The Word of Truth Ministries
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There is an idea that somehow a single God-given ministry can sufficiently position the saints of God into Christ. But God's call upon the new and the old saint/Christian is this: as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby. [I Pet. 2:2] And the growth that the Word of God directs us to is to grow into perfection. [Heb.6] Just as Peter instructed the saints to grow as newborn babes, the writer of Hebrews expounds the word more perfectly, saying, to leave the principles of doctrine of Christ [the rudimental aspects of salvation] and go to perfection. Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works [sin] and of faith toward God [that he is faithful to forgive you of that sin] etc., and this we will do if God permits. [Heb. 6:1-3] Certainly God does permit and even commands it so. In Matthew 5: 48, Jesus says, be perfect even as God is perfect. This be perfect command is a command of the Lord for the saints of today. Many worldly Christians have taken the idea of perfection and declared, since there are so many views of perfection, that no one can be perfect. The problem with such assertion is that it flies in the face of God's definition and God's command. God would not command us to do something beyond our capacity. That would be unjust and unfair-and He is neither. Not only has he commanded us to be perfect, He has also given us the wherewithal to be as He has commanded us. First, He defines what perfection is in Philippians 3:10-15, and second, He has given us the means to be perfect, as seen in Ephesians 4:11-16. So perfection to God is not according to the fancies of men; it is not according to a definition of man. Perfection is according to the definition of God, and as God has defined it, so must we define it. [Since this essay is not about perfection, I will not linger on this discussion. I treat that subject elsewhere.] Perfection is a definite command of God for New Testament saints, and He has given us the means to achieve that end! It is because of the carnality of church leadership, that the perfection of the saints is being hindered. The present leadership of the church, in large part, has no vision or sight for the saints. And where there is no vision in that leadership, the people perish. [Prov. 29:18] The Bible says, the leaders have caused the people to error, and they who are led of them are destroyed. [Isaiah 9:16] When we see what the leadership is comprised of and what they allow in the churches today, we can see that, in large part, the leadership of the church today is interested only in enlarging their bank accounts and enlarging their personal importance, but not really interested in feeding the flock of God to position that flock properly in the body of Christ. Much of the leadership crow about their big million dollar homes, boats, etc., while the poor of the flock only wish for the crumbs of these blessings to fall on them. But this distorted, self-important leadership breeds a culture of pastor worship, which is nothing short of a cult of men. The Clefro Dollars, Leroy Thompson's, Kenneth Coplands, etc., are becoming larger in possessions, while the flock they are supposedly serving are not likewise becoming rich or richer. The fact is they are becoming poorer in order to make the pastors rich and richer. The Dollars, Copland's etc., are the better-known religious profiteers. But in every sector of America, especially in Black, supposedly holiness, churches, there are lesser known gods of greed who, cloaked in the ministry of God, con, cajole, spiritually threaten and intimidate poor, unknowing saints out of their money, possessions, their homes, their welfare or retirement checks, their bodies, their loyalties, and out of their minds. These religious hustlers drive the best cars or fly first class to their million dollar homes that are spread here and there, across the nation and around the world. They have expensive clothing that poor saints have bought; they eat at restaurants poor saints cannot afford; they send their children to the best schools that poor saints cannot afford--all these at the expense of poor saints. And they spout the blessings of the Lord, but they are the only ones being blessed so handsomely by their god. And what type of god are they serving? The god of religious profiteering, the god of Scriptural slight- of- hand, the god of the business of religious giving to me, and you make it the best way you can. A God that is not biblical. But the Bible is their tool to wrestle the money away from the unknowing and weakened saints of the living God. But be assured, God will not look the other way on these religious sinners who pluck the flock and use them as cash cows! The Lord shall come with fire and his with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh; and those slain of the Lord shall be many! [Isaiah 66:15-16] God is raising up prophets and ministers who see this error and will cry against it; these ministers are not bound to this ungodly school of thought or entangled with sins that would taint them. These ministers have the gifts of God and the sight of God's word; these are ministers that God has raised up, NOT MAN! Hence, no man can put them down or take away their gifts. There is today, a sin that is grievous to the spirit of God and to God's true ministers: there is a widespread religious con game that is being perpetrated against the people of God using the name of God! And in legal terms, that con is, a fraud by deceit. This deceit is a religious deceit, and it depends upon a lack of knowledge of the Word of God and the development of a culture and cult of men to be perpetrated against the saints. In short, for these religious profiteers require two things: 1.) Their victims [congregations] to not really know the Word of God in a mature way 2.) They need a culture around themselves [a cult of men] that allows them to take over the lives of these individuals so that adult individuals submit themselves to them as a child does to a parent. When saints are babes in the Word of Truth, they can easily be led, and they never question those leaders. That non-questioning is deadly, but the religious con men depend on it to cloak their actions. And carnal saints do not question because they are carnal and unlearned in the Word of God--they cannot rightly divide the Word of God well enough to see the con artist.