Any Other Gospel Than This

Last night I was watching my service online like I typically do in this season of my life and they were sharing awesome testimonies from a retreat they’d had over the week-end.  The one that stood out to me was a young man who was bound by witchcraft and homosexuality.  When he was an extremely young child his family introduced him to voo doo by taking him to a ceremony.  At this ceremony or another like it, a man molested him which introduced him to homosexuality.  I shared the picture and Facebook version of the testimony so the world would be encouraged by the young man’s awesome testimony.

However, this testimony elicited an unexpected response from a former ORU [Oral Roberts University] peer (wing sister) of mine.  She called it “rubbish” and completely disregarded the young man’s struggle and deliverance.  It was late so I deleted her response because I do not allow any form of blasphemy or grieving the Holy Spirit and His evident work in someone’s life nor do I allow anyone to speak ill of my spiritual father or his church.  I don’t play that!  But not wanting to be rude and feeling maybe the testimony was unclear to her, I inboxed her a message to clarify the testimony of the young man and also my comment that Jesus can and does deliver from witchcraft and homosexuality.  I thought that maybe she misinterpreted it to mean that witchcraft causes homosexuality, which was not at all what I mean to convey.  I quickly discovered that her issue was not confusion with the testimony, but in believing that the Bible is true. 

The young lady has several loved ones that are active participants of the homosexual lifestyle and because they are wonderful people—which I cannot argue either way since I do not know any of them—has somehow led her to believe that it is alright for them to be homosexual because “God created them that way” and He loves them.  She also went on to add that I am judgmental, insinuated that I do not truly know the Bible (or at least how to interpret it), and that I will have to answer to God for my sins of judgment against His [homosexual] people.

This to me was absolutely laughable and also extremely sad because some people really think that their feelings about God and or His word determine how they are allowed to interpret the Bible.  They are sadly mistaken.  I write this blog not to gather personal supporters, but rather to use my literary platform to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul provides an excellent passage that will direct the heart of this post.  It reads as follows:

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said and said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.  For do I persuade men, or God?  Or do I seek to please men?  For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ,” (Galatians 1:8-10).

Dear ORU grad, FB friend, Twitterbug, or other acquaintance: whether I know you or not, like you or not, I am not here to impress you.  I am here to lift up the name of Jesus and to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God—not of man—to you.  If anyone has an issue with what I say, then you don’t have an issue with me—you have an issue with God, with Jesus, and with the Bible.   

The Two-Edged Sword & Rock of Offense

Let us first clarify that the Word of God is a two-edged sword, sharper than any known to man (Hebrews 4:12).  So guess what? That means the Word cuts.  Or as Pastor Tamara Bennett would say, “it’s cutting me while it’s cutting you”.  We may not always like what the word of God says and we as human beings with free will are absolutely entitled to that preference.  However, when we stand before God on Judgment Day, He is not going to forgive us and let us in His Heaven to spend eternity with Him if we chose to disregard or twist His word to fit our preferences without repentance.  That’s not how it works.  When we truly know God, when we truly make Him our Lord and Saviour of every part of our lives, then we want to please Him; we want to abide by and preach His word because it’s our passion.  It doesn’t matter how we feel about it because what God says goes.    

The Bible also refers to Jesus as the “rock of offense” and that is a most accurate statement (Isaiah 8:14, Romans 9:33, I Peter 2:8).  I Peter goes on to say:

“They stumble, being disobedient, to the word, to which they also were appointed,” (I Peter 2:8). 

This means that even the people who have been introduced to the Gospel, those who claim to know, serve, and love God, can be [consistently] disobedient to God’s word.  

The word disobedience as defined by Merriem-Webster is the refusal to neglect or obey.  This means that the disobedient person knows the truth, knows what they are supposed to say, do, or believe, and yet they willfully choose to do otherwise.  They choose rebellion.  And it is this disobedience that allows the person to choose to be and or remain offended.

