Category: Uncategorized (Page 47 of 114)

I was astonished as I watched Millennial megachurch pastor Steven Furtick in a 2018 video accuse the Lord Jesus of being sneaky.[1] It wasn’t an original concept. The BillyJack Billy band sings on a 2014 album, “Rebel Child,” a song entitled “Sneaky Jesus.”[2] Additionally, “Sneaky Jesus” is a term used by “Christian” bands for the practice of “sneaking” Jesus into their songs so as not to offend their secular listeners.[3] Before that, Jen Johnson, daughter-in-law of NAR leader, Bill Johnson, declared that the Holy Spirit was as a “sneaky blue Genie.”[4]

(Sneaky: “sly, dishonest, devious, mean, low, base, nasty, cowardly, slippery, unreliable, malicious, unscrupulous, furtive, disingenuous, shifty, snide, deceitful, contemptible, untrustworthy, double-dealing.”[5])

There are many other statements by popular leaders in Christianity that indicate that they do not know or understand God, Christ, or much of anything in the Scriptures. However, they are influencing a great number of their peers.

Rob Bell wrote, “I can’t find one place in the teachings of Jesus, or the Bible for that matter, where we are to identify ourselves first and foremost as sinners.”[6] He also wrote, “I am learning that the church has nothing to say to the world until it throws better parties”.[7]

Brian McLaren wrote; “The contribution of Liberation Theology, Black Theology, Feminist/Eco-Feminist/Womanist/Queer and related theologies will be as central to the next reformation as white European theology was to the last reformation.”[8](Those are not theologies. Theology is the study of the nature of God. Those philoso-quandarieshave nothing to do with God.)

What Furtick, Johnson, Bell, and McLaren, have in common is they are either part of the Millennial Generation or are among its leading influencers. Obviously, something is very wrong about the theology of all the younger generations. Consequently, there is a great paradigm shift in the making and soon to become the new normal for professing Christians.

To explain clearly it is necessary to explain where the hands are on the prophetic clock. In my opinion, it is indicative that we are well past the prophetic opening of the final chapter of earth’s history. We cannot know how long that chapter is, but we know that several “pages” are dedicated to describing the condition of the world society in the final years. We should not sink into denial about the advent of the Endtimes. Upon some generation(s) it was certain to come. And each generation believed that it would arrive in the future. Every indication is that it has arrived. That’s a scary thought; one that we almost have to force ourselves to acknowledge.

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They shall say to the mountains, “Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!” – Hosea 10:8
 
Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ – Luke 23:30
 
And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” – Revelation 6:16

I can sense the stark terror in these verses as people are wishing from the core of their beings to be buried underneath a mountain. The reason is that they fear the very One who loved them so much that He sacrificed His life to be falsely arrested, convicted, sentenced, beaten nearly to death, humiliated, and tortured by crucifixion until he died. But the Lover is coming as an Avenger in flaming fire to punish the wicked for their rebellion. The wicked will know it beyond all doubt and cry out to be buried underneath tons of rock and dirt.

I’ve always had a phobia of driving under new bridge construction. After the bridge is built it does not bother me as much. However, when I drive under those large, exposed, steel beams, I feel a dread in my spirit. I feel the same way when I go underground. I once ventured with my family 1,120 feet underground to view Ruby Falls, All the time I was under Lookout Mountain I had to push out of my mind the thought of it crashing down on me. However, I do not dread the coming of Christ and will stand confident in His shed blood and grace to greet Him with unspeakable joy.
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“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.” – Ephesians 5:11-13

I put “Discernment Ministry” in quotations marks because I am not convinced that it is the proper term for what I (and many other ones) am doing. The first time someone called me a “Discernment Minister” I corrected him. I replied that every Christian should have discernment and that I was merely a Christian attempting to obey God’s word and calling (see the above verse).

“Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.’ – Titus 2:15

If we wish to consider a more biblical term it might be “watchman” or perhaps “prophet.” However, the majority of Christians are paranoid about the title “prophet.” They will accept most of the titles in Ephesians 4:11 except “prophet” and “apostle.” They elevate “prophet” to such a highly venerated position that no one can fill the office without being mass pilloried. It is considered presumptuous and self-aggrandizing for one to claim he or she can predict the future. The sneering rejection of one accepting that title is nearly unanimous except among the heretics and their deluded followers.

The truth is that the prophet was much more engaged in warning people than in predicting future events. In fact, when Israel became apostate and refused to hear any other voice, God always sent the prophets with blunt and bold warnings. So whether people like it or not, or whether or not they accept the title, God has sent prophets during these last days. We can hang whatever term we wish upon them, but they will speak as prophets have always spoken.

By the way, a true prophet is not concerned with what you call him and does not seek honor or accolades. His office, by the nature of his efforts, is a difficult and lonely one. No one in his or her right mind should desire to be in that office. “Prophet” is no more a special title than “pastor,” and one that wears it is not an elite, supersaint,nor anything more than a servant of God. So I advise people to cease romanticizing or title-worshipping the term “prophet” and just accept the ministry God sends.

Furthermore, God has sent watchmen. Like the prophet, they are mostly rejected, considered obsessed with “doom and gloom,” and exceptionally negative individuals that do nothing more than warn people of dreadful events. The primary difference in the callings is that the prophet, according to the Didache, is also a teacher. My reference to the Didacheis solely for understanding what the Early Church thought about the prophet.

“And every prophet who teaches the truth, if he do not what he teaches, is a false prophet.” – Didache 11:10
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