[1 Cor. 3:1-5/Heb. 5:12-14] Yet, Paul admonishes the saints to "PROVE ALL things and hold fast to that which is GOOD!" [1Thess.5: 21] In Paul's discourse with the Corinthian church, he said that he could not speak to them spiritually but as babes; he had to feed them with milk, and not solid meat. They were weak and childish; they were unsophisticated in the word of God. The Hebrew writer goes further. He said, when the saints should be teachers, they are so weak that they need others to teach them the first principles of the oracles of God [repentance from sin]. This is a weakness that is peculiar among saints of the lesser gods of greed. This weakness is actual blindness to the word of God. And as long as they are blind, they will never question or challenge unsound teachings of blind and malicious leaders who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now that each Christian has his own Bible, each one can question with the authority of God's word teaching that seems astray and an abuse of the word of God. We have the ability to know the truth for ourselves; and knowledge of the truth will make us free. [John 8:32] People can only be bound if they do not know the truth of God's word or if they will not challenge incorrect teaching. Any minister who is unchallenged by a congregation, by a saint of God's word, or by another minister will go astray and develop his own cult of man. That is what has happened in too many of our churches. That is why Solomon said that in the multitude of counselors is there safety. [Prov. 24:6] Never in one man!!! Furthermore, the Scriptures teach that iron [an idea, a concept] sharpens iron. [Prov 27:17] If your minister, be he your pastor, evangelist, prophet or teacher, does not encourage questions and challenges of his opinions, his teaching, his views of the word of God, be weary of such a one. Only by questioning and challenging can you get a better understanding of the Word of God and of what he is saying. By questioning and challenging you prove a minister. And when you pose questions, do not be satisfied with any answer. Never fear to disagree with a teacher or pastor if you think he is incorrect and you can prove it by the word. Questioning, challenging, demanding of biblical proofs are the only ways to keep a minister biblically sharp and grounded in the Word of God. It is the only way you stop ministers from telling you anything that comes to their minds. You have a Bible, use it; you can ask questions; ask them! What can a minister do to you for challenging his teaching? Put you out of HIS church? Maybe. And that is a good thing; certainly Christ is not there if it is HIS church; neither should you be in HIS church. Count it all joy to suffer expulsion from there because you believe in and will stand on the living word of the living God! Too many saints of God are tolerating too much misbehavior by ministers because of titles and exalted offices, because of fear pastors have put into them. The fear they placed in them is not of the Lord but of the pastors. God will give pastors after his own heart; yet most of the pastors and ministers have not been given by God. They have run, but God has not sent them! [Jeremiah 23:21-22] They have not stood in the counsel of the Lord so long that they don't know the voice of God when they hear it. One main reason there are so many religious deceptions is because Christians have not asked questions, have not challenged the supposed man of God, they have not studied the Word well enough to even see the mistakes and deceptions that are being perpetrated against them and the significance of those deceptions to their growth. Hebrews 5:13 reads, "…Everyone who uses milk is unskillful in the Word of Righteousness, for he's a babe. But solid meat [a mature knowledge of the Word] belongs to those of full age [adults] who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Weak and false ministers don't want the saints to have a thorough grasp on the Word of God because then the saints cannot be seduced or reduced to children by the foolishness of wicked men. [Matt. 13--Satan cometh and takes the Word away] Knowledge of the Word will allow you to discern both good and evil. Get knowledge of the Word of God, and you will be surprised at what deceptions you will be able to see. Again, Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." [John 8:32] That scripture shows why the majority of the ministers today want the people to be ignorant of the Word of God. Ignorance will blind you to their deceptive practices. [See A Culture of Ignorance] No true saint, who has the light of God's Word in him, will allow a minister, regardless of how eloquent he is or how long he has been saying what he is saying, to go unchallenged when he veers from the Word of God. What God is calling for today is a return to the Word of God and away from man. Satan has equipped deceptive ministers with the psychological technique of Splitting-dividing one against another. Paul cites this in I Corinthians. 3:4. The Corinthian church was pitting one minister against another in some type of competition. One was saying that he was of Paul and another of Apollos. This is a common practice today as well. If a competent minister comes into a congregation, immediately there is propagated the idea that he isn't or he is AS competent AS so and so. This is the carnal [childish and ignorant] behavior of elevating one against another in esteem. You will hear the frequent discussion of the BEST minister, NO ONE else can do it, say it, pray it like so and so. This is immature, childish, and carnal. If any minister buys into this childishness, he too is a weak leader. Paul said that he was not ignorant of Satan's devices, yet too many of the supposed leaders are ignorant of Satan's devices and fall headlong onto his trap of pitting one minister of God against another. This is a particularly egregious device Satan has installed in many of our church; it uses that carnality and ensures that the congregation will not get the message and anointing that God has sent to a particular church or flock through a minister-one of these ministers is eventually driven from that flock. And when that congregation is deprived of the anointing and blessing God has placed on him, they stay babes in Christ-arrested in their development. They can never grow into perfection. It takes all of the ministries to grow into Christ. That is why they