God is NOT pleased with
Tele-Evangelism!
In various dreams, the Spirit of God has conveyed sore
displeasure at the way
tele-evangelists are milking God's people, and NOT
preparing them as the Bride.
A God-fearing correspondent
sent me the account of a dream she had been given by the Spirit. It was
startling and unsettling a warning that it's easy to put out the fire of
God!
Significantly, the dream
was given to her on 17th September 2004, the night of the Feast of Trumpets.
That momentous festival depicts the coming of Christ. In our small booklet
The Coming of Christ I explain that the most significant coming for
the Church at this time is not the Parousia (Grk), or Rapture, or
Second Coming to rule the world. It's a rather invisible and intangible
thing that too many dismiss or quickly forget.
It's His coming to turn up
the heat in our lives to ignite the fires of His Spirit in our hearts
and to those who reject this prompt, a devouring fire of judgement that
follows in its wake.
Here is her account of that
dream from God:
House on Fire!
I was a student at school.
We all (my class) were in the upper room. There were many of us. Then a fire
alarm sounded. We did not see any fire, but most of the students hastily
left the room. Only a few students remained in the class room, including
myself. I dont know what kept the others, but I was looking for my books. I
was going from desk to desk looking for my books and could not find them.
Suddenly a fire began
coming through the ceiling. One of the male students started putting it out.
I noticed another place where the fire began coming through the wall in
front of me and ran to fight that fire. I began beating the tongues of fire
with something I had in my hands.
Then I noticed that the
tongues of flame I had been fighting were only forerunners of a very
powerful ball of fire that was cutting through the wall. The same thing was
happening at other places in the room. It was a very bright white flame
resembling that of the welding rod. It could not be extinguished. So I
stopped trying.
There was no fear, no
feeling of danger. However, I cannot say that I or anyone else of those who
remained in the room had any idea of what was going on.
Meaning of the Dream
The school building
represents the Church, and we are all students of the Word of God.
The upper room
and the fire coming through are meant to draw a parallel with the
account in Acts 2. It symbolizes the work of 'Elijah' the purifying fire
of Gods Spirit. God has already been pouring out of His Spirit in very many
places.
The fire alarm sounded.
This symbolises the alarm sounded by the prophets: a warning that the Bride
must get ready and put on all the garments of righteousness Jesus is
presenting to her (also part of the prophets' message). Otherwise, judgement
will fall, and the Tribulation will engulf the ones who want to continue
sleeping (Matt 25). More is explained in our booklet The Ten Virgins.
Most of the students
hastily left the room. Sadly, the majority of the Church gets scared and runs from
'new' truth. They don't want it, so they leave. They reject the prophet God
sends.
Even among those who don't
leave and reject the prophet's 'alarm', there is somnolence. lack of
spiritual awareness. This dear lady humbly admitted: "To my shame and
reproach I must say that not one of us who did not run away were
understanding what was going on. I was depicted being too busy with
looking for my books (intellectual knowledge?)"
This could be an allegory
of anything that can distract us. Of particular danger are people trapped by
church dogma, holding complacently to what their church teaches, or those
who get their 'food' from tele-evangelists' programmes, subtly 'losing the
plot'.
Others were also 'doing
their own thing', and later, when the fire began coming through, we were
trying to put the fire out!
The dream is a wake-up call
and a warning for all to stop being busy with what you are preoccupied with,
and listen to God, paying attention to His Spirit and to His prophets (2
Chron 20:20) whose work is accompanied by white hot fire!
What is this white hot
fire? It is the greatest, most intense purifying and miraculous power of
God. It fell from the sky when Elijah ministered on Carmel (1 Ki 18:38). It
followed his words:
Lord God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God... and I am
Your servant (1), and that I have done all these things at Your Word
(2). Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are
the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again
(3). (1 Ki 18:36,37.)
Notice the three purposes
of the white hot fire:
1) To confirm the office of
the prophet.
2) To confirm the accuracy of what 'he' says.
3) To turn people's hearts back in obedience to the whole will of God. Then
revival can follow.
Kassahun Ayele, a prophet
in Ethiopia, was given this dream recently about what is coming:
26th Aug. 2004. K.
Intense lightning!
I saw the sky torn in half by the most powerful lightning. The earth
shook violently. It seemed as though we were suspended in the air with
nothing under our feet.
God is raising the dead to
confirm who are His true servants[1]
for His end-time 'Elijah' work of restoration. This is part of the white hot
fire.
When 50 people arise at
'our call', after having been dead for YEARS, God is pouring out His white
hot fire to give a last warning message to people in this age. Time is
short! It's time to heed the prophets!
The sign of the dead being
raised is to confirm that He has appointed me and my wife as prophets
because few take any notice, and even fewer heed what we have said and
written to bring the people of God into God's will. Restoring Truth to those
who lack it is highest on God's list of priorities. The Bride must be ready.
The call is going out the Midnight Cry. She must accept and wear all the
clothes of righteousness He gives her. (See Rev 19:7,8.)
Pure Truth and True Prophets Are Rejected!
But people don't want these
things! They don't want to hear 'our' message or to change their lives to
accept the truths we propound in 'our' literature. And the tele-evangelists
know it. They don't sound an alarm. Instead they pander to what appeals to
their audiences. Ratings matter more to them than repentance.
God is furious at all this
marketing and merchandising of the Gospel! To Him it's despicable!
In other articles I have
exposed some of the charlatans and the devious way they operate. One is
The Deceit and Cunning of Don Stewart in Newsletter 24. He is only one
of many, contriving clever schemes to get hold of money. These fraudsters
use various ploys to impress people that they are God's servants when most
of them are not! Once they have gained your trust, they then subject you to
their clever manipulative rhetoric, to prise open your purse or wallet and
extract finance from you. They give various promises comprised of half
truths and lies.
These can go as far as the
Catholic Church did in the Middle Ages with its pernicious Indulgences.
Gullible people would part with money to buy their way out of purgatory
(that doesn't exist), or to buy their dead relatives out of it, and to
expiate their sins. Such promises were utter blasphemy as popes played God!
What charismatic fraudsters
are doing today is little different. Using all sorts of gimmicks such as
pictures of Christ that seem to 'wink' at you, pieces of cloth or paper
supposedly 'anointed' with healing power, and other such demonic lies about
why you need to give them your money to receive healing or supernatural
power, they are making a very good living for themselves. It is utterly
despicable! God hates it!
Here is some of what He
says about it:
22nd Sept. 2004. M.
Religious fraudsters!
In this dream, a man was fundraising. He persuaded people to sign a
small amount of money to him. I saw the counterfoil of one person's
donation which was made with a credit card. The person needed to hold
onto it as proof of the amount they had donated. But, after he had
gained their confidence, through cunning deception and clever
persuasion, the man (he was a preacher) managed to get hold of this slip
of paper, combine it with his copy and change the small figure to a much
larger one, of several hundreds or thousands of pounds. It was wicked!
He took advantage of trusting people!
Meaning:
This is a picture, in allegory maybe, of how many preachers are intent
on raising funds, but are ripping the people off 'fleecing the sheep'
for their own selfish ends. They don't care for the people as they
should as it is also portrayed prophetically in Jeremiah 23.
Jeremiah lamented about
this travesty:
"Woe to the shepherds
who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the Lord (Jer
23:1).
You may think that is
entirely inappropriate in this context. But God doesn't. He pointed me to
Jeremiah 23, and I wondered why at first.
That chapter exposes the
wrong motives of 'prophets' those who represent God before the people
and their wrong agenda, which is aimed at getting money without truly
providing for donors.
Later God said more in
other dreams. At the same time He also moved someone in the US to send me a
video and audiotape of some recent programmes of one tele-evangelist. When
the packet came I felt God's anger rise up within.
This man is Sid Roth, a
very fluent, engaging speaker, who produces radio programmes called
Messianic Vision, and It's Supernatural! programmes for TV.
Humanly, I like him. He's a great guy, and I have a lot of respect for him.
Intellectually sharp, capable and intelligent, he is very professional in
his presentation and zealous for his subject. Lest some might misunderstand
my negative comments which follow, I have no animosity towards him.
But what he is doing like
so many other evangelists, prophets or preachers is unfortunately leading
people into a dead end, a trap that leaves them spiritually short-changed
and deformed.
Three dreams illustrated
what God is saying:
30th Sept. 2004. H. Dangers of Tele-Evangelism.
I saw a small tree in a pot
[depicts the tele-evangelist]. A person tried to cosy up to the tree and
find comfort in the pot. The person had a turban on their head [symbolic
of man-dominated religion] and became sleepy. Their face was covered
with black spots [symbol of demonic influence and faults].
Meaning: The tree in this dream represented
Sid Roth and his TV programme which this particular person had seen and
sent us a video of. The turban is a symbol of the empty religious
ritualism one sees with 'holy men' in eastern religion. It points to the
fact that Sid Roth is elevated and lifted up as a 'guru' by this viewer.
