1
Corinthians
4:2-5
“But we
have
renounced
the hidden
things of
shame, not
walking in
craftiness
nor
handling
the word of
God
deceitfully,
but by
manifestation
of the truth
commending
ourselves
to every
man’s
conscience
in the sight
of God.
But
even if our
gospel is
veiled, it
is veiled to
those who
are
perishing,
whose minds
the god
of this age
has blinded,
who do not
believe,
lest the
light of the
gospel of
the
glory
of Christ,
who is the
image of
God, should
shine on
them.
For we
do not
preach
ourselves,
but Christ
Jesus the
Lord, and
ourselves
your
bondservants
for Jesus’
sake.”
In the
1980’s there
was a famous
marketing
campaign
designed to
point out
that fast
food
hamburgers
were
shrinking in
size. An
elderly lady
would pull
up to a
drive
through
window and
shout,
“Where’s the
beef?”
Today I so
want to make
like that
woman and
shout...
“WHERE’S THE
BIBLE?” and
“WHAT HAVE
YOU DONE
WITH THE
CROSS?”
“Behold,
days are
coming”
declares the
Lord GOD,
“When I will
send a
famine on
the
land,
Not a famine
for bread or
a thirst for
water, But
rather for
hearing the
words of
the
LORD” (Amos
8:11).
“For
the time
will come
when they
will not
endure sound
doctrine;
but wanting
to have
their ears
tickled,
they will
accumulate
for
themselves
teachers in
accordance
to
their
own desires”
(2 Timothy
4-3).
A few years
ago, a
family set
out to find
a good,
healthy
restaurant
that they
could trust,
where the
food served
was good and
safe to eat.
In their
quest they
finally
found a
place that
became their
favorite
restaurant.
YEAH! They
started
telling
friends and
family about
the place.
They had the
best chips
n’ salsa and
lots of
great people
frequented
the
restaurant.
But after a
couple of
years
something
changed. In
an effort
for the
restaurant
to grow they
started
using
different,
questionable
ingredients.
This husband
and father,
in an effort
to ensure
his family’s
health,
began to
inquire what
was going on
with the
changes in
the food
served. He
had recently
seen a story
in a
national
paper
warning of
restaurants
replacing
beef with
modified
foods. Of
course his
response
was, “Uh oh,
I sure hope
our favorite
restaurant
hasn’t
started
doing this!”
Out of
concern he
copied and
pasted that
article and
forwarded it
in an email
to the
restaurant
owner with a
note saying,
“Please
don’t go
down this
same path.”
The
restaurant
owner
assured the
man that he
could “trust
him” and
that maybe
the man was
beginning to
become
hypersensitive
and
critical. So
the man took
it to heart
hoping
things would
be okay.
But then to
his horror
he saw that
on the new
“Wednesday
Night
Special” at
the family’s
favorite
restaurant
would now be
serving, as
it’s main
course,
something
containing
the very
ingredients
he has asked
the
restaurant
NOT to serve
his family.
Vexed to the
core this
man and his
family, and
also those
to whom he
had been
endorsing
the
restaurant,
began to
speak up. He
first went
to meet
privately
with the
restaurant
owner.
“Please,
please don’t
feed us this
stuff,
please read
up on the
side effects
and the
problems it
can lead
too.” In
fear and
desperation
this man
began to
warn of the
national
trend,
crying out
against the
main
distributor
of this
modified
food.
He did this
hoping that
people would
listen and
take heed
that this
change in
food was
causing
“food
poisoning”
to those who
were eating
it. Due to
this man’s
outcry, he
began to be
labeled s a
troublemaker
“food
critic” who
was just
trying to
“bash” those
trying to
feed people.
Crushed, the
man began to
doubt his
own motives
and methods.
But he had
initially
gone
privately to
the owner
and only out
of genuine
concern not
only for his
own family’s
health but
all those
whom he had
recommended
the
restaurant
to. All he
wanted was a
safe place
to eat real,
authentic
food that
wasn’t based
on a stolen
recipe from
someone else
who was
“cutting
healthy
ingredients”
in order to
market or
franchise
food to the
masses.
Sadly this
type of
story is
happening
all across
this nation
to those who
are seeking
after solid
food, and
because of
it, there is
a “famine in
the land!”
All across
America, and
gathering
from the
emails I
receive from
(apostate
food critics
in Jesus’
name) the
gospel has
been
compromised.
But all
across this
globe there
are many
true
believers
hungering
and
thirsting
after
righteousness.
They are
desiring for
shepherds
who won’t
plagiarize
their latest
sermon
series while
claiming, “I
have a word
from the
Lord” only
to find its
from a best
seller not
based upon
the Word of
God, but
based on
what is
selling to
the masses.
God, through
the Prophet
Jeremiah
warned
against
these very
things.
“Therefore,”
declares the
Lord,
“I am
against the
prophets who
steal from
one
another
words
supposedly
from me” (Jeremiah
23:30).
True
believers
don’t want
to be sold
horsemeat
and be told
they are
getting
beef. They
don’t want
to be asked
to digest
messages
from men who
have removed
the cross
and the
blood from
their
sermons
replacing
them with
clichés and
quotes from
pagan
mystics.
They don’t
want to be
told to get
into a
“mystical
circle” to
pray. This
is one of
the latest
trends of
deception as
promoted in
the
blasphemous
occult-based
book, The
Circle Maker
by Mark
Batterson.
Understand
that this
type of
ritual does
not come
from
Scripture
but from
unbiblical
mystics from
the darkest
depths of
the occult.
True seekers
don’t want
to be told
to be
“Purpose
Driven,” but
rather
disciplined
into being
“Spirit
led.” We are
living at a
very
apostate
time. It is
my prayer
that pastors
and
ministers
alike will
read
Jeremiah
chapter 23
and repent
from looking
unto
anything
other than
God Himself
for what
they are
sharing with
their
people.