The Curse of Teaching [Promoting] False Doctrine

The Word is very harsh on those who teach and or promote off doctrine of any sort whether it’s a Unitarian doctrine that states everyone is saved and going to Heaven, they just don’t know it or that lying is ok.  Sin is sin to God and to be a believer and especially a member of the Fivefold ministry (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and or teacher) and promote it is a deadly mistake if it is not confessed and forgiven. 

The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy about false teachers saying:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables,” (II Timothy 4:3-4).

Jesus tells us the punishment for leading God’s children astray in Matthew.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to the man by whom the offense comes!” (Matthew 18:6-7).

Another passage that pronounce a judgment on promoting a false doctrine states:

“Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” (Matthew 5:19-20).

The Bible places very steep judgment on those who know the truth and choose to do, preach, or live otherwise.

Mistaking God’s Love for His Tolerance

Many people, especially as it concerns homosexuality, tell themselves that since God is a God of love, He would not really send unrepentant sinners to Hell for eternity.  These people are sorely mistaken.

God most certainly is love, but He is also holy and as such, demands us to be holy.  Sin cannot dwell in His presence which is why man was driven from Eden.  Their sin-sick state would have tainted the realm of glory that God created us to live in and it is as true today as it was then.  God loves us so unbelievably much whether we serve Him or not, whether we surrender our sexuality to Him or not.  Yet when we actively choose to disregard or disbelieve what His Word says about [homosexuality], when we choose to ignore the work of redemption and freedom that Jesus won for us through his horrible suffering, gruesome death on the cross, and powerful resurrection, we slap Him in the face and reject the gift and therefore willfully forfeit eternal life with Him. 

Illustration: If I give you a gift card to Nieman Marcus,  but you never redeem it, you will not be able to possess all of the wonderful gifts that are waiting for your there.  It’s like you never had it to begin with.

It is the same with salvation.  If we never accept it and walk in it, then we forfeit the abundant life that God longs to give us. 

Furthermore, when we say that God is love, it does not mean that He is tolerant of our sin and rebellion.  This is one of the biggest deceptions of our “advanced” society.  You become labeled as a bigot or hatemonger if you profess God’s stance on homosexuality because there is a widespread misconception of God and His word.

Illustration: An example I love to use is a parent and their child.  If you as a parent tell your child to clean their room and they don’t, they are being disobedient.  You hate that the child does not clean their room, but you do not hate the child them self.  Yet the child’s disobedience requires punishment. 

God is the same way.  He loves each and every one of us so very much!  The word tells us that “The Lord…is not willing that any of us should perish”! But I’m going finish the verse that so many would prefer I not see or read because it states “but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). 

The Fragrance of Life or Death

I have been accused before of “cherry-picking” (preferential selection) Bible verses to suit a particular theology or philosophy.  Yet it is not cherry-picking to preach God’s word the way He intended to preach it.  I refuse to have blood on my hands for not preaching God’s word to the lost, or worse, for twisting and or selectively preaching His word to make it more appealing to a deceived generation.  I could boost my popularity with people and preach to their itching ears the things that comfort them in their mess, polish their chains of bondage, or pity their flesh, but God would be most grieved.  I would lose my place in Heaven and eternity because I was too busy trying to make myself a place among men. 

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is not popular, sugar-coated, or encouraging to our flesh.  In fact, it is foolishness (I Corinthians 1:18) and “the aroma of death leading to death” (II Corinthians 2:14-16) to those who do not believe.  But do not let it remain a deadly aroma in your nostrils.  If you repent and believe on Christ and His word, it will become the fragrance of life to you(II Corinthians 2:14-15)! 

Repeat this prayer with me:

            Father God,

I know that I am a sinner and my sin grieves You and separates me from you.  I want to put aside my emotions, preferences, and bondages to embrace You and Your word.  Come into my heart today.  I confess that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God who was born of a virgin, died on the cross, and rose from the grave on the third day to claim my freedom and healing. I make you the Saviour and Lord of my life.  Fill me with Your precious Holy Spirit who teaches and guides me into all truth!  I accept you now!  Thank God for saving and filling me!