A psychological elevation has taken place in this individual's mind, to
the point that Sid even occludes Jesus in this person's personal life.
When a man, whom you look up to, stands between you and Jesus, the
closer the man is to you the more Jesus can be occluded or eclipsed from
your view. Herein is the problem. A very subtle transfer of loyalties
takes place, and various problems result, indicated by the demonic
influences illustrated by black facial spots.
The dream conveyed one other point. The soil in the pot was spent it
no longer had sufficient nutrients to support further growth.
Now here is another dream which God gave:
1st Oct. 2004. M. Rescuing the empty video boxes.
Empty video boxes and cassette tape boxes were dangling precariously
from a window ledge. They were on a small tray with nothing to hold them
in place. They could have fallen off at any moment, and plummeted to the
ground. I was leaning out of a window higher up [spiritual
significance], trying to reach down to this small tray to rescue them. I
had to be very careful. I was aware that if I wasn't careful, the boxes
could have fallen down and it would have been impossible then to recover
them. I was trying to bring
them into the safety of this upper floor room where I was.
Meaning:
The dream came in the wake of a video which someone sent us of 3
programmes of a US tele-evangelist. As good as his messages were, there
is an unseen danger. People get trapped by the entertaining, impressive
things they hear, to the point that some rely upon the man and his TV
prog instead of on Christ. Their lives then become an empty shell, like
the video box. The spiritual substance which they need is not there,
because they are relying upon someone else more than on Jesus.
Helena
had a dream two days later about things for this person's benefit.
3rd Oct. 2004. H.
Deformed Plants.
I saw people chopping tops off plants to make salad. These plants looked
deformed and were left under the table. They were stunted because their
tops had been removed and it caused them to develop a main side shoot. I
took notice of one plant which had a side shoot. It was neglected.
Meaning:
The dream is about the person who sent us the video of Sid Roth, and
also about the effect of the tele-evangelists' marketing approach. It
deters people from reaching directly upward to God (more about this
later). Instead of looking completely and directly to Him, they 'grow'
laterally, deflected by the man's influence.
God is also revealing
here something little noticed about the way tele-evangelists operate. In
order to keep their programmes going, they require large finance. This
is raised by appealing to audience preference. By making appealing,
captivating productions, ratings are maintained, and so is the financial
response.
But that approach harms
viewers. Controversial and unpopular subjects are passed over in favour
of ones with immediate appeal. This leads to deformed 'plants', which
represent spiritually malnourished people.
The above three dreams
illustrate the problem. At the root of all that transpires is the preacher's
agenda. It is based upon money considerations, popularity and acceptance in
the eyes of viewers.
All this is at variance
with the true prophet's agenda. His lot is the opposite rejection, lack of
popularity and consequently lack of finance.
Thus, you end up with a
spiritually deformed Church. People are deprived of hearing what God has to
say through His main prophets for this time.
"Oh that's not true," you
might object, "Sid Roth brings on true prophets, and you get to hear what
they have to say."
Only if what they say is
convincing, appealing, and bolsters his position. He might bring on some of
the 'prophesying prophets' the ones gifted to be able to utter long or
articulate prophecies. But the 'functional prophets' the ones who have a
function to warn the Church of where it is missing the mark of God's
holiness they won't be there, because their message is unpopular and would
damage ratings.
Hence, the true 'Elijah'
prophet is rejected and the pure truth he brings is not received. That's why
God will raise the dead to make His voice heard. His own arm will
bring salvation (Is 59:18) because men stand in the way of what He wants to
do.
Another dream reviewed in
Blessing or Curse? under Everyone's Busy With Their Own Agenda,
reveals the root of the problem, as the title says.
When a true prophet is shut
out because evangelists follow their own agenda, not God's God's
'Elijah' work is hindered. People are deprived of knowing what is on the top
of God's priority list.
Assessing the Damage
2nd Oct. 2004. M.
Repairing and re-building the walls.
This dream featured some walls, like inner partitions in rooms, made of
lightweight blocks. These walls were badly built and needed seeing to. I
set about to do the necessary repairs. One part of a wall near a doorway
was so flimsy, the blocks were so thin and weren't tied in to the main
wall and would have fallen away in due course with the comings and
goings through the door. I 'keyed' in this section of loose blocks into
the wall, so that they could stand firmly.
I also noticed one
really huge block, between four and six feet long, composed of at least
three blocks joined together as one. I was amazed to see such a huge
block and wondered how it could be built into the wall!
Meaning:
To do with repairing and rebuilding the walls of the Church with proper
teaching. God's people need true doctrine restoring, so that they can
stand strong in days to come. The flimsy thin blocks represent the
spiritual state of many believers. They need strengthening by tying them
in through fellowship, which is firstly with Jesus (1 Jn 1:3), and
secondarily with others who have the Holy Spirit.
The large block
represents the tele-evangelist. Such people have become oversized and
out of proportion in God's scheme of things. They're not easy to fit
into God's wall. They have become too big.
There are a number of
problems spawned by the slick marketing of tele-evangelism. We have touched
on some of them briefly. Let's take another look, and then address what can
be done to rescue believers from harm, so they can stand firmly on their
own.
The Money Motive
The tele-evangelist's
approach is to impress his audience, to captivate them with the material he
presents, so that he can 'hook' them.
Slick advertising and
marketing techniques are used as in worldly TV presentation to hold audience
interest. Once gained, the audience is channeled towards purchasing various
products. These are marked up quite substantially, to ensure enough profit
so that the programme can continue. It is a very expensive operation!
In Sid Roth's media
presentations and many other evangelists adopt a similar approach
'heavy' Bible teaching is avoided. Often it is completely omitted. But where
a few ministries tackle such things, it is left for the follow-up books,
tapes and videos that viewers must buy. Thus deprived of depth of teaching
on air, if they want to progress spiritually, they have to buy this
teaching.
Can you imagine Jesus
telling His audience that He's not going to teach them unless they pay up
front for His messages? It's unthinkable! Only those who could afford it
would have been privy to truth. In fact, it was the poor who were most
receptive to His message (Matt 11:5) and it still is today.
However, with his highly
priced teaching aids, the tele-evangelist is effectively denying spiritual
meat to the poor. Only those who can pay up can learn the fulness of the
Gospel. This is an affront to Jesus! And the result is stunted 'plants',
UNDER the table, as the dream portrayed it.
Compare that with Psalm
23:5 where God's truth is laid out on the table in the presence of one's
enemies. The table is the place of spiritual impartation, where you can
partake of God's spiritual food. "In the presence of enemies" means that God
makes His truth accessible to evil people as well as to the good. Isn't that
the way it is in the Church, where the evil ones hypocrites co-exist
with the righteous?
Supplanting Christ
Another major problem is
that the evangelist is elevated, causing people to look up to him and follow
him. He actually, subtly, surreptitiously, takes the place of Christ. So
instead of the 'plants', which he is meant to nourish, growing vertically by
him pointing believers to God, they become deformed by lateral growth, and
depend upon him instead of directly upon God because he has taken God's
place.
Many people will think that
I'm completely overstating it here! I'm not. That's what God reveals, but it
is hard to perceive just what has taken place. This transition is so subtle
many won't see it. And most won't want to see it!
But it doesn't alter facts.
Consider one instance. I'll take that of Sid Roth, since he is the most
recent one which I have seen (but most other charismatic tele-evangelists
operate the same way).
In one TV presentation,
Sid's guest speaker is a man who has been through much suffering in his
life, later delivered by the power of the Spirit, and is now highly anointed
by God. Sid asks him to pray for the people, which he is only too glad to
do. But Sid adds that the anointing is 'transferable', and implies that
viewers can 'catch' the same gifts through the prayer that Sid and his guest
are making available there and then.
Do you see the subtle
transition?
No longer is the gift
directly from Above, but it is transmitted to you through the human
mediators on your TV screen. In fact, he implies more that you need such a
prayer to receive it. You don't.
You don't need them to pray
for you, or to impart anything to you from God. God will give you whatever
you need directly as you lift your faith to Him, submit to Him (not to the
man on your screen), and lay down your life to God (not to the man on TV).
God is the Giver of all good gifts.
The man on the screen is
meant to teach you in such a way that he encourages you to be dependent upon
God not upon him. However, the converse is occurring!
These men have even set
themselves up as intermediaries, through whom you have to come to God if you
want to receive answers to your prayers. Of course, they wouldn't say that
in so many words. It's a subtle thing that most don't perceive. But it's
happened. The established charismatic tradition in their prayer of agreement
(see p 7) is one example. You don't need any man's agreement to receive from
God. You just need to do God's will. That was Elijah's 'secret' to answered
prayer. If you don't believe me read it for yourself in James 5:16-20.