all were placed in the church. When the ministries of God are driven out of the church, this is a case of carnality crippling the saints. No single ministry in the church can carry the people of God to where God demands them to go. Paul, in Ephesians 4:11-16, said that God has placed in the church some apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints; that perfecting of the saints was for the work of the ministry; that work of the ministry was for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we ALL come to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. This is the plan of God for his people; we have to grow up into him in all things. This can never happen unless all the ministries are allowed to function in the church. All of these ministries are required to bring saints to where God wants them to be. When Satan constructs childish competition, all the saints are harmed. When one ministry has preeminence over all the others, the saints are harmed. When the church is the Pastor's church and not God's, the saints are criplled, fleeced, and killed. Paul said to the Corinthians that both Apollos and Paul are ministers of God. One plants and another water, but GOD gives the increase. Diverse ministries are needed to grow the church of Christ as he desires, but carnal men have raised the aura of competition. These men are babes in Christ, if they are in Christ at all, regardless of their tenure. Competition and jealousies are devices of Satan that are used mostly by insecure, jealous, and unlearned leaders. Instead of appreciating and benefiting from the ministry God has given to profit by, they are concerned that the Godly minister seems more Godly, more anointed, more learned, more anything than they. This type of jealousy is unbecoming saints of God. But a fact in life is this: There is always someone more beautiful, more anointed, more of anything than the next; this is just life; so we have to get used to it and not fight it--one cannot hold back the wind! Only a fool tries. Because the various ministries of God are not allowed to flourish, many of the saints are sickly and have arrested development in God. When in this arrested development stage-for when you ought to be teachers you need that one teach you. For he that uses milk is unskillful in the Word of Righteousness-the people of God can be made merchandise of; they can be kept children, tossed to and fro with every wind and doctrine, and by the cunning craftiest of men, in which they lie in wait to deceive. [Eph. 4: 11-14]. This is not the will of God, but it is the will of Satan. God does not want his people to be children, [immature and doped by every con man who comes along]. Christ is made unto us wisdom. [1Cor.1:30] He wants us to be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves. [Matt 10:16] Since he has been made wisdom unto us, do not allow a pastor, a preacher, or anyone to make you their merchandise or cash cow in the name of the Lord! Second, do not allow some immature saint to pit one minister of God against another. Anyone who does this readily identifies himself as carnal and unlearned in the Word of God. That one has arrested development and needs help. To allow this to happen is to harm the body of Christ and to cripple saintly development. Those who do so are carnal Christians who are allowing Satan to work in them. They are ignorant to Satan's devices. They need teaching and much prayer. They also need challenging in such behavior for they harm the ministry of God in the perfecting of God's church. .........................***************************** Finally, we are in a church day of man and not a church day of God. Of all of the ministries placed in the church, the pastor has somehow risen to the top of the ladder of those ministries. They have the fatted calf, the ring, the new shoes on their feet. And that position will not be given up readily or without a struggle. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his brilliant Letter From A Birmingham Jail wrote: "The privilege seldom give up their privileged position voluntarily, it must be demanded." This truth has been uttered by other scholars as well, but Dr. King was a Christian minister. The church of God has been taken over by men, and they dominate it as if it is their own domain. They hold on to that domain by shutting out other ministries of the church. Many pastors are being coronated as kings in God's house. This was never the plan of God; it is God's plan that all the ministries that he has placed in his church should operate in that church for the perfecting of the saints. In the Book of the Revelations, John is given the revelation of Jesus Christ. And in Revelations 13:18, the mark of the Beast is identified as the number 666 in most of our Bibles. Notice what this scripture says: The Mark of the Beast is the mark of a MAN. That mark, 666, is the repeating of the day that man was made, the sixth day--the day of man. The seventh day, God rested. We are in the sixth day--the day of man, and man has taken rule over the church of God. The Bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall evey word be established/And in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a matter be established.[2 Cor.13:1] The number of the Beast is the number of MAN--ungodly man, who stands in the temple of God as if he is God. It is the day we are living in--the Day of Man. Listen to the Apostle Paul in 2Thessalonians 2: 3--12: "Let know man deceive you by ANY means; for that day shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God...[but] then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming...." We are in a time that men have taken over, even the church of God, the flock of God, which Christ purchased with his own blood, and they are using that flock in any way they feel they want to use it. This is a time of beastly activities, grievous wolves have entered into the flock and Paul said some have risen from among the flock. [Acts 20:29-31], Carnal men, unregulated by anyone are devouring the saints of God for their own fleshly and financial pleasures and deceiving them into thinking that they do God a service when they feed the rich minister and care little about the poor saints. Now is the time when the true ministers of God must not shun to declare unto the people of God ALL the counsel of God. [Acts 20: 27--31] That is what this ministry will do! [] | |
2004 The Truth of God