In Jesus’ name,

Amen!

My prayer is that you repeated and believed that prayer with all your heart.  If you did, you are transformed and a bona fide son/daughter of the Most High God whose presence lives in and leads you.  If you make a mistake, it’s ok! Just ask God for His forgiveness, ignore condemnation from the devil, and continue to grow in the things of God.  Join a church near you that preaches the sound doctrine Jesus preached and can help you in your walk.   

I love you and most of all, God loves you! 

God Bless! xx

To the David Generation

I was reading my Bible late last night [early this morning] when a passage that I’m sure I’ve read many times before in my 26 years jumped out at me like never before.  It was I Samuel 13:19-22 which reads like this:

“Now there was a no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, ‘Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.’  But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his sickle; and the charge for a sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads.  So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan.  But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son” (emphasis mine).

This passage struck me because I never recalled the fact that the Israelite people were completely unarmed and the equipment they did have (ie. plowshares, axes, sickles, forks, etc.) were for farming and building.  This makes young David’s bravery that much more astounding to me because he literally had nothing but God.  Any farming/building equipment he would have had access to, his seven older brothers most likely already took to battle.

Imagine a vast army full of men armed with sickles, plowshares, and pitchforks! What a pathetic sight that would be and in the natural, it would make sense for them to quake before the Philistines and Giant Lords of Gath. There is no way that they could go up in battle against the Philistines in their own might.  And this is most likely also why Goliath took the stance he did saying,

“‘Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.’  And the Philistine said, ‘I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together’.” (I Samuel 17:8-10).  

Goliath—knowing the incomparable abilities of the Israelite army as it concerned weaponry—followed the pattern of the Ancient World

and as the Philistine champion, much like in Troy a.k.a. The Iliad  when Achilles fought Hector or in Prince Caspian where Miraz challenged High King Peter, when he called for a champion among the Israelites to face him in combat.

Saul, apparently too afraid to face Goliath himself, tried to give young David his armor and sword, full-knowing that he and his son, Jonathan, were the only ones to possess such treasures.  He knew that it was pure insanity, folly really, to meet a foe in war without the proper gear and weaponry.  And it would seem that even armor and a sword that were too big for David would be better than none at all.  But David had discernment.

David understood that he did not need to try and fill someone else’s position [represented by the armor/clothing from Saul].  David had a revelation which we see expressed in Psalm 28:7 that the Lord is his “strength and…shield”.   He knew God would provide him with a more effective, divine set of armor and weaponry.  He knew that although it appeared he had nothing, he, in fact, had something.  He chose five smooth stones (one for each of the five giant lords, the sons of Gath), placed them in his sling, and slew Goliath.  And it was this victory that propelled David into his destiny. 

So now, I speak to the David Generation; the generation full of purpose and possibilities, yet who might feel insignificant.  You might wonder what good is a gift of singing with no one to hear it, a writing gift with no writing utensil, or a fighting gift with no one to fight.  Well I have news for you: God has heard your prayers and knows your potential—He gave it to you!  He has anointed you for a specific purpose.  Furthermore, God is about to provide you with the opportunity to show your quality and worth to the world!

Forget about what’s been taken from you, how helpless you feel, how dire your situation seems, and how overlooked you’ve been.  God is about to bring you out of obscurity to accomplish His purpose in the earth!

David Generation, it’s time to rise up!