Relying Upon The Man
We have met various
individuals who get a 'fix' or a 'buzz' out of attending evangelists'
meetings when they 'come to town', and who live from one meeting to the
next, relying upon the meeting for their spiritual stability or to get
'high'. This isn't dependence upon Christ. It's dependence upon men.
One 'highly spiritual'
woman whom we knew, fell away and denied her faith when her little world
fell apart. God took away her husband, her income and her ambitions that
were centred on this mega-evangelism stuff. When that
happened, she lost faith in God. That's because her faith was not really in
God. It was in men and the marketing machine that these men had established
and kept well oiled.
This dear lady had visited
with us. While in our home she received visions in our cellar about many
wonderful things God would do there miracles, healings, prophesying and
other signs and wonders.
On another occasion, she
was moved by the Spirit to intercede on our behalf. As she did so in
tongues, God spoke to her about our ministry. He took her to Isaiah 61, and
said that this was for us.
The Spirit of the Lord
God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings
to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are
bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn... and they shall rebuild
the old ruins... (Is 61:1-3, 4).
Of course, we know that the
main fulfilment of that text was in Jesus, who quoted it in His home town of
Nazareth.
But God told this lady that it applied to us. Why would He say such a thing?
Because she was 'hooked' on this deceptive mega-evangelism of the big stage
names, and was following men. God wanted to deliver her so that she could
accept more of His truths.
We presented the truth
about Christmas to her that it is not a Christian festival. But she liked it
and refused to give it up at first. Also she was not aware of the identity
of Israel,
but we were able to pass on that information to her, so that OT prophecies
made more sense to her, being an American and knowing where her ancestors
originally came from.
We also tried to present
other basic truths to her such as that of the Sabbath, which is not Sunday
nor an ethereal 'rest in Christ'. But it all proved too much. She preferred
the fun and frolicking she could enjoy at the big stage events where men
like Benny Hinn could perform and preach. THAT, she felt, was real
Christianity! It felt good. It lifted her up. It gave her a 'buzz'.
Sadly, it led to her
downfall. There's nothing more important than Truth and obeying it. Where
God is restoring more of His Truth, that is where you should be, regardless
of how few others are there! Because that is where Jesus has placed His
name.
But, isn't it true that
people follow, not what God says, but what they want, what they like, what
appeals to their 'flesh'? And that is the very subtle deception in much of
the tele-evangelism that looks so impressive, where accounts of miracles are
related, where guests tell stories of the wonderful things God has done in
their lives, and where they give promises to the audience that God will do
equal wonders for them... which inevitably leads on to buying their products
so that you can receive the miracles God has awaiting you.
It's true that God has
miracles awaiting His people, as they turn to Him. But it's deceitful,
cunning and dishonest to imply albeit ever so subtly that you need the
man on your screen to pray for you, and that you need to pay him to receive
your miracle.
What's the difference
between that and a Catholic Indulgence? Little! Both are blasphemies. It's
just that one is more discreet than the other.
Mega-evangelists on TV have
taken Christ's place, and have subtly usurped Jesus' prerogatives. This is a
blasphemy. It severely damages people.
We explain in the book
God's Church Whose Authority? about the universal priesthood of the
believer. Every Christian is called to be guided directly by Jesus
and to represent Him (1 Pet 2:5,9).
You don't need a man to
'officiate' over you. The function of the evangelist and teacher is to win
souls for Christ and to teach converts how to follow Him. The evangelist is
not to set himself up as a guru. He should not cause his listeners to become
dependent upon him. He should not be motivated by money considerations or
ratings:
Woe to you when all men
speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets (Luke
6:26).
Who Should Be Dispensing
Gifts?
As merely one example of
what so many evangelists do, Sid Roth encourages viewers to expect to
receive whatever spiritual gifts the guest speaker has who is on the show.
That's not right or
appropriate. God gives gifts they are HIS, not ours as HE deems people
should receive (1 Cor 12:11). While it is not wrong to desire gifts for the
common good and certainly prophecy is to be much desired for the
upbuilding of the local church it is not right to give the impression to
new believers that they can have any gift they ask for (1 Cor 12:27-29).
When they don't receive all they want, they will become disillusioned and
could lose confidence in God.
I remember about 12 years
ago, attending some meetings of a man with a miracle ministry. He had a very
demonstrable gift. You read of it as a gift of working miracles in 1
Corinthians 12:10 and 29.
He would preach he was a
good talker, and liked to do so and afterwards he would invite people to
come forward if they needed a miracle from God. Invariably, God would 'do
the business'. Some amazing things happened. Bent spines were straightened
out, short legs lengthened, and any number of other miracles happened.
The danger in all this was
unseen to most. As wonderful as it all was, this man didn't want any more
truth. He was satisfied with the power, and so were many of those who
attended his meetings. That's probably why most of them went.
One night God gave
Helena a dream about him and his ministry. God portrayed him living
in a metallic house. It was a big house with high windows but they were very
small and let little light in. The house (representative of his ministry)
was an edifice. Outside, his washing line was so high that he would have
needed a ladder to hang his washing out.
All these allegories
depicted the lack of truth (little light entering through the small
windows), the impractical nature of his ministry (the height of the windows
and that of the washing line), and the showiness of it all (the metallic
house which had become an edifice).
People like that don't
change. They don't want more of God. They're self-satisfied with what
they've got. They don't want His righteousness so much as His power. And
that is rooted in self and pride.
With such an emphasis on
supernatural power it's no wonder that many people flock to such ministers
for their entertainment value. The trouble is that's not the road into the
Kingdom of
God
even though God makes the road available to them, and even though He grants
them such unusual powers.
The power is two-edged like
the Word. It is given to deliver but also to delude. It delivers the needy
from physical oppression, to bring them to Christ. But it also deludes the
disobedient. It deludes them that everything's OK. "We've got God's power so
everything's OK. He is with us."
Compare that with 2
Thessalonians 2 where we are warned of the devastating effects of
supernatural power to delude those who don't want to obey God fully:
...with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love
of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will
send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they
all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness (2 Thes 2:10-12).
It's a stark warning!
Wherever truth is relegated
to second place in importance, behind supernatural power, apostasy is just
around the corner.
Power is fine so long as it
plays second fiddle to the restoration of Truth and the righteousness that
God wants to establish through it. But there is subtle deception in its
ascendancy. When power takes centre stage above the primary work of Elijah,
which is to restore truth and bring people to repentance and into harmony
with God's revealed truths, something's gone awry. Satan has managed to
deflect evangelists from their primary objective. They end up pleasing
people, and people end up following after the ones that please them, just as
the Corinthians fell prey to (1 Cor 1:12).
Paul would have much to
criticise if he were here today!
Where's The Emphasis On
Suffering?
One aspect in Paul's
ministry stands out above many others that of how much he suffered.
The catalogue of what he
endured for Christ is listed in 2 Corinthians 11:22-33.
-
His life was a physical
struggle; he had to graft and endure.
-
He was beaten with
stripes (scourged with a whip) several times. To receive 39 stripes on
the bare back could kill a man! It tore flesh off bones.
-
He was imprisoned more
than once.
-
He constantly faced
death (1 Cor 15:30).
-
Three times he was
beaten with rods. Rods could break bones!
-
Once he was stoned, and
was left for dead.
-
Three times he was
shipwrecked.
-
At one time he was in
the water for 36 hours.
-
He had constant
journeys to make, along which he was in danger of being robbed, beaten
and killed.
-
Threats were from his
own countrymen as well as strangers. He had enemies everywhere.
-
He had to face the
threat of false brethren.
-
And he continually
carried the burdens of the churches, so he could add to his list:
-
Sleeplessness.
-
Fastings.
-
Cold and hunger.
-
Lack of provision from
the churches.
-
Rejection and being
misunderstood.
It's quite a catalogue of
trouble. Yet he called such things "light and momentary afflictions" (2 Cor
4:17). In fact, he said much more. He said that such afflictions achieve for
us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (same verse). That strongly
suggests that sufferings or afflictions, trials and tests, are a primary key
to our eternal future.
Other apostles supported
this truism, too:
Therefore, since Christ
suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude (1 Pet
4:1, NIV). Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you
should follow in His steps (1 Pet 2:21, NIV).
Consider it pure joy,
my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds (Jas 1:2, NIV).
Therefore let those who
suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing
good, as to a faithful Creator (1 Pet 4:19).
It's not a popular message
today, though. Tele-evangelists don't want to turn their hearers off with
such a theme. They want to preach smooth things, nice things, pleasant
things, uplifting things, encouraging things. The trouble is, only telling
half the truth is tantamount to telling lies. No wonder Isaiah's prophecy
included the word DECEIT!
