February 4, 2014
Well, I thought I was done with the
'inadequate shelter' teaching I shared in the last two commentaries ..... but
I'm not! ... Once again, I was sitting
in our Sunday school class yesterday AM, and these verses jumped out at me! ...
Let me share them with you now, and then I'll talk about why .....
Jeremiah 23:10-12 says this ...
"The land is full of adulterers;
because of the curse the land lies parched
and the pastures in the desert are withered.
"The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly.
Both prophet and priest are godless;
even in my temple I find their wickedness,
"Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there
they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished."
OK, now let me back up to last week's
commentary ... "Visions & Dreams (part two) ... and refer you to the
comments made by Pastor Randy White and his impression of what a church should
look like. ... After it was posted. I did some research on Pastor White and
what I discovered disturbed me ... Usually I always do the research BEFORE
using anything, but this time I didn't ... and fortunately, it doesn't change
the value of his impression of the church he visited. ... In fact, he later
commented that his church wasn't like the one he talked about .. and most
likely is why his story turned out the way it has. .... Let me share just a bit
of his story ...
It starts in Florida where he and his
wife, Paula White, who herself has also become quite famous as a pastor and
evangelist, started a small fellowship. .... The church grew rapidly and soon
became a mega-church. ... Out of this ministry they co-founded Without Walls
International Church. ... In 2004, it was reported that their attendance had
grown to 20,000+ and was considered the 9th largest fellowship in America at
the time. ... Then, their ministry came under federal investigation in 2007 for
possible misappropriation of funds. ...
In 2009, Randy White resigned as senior pastor due to 'health problems'
... He and Paula were divorced in 2007, and in 2011, he was arrested for a DUI.
... looking briefly at he and Paula's personal estate gained by their
'successful' ministry, it shows that they owned a house in Tampa valued at $2.5
Million, and also a condo in New York City's Trump Tower valued at #3.5
Million. .... Their combined salary per year was $3 Million.
Upon seeing this, I started thinking
about all the other famous Christian leaders that have fallen in disgrace over
these past few years .... and why. ... Let me share just a few .....
*Ted Haggard - Pastor of the 14,000+ New Life mega-church in Colorado
Springs and also leader of the National Association of Evangelicals .... fell
due to sex with another male & drug use (crystal meth) ...
*Jim Bakker - Ambitious, high-living, wild-spending preacher &
televangelist caught in sexual triangle ...
*Jimmy Swaggert - Televangelist of great fame who confessed (on TV) to
extra-marital affairs ...
.... and there were many, many more who
fell in very much similar ways ... Mike Warnke, Terry Smith, W.V. Grant, Billy
James Hargis, and on and on ....
If we now glance back at the Jeremiah
Scripture, we see just exactly what he was prophesying now taking place
... 'the land is full of adulterers ...
the land lies parched (judgement) ... they are godless and full of wickedness
in God's house (the church)! ... They will be banished to darkness, and will be
punished' ..... Every one of these fallen leaders lost their fame .. their
prosperity .. and their 'position' in life ...
Ok ... my point. ... These are the
leaders that many, many people come to look up to, and then build their hopes
around. ... They become 'bigger-than-life' characters that basically shape what
the church really looks like. ... Now because of this bigger-than-life
position, they become famous and rich in the 'earthly' measurement of things.
... So what happens next? ... They get 'caught up' in all the stuff, all the
while losing sight of God ... and they fall! ... Even worse, most of those who
follow them .. we're talking millions here ...
fall in the same way! ... Why? ... Because there is NO FOUNDATION! ...
The so-called shelter they built was based upon a foundation of sand. ....
Tragically, this 'shelter' will not stand when the storms of life come pouring
down upon us. ...
A quick point here ... I looked at just
the New Testament concerning verses on earthly wealth, and found 22 in about 15
minutes! ... Verses that say things like ... 'Don't store up treasures on
earth' (Matthew 6:19) ... 'No one can serve two masters' (vs 24) ... 'What good
is it to gain the world .. but lose your soul' (Matthew 16:26) ... 'You cannot
serve God and money' (Luke 16:13) ... and finally, 'a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God.' (James 4:4) ... Like I said, there are many more ...
Now most of you who know me knows exactly
where I'm going next. ... With all the church 'stuff' going on all around us,
what should one do? ... What should one look for when searching for a
fellowship? ... Go back to what Randy White said last week .... one that reads
the Bible together .. where everyone actually brings a Bible! ... where the
emphasis is NOT on the show, but on the infallible, unwavering Word of God. ...
I must admit, in my church-searching days, it was hard to find. ... Most of
what I witnessed was 'fluff' ... big productions ... 'touch-feely' messages and
the like ... but in the end, when it came down to the truth of the Bible, most
were simply clerical caskets! .... Billy Graham said once that his biggest
regret was that some 80+% of the people his ministry brought forward would soon
fall away! ... Why? ... Because there was absolutely no follow-up in the
communities they visited! ... Bottom line ... the momentary 'high' needs to
bring the people to the Word of God .. the Bible .. where from there they can
built a foundation that WILL last through the coming storms ... one that will
sustain them from all the craziness that is out there ... ones that actually
calls themselves Christian ministries.
Matthew 7:21-23 says it quite clearly ...
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. .. 22)
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and in your name drive out demons and perform any miracles?' .. 23) Then I will
tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.
Away from me, you evildoers.' "
Scary, but it points directly to
baseless, false teachings that are rampant in our society today.
OK ... I'll stop preaching now, but
before I go away for this week, I want to encourage you all to find a place
that will teach you the absolute truths of Bible scripture. ... The first thing
to look for is if, in fact, they are reading the actual words of the Bible. ...
Many will shake it, jump up & down wringing it in their hands .. but never
somehow seem to open it .. and if they do even quote it, it's usually some
misplaced verse that supports their extravagant desires. .....
I've been through it .. several times ..
and yes, it is frustrating .. but don't give up! ... Don't use it for an excuse
to 'drop out' of the church world completely as many have, because it's much
too difficult out there to withstand it alone. ... Trust me when I say .. when
the storms do come, you will need your church family. ...
Guess I'm still preaching ..... OK, I'm
outta here! ... But know that I love you all, and if you need help or direction
in finding a place that will work for you ... just ask! .... Either contact the
site, or e-mail me privately (as many do) at ... hewillbeback@comcast.net ... I
WILL help you in any way I can. .... Know that I am praying for each &
every one of you, and love you all unconditionally! ... Hallelujah! .... So,
Until next time,
Red