Stolen Treasures from an Unguarded Temple Part VII
What gives you the right to say these things? First, my wife and I both come from a one-hundred-year heritage in Pentecostalism. Our families have seen every trick, gimmick and reality, we have truly seen the pendulum hit both walls. Our grandmothers were women who knew what it meant to take hold of the horns of the altar and pray until the answer came. Whether it be for lost husbands, children, miracles or praying people through to the Holy Ghost. I have thirty years of ministry with integrity and moral purity by the grace of God. For twenty-six years, my wife and I have enjoyed a wonderful God ordained marriage, we have been blessed to see real salvations, true baptisms in the Holy Ghost and abundant miracles and healings.
Question One: Who stole these treasures? The devil, because the devil is only afraid of one thing, that which he cannot control. From the day of Pentecost forward the Holy Ghost has been an indomitable force in the lives of people who have received his fullness. Spirit filled people have been martyred for over two thousand years in an attempt by Satan to stop the wind of the Holy Ghost from blowing and his fire from spreading.
Question Two: Who failed to guard these priceless treasures? We did, I think the blame is multigenerational beginning with our grandparents. They were so concerned with reverence when the Holy Spirit was moving instead of taking their children by the hand leading them to the altar and acquainting them with the Holy Ghost they told their children to stay seated and don’t move. While well-meaning somehow this became imprinted into the next generations’ psyche so when they went to church they sat there and didn’t move. Many people in my parents’ generation not really being intimate with the Holy Ghost and not being particularly knowledgeable of the word their knowledge of God was based more on tradition than on personal experience, however I must give them their due they remained faithful to three services a week even with few powerful encounters with God. The heart hunger of their parents to know God and experience him just was not as passionate. By the time my generation arrived most of them had never seen or experienced a consistent move of God, preaching had begun to be man centered rather than God centered and we began to hear money, money, money, self, self, self-week after week. When I first became a Christian I heard so much about the love of God until I asked the question does anyone ever preach about loving God and living a life of obedience? By the time our children’s generation arrived they really didn’t have a chance, most of them had never seen very much take place in church that was truly awe-inspiring rather than sit there bored they created their own version of a hot aired Pentecost or left the church altogether what a travesty. However, this last generation, the millennial’s will not put up with our perfunctory worship and our boring sermons on what God used to do. They need a God who is an ever present help in the time of trouble, they cannot afford silly religion.
Question Three: Why were they deemed worthless? Fifty years ago, when our churches began to move from the back streets to main street we began to draw a better funded more educated group of people especially transfers from nominal churches and we panicked. We began to be caught up in our oratorical eloquence and our skilled musicianship rather than remaining dependent on the anointing. We began to believe our own public relations rhetoric, we became dependent on cheap psychology and manmade church growth techniques to fill our over built under funded sanctuaries. Fear set in that we would lose nickels and noses. In order to appease the people, we toned down the singing, stop the shouting and began to preach a more man centered gospel without fear of Hell. Failing to realize that these people had not left their nominal churches because they were satisfied but rather in search of more in-depth experience with God. We became exactly what they left, a cold formal, stagnant shell. We should have welcomed them and told them we have been praying for you to arrive, you are welcome at the table, the table is set and the bowls are filled enjoy all you want, but make no mistake we will not change the menu to suit you. This fare has brought us safe thus far and will take us home.
Question Four: Is cessation now our excuse? Have we now decided to join our nominal brethren, not only in the once saved always saved doctrine, but with an excuse laden doctrine of cessation? Cessation simply put means that all these miracles ended with the apostles. If I thought I was serving a God who could no longer do what he has always done I would think he needed to change his name to “I was rather than I am” may I remind you, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. If he did it yesterday, he still doing it today. Simply because we lost our faith to believe for miracles does not mean He is not still in the miracle working business. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God, if we do not hear miracles and the baptism of the Holy ghost preached with miraculous deliverances, how will our people ever have the faith to believe for such things. It is time for us to all be honest and ask ourselves the question does my church or denomination believe and preach the miraculous moving of God or are they just busy telling me how to be a good citizen?
Question Five: How do we restore our birthright? It breaks my heart to think that it may not be possible, Esau sought to regain his birthright with strong tears, but could not. I’m afraid we gave away our birthright, which was the outpouring of the Holy Ghost for much less than a bowl of pottage. We should have, like Naboth of old, stood our ground and said the heritage of my father’s is not for sale. My heartfelt prayer is for God to have mercy upon us and give us one more chance, surely if he gave Samson one more chance in his infinite grace would not grant us one more chance.
Question Six: How long before you would have noticed these missing treasures? The enemy was far too wise to have walked in and taken it all at once we would have been awakened immediately. Satan is subtle he tricked us into accepting one dry service. He provided us with the excuse, they can’t all be great and how would you appreciate the good if we didn’t have dry times? Many of you are sitting in churches where you’ve seen no real conversions, no baptism in the Holy Spirit, no miracles, no divine healings and very little anointed ministry. The saddest verse of Scripture in the Bible is the last verse of the thirteenth chapter of the book of Judges,” and the Spirit of the Lord began to move Samson at times,” once in a while. Growing up in church we became accustomed to hearing you should’ve been here last week we had a glorious service then it became you should’ve been here last month we had a great service and good services became further and further apart until now they are by far the exception rather than the rule. I fear that many of you have not examined yourselves or shaken yourselves like Samson not being cognizant of the fact that the Holy Ghost has departed and so has our strength. Please join me those of you whose heart has been pricked by this article in heartfelt agonizing prayer for God to return to his church and restore his glory.
Question Seven: Does this list bother you as much as it bothers me? I must confess that I am literally heartsick over the apathy, complacency and the lack of spiritual desire that I see in most churches. This article was not intended as a rebuke, however it was intended to be the heartfelt cry of a man to whom the Holy Ghost has meant so much and done so much in my life. The devil has lulled most of you to sleep so that you never question anything as long as they don’t ask anything of you in church. I am tired of unholy, lustful worship leaders and preachers telling the people that God is present when there’s absolutely no manifestation taking place. I am appalled when preachers label the people divisive for having questions. They keep the people in check by using their favorite statement,” touch not mine anointed,” not fully understanding the entirety of that statement. Nowhere in the history of time has a movement or denomination recovered after the third generation, they always follow the same declension, the Abraham generation received it by faith, the Isaac generation received it by tradition, Jacob the game player and a con man attempted to receive the blessing of God by gimmicks. David was a man after God’s own heart, Solomon feared the Lord but served other gods by the time we get to Rehoboam he was polishing brass and calling it gold saying” just don’t let the people be too familiar with it, soon they won’t be able to tell the difference between brass and gold”. Please join me in taking a long hard look at yourself, this list, your church and your denomination, we must have a fresh move of God. I don’t want to watch multiple generations of people sit in church and not know what it means to be overwhelmed with the goodness, power and mercy of God.