This is a rebellious
people, lying children. Children who will not hear the law of the Lord;
who say to the seers, "Do not see", and to the prophets, "Do not
prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy
deceits" (Is 30:9,10).
No wonder the Church is
adrift in a sea of error and uncertainty! The result of such unbalanced
teaching is to "turn aside from the path" (Is 30:11a) and to "cause the Holy
One of Israel to cease from before us" (Is 30:11b). They have effectively
said to the prophets "Get out of the way!" (Ibid.) "Clear off! Shut up. Get
out of here!"
We have received that
response from all the churches to whom we have gone with God's Word! And
Spirit-led ministries are among them. They only want to be Spirit-led as far
as it pleases them!
Is it any wonder the Great
Tribulation will catch many off guard?! A great falling away is coming!
One of the things the
Spirit said to me was that whenever a man handles the Word of God, he
defiles it. We have more preachers today, with more variants of the
truth than ever!
Isaiah prophesied of this
scene:
All tables are full of
vomit and filth (Is 28:8).
He said "No place is
clean!"
Not a very commendable
situation! Why?
It's understandable in the
Spirit-dead churches where self-will and tradition replace surrender and
true worship. But in charismatic churches? How could they be under such
condemnation?!
It's because of the
preoccupation with power. And an emphasis that has ditched the truth about
affliction that every Christian must face in the course of his duty. Read
on:
They... have erred through wine, and through intoxicating
drink are out of the way (Is 28:7).
Wine can be a symbol for
deception, as in Revelation. But it is also symbolic of miraculous power.
Some years ago, God gave
Helena
a dream of Morris Cerullo drunk on power. There, God equated that metaphor
with the power He had given him, but which had gone to his head. Morris was
driving some horses, charging along, but drunk. Sadly, many people follow
him and regard him as a prophet (which he is not, he is an evangelist), and
gullibly swallow his errors. (For more on this international evangelist,
read Dreams From God About Morris Cerullo.)
The 'Prayer of Agreement'
In charismatic circles, one
of Jesus' most misused promises is this:
If two of you agree on
earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My
Father in heaven (Matt 18:19).
Charismatic ministries send
out letters encouraging supporters to donate finance, and at the same time,
to send in written prayer requests on reply coupons. The evangelist later
prays over them (often in a public ceremony on TV), ostensibly 'agreeing'
with every request. The outcome is, supposedly, that God answers the
requests.
This is all a farce! How
can the evangelist possibly agree with thousands of prayer requests he has
not had time to read? And, if he hasn't read them and therefore can't know
whether he agrees with them his 'prayer' is merely for show, a vain
performance! What if some requests are blatantly unbiblical? Should he be
saying 'Amen' to what he should never sanction or agree with? Would he be
held accountable in the Day of Judgement for these words if they are not
righteous?
To anyone with any sense,
this practice of praying over a mountain of thousands of written prayer
requests is dishonest as well as farcical.
More seriously, what if the
prayer request offer is a clever ruse to persuade the respondent to part
with money? Like the Catholic Church did regarding 'indulgences'? As
explained earlier, popes would claim that they could rescind penalties for
sin upon payment. They had a 'price list' for various sins. The worse the
sin was considered to be, the greater the price of the indulgence. The
practice was outrageously blasphemous.
Even if the TV evangelist
has no deliberate ploy to extract money from people, there is still a hidden
agenda, subtly implied. It is one which links the giving of money to the
promise of answering people's prayers.
Jesus was talking, in
context, about internal disciplinary matters in the congregation, to restore
harmony in order to be sanctified. Where two had previously fallen out after
one had sinned against another, unity could be restored by following the
procedure Jesus advised, and if necessary by presenting the facts before the
whole church (Matt 18:15-17). In such a situation, where people can be
reconciled and forgiveness shared, the prayer of agreement in the church
finalises the reconciliation, which Jesus assures He will honour in heaven,
even if only two people pray. Thus, the whole assembly is protected from
satanic attack that can enter through disharmony.
Remember Jesus' words:
If you forgive the sins
of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained (Jn 20:23).
The prayer of agreement
concerns spiritual discipline, not getting what you want from God.
In Summary
Here is a list of the main
points regarding what is wrong with tele-evangelism:
1. God is sick and tired of
religion which has a hold on people. People can be held (captivated and
impressed) by the slick presentation and glossy marketing. People are more
easily impressed by the performers they can see than ones they can't see.
2. This psychological hold keeps these folks in kindergarten where they are
either spiritually repressed or they can't think for themselves.
3. Ministers end up being cult leaders who manipulate even dominate
susceptible minds.
4. They stand in the place of Christ. (Even though they may be
'Spirit-led' and even though miracles occur on their programmes.) They
prevent Jesus coming through more fully into people's lives because they
have taken His place. It occurs ever so subtly, and not usually
deliberately.
5. They fleece the sheep of money.
6. They receive (subtle) worship from them.
7. God is angry at such churches or ministries.
8. Most Christians will be engulfed in the Great Tribulation because of such
spiritual travesties.
9. The spiritual is overlooked at the expense of the physical. The man who
impresses, who is a 'charismatic' personality, who has the large outreach or
large visible entourage, is the one whom people look up to. The outside
prophet, who is the 'lone ranger', is the one who is discounted and ignored
because he's seemingly alone and 'unsuccessful'.
Do not judge according
to appearance, but judge with righteous judgement (Jn 7:24).
The Charismatic Church Shrine
Finally, here is one of many dreams which God has given about the
'charismatic church'.
24th Aug. 2002. H.
Money making venture in factory.
I saw a big factory disappear into a huge water spring which sprang up
underneath the factory. After the factory had gone, the managers built a
new factory on top of the water springs, and opened up its doors to
people to show them inside.
They charged money for
the spectacle. The directors were like shrewd businessmen. They saw this
wonder as an opportunity to make money.
One of the directors
befriended me. I came to see him but he turned up late and left quickly,
as if he wasn't bothered about me. He didn't care for me or what I had
to do. He left me stranded far away from home.
Idolatrous Structure
What this dream depicts is
the wrong motive behind the modern structure that has developed as an
outgrowth of what is dubbed conveniently as the 'charismatic church'.
Pursuit of money is not a valid motive behind ministry. True, godly
ministry is to bring God into the lives of others; to reveal and expound His
truth that sets people free when accepted and practiced (Jn 8:32); and to
promote the love of Christ.
Any physical pursuits that replace these divine purposes are idolatrous
substitutes. They are usurpers, as are the men who promote them.
Yet, we see church structures, programmes, ministers, teachings, worship
services and way of doing things all lifted up on an idolatrous platform.
They have taken the place of the pure and simple purpose of the gospel and
the faith once delivered.
The Holy Spirit was poured out to bring people into an individual freedom
with Christ, so they can hear from Him directly and be led by Him into all
truth (Jn 16:13).
But many men who call themselves 'ministers' have usurped those divine
prerogatives and enslaved people to a system that has made a shrine out of
what God has given.
Here is the meaning of the various parts of the dream:
A big factory: This represents the Church under human direction.
It has lost its true identity and has become distorted or perverted into an
edifice for human production. 'Saving souls' has become like a business with
high pressure salesmen trying to bring many into churches.
Huge water spring: The outpouring of the Holy Spirit which has
generated massive spiritual changes and renewal throughout the Church.
After the factory had gone: The former outpouring of the Spirit
has had its heyday, and with that wane, the part of the Church which
benefited from that has also waned.
The managers built a new factory: The contemporary state of the
'charismatic church' which is developing all the while to accommodate people
and use what it can exploit to appeal to them and bring them through its
doors.
...and opened up its doors to people to show them inside: Today,
various sectors of the Church make merchandise out of the gifts of the
Spirit and other spiritual manifestations (many of which are actually
demonic counterfeits of the true these are easily seen at places like the
Toronto Airport, formerly Vineyard, church. This is a fleshly attempt to
capitalise on spiritual manifestations a totally wrong motivation. It is
experience-based, not centred on truth and a repentance which is based on
the acceptance of more of God's truth.
They charged money for the spectacle: This reveals the motive
behind the behaviour. It is unseen until God reveals it. Hence this dream!
When ministers cleverly appeal to converts to lure them into their
churches, it is commonplace to find strong emphasis on giving financially to
their church to support its structure.
Besides that, the 'charismatic church' also markets its publications,
tapes and videos for profit invariably with slick and attractive
presentation for maximum human appeal, as in any worldly marketing approach.
Thus, this dream portrays how this part of the Church has turned the
outpouring of the Spirit into a money-making enterprise. They have used
spiritual manifestations to bring in money to them.
They are more concerned about money than people!
This sad fact was amply demonstrated when someone I know wrote to one of
these charismatic ministries and requested some tapes they were offering on
prayer. He was hard up at the time and could not afford the amount they were
asking for the two audio tapes. So he sent them £5. It was all he could
afford. He received a letter saying that he had not sent enough money, and
that the £5 would be considered a donation unless he sent in the full price
which was high for just two tapes! (I think it was £10.)
