Dear Father,
It’s Good Friday (Scripture N/A) and time to prepare my sermon for this coming Sunday. …Butt, before I do that I’d like to go over last Sunday’s service with You and point out some things I hope You didn’t miss!
Did You notice how good I looked when I took the chief seat in the uppermost room? Never mind that Jesus Christ told us not to do that (Mark 12:38-39). How am I supposed to PREACH if they don’t look up to me? Of course Jesus said we’re all brothers and equal in Your eyes, and no one has Lordship over another (Mark 10:42-43, Galatians 3:28). …Butt, remember how I arrived with the Bible in my hand and held it up for them to see, it upheld my place and put them in their place – right?
Then I loudly proclaimed that this building they bought was The House of God. Never mind that You said You don’t dwell in houses made with hands (Acts 7:48, Acts 17:24). They don’t believe that either or they wouldn’t be here! Now really, after seeing this glorious building with it’s stained glass windows, beautiful flowers, lovely music, air conditioning and every one dressed in their Sunday best sitting in these comfortable pews (please don’t say PEEEEEUUUUU), do You really believe they are going to go into their own closet – shut the door and pray to You, in secret no less (Matthew 6:6)?
We have carefully taught them differently through the years and we have done well! Look at the thousands upon thousands who are going to church every Sunday and some even on Saturday! You know where You said “God added to the church daily as many as should be saved (Acts 2:47)?” We’ve taken that honor upon ourselves – of course not daily – just one day a week – and we only add those who become members; they must believe what we say and commit to giving us their money.
Even though they were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26), we’ve given ourselves a new denominational name. The name of Jesus Christ just isn’t popular right now and we don’t want to offend any prospective members! …Butt, we still claim him as our Lord and Savior, and You as our Father, You know obedience is our byword!
I hope You especially noticed how I humbled myself and even came down from my Chief Seat and prayed for them? I know, I know – Jesus said not to pray in public to be seen and heard of men (Matthew 6:5), …Butt, they do ask for it, and we’ve got to keep them out of those prayer closets, surely You can understand that? Public prayer keeps us humble too, we come down from our High Place and pray with them and for them! God forbid that they ever learn that “there is only one mediator between God and man – the man Christ Jesus…” 1 Timothy 2:5 and that Jesus and You will come and abide in their own houses (John 14:23), and that they can speak for themselves to You at ANY TIME – through Him. You’re both there!!!
Now as to the offerings, have You noticed that not one of them has ever taken the time to learn from You or figure out that the Gentiles were never under the Law of Moses or the Law of the Tithe (Romans 2:14, Romans 8:2, Romans 10:4)! You even said, “may your money perish with you who think that you can purchase the gift of God.” Acts 8:20 …Butt, you can see we’ve even put Your name right on our money, it says In God We Trust, we’ve really honored You there! So as we are Fleecing the Flock (2 Peter 2:1-3) who’s really to blame, us or them?
Jesus said not to make Your house a house of merchandise (John 2:16), selling books, tapes, CD’s and DVD’s …Butt, THEY BUY THEM! Of course we add to and take away from Your Word as we please (Revelation 22:18-19), it makes it so much more useful! Just look at all the Christian stores, they’re doing a VERY profitable business selling your Word figuratively just as Judas sold Him physically (Mark 14:11).
So Father, these are perilous times for us, as there are some freaks out there (notice I didn’t say Jesus Freaks, as some do) …Butt, they are beginning to read, study and pray for themselves at home, or with others in their homes, and our fear is that they might find the Truth and be made free as Jesus said they would (John 8:32)!!! Our livelihood is in danger!!! Our beautiful buildings could end up as Your temple did… (Luke 21:5-6)
Please Father, as I prepare my Sunday Sermon, keep my feet from stumbling onto any of these truths and keep my mouth from uttering anything that could cost me my Chief Seat and I Pray that these The Fleeced Flock of Men may never hear the Truth of Jesus and You as One in them (John 17:21) – that would leave me OUT – You and Jesus would have my PLACE!
I am truly the servant of all the denominations of men,
Your Pastor
Why do we «dress up» for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week?
Hi,
what means *fleecing the flock* ?
Greetings
Karl
Fleecing the Flock is about one man – Your Pastor – who charges a group of people – The Congregation – to read to them out of a book they can read for themselves!
Let’s say you buy an 800 page novel, then once a week you pay somebody to read a couple lines from a page here and a page there to you, do you think you will ever understand the whole story, get to know the characters or what the author is trying to convey? Yet this is how many read God’s Word…
OK! Now i understand. In the past I concentrated to much on what was spoken on Sunday instead of listening to the Holy Spirit and his Word.
Greetings,
Karl
Cute story, and unfortunately all too true in many church buildings. I would be careful, however, with some of these statements:
Jesus said not to make Your house a house of merchandise (John 2:16), selling books, tapes, CD’s and DVD’s …Butt, THEY BUY THEM! Of course we add to and take away from Your Word as we please (Revelation 22:18-19), it makes it so much more useful! Just look at all the Christian stores, they›re doing a VERY profitable business selling your Word figuratively just as Judas sold Him physically (Mark 14:11).
Some ministries are very sincere and are only offering the things they believe will help people to grow and become free in Christ themselves. It takes discernment and hearing from our Lord directly to know the motives of the hearts of others (and this is impossible until we’ve been cleaned up ourselves in our own motives). The human soul will distort and interfere with hearing clearly from God when there is sin and un-dealt with issues. We must always be asking the Lord to point out our OWN sin to us, like Psalm 139:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
It is far too easy to see all the wrongs and problems out there, and not deal with the ones in ourselves. Securing our own salvation should be everyone’s first concern – for hypocrites will not enter the Kingdom of God. After all, God knows every motive, and all of us will stand before Him to give an account for ourselves, not for each other. I, for one, want to hear “Thou good and faithful servant” rather than “Why have you not put on your wedding garment? Cast him into outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” When I consider the UTTER HORROR of eternal damnation, of seeing your own putrescent sin so clearly that you wish more than anything you could cease to exist, and being stuck that way FOREVER, WHILE BEING PUNISHED IN FLAME TOO! – it beggars the imagination. I consider being ALONE FOR ETERNITY, the anguish of the loneliness alone would make anyone want to cease to exist. I urge EVERY person to first take the beam out of their own eye before worrying about the abundant evils around us.
Psalm 37: 8-9
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
After all, God is God, and He can deal with anyone He wants to at any time (especially those who are supposed to be representing Him).
A day of reckoning is coming for everyone, and those who take responsibility NOW will not be held responsible LATER (on the day of judgment). Those who blame others and do not deal with their own sin will be in a very bad place when judgment comes – both on Earth while alive and at the White Throne Judgment.
Let us all be sure to turn back to God,and obey Him at all costs.Our eternal life depend on our internal life or the state of our heart toward God and His word,Remembering that Jesus is GOD WORD MADE ALIVE TO SHOW US HOW TO LIVE THIS LIFE NOW AND FOREVER.