The Word of Truth Ministries

 
-I am Reckoning Along With Paul-
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I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
[Romans 8:18]
 

 

At the prompting of a brother who wrote me, I read a certain preacher’s words [Jamal Bryant] the other day and attempted to briefly enlighten him--not that he or any of the many wrong-headed ministers that have proliferated in the church world today want enlightenment. And as I finished my sermon in a second to him, the scripture came to me of God’s hand being stretched out in reasoning—“Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord.”--yet few if any want to reason with God or the true man of God about truth, justice, and the righteousness of God.  

If one considers the time of Christ and the behavior of the church today, that person will notice the uncanny parallel between the religious of that day and the religious of today's church: the house of God had been overrun by crass commercialism and turned into a den of thieves, and the keepers of God's house had allowed it to be so. Likewise, today’s church has given itself over to moneychangers masquerading as pastors and preachers, but are little more than vulgar moneychangers--changing the money of God's people from their hands to the bank accounts of preachers.  [Mat. 21:13] One poor minister announced that “God had anointed him to take an offering.” Clearly he had not read Acts 6:2-4 and probably many other scriptures. God doesn’t anoint ministers, but for deacons to do that act. Now if one is an evangelist and a deacon then the condition is different.

How tragic we have made the house of God, shaming the true ministers of God and the very body of Christ. Inspired by Satan, ungodly men have bastardized the church into mainline American Christianity, which is not fathered by Christ, but by the devil. [John 8:44]  

In America, Christianity in most churches has been taken over by politics, just like Emperor Constantine in 313, took over the early church and made it the Roman Catholic Church. This politicization of the church has corrupted the truth and brought in all types of erroneous teachings, doctrines, and sinful behavior as normal. Today, the Religious Right, a political group, claims to be Christian, but their Christianity conforms to very little of God’s word and most of old fashion Americanism. They have bastardized the church for the state, allowing themselves any liberties and still call themselves Christians. But they are not!

In other churches, the entire mission has become money and this world’s goods going to a pastor first and trickling down in philosophy, but rarely in substance, to the membership; and the operative word is always "now!" Foolishly, the Jamal Bryants of this world, who are the thieves and robbers that fancy themselves ministers, claim that since all is God’s, they should have all of God's possessions now because they/we are the sons of God. Were they really sons of God with this argument, they would be foolish and prodigal sons! But they are not at all sons of God, having not even received the first principles of the doctrine of Christ--the new birth--correctly.  Instead, they are foolish children of the devil. Most, if not all of them, have never been born again as God dictates.

How can that be? God said that his ways and thoughts were not man’s ways and thoughts. [Isa.55:8] And if that is the case, then we must see and do things the way God sees and says they should be done. But the self-willed and hard-headed will not walk in God’s ways nor engage in the thoughts of God. [Isa. 42:24;Jer. 6:16] They will, however, use the name of Christ to take away the reproach of being Christians their way, for such a way is reproachful to God and to his saints in light. [Isa. 4:1] No one can be a Christian his way; it must be God’s way. Jesus said that one who tries to come any other way but God’s way (and Jesus is the way to God; the door) is a thief and a robber. [John 10:1, 7] 

These corrupt workers argue that all is the Lord’s and they are sons of God, therefore, all should be theirs now. But they know nothing of God’s word, other than enough to seduce weak souls and babes in Christ/the church to their vain prattling and wrongful teachings. Yes, all is the Lord’s but there is a proper time for that all to be enjoyed by his saints, and when that fullness of time is come, all will be ours. Jesus left us a living legacy/example that we should walk in his steps. That example is not one of opulent living but of modesty, as we occupy until he comes back for us--occupy his legacy. That means we are to get ourselves ready for his return. [Eph. 4:11-15] That is why we sing the song, When we all get together, what a day of rejoicing that will be; When that day comes we will sing and shout the victory! That shout is not to go up now; we are still in a battle for our eternal lives. Now if this truth is hidden, it is hidden to those who are already lost!

These are days of purification and endurance. But when the end comes, we who have endured will walk on the vanity that wicked and devilish false prophets and those who now follow them are selling their souls for. Paul said that with what things as we have, be therewith content. There is a fullness of time element, but that fullness of time has yet to come! The church has not been caught away with Christ, the man of sin can only come after that happens because the church is the light of the world, and we (the true saints in light) hinder the Man of Sin from coming. There are many sinners in the world, but the man of sin will not come until the bride of Christ is taken out of this world. For that man of sin will come with all signs and lying wonders because the light of Christ, the church, will have been removed from the earth.

After that, and at the end of the last half of the Time of Jacob's Trouble/the Great Tribulation, Jesus will come back and bind Satan for a thousand years. And thank God he will, lest no flesh would be saved, but for the elects' sake, he will come and put down all ungodliness and rule this entire earth with a rod of iron. I am aware that this reality defies the American Christians' view of Christianity and godliness, but their view is warped by their notion of Christianity, which isn't Christianity at all, just American nationalism!  These types of 'Christians" often proffer the idea that democracy is the wave of the future, even at the barrel of American guns, and they gladly applaud our bombs and missiles killing others to supposedly give them democracy, as if it is God's way. Those notions have nothing to do with Christianity; theirs is the way of nationalism.