Our friend replied, explaining his difficult financial circumstances, but
the ministry policy was apparently more important to them than the person
writing! He asked if he could have just one tape, but was not granted his
request. The ministry didn't return his £5. Not only did they keep his
money, they denied him any tape! They added insult to his injury.
That's not feeding the poor. It's abusing them! In Jesus' day the gospel
was preached to the poor (Matt 11:5). It's just as well Jesus didn't charge
for it, or we would not be able to afford to be saved!
Those who are in control (ministers and church leaders) have merchandised
for selfish reasons what came from God. It has created a system to
fleece people and provide entertainment for them, while the leaders make an
excellent living from it. How disgraceful and vile!
God hates it!!
The word of the Lord came to me saying: Son of man, prophesy against
the shepherds ... prophesy and say to them 'Thus says the Lord God to
the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds... who feed themselves. Should not
the shepherds feed the flocks...?' (Ezek 34:1,2).
This prophecy, which is highly appropriate in this context, goes on to
lament on the poor spiritual state of the people whom the shepherds are
meant to nourish. Because of their wrong motivation and approach, God's
people languish in spiritual impoverishment.
Malcolm B Heap, Oct 2004
Personal Evangelism is the Way Forward!
The world is about to enter
the worst time in all history, but tele-evangelists are not
preparing God's people to weather the coming storms. In the
impending distress, there will be no tele-evangelism as we have
known it. Personal evangelism will take its place.
Are you ready? Get your running shoes on!
Another
dream from God portrayed what is soon to replace the inadequacies and deceit
of tele-evangelism and mega-evangelists' stage shows. It's one-on-one
evangelism.
The Great Tribulation is
just around the corner, and all churches which do not comply with government
edicts will be shut. Effectively, the godless State will control religion
and dictate what people can or can't do. It will be the time Revelation 13
refers to symbolically with the imagery of 666 and the Mark of the Beast.
Significantly again, this
dream came to the same lady mentioned earlier, Mila Thompson, after she had
observed the Last Great Day[2]
which depicts the time when the whole world will finally be in harmony and
union with God (Rev 20-22).
The Dream
Mila (pronounced Meela)
wrote:
I was in a place that
resembled a huge aerodrome, but I dont remember if there were any
planes there. There were many people in that place (perhaps waiting to
be evacuated?). We had received a warning (nobody told us, we just knew
it) that something disastrous was going to happen soon, like a war or a
nuclear attack. We were warned that in order to survive we had to get
prepared. The knowledge of what it meant to get prepared was given to
some of us. It was: to live by faith and to be willing. I and a few
others accepted it. The transformation happened wonderfully in one
moment. I did not see any visible changes in my appearance, but I knew
that I was changed, because that very instant I knew in my spirit that I
could fly.
Then we those who had
been changed began to talk to others, persuading them to get prepared
too. There were no meetings held, no loud speeches made. Our work was
very ordinary we simply spoke with individuals face to face,
explaining to them things. Not many would believe what we had to say.
But some did.
The moment they would
agree to undergo this preparation, it would have already happened.
Those who were changed
were clothed in a special garment. It was nothing extravagant, it
was a simple pullover that would appear over their clothing. The
pullover, however, WAS special. It was by itself changing to different
shades and colours on each individual, and it glowed.
After that we (the
prepared ones) were told to begin storing water. There appeared to be
bath tubs at different points on the field of the aerodrome, and we
filled them with water. That water was also immediately transformed and
turned absolutely pure. We knew it was precious.
The Meaning
God continues to warn and
prepare His people for the upcoming time of tribulations. He calls us to get
prepared. The preparation happens in the spirit, when we humble ourselves
and completely submit to the will of the Lord. We must live by faith,
be willing to accept Gods corrections, learn new truths, and undergo
the changes, which God considers needed for us.
When we become prepared,
Gods Spirit fills and marks such a transformed believer. It is depicted in
the image of a simple but beautiful, glowing pullover. I think the fact that
the pullovers were changing colours, becoming different on each individual,
shows that God works with us individually, taking into account our personal
features. We are not a no-name crowd for Him, but He knows each of His own
by the name.
It seems an important
detail that the work to persuade others to be transformed was also an
individual work, performed by speaking with others face to face. (Done in
such a manner, there is less danger for a person to develop a self-elevated
attitude).
The dream portrays that not
many people would listen to corrective messages. The majority of Christians
are comfy the way they are and dont like to be bothered about changes.
The water is widely used in
the Bible to symbolize the Holy Spirit. It is called the living water,
the life-giving water, etc. There is also a parallel with the supply of
oil for the lamps of the Ten Virgins in Mat. 25. Oil is another symbol for
the Spirit of God.
In the parable of the Ten
Virgins we find a warning, given for our time, about the lack of the Spirit
in the lives of half of Gods Church. Similarly, in this dream the ones that
have obeyed and been changed are told to store water.
Another parallel I was
reminded of is the warning in the Book of Revelation (and Amos 8:11, 12)
about the time to come of great famine for the word of God, when people will
thirst without the living water of Gods Truth.
The Tribulation
The Great Tribulation at
the end of this age depicted by Jesus in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21
is so close now. I provide more information in our tome Understanding
The Book of Revelation. Kassahun Ayele, a prophet in Ethiopia has been
given many dreams about this time. Here is just one:
31st Aug. 2004. K.
Government clampdown.
I was somewhere in
New York,
at a meeting place with brothers and sisters whom I didn't know. I saw
fear on their faces. They were scared. No one was talking. All sat in
silence. Finally I asked them what
was going on. One brother told me that they are in great danger
from their government who have forbidden such gatherings and reading the
Bible.
I told them not to be
afraid, assuring them that our God is far greater than our enemies. With
that I invited them to kneel down and pray. While we were praying I
awoke.
It is in this climate of
repression and fear that God will do His 'new thing'. Evangelism will never
cease where there are people on fire by the Spirit of God. But wisdom must
be used. And evangelists will reach others individually, as Mila was
shown.
The question you must
answer is: "Are you ready to go?" Do you know how to reach out?
While the following is
available in an A5 size leaflet, I reproduce it here to answer this need.
Guidelines For Evangelists
Copyright ©
Midnight Ministries 2004
Copyright of
Midnight Ministries may be waived without asking permission, if full
credit is given to the source (with the address) and if the contents are not
altered.
Midnight Ministries publications may also be translated into any
other language without asking permission, if full credit is given to the
source (with the address).
All we ask is that the
translation is as accurate as possible to the meaning
of the original text.
All quotations from the
Bible are taken from the NKJV, the New King James
Version, unless otherwise stated. NIV = The New
International Version
Jesus says:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and
make disciples of all nations, baptising them into the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end
of the age (Matt 28:18-20, NIV).
An evangelist in
Kenya,
recently called by Jesus to 'go' with the gospel and truths of God, wrote to
me about what God had given to him in a dream:
In my dream last night
we were in a hall with all your representatives from all countries. In
that hall there was some water with sugar cane. And some more sugar cane
was there.
I, you, and some
brothers were at the door with water in our hands and we were giving a
piece of sugar cane to everybody who came into the hall. After an hour
the hall was full with people singing and dancing with joy.
After that, I saw you
Malcolm with two loaves of bread. You were giving this bread to people.
I heard a voice telling
me "N, do you know that this man is a prophet of God?" I didn't answer
that question
Again I heard the voice
asking me the same question "N, do you know that this man is a prophet
of God?" That time I answered "yes I know." And at that time you were in
white clothes shining like the stars.
As I awoke I praised
God for what happened and what I saw.
Here is my response to N
about his dream:
About your dream of 17th
April 2004. The probable interpretation follows each part.
In my dream last night we
were in a hall with all your representatives from all countries.
This shows that God has called you to be a part of the outreach of Midnight
Ministries, in your own area. You are included in the worldwide outreach.
There are many others whom God is using in various quarters of the world.
...in that hall there was
some water with sugar cane.
The water represents the Holy Spirit and the sugar cane the sweet things of
God (His truths and instruction which are an exhibit of His love for all
people).
And some more sugar cane
was there.
Perhaps you mean a lot of sugar cane. If so, that is an allegory of just how
much wonderful truth God has given this ministry to share with others in
'our' publications.
I, you, and some brothers
were at the door with water in our hands and we were giving a piece of
sugarcane to everybody who came into the hall.
This is a pictorial likeness of what God is doing through us, and you, in
the spirit. He wants to share His truths (in 'our' publications) with
others.
After an hour the hall was
full with people singing and dancing with joy.
Many people will come to know God, and experience that joy of being accepted
by Him, through 'our' literature being distributed by you and others.