Whitney: Her Life, Her Death, and Her Homegoing

Whitney "Nippy" Elizabeth Houston

1963-2012

Today, along with millions of people around the world, I watched Whitney Houston’s funeral.  I did not know what to expect and I have had viewpoints and opinions on her life as well as her afterlife that many would disagree with or even find offensive.  Yet, I love Whitney.  I never met her, but when she died, it was like an aunt I’d always loved, but never got to the chance to know, had died.  In short I was devastated.  And with none of us truly knowing where Whitney would spend eternity, I did not have a particular expectation of the funeral besides these two things: 1) Pastor Marvin Winans must preach the eulogy and 2) CeCe Winans must sing “Don’t Cry for Me”.  My expectations were met and, by far, exceeded.

As soon as I tuned into Whitney’s funeral, or should I say, homegoing service, I was immediately struck by the presence of God in that place.  It flooded into my office and overwhelmed me. And once I gained an understanding of what would truly happen at her homegoing, this verse popped into my head:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain,” (John 12:24).

I realised that the impact of Whitney Houston’s life would greatly pale in comparison to the impact that her death would have.  Someone related it to Sampson who, in his death, killed more Philistines than he ever did in his life put together.  I concur.  Whitney had an undeniable, gift from God in her voice.  Yet it was her death that drew the world together and created a platform for God to be exalted. 

In case you missed it, Twitter [and Facebook] was on fire during the homegoing service.  Piers Morgan, Suze Orman, RHONJ’s Caroline Manzo, Amber Riley, my fellow wedding professionals, and saints everywhere had a four hour, international church service via internet and over the airwaves!  The saints praised and worshipped.  Secular artists who didn’t know Jesus had the anointing rest on them like in Old Testament times while they sang their tributes.  Pastors spoke in tongues.  And I know that I know that I know that lives were changed.  And all of this on the internet and international television!  Furthermore, if you would have checked the Twitter trends during the Homegoing, the vast majority of them had to do with God and Jesus.  I’ve NEVER seen ANYTHING like this in my entire life!

I spoke with my sister Jessica today to relay all the funeral details to hear and I told her I did not think it was any coincidence that just two nights ago, I watched a church service online wherein the speaker, Prophetess Cindy Jacobs, declared that the next great revival of America had begun.  What the devil meant for evil [by Whitney’s Death], God meant for good!  And just as Bishop Jakes said today at the service, “death has not won”.  And it indeed has not! 

On Anderson Cooper the other night, BeBe Winans, spoke about the song he wrote which his sister CeCe recorded and performed, “Don’t Cry forMe”.

“No one is the blame, my death was meant to be.  Don’t carry guilt or shame. The reason why I came, soon you’ll see”.

Such poignant, powerful words!  “…the reason why I came, soon you’ll see…”. Whitney’s gift, Whitney’s life—as all of our lives are—was created to give God glory.  Despite whatever issues we have, whatever struggles we deal with, whatever heartaches break us, our lives were made to bring God glory!  And Whitney’s life as a whole, whether previously disputed or not, has now culminated to bring God greater glory than many of ours ever will.  Her death, timely and painful as it was, gathered us as a global family together and in the midst of our celebration, God was magnified above Whitney, above all of her triumphs, above all of her struggles, above all of her downfalls. And the Bibles says, “that if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me,” (John 12:32).  And today my friends, Christ was lifted up. 

So now, I will do what was not able to be done at the funeral.  I offer you the chance to accept Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Saviour.  It’s so simple!  You need only do these three things:

1. A—Accept Jesus Christ as your only Lord and Saviour: We must do this because the Bible says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which men must be saved,” (Acts 4:12).

2. B—Believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life, and died for your sins: John 3:16 tells us that Jesus is the “only begotten Son” of God and that “whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life in Christ Jesus”.  Furthermore, if we do not believe that Christ led a sinless life, then His death would just be the death of any other religious martyr and give us no hope of eternal life or forgiveness for our sins. 

3. C—Confess that you are a sinner and you will be saved: The Bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  That means me, you, Whitney, the Pope, everyone accept Jesus is a sinner.  Therefore, we all are in need of God’s forgiving grace.  It also says that our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).  We cannot do any thing, any work, that would erase our sins from our slate.  However, God’s grace is sufficient to forgive us all our sins and His blood strong enough to wash us white as snow.