Should the
Lord tarry,
we urgently
need a
“biblical
awakening.”
The standard
of a sound
biblically-based
solid church
not only
touches
lives, but
one that
first and
foremost
consistently
proclaims:
THE GOSPEL
to convert
the soul.
And
leadership
that
uncompromisingly
sticks to
God’s Word
in training
those who
have been
gospel
converted.
A Vital Church Grows by Conversion
Acts
2.38-47:
“Then
Peter said
to them,
“Repent, and
let every
one of you
be baptized
in the name
of
Jesus
Christ for
the
remission of
sins; and
you shall
receive the
gift of the
Holy Spirit.
For the
promise is
to you and
to your
children,
and to all
who are afar
off, as many
as the
Lord our God
will call.
And
with many
other words
he testified
and exhorted
them,
saying, “Be
saved from
this
perverse
generation.
Then those
who gladly
received his
word were
baptized;
and
that
day about
three
thousand
souls were
added to
them. And
they
continued
steadfastly
in the
apostles’
doctrine and
fellowship,
in the
breaking of
bread, and
in
prayers.
Then
fear came
upon every
soul, and
many wonders
and signs
were done
through the
apostles.
Now all who
believed
were
together,
and had all
things in
common, and
sold
their
possessions
and goods,
and divided
them among
all, as
anyone had
need. So
continuing
daily with
one accord
in the
temple, and
breaking
bread from
house to
house,
they ate
their food
with
gladness and
simplicity
of heart,
praising God
and
having
favor with
all the
people. And
the Lord
added to the
church daily
those who
were
being
saved.”
And the LORD
did not add
that those
preaching
the
salvation
message were
to blitz the
area with
flyers, use
gimmicks and
sell coffee
to attract
future
converts.
They just
preached
Jesus Christ
and Him
crucified!
Makes you
stop and
think…
Does it
bother you
like it
bothers me,
that today
we tell
people to
close their
eyes and bow
their heads
to raise a
hand for
Christ?
Yet the
early
believers
were being
martyred
publicly and
yet daily
their
numbers
increased.
Think about
that. People
were seeing
Christians
tarred and
lit on fire
or thrown to
lions all
the while
saying, “I
want what
they have!”
Don’t we
need to ask
what has
happened
that we
would try
and market
and sell
Jesus
instead of
just
preaching
the gospel?
Is it
possible
that today’s
standards
are so
watered down
that we are
on the wrong
side of the
Jeremiah 23
plum line?
This may
seem like
semantics
but it’s a
big
semantic.
Does the
clay tell
the potter
what its
dream is OR
does the
clay YIELD
and
surrender to
the will and
purposes of
God?
I read
nowhere in
the Bible
that Jesus
came to
someone and
said, “Tell
me your
dream and
I’ll make it
happen.” I
do read all
throughout
the gospels
where Jesus
said. “Take
up your
cross.”
“Follow Me.”
The
multitudes
followed
Jesus for
their
“perception”
of what He
could or
would do for
them UNTIL
He stood up
in the midst
of the
multitude,
and spoke
John 6:53,
“Most
assuredly, I
say to you,
unless you
eat the
flesh of the
Son of Man
and drink
His blood,
you have no
life in
you.”
It is
recorded in
the Bible
that many
left Him and
“followed
Jesus” no
more. Jesus
turned to
the few
remaining
and asked,
“Are you
going to
leave me
too?” Peter
answered
with an
answer which
believers
all across
this land
need to
resolve, to
say the
same! “Where
else can we
go Lord? You
alone have
the Words of
eternal
life.” It
seems that
there has
been a
polarizing
line of
demarcation
set forth in
Christendom.
To either be
“Purpose
Driven,” or
to build
“Your Best
Life Now”
treating God
as if He is
a cosmic
Santa Claus,
asking for
our
will to be
done,
building
man’s
kingdoms
falsely
proclaiming,
“The best is
yet to come”
on this
sinking
Titanic,
behaving
like Lot’s
wife --
hanging on
to a world
that is
perishing.
On the other
hand there
is a voice
crying,
“Take up
your cross,
crucify your
selfish
carnal
desires,
join with
the Spirit
as the
bride,praying,
“Even so
Jesus come
quickly.”
That voice
is preparing
the way of
the Lord.
It’s crying
for people
to make
themselves
ready. Ready
in what way?
By telling
the bride,
the church,
to prepare
for her holy
wedding day
by coming
out from
amongst
those in
this evil
age,
repenting of
anything
that would
seduce our
hearts from
our Bride
Groom.
The sheep of
God’s
pasture eat
what is fed
from the
Shepherd,
knowing His
voice. Goats
will eat
anything.
The message
that asks:
“What is
your dream?”
is
equivalent
to your
“best life
now” mindset
or “kingdom
now.” It
runs polar
opposite to,
“Take up
your cross
and follow
Me.”
Look for a
city whose
Builder and
Maker is the
Lord (His
everlasting
kingdom.) I
say this in
love,
PRAYING for
a mighty
move of
God’s
Spirit…A
Titanic
awakening in
Jesus’ Name!
I pray for
those who
have ears to
hear, please
hear and for
those who
have eyes to
see, please
see. I don’t
say this to
be critical,
but with a
holy
desperation
for God’s
foundational
truths to be
restored
while there
is still
TIME.
“This
is all the
more urgent,
for you know
how late it
is; time is
running out.
Wake up,
for our
salvation is
nearer now
than when we
first
believed”
(Romans
13:11).
In Christ,
Tim Cameron
timcameron@centurytel.net