But I say to you, no one will vote Jesus in, and no one can stop him from coming and ruling; his rule will be an absolute dictatorship, as he rules in righteousness. This is HIS earth; All things were made by him and God himself, without any help, will take it back and destroy it himself as he makes all things new. No! God does not need man to help him work out his plan that was before the foundation of the world. His own arm brought salvation when there was no man capable or worthy enough to redeem himself from his own sins; God did it! God and HE alone! He was the only one who could measure up to the standard set for redemption. He looked down on man after many years of man's  wandering in sin and declared of man that there was none righteous: No! Not one! Left to man's own devices, he would kill himself and all things around him; that is how wicked human nature is. But he will not be left to his own devices; God will come back and redeem his own! Even now God's creation groans waiting for the redemption.

He will come and bind Satan for a thousand years, during which time  we, his church/bride, will experience a mere glimpse of a long marriage throughout eternity. Then after the thousand years, Satan will be loosed for a little while and go out again to deceive the nations of Gog and Magog. And shortly he will be judged once and for all with all those who  were deceived by him, who refused to endure with Christ but loved the pleasures of this short span of time and this world--men of corrupted minds who have never reckoned with Paul that the things of this world and the suffering of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will follow for those who endure until the end; men who mocked the truth when it was given will stand along side Satan at the great White Throne Judgment of the world and will be cast into the lake of fire with him; and hell and death shall be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. And then comes the end, when Christ delivers up the kingdom to God and the Son-ship will be dissolved and God will be all and in all. That is a period of existence that will have no end and of its glory we cannot imagine. Paul strained his imagination and simply said, Eyes have not seen; ears have not heard; neither has it entered into the hearts of men the good things God has in store for those who love him; for those who endure to the end; for those who do the will and word of God.

Those are the ones who have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb; those are the ones who have reckoned with Paul that the things of this life are so trivial, so transient, so lacking in significance that they are simply unworthy to be compared to the life that is to come with Christ, our savior! At that end of all things as we know them, the very elements of this physical earth and the things therein shall melt with a fervent heat and a new heaven and a new earth will be created wherein dwells righteousness. No more prevailing on the weak and wicked to turn to God from sins; no more studying and concocting long essays and sermons to open blind eyes; no more tears as we struggle in what seems like a valley of dry bones that refuse to live. No more struggles; no more heart ach; no more enduring. We will have overcome into eternity! We will have made it!

At that time we sons of God will attain our son-ship possessions because as the Elder son in Luke 15, co-mingled his possessions with his father, (while the foolish son rioted in the moment of pleasure) and attained all that the father had, we will have co-mingled our lives, our behavior, our thoughts, our imaginations, our longings, our hopes, our very being with God and so shall we ever be with the Lord! 

Those who live luxuriously ahead of time will not see the true glory and riches of God that he is waiting to reveal to his children who endure unto the end. While on this earth, we are making ourselves ready to receive these blessings and riches that are beyond anything we can imagine.

Today, in the church we have little men with little minds who lust after this world's goods and are willing to do any evil thing to get those goods. These are tragic, blind souls wandering in darkness forever, and much like street hustlers who will kill for a pair of Nikes--they are depraved and impoverished children who cannot properly valuate and weigh the worth of a substance; so the things that shine the brightest, even though they are mere trinkets of no real value, catch their eye as most valuable and good because they have no understanding of how to reckon a thing. How small and rudimental  is this crude thinking; how closed and blind are their minds so that they settle for such short-lived earthly dust, which is all this world offers. They cannot or will not reckon the things of God as far more valuable than the things of this life. These preachers of the Gospel of Wealth are unwilling to endure the little sufferings of this life that they may have a more perfect resurrection and place in glory.

They are as the scriptures say, lazy and greedy dogs that can never get enough. That is because they are feeding off the wrong food. The bread that comes from God can and will satisfy the deep longings of a man, but the bread they now feed on is dry and moldy because it is not of God.  These teachers of wealth have not studied the word long enough to understand that there is a time element that they have overlooked. These Rev. Ike types have sold their souls to the wicked one because they can only see what is before them, sparkling. They are like little children with limited understanding, so they take what Satan offers and for a covering, they deceive themselves into thinking that the giver is God. Said differently, the present crop of ungodly ministers are children of the devil/false prophets who wear the cloak of sheep but inwardly, they are wolves that cannot get enough of carnal things and want nothing of spiritual things. [Mat. 7:15-20] They have a love of money, and wherever there is a love of money, Paul suggests, every other form of evil is there also. The love of money and other evils that travel with the love of money spirit floods their senses with carnal pleasures so that they are too busy tasting of carnal pleasures to see that death is in their pot.