Allow Whitney’s life and even more so, her death, to not be for naught.  Learn from Whitney’s mistakes and truly make Jesus your Lord and Saviour.  She would not want you to make the same mistakes she did.  She would not want you to wait as long as she did.  You can be free now, if you choose.  Pray this simple prayer aloud.

              Dear Lord,

Thank You for sending Your only Son to die for me.  I admit that I am a sinner and separated from you.  I do not want to live that way anymore.  Please come into my life and make me new.  I make You my Lord and Saviour this day and forevermore!

              In Jesus’ name, Amen!

YAY!!!  If you’ve prayed the prayer and truly believed it in your heart, then God now lives in you!  You have His precious Holy Spirit in you as well.  The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).  He is the One who teaches, guides, encourages, and empowers you to live the Godly life you desire to live.  With the Holy Ghost, you can shake every single addiction and every bad habit in your life.  It is His anointing that reaches you right where you are and literally destroys the yoke of bondage over your life.  And you will also have the evidence of His indwelling in you which is speaking in tongues or what Pastor Marvin Winans referred to as a “language you don’t understand”.  To receive this, pray aloud this prayer. 

Dear Lord,

I thank you for the gift of Your precious Holy Spirit.  I understand that He lives in me, yet I want to give Him the permission to lead, guide, teach, encourage, and empower me.  Holy Spirit, please come into my life and fill me so that I can live the life You created me to live and speak the words You would have me to speak.  Give me the evidence of speaking in tongues so that I know I have You for real.

Thank You Holy Spirit!

In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Open your mouth and begin to praise and thank God.  And when you start speaking in a language you don’t understand, you got it!  You are not only saved, but filled with the Power to live out your purpose-filled life! You are free!

(If you have ANY questions about these prayers, salvation, or the Holy Spirit, do not hesitate to comment or contact me at desireemondesir@yahoo.com.)

I praise God for Whitney “Nippy” Elizabeth Houston and for the impact of her death.  I pray that the people who heard the Word go forth would be drawn to Christ and that their lives will be forever changed. 

Whitney, today you were “the voice” that drew a nation and the world to Jesus.  We will ALWAYS love you. 

Love, Desiree

P.S.  My friend and client, Kathy R. Green also wrote a phenomenal blog about Whitney Houston.  You can read it here.  

P.P.S. Here are a plethora of clips from Whitney Houston’s Homegoing Service. 

Full Service Part I & Full Service Part II

BeBe Winans sings "I Miss You"

Pastor Donnie McClurkin sings "Stand"

Pastor Kim Burrell sings "Change is Gonna Come"

R. Kelly sings "I Look to You"

Stevie Wonder sings "Ribbon in the Sky"

The Winans Family sings "Tomorrow"

Bishop TD Jakes Has Words

Tyler Perry Has Words

I Will Always Love You

I was working earlier while listening to the late WhitneyHouston’s “I Will Always Love You” and it hit me—this is my personal theme song for all of those whom I’ve had to cut off in my life.  A few of them, I was thrilled to cut off; they had certainly shown their true colours to me.  Others, had to be cut from me, or torn, like alcohol has to be torn from the needy hands of an alcoholic.  But thankfully, I was strong enough to do the tearing myself.

Now I’ve never been physically abused or—to my knowledge—slandered by any of these people.  But they were toxic relationships nonetheless.  Praise God for true friends, and removal from certain situations which allowed me to see and understand the detrimental relationships in my life.  And these weren’t people whom I had love-hate relationships with.  No.  They were those I considered myself closest to.  But it was not healthy. 

These were people I confided my deepest secrets and most tender thoughts to.  These were people I fought for, people that I truly loved.  But alas, love is a two-way door.  And after a while, if that door isn’t swinging both ways, it’s time to move on. 