...after that I saw you M
with two loaves of bread. You were giving this bread to people.
Sugar cane does not have much food value. In fact, if you eat a lot of it,
it is harmful. A lot is actually a poison to the body. It will damage teeth,
and deplete the body of energy, as well as needed vitamins and minerals.
Sugar is sweet, but it reduces calcium levels in the blood, and can lead to
sickness, for the reasons already stated.
By contrast, bread is the
staff of life. It has more food value. People need feeding properly, and
very much so in the spiritual area. God is portraying 'our' teaching
materials as this bread that can give people something proper to eat
spiritually.
At first, the benefit you are receiving through 'our' publications is
likened to sugar cane. It has immediate appeal. As you get further into
devouring what is written, it will be more like bread to you and others.
I heard a voice telling me
"N, do you know that this man is a prophet of God?"
If you read Prophets and Prophesying and other leaflets or articles
in which the purpose of prophets is explained, you will see why God was
pointing this out to you. It's not to glorify me. I am nothing. By contrast,
God is everything. But the function or calling of a prophet is to deliver
what God has given to him for the benefit of others. As they accept him and
his message from God, they accept the One who sent him (Matt 10:39-41), and
they benefit proportionately.
Where people have spurned
me (my office as a prophet of God) they actually spurn God, because He has
appointed me as a prophet. They fail to benefit from the message God has
given through us. They are not benefited by the revelations which God has
provided in His great love for you and all people.
I didn't answer that
question.
This depicts your relative ignorance at that stage. You didn't know what to
say, because you didn't understand why He was saying that. But...
Again I heard the voice
asking me the same question "N, do you know that this man is a prophet of
God?" That time I answer "yes I know."
God is showing His complete foreknowledge of how you will respond positively
to what you read. Because you will accept me as a prophet of God, you accept
Him and His truths that He has given us.
...and that time you were
in white clothes shining like the stars.
That symbolises the wonderful righteous reward God has awaiting, not just
me, but you and all who will accept Him because of what Jesus has done for
us all. [End of explanation.]
What Was The Dream For?
The dream above portrays,
in outline, several facts to the recipient:
1) The man's calling from
God to evangelise;
2) My appointment from God
as a prophet (so that he can realise that what MM teaches is not ours as
such, but inspired by God);
3) The spiritual value of
our ministry's materials;
...besides all the other
specific points mentioned in the explanation.
Where God gives dreams and
other prophetic revelations, it is to highlight what is being overlooked, or
to emphasise aspects that are not given sufficient emphasis, or to reveal
what would not otherwise be grasped, or to convey knowledge and
understanding that you need to take note of, to confirm and consolidate
God's truth and purpose.
Humanity is consigned to
spiritual ignorance until God gives His revelation. God-given dreams are a
vital aspect of the prophetic work on earth which God is doing today. These
are the days of 'Elijah'. Just as Elijah stood before the people as His
mouthpiece for righteousness, God is restoring His righteousness among His
people. Likewise, He also uses prophets today who are commissioned by Him
and who speak for Him.
The dream above highlighted
his need to recognise and take note of what God has given me in this
ministry. That's not for my benefit, but for his, and for the good of all
the people to whom God will now take him.
Need I say that it is also
in your interests to heed the same admonition?
God has been preparing him
through several years of learning and growth. He is ready to 'graduate' and
reach out to others, sharing the truth of God with them, so that they can
come to Christ and know God's love. The dream was confirmation of his
appointment, and encouragement before 'setting out'.
When you are sufficiently
committed to God, and prepared, you too can 'go'. So, don't be surprised if
you receive a dream or other revelation confirming what He wants to do with
your life to benefit others.
The harvest is
plentiful, but the workers are few! (Matt 9:37, NIV).
God Speaks Three Times!
Prior to that dream he had
had one other. God was pointing out to him what He intended to do with his
life. After he wrote to tell me what God had given him in that vision, I
replied:
Thank you for relating your
dream. In the explanation that follows, your description in bold is
followed by 'my' explanation:
I saw you in Migori market
preaching the gospel. Many people surrounded you to hear what you were
talking about. I will not be there in person. The dream may depict how
others will take the message to that location by taking 'our' publications
there.
After that you called me to
come and help preach the gospel.
That is your calling, too, from Jesus. Notice Matthew 28:19-20 is a
commission that involves EVERY disciple who is willing and able,
not merely the first ones whom Jesus trained. You are being trained by Him
though 'our' publications. If you are not familiar with this truth, read
Just What Is The Work? and Witnessing For Christ.
God gave us many people.
The response. God backs up those who 'go' for Him in sincerity and unselfish
dedication.
On the day after that, you
guided us into a very beautiful room.
[This depicts the heavenly reward which Jesus promised us all in John 14:2.
This will come later. First we all have to do Jesus' will on earth, as is
explained in 'our' publications. They show the way to eternal glory.]
When we entered that room,
Helena, Tonya and Zenya welcomed all of us with a smile and invited us to
sit in beautiful chairs, then they served us with a very nice meal. We were
all very glad and ate with gratitude. [This depicts how H, T and Z have all helped by their
work and efforts to make this literature available to you, so that you can
partake in the spiritual feast that the publications contain for those who
will 'eat' what they contain.]
You took a very close look
at my meal and encouraged me to eat more. Your face was shining when you did
this.
When Moses came down from Mt Sinai, his face shone because he had been in
the presence of God. I have been in the presence of God while writing MM
publications.[3]
I couldn't write them of and by myself. God moved me in what was written,
hence the imagery of my face shining. My taking a close look at your meal
symbolises how I have paid attention to detail in some of the particulars of
doctrine which I have written about. Those are 'fine details' of the faith
to do with Sabbaths, holy days, new moon celebrations and other aspects
summarised briefly in Wielding The Divine Axe which many other
Christians are not aware of.
I was surprised to see you
serve a meal to so many people, and I was thankful to God and praised Him.
This depicts the many people who will benefit from what God has had
us write. It will not be just a small work. Soon, after the dead are raised,
it will be a worldwide work and reach MANY people! Millions!
That is the dream which God
gave me three times.
Three depicts finality in God's workings. We are very close to the
end of this age in relation to its overall history. There are only a few
more years left; very few! It's time to get to work and to work diligently
for Jesus! The Kingdom of God awaits.
Further Reading:
Witnessing For Christ
(£2.00) Wielding The Divine Axe
(50p) What Is The Work? (50p)
God Prepares You
When Jesus called the first
twelve to 'go' and represent Him, He trained them. They learned from Him. He
showed them 'how to do it'. He also equipped them. After He taught them the
truth, He gave them spiritual power to help and deliver others from
spiritual oppressions.
He does the same today. He
prepares you.
His intention was the
perfecting and full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people),
[that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up
Christ's body (the church) (Eph 4:12, Amplified).
Whatever God does, He does
in love for His people. That same love for others MUST be the underlying
motive behind your ministry.
I have known people who
'minister' for selfish reasons. There is very little of Jesus in their work.
They don't deliver people. They merely bring them into another type of
bondage bondage to them.
I have seen others who have
gone out to minister out of pride and desire for self-elevation. The devil
goes with them wherever they go. They lure their prey into another pit, to
join them in their own darkness. It's sad.
For you who are
privileged to have this opportunity of serving the King and helping prepare
those whom He has called to reign with Him in glory it doesn't have to be
like that. It certainly shouldn't!
Here are some guidelines
for true ministry.
1. Get Down Into The
Starting Position
If you are humble, you can
start from the right foundation. It's a foundation that no one else can lay
Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone. He has shown you how:
Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better
than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests,
but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as
that of Christ Jesus, who... made Himself nothing, taking the very
nature of a servant... He humbled Himself and became obedient to
death... (Phil 2:3-8, NIV).
With that approach, you
don't need to be concerned, "How will I cope? Will He provide?" Of course He
will! He never fails. God will uphold the needy who fully rely upon Him.
It's a promise. Notice:
On this one will I
look: on him who is poor
[needy] and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles
at My word (Is 66:2). For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits
eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place,
[but also] with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive
the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones
(Is 57:15).
These are enemies of true ministry: pride; desire for self-elevation;
wanting to be noticed; seeking pre-eminence, prestige or
'position', to be important; competition; hypocrisy; jealousy; resentment
against others; gossiping; lying, deceit; laziness; hostility; self-seeking
or egoism; and lust for power or money.
God cannot use people with
such traits. They are tools of the devil.
2. Let Jesus Live In You
It's not surprising, but
you can only take Jesus to others if He is in you to begin with. Too many
have 'gone' on their own, fuelled by a desire for prominence or some
demented motive.
There can be only one true
motive for ministry in Jesus' name Jesus Himself. Jesus said:
I am the Vine, you are
the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing (Jn 15:5).
