated with the same “Integrity,” and they will be leaving a legacy for the generations which follow.
Nonetheless, when you look at the thousands and thousands of other ministries around the Nation which have operated in the last few decades, very few of them leave the children who come after them anything other than an old empty deteriorating brick and mortar building.
I am not making light; I am speaking the truth. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many times that I have heard from a pulpit, “Why the Bible says that I should leave an inheritance to my children’s children’s children, and I want to thank all of you people who aren’t able to leave your kids diddly squat, but are making my bank accounts grow, that I can barely contain my silos.”
I am serious, have you ever heard of one of these preachers? They have these great doctrines in believing that God put that scripture in there because as representatives or stewards of God’s resources on Earth, God added that for their personal finances.
I mean, it had nothing, absolutely nothing to do for the purpose of leaving your children’s children a good and wholesome legacy of righteousness or Holy Living. Yet had everything to do with their personal finances in which they will invest most of it in the comfortable huge home or luxury cars upon which they splurge on themselves with.
Nonetheless, every one of these preachers who begin to reap from the Biblical principles of finances within the Bible, always raise their “game.” First they begin to “reap,” from their long efforts of first “tithing,” then they up the ante. They give God a little more, they reap a little more, now it is hardly any ‘faith,’ whatsoever, because should God not come through, they still have enough to cover their losses, right?
Well, a few years go by, and they broke another barrier in the supernatural laws of “Biblical Finances.” So, now they don’t even have to try. I mean, the money is pouring in.
And then in almost every case they will get up in the pulpit years later and explain how, “When we first ‘tithed,’ it was such a struggle, but we kept at it, and finally we got a breakthrough.”
Then they go through their story, and they all explain how God had “INCREASED,” their FAITH, so that, “Now, all we have to do is to just sort of wish it to come in.”
But, do you see, do you see, just how much FAITH, that we have today?
“Aren’t we the Cat’s Pajamas?”
So, then something like Covid hits.
God stops the world for the Christians to get a “REALITY,” check.
So, here all of these “Super Apostles, and Super Christians,” all begin to look at each other and could I tell you what they saw?
They saw a whole lot of Christians who had absolutely no WORKS, for mankind, because all of their WORKS, was for themselves.
They saw all of these famous Mega Pastors and Super Televangelists, living in these huge homes, but the people had all scattered as the Bible so aptly puts it, “AS SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD.”
Well, what God was doing through those times was that He was hitting a RESET button, in order to give the church one more chance to obey Christ and to begin to do the “Works of Jesus.”
So, what happened?
The church still had those” Wolves” in it which the apostle Paul prophesied would enter the church the moment that he was no longer around.
And so, here we are a few years after “Covid,” again, and what is the state of the church?
As Merle Haggard put it, “And I'm right back where I've really always been,”
Music Link: https://youtu.be/WuPP9REW1jc
Song by Merle Haggard ‧ 1970
Lyrics
Today I started loving you again
And I'm right back where I've really always been
I got all over you just long enough to let my heartache mend
And then today I started loving you again
What a fool I was to think I could get by
With only these few million tears I've cried
I should have known the worst was yet to come
And that cryin' time for me had just begun…
I bet you never knew Merle wrote gospel, as well?
But seriously, what happens to these huge “Tithing,” ministries is that they get the emphasis off of Jesus and instead on the “Works,” of attaining or pleasing God in a manner which they believe will move God for favorable finances in their lives.
And then after those ministries who were not sincere in their personal integrity will mostly have nothing to show in terms of value to the “kingdom of God.”
And as I tried to explain above, even when they do find success in a “life of tithing,” most have learned no “Faith.”
And I am not talking about the kind of ‘Faith,” that your local Prosperity Teachers,” speak about.
No, I am talking about the kind of “Faith,” in which Martin Luthor spoke about.
Habakkuk 2:4 New Living Translation
4 “Look at the proud!
They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
Habakkuk 2:4 Amplified Bible
4 “Look at the proud one,
His soul is not right within him,
But the righteous will live by his faith [in the true God].
Habakkuk 2:4 King James Version
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Romans 1:17 New King James Version
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Galatians 3:11 New King James Version
11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
Hebrews 10:38 New King James Version
38 Now the just shall live by faith;
But if anyone draws back,
My soul has no pleasure in him.”
And again, I am trying to argue that when a person “tithes,” he makes a deal with God in many cases. You see, they always quote Abraham, or Jacob or from when Isaac sowed in a land of famine, but few today make vows which were forbid when Jesus taught.
Yes, Abraham made a covenant with the Lord to give ten per cent. Nevertheless, what the church teaches overall is to legalistically “Tithe.” And when you do that you are nullifying “Faith,” in your giving. Thus the Bible states what is not “Faith,” is sin.
And that “Without Faith it is impossible to please God.”
Otherwise, your “giving,” is simply “WORKS.”
“You want to give to God, so he will give back to you.”
How is this any different than working for an employer and expecting to be rewarded in monetary reward?
Therefore, the next time that you see all of these great “men of Faith,” Prosperity Preachers, just tell them, “No, you fool, you are just working for God or performing ‘works,’ for God.”
It is not “Faith,” it is living out Bible Proven Principles.
C.S. Lewis, has a great mini teaching, as well that I will post for those who wish to learn more truth.