Sometimes, God places or allows people to be in our lives for a season and we must be aware of when that season ends.  I know that I’ve gained much in your company and I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without having you in my life.  Thank you.  And if God would bring you into my life again in the future, I welcome it.  

I wish you nothing but God’s absolute best.  I pray that God would allow you each to achieve your respective destinies and gain the freedom in so many areas of life that you desperately need.  I truly love you, truly.

It’s hard for me to say good-bye without knowing what words to use.  I admit, I was afraid and put it off too long to say something and instead chose silence.  I hope this message helps.  And I pray that one day we can sit down together, apologize, and speak openly and lovingly about this.  I know for some of you, I am frankly not ready for that and do not know when I will be.  For those of you who’ve hurt me intentionally or unintentionally, I forgive you; I release you. 

 I will always love you.

Please accept this song as one from my heart to yours.

Good-bye.

A Tribute to the Queen: Whitney Houston

I posted a tribute to the late Whitney Houston today on my Desired Assistance Weddings (DA Weddings) Blog that I'd to share with you all.  You can read it here.  It's got links to all of her biggest hits and my personal reflections on the life of this great star as well as my sorrow at her loss.

Dearest Whitney, we will ALWAYS love you.

Cry Aloud

*Disclaimer: This blog and no scripture referenced herein gives anyone the right to call out their pastor or any other minister [publically].  If you have a concern, take it to God in prayer.  The Word tells us the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).  So tell God about it.  THEN, and only then if God specifically tells you to speak with them, then do so in love.  We are still called to respect our elders and the men and women of God.

My spirit is so unbelievably grieved at the level of arrogant sin-sick 5 Fold ministers. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers with very real—very noticeable—struggles in the pulpit ministering to people and all the while tainting them with their struggles.  It makes me sick.

Now, let me be clear about my definition of struggles in this particular blog.  I do not refer to a struggle that is confronted and dealt with or a struggle that is in the process of being dealt with.  I speak of struggles that are unaddressed and growing by the moment.  What’s the difference you might ask?  Well I’ll answer that question with two illustrations. 

Illustration #1: Little Johnny likes to steal.  If his mother leaves her purse out he’s sure to take her money. If he trails mommy to the store, he’s bound to sneak some candy from the candy aisle when he thinks no one is looking.  Little Johnny has a problem.  But Little Johnny likes his problem and has no intention of stopping.  No matter how many times he’s taught that stealing is wrong.  Little Johnny refuses to change.

Illustration #2: Little Suzie likes to shop.  She shops all day, everyday and no one can stop her.  When her father cut off her allowance, she got credit cards.  Little Suzie wracked up a mountain of debt and realized that she had a problem.  Now, she has a job, pays her bills, and even though it’s not easy, she understands that it’s not smart or healthy to spend all her money on clothes, shoes, and the like.  Little Suzie had an epiphany while watching Confessions of a Shopaholic and understood that she needed help to overcome her problem.  Little Suzie now exerts moderation in her spending and is a happy woman.

Now, which of the two examples do you think demonstrates a person who’s struggle is out of control?  That’s right, Little Johnny’s.  And it’s the Little Johnnies of the 5 Fold ministry that disturb me. 

How can one stand in the pulpit and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, preach against the things that God hates, and lay hands to deliver the people from their hang-ups while they struggle with the same thing?  How can one prophesy into the life of a precious child of God and yet ignore the Word of the Lord in their own life?  It makes no sense.  And I’ll take it a step further.

How can the righteous ministers of the 5 Fold ministry who know the Lord for themselves and see the struggle in their brother or sister’s life and not call it out in love?  The Bible says “faithful are the wounds of a friend,” (Proverns 27:6).  How can I stand by and watch a friend make a mockery of the Word of God?