However, if you are truly
humble and don't think highly of yourself, then His Spirit will have found a
home within, and He will be able to use you to take Him to others.
3. Love Others
Jesus showed His immense
love for us all in His life and His death.
As the Father loved Me,
I also have loved you;
[so] abide in My love (Jn 15:9). If you keep My
commandments, you will abide in My love... (15:10).
This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you
(15:12).
What sort of love was
this? Self-sacrificing! Serving. Caring.
Greater love has no one
than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends (Jn 15:13).
You are My friends if
you do whatever I command you (15:14).
These things I command
you that you love one another (15:17).
4. Trust Him
Without faith it is
impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6). So, please Him by simply trusting Him.
I get letters from
evangelists who haven't yet learned to trust Him. They write to me, looking
to me as if I were their source of supply. I'm not. Jesus is. And when you
trust Him, He'll prove it to you. He won't do it before.
You've got to put your life
in His hands. When you do, you'll find out just how immeasurable is His
love, how great is His foreknowledge, and how immense is His ability.
But you can only do that
after you have begun to take the first steps of laying down your
life, and of accepting His humility; of giving up your
ambitions, and accepting His; and of sacrificing your desires to put
His first. When you start doing that, He takes control of things.
He gives you revelation
dreams, visions, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, prophetic words
whatever you need so that you know what to do, and how to do it.
As you walk, step by step,
relying upon Him, He walks with you. And when you can't walk because it's
impossible by human means, He carries you. But He will only do that after
you have put your hand in His, like a child holds the hand of the strong
Daddy he trusts unwaveringly.
5. Look To Him Continually
If you don't know what to
do, ask Him. But generally, He will make His will known before you ask Him.
Usually, He is waiting for us; not the other way around.
After He has shown you what
He wants you to do, don't waste time. Get started immediately. Vacillation,
indecision, or procrastination are weapons the devil will try and employ to
thwart you.
When you get going, don't
look back. Keep going. Don't give up. Work hard. And keep looking up. Keep
looking to Him.
Lacks
Not surprisingly, one of
the major obstacles we all face is lack. Lacks of all sorts can deter you.
It may be lack in your own ability. Don't worry, Jesus makes up for that. He
will strengthen you, so that your weaknesses or shortcomings don't hinder
His work through you.
I have lacks and
shortcomings in my personality and my abilities. We all do. But they don't
have to prevent God one bit. I have found that He creates a course of
ministry that He knows you can cope with. He doesn't take you into
situations which would be too daunting for you. And when you think He does,
you'd better get your thinking straight, because He's just about to prove to
you that you can do it with His help.
If you want to fear He'll
'frighten the living daylight out of you', like He did to Israel at the Red
Sea. So, don't choose to doubt or fear. Make your decision now beforehand,
that whatever situations He takes you into, you set your will to face them,
regardless of what you want to do or how you feel inside, and irrespective
of what you think you can do.
I never imagined that one
day I would be allowing Him to write through me, to teach and help others to
fulfil the highest calling in life! But that's what He's done, because I was
willing to 'go', to submit to the calling He chose for me. And He will do
His will with you, too, if you:
-
Rely upon Him, look to
Him, and trust Him.
-
Don't trust men or fear
men.
-
Don't fear the
spiritual enemy or those used by Satan.
-
Work hard, persevere,
and don't give up.
-
Don't look for a reward
for yourself.
Money
Another major area of lack
is money. The rich ministries are often the ones that have provided what
their hearers wanted to hear. It's relatively easy to 'con' people, if you
are a 'con' artist. But we are not in that 'game'. We are not here to
massage our hearers' ears.
You are to preach the
truths of God, without fear or favour, without deviating from what is right,
and without compromise. Because of that you may not have a ready financial
reward in this life. Money may well be in short supply. But don't worry, God
does provide.
God could open the windows
of heaven and pour out barrow-loads of banknotes, couldn't He? He doesn't do
things that way, of course, but He could. And there are good reasons He
doesn't. So, don't fret for lack of money. Just accept it and make the best
use of what little you have. Use it properly, wisely, and frugally. Don't
waste it.
Better is a dinner of
herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred (Prov 15:17).
Better is the small
offering of love like the widow's mite than the donation of a glutted
millionaire with strings attached.
Where there is need, there
can be humility, carefulness, thrift, gratitude to God, and dependency upon
Him. So, don't despise the day of small things. Remember the mustard seed.
Whatever God begins, begins small, but grows big in time.
I have seen evangelists get
mega-thousands, only to get puffed up by it, and blow out in their
exhibition of opulence and pride. They planned great campaigns to reach the
masses. They strutted their stuff on stage. They preached with vigour and
verve; they pranced and performed. They spent huge sums making a big splash
in the sea of humanity. But the surface soon returned to normal, because the
Spirit was not stirring. Their impact was like a brick thrown in a pond
short-lived and soon forgotten.
Money doesn't make success.
God does.
They failed because they
sought acclaim for themselves more than for Christ. They drew attention to
themselves. They loved the elevation.
That's not God's way.
Do you think they will be
saved? No. Learn from Matthew 7:15-23.
So, why be disappointed
that He has planned something less damaging for you? If it were essential
for you to always have sufficient money to do what you think you need to do,
He would supply it. The fact that He doesn't is often because it would be
bad for you if He did. He doesn't want to lose you, while He's saving
others.
He will provide your needs,
not your wants. So, learn to be wise in handling what He provides. (Some
tips on this later.) But never forget, if you look to God like Abraham did,
God will provide! He doesn't fail!
A man wrote to me some time
ago, asking me if he could have our publications on computer disk so that he
could get them printed in his own country. (It's much cheaper than sending
them from here.) I was only too happy to oblige. But I had a little question
in my mind. Naturally I wondered how he was going to pay for such a large
operation especially in Africa!
I waited for his inevitable
request for assistance... But it didn't come! (A rare man indeed. He looked
to God, not to me.) I was surprised. When I found out the reason, he said
God had spoken to his heart about doing this because he perceived that God
had put an anointing upon 'our' publications; they were life-giving vectors
for the Spirit.
God had also spoken to his
spirit about how He would achieve this impossible task. He told him
that He would cause someone to pay for it.
That's what God has done
with us, time and time again. When you step out to do what God shows you to
do, He makes a way. First you have to step out in faith. Like Peter stepped
out of that boat, you step out into the unknown and into the area of the
impossible. You just look to God and follow His directions. The better you
do that, the better He can provide for you and put your mind at rest. He
will give you words of knowledge, dreams, or words of wisdom to know what
you need to know. And you can just get on with doing the physical aspects of
your spiritual calling.
And it works out because
you do.
6. Use The Publications
The man I mentioned earlier
saw the spiritual value of what we have printed. He was sufficiently attuned
to the Spirit to perceive. Too many are not, and they miss out on the
massive possible benefits.
I have mentioned in What
God Said About
Midnight Ministries
some things which God said to others about MM publications. One man was told
by God that He has put an anointing upon 'our' writings, like He did with
the biblical writings. That is because they are written by divine decree,
for a divine purpose. So God 'anointed' them. In one sense, God had to,
because humans just can't do such things alone.
It offends many arrogant
ears to hear this. Consequently I have been accused of arrogance for the
claim, even though it is what God has said to others, not specifically to
me, other than by inference in dreams.
One man accused me of
having 're-written the gospel'. It's a pity he can't tolerate that God would
do something elsewhere, other than through him.
If he only had the humility
like some others, to be willing to learn from what is written, to correct
himself on his doctrinal errors, to change his concepts where they are
proved wrong, and give credit to someone else for a change, then he would
benefit. Instead, he regards Midnight Ministries as a threat, a subversive
element, unwelcome competition, and he labels me a false prophet. All
because he is arrogant, unteachable, and jealous.
By contrast, those with
meekness are willing to take what is written and share it, duplicate it,
distribute it, as well as learn from it. And they are blessed, really
blessed in their deed. Why? Because they are spreading the anointing of the
Spirit.
If you take something
inspired by the Spirit as the Holy Bible is and pass it on to someone
else who is hungry for spiritual truth, the Spirit transmits to them. It
infuses them. It energises them. It teaches them.
That's just a fact of life,
and it's what happens when you give or lend to other hungry hearts MM
publications or leaflets. They are an avenue for the Spirit to go right
inside the mind and heart of that person, and touch them, change them,
convert them. That's why you should make full use of these writings, and
make them the central core of your evangelism not for my sake, but for His
sake.
I don't want any 'glory'. I
didn't write them, even though my fingers typed the keys. And those who are
of like mind only want to get them into the hands of others, because they
too don't want glory for themselves. They care for God's truth and they love
people, and want to share God's truths with them, because:
If you abide in My word
you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth
shall make you free (Jn 8:31,32).
7.