Solomon also speaks to the destiny and deceit of a fool, such as these false ministers of God are. They are foolish to reason so poorly as to weigh the present age against that which is to come and actually select this present world. Solomon in Proverbs characterized wisdom as the true church of God and ignorance as the false church; both are women, but ignorance is a whorish, married woman who stands waiting for the weak man who is not wise and will fall to her wiles. She stands calling to passersby that they come unto her, as she promotes her charm and wiles, the elixir from a foolish woman to a foolish man that is drunken as a great syrup. And as he is charmed and carried in to her, Solomon says, he knows not that death is there and her guests dwell in the depths of hell. Because he is a fool! [Prov.1-7:5-27; 9:13-18]

Paul, in writing to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 6: 9-10, concerning the lovers of money, that they have (1) erred in the faith, (2) and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Notice that their decline starts with their desire to be rich the love of money, and their coveting after it. And when that love for money fully blossoms, it has a root that supports it, though it is in the ground and unseen; that root, however, has all other forms of evil that will also blossom into unrighteousness. [1 Tim. 6:10-11] That is why we must renounce the hidden things of dishonesty because they will make themselves know when their time for blossoming occurs. [2 Cor. 4:2]

Their err is not just toward money and away from God, but it is in all other ways as well. First it starts with the desire for the riches of others, then its manifest itself in other untoward ways. God said that he would add to those who sought the kingdom of God first. But they cannot wait on God's slow pace; they are in a hurry for worldliness.

Some followers of the false apostles and ministers may self-deceive themselves, saying that Maybe he does love money too much, but he is a good man and a good preacher/storyteller.  Such an assessment, however, defies God’s word! God says that the lover of money falls into many temptations and will not resist them, therefore he errs from the faith! [1Tim. 6:9-10] Regardless of one's like for him or that whether one has came to God under a certain ministry, God says that he has erred away from the faith! Furthermore, that lover of money has pierced himself through with many sins and sorrows because wherever the love of money is present other forms of evil spring from that root.  The man of God is to flee these things. [1Tim.6:11]

To desire riches is the first step; thereafter there are many other steps away from God’s word as the money-lover begins an adventure into more abominable, provocative, disgraceful sins, and into perdition. Soon, nothing of sin is beyond his ungodly reach. He makes merchandise of the people of God and proceeds to use them in all other ways—sexual perversions, servitude of God’s people serving them as if they are kings and queens, and all others sins. [2 Pet.2:3]

Regardless of how an ungodly minister tries to disguise himself, spin the truth into something that does not condemn his behavior,  when a  man loves money, God’s word says that he is thoroughly corrupt, not just in coveting after money but in all other aspects of his life! This love of money is the outward appearance of an inward corruption hidden from sight, but the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord. [Prov.5:21].

Today we have open corruption in many ways in our churches: ungodly marriages where men divorce one woman to marry another; we have sexual perversions; we have illegal and addictive drugs being by church members; we have open lying; we have church fraud and criminality; we have atheism, agnosticism, and physically brawling ministers; we have man slayers, and men who creep into houses and leave silly women and abominable men laden with sins of the flesh; we have incestuous relationships. This and much more is what we have today. Not only is this corruption not infrequent, in many churches it is the standard. But God’s word says that “…The love of money is the ROOT of ALL evil.” Once that root is planted, it will grow all forms of evil.  [Mat. 24:38; Rom. 1:24; 1Tim. 1:9; 3:3; 2 Tim. 3:6]

It seems unimaginable that men would get older and weaker in their life force and they grow away from God. But these are men who have not reckoned the things of God and as a result ,God has sent them a strong delusion; God said that when he did call, none answered. [Isa.66:4; 2Thes. 2:11] Even now, there is a rash of blindness that is afflicting wicked and deceitful ministers. The little they once knew of the word has slipped away from them, and their ability to read is altered; their understanding is darkened. This blindness is also physical as well as mental. These are men who have not properly reckoned the things of God, but have chosen this present, soon to be destroyed world to the glory that shall follow. And instead of allowing God to add to them and their their daily needs, they have reached for out for it with a vengeance. They rise early to receive of men's substance and know not, because they are blind, that the giver is more blessed than the receiver; the giver is greater than the receiver. But their greed has blinded their eyes and warped their thinking into the idea that to receive is greater. But he that gives is already blessed and will continue to be blessed of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I have reckoned with the Apostle Paul concerning the things of God, and have asked the Lord to allow me to reach that level of perfection in him where I cannot fall--for there is a place in God where you cannot fall; for he will make you stand. [Rom. 14:4] I have asked God to never allow my thoughts, my imaginations, my hopes and dreams to stray from being perfect in his sight; that I never return to some mundane Christianity that is the moderation of those not of light. I am aware that to many of you, my gospel is radical and seems extreme, but I suggest that your understanding of God's word and his requirements for his saints is short-sighted and naive.  For you see, I have reckoned and reasoned them out that the things of this life, the sufferings of this world, the rejections and hatreds of this life are things of insignificance and totally unworthy to be compared to the glory that will follow and be revealed in us when this earth and its systems are dissolved and we move to another building and another city, whose builder and maker is God, and that building will be eternal in the heavens.

That is what I have learned through my many years of education and even more years with the Lord. That is what I have concluded from the many books I have read and the many tears I have shed. That is my reckoning!

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The Word of Truth Ministries
P.O. Box 6573
Oakland, CA 094603