Now, I have two theories on this.  The first, is that God blinds the eyes of the righteous to the struggle/sin of the unrighteous minister for the sake of deliverance and healing for the minister themself.  Pastor Marvin Winans Sr. and Pastor Donnie McClurkin are an excellent example of this.  God brought Pastor McClurkin into the life of Pastor Winans so Pastor McClurkin would be connected with purpose and destiny and simultaneously be delivered from the spirit of homosexuality.  God allowed them to have a David and Jonathan relationship that they still possess today and now Pastor McClurkin is one of the world’s foremost psalmists and now a pastor of his own church in Long Island.  You can listen to Pastor Donnie’s testimony here.  After Pastor Donnie gave his testimony, Pastor Marvin mounts the pulpit and explained that he “never saw anything but the anointing of God” on Donnie’s life and that there was no way he would have let this man in his home with that particular struggle with two small boys.  God blinded Marvin’s eyes so His glory could be manifest in Donnie’s life.  Yet this is an extreme rarity.

My second theory, and I believe the more common of the two, is that God allows a person to remain in fellowship with a struggling/sinful minister, all the while shutting their mouth on the topic, for the sake of the people that need to be ministered to.  The best example I can think of for this is two years ago, when my favourite preacher in the entire world, Bishop Tudor Bismark, came to Tulsa, OK to preach at a conference.  The first night was spent preaching at one particular church while the rest of the conference was at another church location.  I will not even begin to tell you the level of corruption that took place with the majority of the ministers hosting the conference.  I forced myself to sit through every session with full-knowledge of the corruption that grew as the conference continued.  Why would I subject myself to that you might ask?  Easy, because I knew that God had a word for me.  And if suffering the biggest blow(s) I’d ever suffered in my life was the price for obtaining that word, then I was willing to pay it. 

I’ve asked myself time and time again why God would allow such an anointed and godly man to minister in such a toxic environment and finally I came to this conclusion: if in fact the people who belonged to these churches subjected themselves to this type of corruption and manipulation on a regular basis, then they need the ministry of the Bishop to heal, deliver, and set them free. 

It breaks my heart that ministry has come to this.  I know not all churches and ministries are corrupt or controlling, however, many of them are.  And we know that the Bible says that the gifts of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29).  Therefore, we the Body of Christ, must learn to distinguish between the godly and the ungodly.  The Apostle John tells us, “beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world,” (I John 4:1).  Do not chase after every so-called bishop, apostle, or pastor.  Simply because a person decided they should be an apostle does not mean they are.  Just because someone gave one generic prophesy does not mean they are a prophet.  Furthermore, we must be cautious because there are many 5 Fold ministers who were indeed anointed, appointed, and ordained of God to fill their positions, but they grew arrogant and take part in whatever sin they are drawn to.  Saul is an excellent example of this. 

Saul, was anointed by the Prophet Samuel to become the first king of Israel.  But he grew arrogant and decided that it was not necessary for him to follow God’s commandments.  Therefore, God ripped the kingdom from him and gave it to David.  Saul reigned illegally for almost four decades when God only allowed His anointing to rest on him for a few.  Eventually, Saul died because of his arrogance.  (See I Samuel 9-31 for the full story.)  Do not follow Saul(s) and better yet, do not become Saul.  God will reward you if you fulfill your end of the bargain by remaining faithful to Him.

Cindy Jacobs, a proven prophetess and mighty woman of God with mantle for apostolic intercession, Bishop Bill Hamon, another mighty man of God as well as others have declared 2012 to be a phenomenal year for those who are in the center of God’s will.  Yet for those who are not, for those who do not have father’s/mother’s heart for God’s people, for those who are enjoying their sin while calling themselves ministers of the Gospel of the Kingdom, this will be a year of judgment.  And I believe that this is so.  I feel such a level of expectation that I have never felt before and yet, my heart is grieved by the judgment that will undoubtedly go forth.  But there is good news!  It is Monday, January 30^th and God has not yet stretched out His hand of judgment which means that there is still time for those of us who have been wrong to repent and recognize the error of our ways.  God is a merciful God, full of love and compassion for His children.  He would that none perish, but that all would come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).  God will yet shake this earth and we must be ready.

