"“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."(Matthew 6:1-4 NKJV)
Does the above scripture describe most ministries? Sadly no.
Charitable deeds are shouted from the housetops and proclaimed on social media!
I was thinking the other day how successful so many "ministries" have become. They command arenas and charge high dollar ticket prices for concerts or conferences. The "show" is practically indistinguishable from those of the world! And the words "reach", "numbers", and "thousands responding"; catch phrases to denote success; all the while proclaiming "God gets the glory", while their name are the ones in lights!
Headliners! Opening acts! Pyrotechnics!
The music even sounds the same; just the words are changed!
Don't get me wrong!
I love contemporary Christian music! It's all I listen to and am often moved to tears by the way the message of some the songs touch my heart!
However, when you can't tell the difference, between the songs, the glam, or the promotion then you should be questioning the spirit behind it all!
There is a spirit of mixture; a spirit of compromise that has saturated the church and was prophesied to happen by Jesus Himself! We are warned repeatedly to beware lest we be deceived! And we are!
And we are unaware!
"And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you." (Matthew 24:4 NKJV)
"But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." (II Timothy 3:13 NKJV)
"Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many."(Matthew 24:11 NKJV)
Just in case you haven't noticed, we are in "the last days!"
Reading The Bible, these days, is much more accurate than the newspaper. The location and events occurring around the world, and especially here, are right on schedule, and if you want to know what tomorrow will bring, dust it off and start reading!
"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
(II Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV)
"For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." (Galatians 6:3 NKJV)
Jesus HAS to be the headliner!
He's supposed to get ALL the glory!
We are supposed to lift HIM up, not ourselves!
Yes, artists have families to support and the costs to put on an event is astronomical, however you have to look at WHOSE NAME is above ALL names?
Sadly, I see every name but Jesus!
IF outwardly it's not Jesus, why would we expect it inwardly to be the case?
Just because you say "Lifting up the name of Jesus", doesn't mean too much if your name is the one in lights or your picture is all over the place!
Jesus does not need to be promoted! He needs to be obeyed!
The money that is being spent to take a show on the road; what impact will it have on the lives of the ones who are buying the tickets? "Changing Lives", is the catch phrase of today, but no lives are changed because repentance is not preached! There is no change of heart because no one knows what sin is and they believe they are heaven bound because they said a few words after walking the aisle with a few hundred people, but then went home ridiculing the homeless person the see on the corner, for not working; disobeying their parent; fighting with their spouse; lying to their employer; saying mean things on their Facebook page about the people sitting in front of them at the concert; complaining because the waitress got their order wrong at McDonalds.
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV)
Nor will those who hold unforgiveness in their hearts!
"“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."(Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV)
All of you who are talking nonstop bout the moral failures of the world need to take a good long look at your own heart!
Unforgiven people will not be in heaven!
"“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:1-5 NKJV)
It's all about the heart! Your heart!
It's all about repentance! Repentance of sin! Of changing course and turning from the sins that have you bound!
HOWEVER -
"You will never be free of the things that you love!" (Andy Brink)
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (I John 2:15 NKJV)
You have to hate your sin and know you can't do anything about it on your own!
To be saved, you must know you need a Savior!
Examine your heart!
Repent!
Cry out to God, while there is still time!
Even so - MARANATHA!
From 6/11/15
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