Link: https://youtu.be/w-IzjM6_kcc
Anyway, the whole reason why I felt that I had to share this was because a day after I wrote the paper referencing a ministry as being “one of works,” since they have emphasized the practice of tithing, I happened to be on You Tube, a day later. Well, I was gleaning a few clips and I saw one of a lady. Pointing a finger, it looked like.
I turn it on and there is this woman screaming into the camera and pointing a finger, going on about trying to intimidate a ministry and how that “is the quickest way to lose those spiritual gifts that God has given you.”
Well, I was shocked, I thought, “My goodness, what bug is climbing up her stockings?”
I mean, this woman was mad to “say the very least.”
And so, I was looking at her and I mean, I must have looked dumbfounded cause I didn’t have a clue as to what she was even talking about. (it was a short, so there wasn’t much information, as to the circumstances.)
I listened to it again a few night’s ago, and the clip was a lot more serene, so I don’t know if perhaps it was me who was emotionally detached or if maybe they switched to a less offensive one?
But anyway, I love the Bevere’s and always have despite their idiosyncrasies concerning “Tithing,” and emotions.
I mean, even last night, I was looking for a sermon by John to help a particular individual, but I couldn’t find it. Well, I remembered the theme and so today I happened to find a similar sermon on the same subject and was even better than the one that I was looking for last night.
I am serious, John Bevere always blows me away with his “revelation knowledge” that he uses in his sermons to present some of the most sound teaching in the Charismatic Church for the last fifty years.
I hope that they don’t mind me posting this, but it really ought to be heard by the “Body of Christ,” no matter any church affiliation.
JB Link: https://youtu.be/0enm6tDyryc
Added Note: let me add this. I have seldom ever gone to “google,” to look up how much money a ministry or individual has. Normally, if I do that it is to verify something or there is a purpose other than being jealous or envious of what a person owns. I have never concerned myself with the wealth of this family. I just want to make that clear.
You see, I strongly believe that we are all going to stand before Jesus and we will be judged accordingly. God is not going to be asking my opinion on such matters. Therefore, I have no interest in what someone has accumulated or owns.
When I mentioned the lifestyle above, my point was to show the fact that these are not typical lifestyles as laid down in scripture. Nor was I implying that these lifestyles were wrong. The Bevere’s run a multimillion-dollar corporation and give millions of dollars away in ministry tools from my understanding of what I have heard. Therefore, I can’t think of another ministry in the church today who ought to be compensated more than the Bevere’s. My point, however, is that scripturally the “Clergy,” or “the Elders,” never lived above the means of the laity.
I lived in a community where I saw this practiced for three to four years. Therefore, I have a different mind-set of many in the Evangelical Church. I know what the Bible says, and I have seen it practiced out or really “Lived,” out.
So, by mentioning the fact, it was not to condemn any individuals in ministry today, but it was to plainly show that in America we have transformed the “church” into businesses. You see, we don’t have the example set in scripture of a church which is equally laid out under the guidelines of Jesus teaching.
Instead, we have a church which is divided completely of the “have’s and the have nots.” In other words, we have a church which is modeled under a world system of business or government.
Well, can you imagine what would happen if the church became as the Lord truly taught or as the New Testament gives example.
Can you imagine if every individual in the church understood his or her authority to be that equal of the modern day Televangelist or mega Pastor?
If they had the confidence of these many men and women who through fast talking and good old Charisma, have become millionaires through the resources of the little people.
Can you imagine what would happen if everyone in the church had the same kind of confidence as that of our so-called leaders in the American church?
Well, I can guarantee you that if you could mentor or challenge a “church.” Like that, then they wouldn’t be out trying to hustle ten or twenty million for a new building, but they would be going out into all the world and bringing in tens of millions of foot soldiers into the Kingdom of God, as themselves.
You see, what Satan has done in the church has been to divide the church, so that the “church” only recognizes true authority by the financial success of those who call themselves “Elders,” or who other “Elders,” are willing to recognize.
(Many times, by simply being in the ‘good old boys,’ club.)
So do you see what I am trying to say, it is not that every Elder in the church needs to take a “Vow of Poverty,” and to give up their wealth. What I am trying to say, if we are going to run a church as a business, then tell me it’s a business.
Please don’t tell me, however, that I have accumulated millions and millions of dollars from God’s little children and that it has solely been my “Great Faith,” as many of the popular Prosperity Preachers, try to convince you of, that you would give more to be like them.
Lastly, isn't it funny how many of these super-Apostles who live by and teach you to have such great "Faith," as theirs, have usually been the recipients of the "Tithe," which is brought to them by the little people.
Well, give me a congregation of naive followers of man and then perhaps my "Faith," will increase as theirs?
That way, I might be able to make it into Chapter Eleven of the next printing of the "Gospel of the American church," as defined by the Charismatics and the Pen tee costals!
As Norvel Hayes use to say, “Give me a break.”
Music Link: https://youtu.be/rHodUyRTFms
One of my favorite movies I would watch while suffering from a sickbed as a child. (wink, wink)
Thanks to "Bill Kennedy at the movies."
Movie Link: https://youtu.be/UUuvpI4bvyM
(Please start from the beginning.)
1 John 2:27 Amplified Bible
27 As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].
Music Link: https://youtu.be/XD6RdI1QqCg
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