We must pray for God’s mercy and grace upon the nation and the world.  Daniel was able to pray, repent on behalf of his entire nation as well as his ancestors and move the hand of God to shorten the Jews’ Babylonian captivity.  On several occasions, Moses plead with God to stay His hand of wrath from the Israelites and not destroy them.  Abraham plead on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah for his nephew Lot’s sake.  The Bible is chocked full of accounts of God relenting from His righteous fury and instead extending grace and mercy to His loved ones on behalf of one man.  Be an intercessor, a repairer of the breach, and stand in the gap for ministers.  It may be that God will allow their hearts to be softened and they will turn from their wicked ways before it is too late.

Some may ask why I’ve written this blog.  Is it for hate or for self-righteousness?  No.  Isaiah 58:1 states, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins".  I could not keep silent.  Jeremiah cried, "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name.  But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay," (Jeremiah 20:9).  This is why I cannot stay silent.  I cannot justify  silence in the face of corruption and wickedness.  Can you?

  

Disrespect

I just participated in a very interesting conversation on Facebook posed by a pastor inquiring as to why it is that a particular ethnicity of women tend to refer to him by his first name as opposed to his god-given title.  He was not offended.  He was not in attack-mode.  He was simply asking a question.

The response he got was overwhelming in number, but what shocked me the most was the disrespect he encountered.  Some of it even directed at people like me, who merely agreed with the man of God.  Now, I understand that many would argue most black ministers are stuck on their titles because that is the only place they feel they have or can achieve anything.  Many [men] of the cloth could also rely on their titles because they are arrogant.  However, you could tell that this was not the heart of this particular pastor.

Now my question to the “saints” is why do we not fear to disrespect the men and women of God?  I was personally happy not to be standing next to some of the commentators because I did not want to be struck by lightening, lol.  The Bible says, “Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm,” (I Chronicles 16:22; Psalm 105:15).  This includes “touching” them with your mouth.  Travel back to the Old Testament and notice that everyone who spoke against Moses was severely punished. Korah and his followers were literally swallowed up by the earth (Numbers 16:1-35).  Miriam, Moses’ sister, spoke against his new, black [Ethiopian] wife and she was struck with Leprosy for 7 days (Numbers 12: 1-15).  Jezebel spoke against Elijah and the other prophets [among other things] and was thrown from a window by her own servants for the dogs to eat her flesh leaving only her skull, the palms of her hands, and her feet (II Kings 9:30-37).  Thank God we live under the grace of the New Testament instead of the law of the Old Testament!

My point in writing this is not to scare anyone; only to cause them to ponder the error of their ways.  Some ministers are not ordained by God, true.  But I would dare to say that the vast majority of the ones who have fruit to show for their god-given call are authentic.  Therefore, I encourage you to honour these men and women of God.  Give them gifts, pray for them, assist them in anyway you can.  And yes, we should even address them by their titles out of pure respect—if not for them, then for the God who called them into ministry. 

Again, I do not promote the self-righteous, egotistical [men] of the cloth who are stuck on their titles, but I do support ministries backed by fruit.  Furthermore, the Bible admonishes us, “Render therefore to all their due...honor to whom honor," (Romans 13:7).  Therefore we are to honour our men and women of God.  Not speak against them, lash out at them, correct them, and certainly not blast them even if they are wrong about a particular thing.  That is for God and those they are accountable to discuss and deal with.  Not us.

I realise that there has been a serious lack of spiritual fathers and mothers in the Church, but now we’ve recognized that and many are trying to rectify that and re-implement sound teaching to the saints in all matters, including the matter of respect and honour.  Is it so hard to honour the men and women God bless to be our pastors and overseers?  I think not.