Don't Look To Us For Support
What I mention here goes
beyond the principles already outlined in:
Faith Raising Our
Level of Expectation,
Witnessing For Christ,
and
Lessons in Faith.
So, if you have not yet
read them, I suggest you do.
The first one explains how
you can learn to have your level of faith raised so that you can trust God
for anything. The second gives a practical explanation of this in the
context of reaching out to others with God's truths. And the third gives
some lessons learned from other evangelists who have gone before us, walking
this faith road.
As an evangelist, called by God, not by me, you are to rely on Him for
spiritual guidance and material help, not me. All I am here to do is to
convey what He has given me, to you. That responsibility has cost me
immensely. We have had lack of finance for years! So I appreciate your lack
of money that is virtually inevitable. Remember Jesus' words:
The harvest is
plentiful, but the workers are few! (Matt 9:37, NIV).
The term 'workers' includes
money because that's what workers produce. It's always in short supply for
true servants of God.
Independent evangelists
are aware of their own predicament, but few understand ours. They think we
are flush with funds because of what they see us produce. Appearances can be
very deceptive!
We have been in short
supply very short supply, so much so that we have jeopardised losing all,
to do this work for God. Your position will be similar. God knows. So, don't
worry about it. Just look to Him.
However, God, being the
practical Being that He is, lets YOU find the way to pay by your own
efforts. He waits until you use up all the possible means you have at your
disposal before He performs a miracle to deliver you.
This happened to the
apostle Paul. He had to work (1 Cor 4:12; 9:6) to pay the price for the
failure and negligence of the Corinthians and other believers who were not
in the will of God (1 Cor 9).
Is it right for you to ask
me to support you financially? Is your calling more important than mine that
I should pay you? Those who ask us for help, don't think things through.
Should not I be rewarded for the service I provide to you and to other
believers via our publications, as Matthew 10:10 indicates? If so, instead
of you asking me for money, shouldn't I be asking you? (But I won't do
that.)
Why is the Scripture turned
on its head? Should it be, just because of the (wrong) perception of
believers in poor countries, who think that because Britain is 'rich'
compared with Africa and India, that a servant of God in Britain should be
supporting Africans, or Indians? (Oh that I could!)
Those who think that have
no idea what we have to do to make this work of God viable! We have
SACRIFICED! So should others who want to enjoy the same spiritual benefits
from God. There is no blessing without sacrifice. That's where many
in Africa and India go wrong.
They look at the physical, instead of the spiritual. They don't see THEIR
RESPONSIBILITY. Some don't fulfil their responsibility in giving. They
expect us to do the giving, even when we have nothing. When they have
nothing, they ask us. But when they have something, they don't consider
helping us. It's a one way street, and that's the problem.
When they turn their
motivation around and do the giving as well, then they would see the Hand of
God deliver them like we have seen it deliver us. One of the first lessons
you must learn is that giving is better than getting. Ironically, it is the
avenue of receipt from God:
Give and it will be
given to you... For with the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you (Luke 6:38).
The pioneering missionary
of 100 years ago, C T Studd, said aptly:
Use what you have for
God and don't wait for what you haven't got.
That's right. Get going.
Don't wait for money. Don't wait for people. If God has called, answer His
call. Of course, use wisdom, but don't let physical, material or human
factors deter you.
Don't look to us, look to
God. He WILL provide for you, as you learn to trust Him and follow the lead
of His Spirit in all you do.
Read Witnessing For
Christ, especially chapter 5 and you will see more of what I mean.
8. Don't try to set up
'your' church.
I won't say much on this
topic, because it is covered in various other leaflets such as
Dismantling Churches, The Last Outpouring of the Spirit, Fierce Persecution
and the book Meetings With Jesus. Your task is not to form an
organised 'church', but to bring people to Jesus and teach them how to
follow Him without having to rely upon you or anyone else.
Encourage the formation of
home fellowships.
9.
Some Practical Tips
Make the Literature Central
Because of Its 'Anointing'
I have mentioned that the
literature we have produced should be central to your outreach. That is
because of what God has revealed concerning its production. It is 'anointed'
by God. I don't say that I have conveyed everything perfectly. There may be
minor mistakes. But overall, certainly in the major aspects, it is without
error because of God's plan for it. Being 'anointed', it carries the Spirit
of God to those who are receptive. That's why I say use it. Not because of
me. I am only a vehicle, like you. A carrier to take to others what God has
given. Thank God for His truths! They are liberating.
OK, so what do you do? Do
you photocopy as much as you can and give it away? That's up to you. You
have to decide, using wisdom, if that is the right approach. If you don't
have any funds whatsoever, and no means to duplicate, then you can't do
that, can you?
But you could loan people
items of literature and encourage them to do that with what means they have.
Some will have funds to be able to duplicate. Others can copy by hand. If
they really value what they read, and want it that much, they will do this.
It takes some of the load off you and onto them, and it's scriptural for
each of us to be industrious.
When Jesus healed people,
He often asked them to DO something in order to receive. As people
demonstrate by their actions whether they really want what God is offering
them, God blesses them. So, they are blessed more by doing what they
can, than if you did it all for them.
If you need money to make
literature available, but don't have it, then the literature will have to
wait, won't it? (That is, until people rally to help you. God can bring
people along to assist.)
"But I thought you said,
use what you've got and don't wait for what you haven't got." Yes, but you
have got to use it in the appropriate manner. That's why you have to 'listen
to the Spirit' to know whether God would have you use the money in such a
way.
It cannot be overemphasised
that the proper USE of money is pivotal to success. If you are foolish and
give everything away 'willy-nilly', you will be giving things to people who
don't care for truth. Maybe only a small minority will care. So it will
prove to be a very expensive operation, and you will let the wicked drain
you.
A man in Nigeria received a
box of literature and went out giving everything away without asking God
what he should do. He assumed he should just give all the publications away
to anyone and everyone. Most of them were wasted.
God does not work like
that. He is selective in what He does. Didn't Jesus say something
even stronger? "Don't cast your pearls before pigs!"
Learn to listen to the
Spirit and follow divine directives. God will speak about many things. He
won't tell you what you should be able to work out for yourself. So use your
mind as well. But let Him influence that.
Libraries and Lending
Why give away copies to
others when you can't afford it? If they are not going to reimburse you,
then lend them the leaflets or booklets. Ask them to give them back when
they have finished reading them. Most people either throw the truth away or
demean it.
So be wise. Don't waste
precious resources. Once they are gone, they are gone. I can't get them back
any more than you can.
In communist
China,
where Bibles are a sought-after commodity, zealous hungry believers share a
Bible between them. Some may only possess one page. But they treat that page
like gold. They protect it with their life, and copy it for others. Where
truth is scarce and forbidden, it is much more highly prized. Treasure it
and make copies for others.
Those who really want truth
will pay the price to have it. Encourage the formation of home fellowships.
Should I Go Into Debt?
In this ministry, we went
into debt because God showed us beforehand that we would have to. It was
part of our test. He gave us a dream and prophetic words to confirm it. But
for most it's not advisable. Ideally, don't go into debt, unless God
definitely shows you to do so.
Listen To The Spirit
Make sure that, in
listening to God, you don't follow human hunches, but are receiving
correctly, with confirmation from reliable people who are submitted fully to
God, or from independent witnesses.
What If I Make Mistakes?
If you make mistakes, don't
worry. Just get up and carry on. We all make mistakes. And God forgives. But
forgiving a mistake does not reverse the results of that mistake. If you go
without because of mistakes, you can't blame God or anyone else but
yourself. You have to live with the consequences until such time as God
helps you out of the hole you dug.
Financial Dilemmas
If you have a financial
dilemma, share it with your brothers in the faith locally, to see how you
can resolve the problem amongst yourselves. When the early Church did this,
they sold their possessions to provide for those with greatest need (Acts
4:34,35).
You can't look to us. All
we can do is make truth-loaded literature available. For that we have paid a
heavy price. So, don't add to our burdens, please! Look to God in your own
situations, and as you learn the faith walk, He will show you how to cope.
More Information
is provided in Witnessing For Christ, particularly chapter 5 of that,
Meetings With Jesus, and also in The Bible Speaks, Vol 1,
under Following God's Spirit (p 36) and Giving Up Self-Will (p
41).
In Summary
1. Be humble. Don't let
wrong motivation prompt you.
2. Let Jesus live in you.
3. Love others. Have their interests at heart.
4. Trust God to provide for you.
5. Look to Him. Rely upon Him in all things.
6. Use 'anointed' publications as much as possible.
7. Don't look to us for your financial support.
8. Don't try to set up 'your' church. Teach people to be independent and to
worship in home fellowships.
9. Follow the lead of the Spirit. Listen to the Spirit as you 'go'.
And God will be with you!
Jesus says to you:
I chose you and appointed
you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain,
that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you (Jn 15:16).
Malcolm B Heap
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