The Wayward Church Part 2: The money trail.

Mark 10:17-22 - And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Now, imagine that you had gone to Jesus, and he told you the same thing? Could you sale your house, your car, everything you own? Could you empty out your retirement and give everything to the poor? Now, imagine your church and your pastor being asked the same thing. Would they sale their church building, land, buses, withdraw all bank accounts, and give to the poor? Would they part with their pews?  Would the pastor and staff give up their houses and give them to the poor? I asked first about yourself, before I asked about the church. Your heart needs to be right before God before we start going after the churches.

This question Jesus asked is loaded! Applying the question to your own life causes fear, anxiety, and apprehension. Why? Because when you give up everything, your day-to-day trust has to be upon God to provide even the simplest of needs. The Church is no different. Being a body of believers, and not a building on land, it should be willing to part with everything to follow Jesus. The pastor, staff, elders (if the church has Biblical governance), should be willing to clean out the church bank accounts in a second to further the Kingdom of God. Is the church willing to forsake all and follow Jesus, or are they going away from him grieved, because they have a big building, lots of land, many buses, comfortable pews, and a large bank account?

If their heart is right before God, and God allows the church to use its finances to further His kingdom, then how does a church pay for things such as buildings, land, utilities, salaries, missionaries, and so on. The answer is money collected from church members. Tithing is the most common method churches today collect money.

Tithing is one of the stickiest subjects in evangelical churches. In looking at tithing, we will stick to the Bible and call a “spade a spade”, calling things what they really are.

 Required or forced tithing is when a church requires its membership to give 10% of income to the local church, typically gross (before taxes). Optional tithing is when the church encourages the giving of 10%, but will not tie it to Biblical commands or make it a requirement for membership, deacons, elders, or staff. They often allow their members to choice where the tithe goes, not making it a requirement that it goes to the local church.

Required or forced tithing is very common, though pastors will refuse to call it that because of the negative connotations it brings. However, anytime a church claims the Bible requires believers to tithe, it then becomes forced tithing. A church does not have to “beat its members” to have forced tithing. Calling non-tithers sinners, selfish, disobedient, and making them feel guilty is forced tithing. Denial of church positions such as deacon or worship leader to non-tithers is forced tithing.  Passages such as Malachi 3 are preached on regularly (and out of scriptural context), causing members to think they are robbing God by not giving 10% gross to the local church (the storehouse).

The New Testament is mostly silent on tithing as a church practice, with the focus on giving. Therefore, those who require tithing often turn to the Old Testament and the Law. Now there are three parts to the Law: Moral Law, Levitical Law, and National Law. The law is a whole discussion on its own, but examples of Moral Law would be the Ten Commandments, Levitical Law would be animal sacrifices, and National Law would be laws to govern Israel, such as the requirements to have cities of refuge.

Tithing is very commonly mentioned in Levitical Law and National Law. Leviticus 27:31 requires double tithes if money is used to tithe, while Deuteronomy 14:22-29 and Deuteronomy 26:12 orders the tithing yearly cycles that exceed the 10%.  Basically, when you boil it down, under the Law, tithing was used to support the Tribe of Levi (who had no land and where the priests and teachers), as well as a means to provide for widows, orphans, and so on. Interesting enough, most Biblical Scholars agree that Levitical and National Tithing Laws exceeded 10%.  Even the Southern Baptist recognize this problem, so they attempt to tie it to moral law. “The incorporation of the tithe into the Scriptures recognizes it as a part of the enduring moral law of God, which applies to all those who would do the will of God in every century of time. Therefore it is a part of the religious duty of all Christians (Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists Volume 2, Page 1418). This avoids James 2:10, for I have yet to see any church obey all the tithing laws perfectly. However, tying tithing to moral law is a stretch, forcing people like the Southern Baptist to turn to Abraham giving 10% of the loot (he got from the defeat of the invading kings) to Melchizedek, king of Salem (Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7). Giving 10% is a precedent set by Abraham we should certainly acknowledge and respect. However, this does not make tithing moral law. Hebrews 7 is a great study, but nearly every single writer I have ever read state the theme is a better priesthood, Jesus, the best, last great High Priest.

Biblically, required tithing is wrong and should not be taught in any church. We are under the New Covenant. We are under Grace. In the New Testament, giving willfully is what is encouraged. Willful tithing is fine, for it gives a percent of income back to God and does have a Biblical precedent, as we saw earlier with Abraham. It should be noted, nowhere does the Bible state or imply that Abraham was required to give 10% of the spoils and return the rest to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s heart and why he did what he did is what is examined in Hebrews 7, not the 10%.

What does the Bible tell us about giving?

II Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. Notice “as he purposes”. Paul could have easily added 10% here, or mentioned a tithe, but he did not. If it was moral law, there is no chance Paul would NOT have mentioned it. Other verses on giving:

Matthew 6:3-4 – "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." How many churches track the givers? How many use their giving data to decide who will be deacons?

Luke 3:11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Giving of one coat if you have only two is 50%. Sharing food implies 50%. Would you cut 10% off your steak, 10% off your potato, and give that to your hungry neighbor?

Acts 20:35 – "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" I have heard churches state your 10% goes to the church before you help someone in desperate need (that money comes from your pocket after the tithe). Wrong! If I was your pastor, I would tell you to go help them first, and invite them to church. God will provide the needs for the church somehow if we fall short because your money went to help someone in need. I would rather turn off the AC and sweat in the pew Sunday morning, than see a desperate neighbor in need turned away.

In summary, churches forcing members to tithe 10% gross to the local storehouses as a requirement to please God is wrong and not even close to being Biblical. Encouraging and teaching generosity, even beyond a tithe, is what the church should be doing. Encouraging members to give to neighbors in need, helping the poor, the widows, and the orphans, is what a church should do. Supporting your local church is good and needed, but it should be done willfully and generously. -  Author Joel Bouriaque  

The Wayward Church: Church Governance – Part 1

Mainstream Protestant churches will claim Jesus is the head of the church, and the Bible is its authority. This statement is absolutely correct. The question then, is the church following what they say? Does the Bible, specifically the New Testament, give us a road map for church governments?

Church autonomy: Church autonomy (autonomy means self-law) is if the local church has authority over its own or if a higher organization rules over the church. Catholics are a good example of not having local church autonomy. Rome with the Pope has a governance set up where all church authority starts in Rome and comes down to local churches. Most Protestant churches are autonomous, where the local church makes the decisions, even though they may have an international convention (like the Southern Baptist Convention) who will publish advice and have general theological guidelines. Theological guidelines, such as Jesus is God, the Bible is the Word of God, can and do dictate whether a Church can belong to the denomination. Local Church membership in a national or international denomination is voluntary.

Biblically, Church autonomy is closer to the New Testament model of the church. Churches were started throughout Asia Minor by individuals such as the Apostle Paul. He would teach the people, then set the church up with elders, and move on to start another church. Now, these churches often looked to the Jerusalem Church and the Apostles for advice and guidance, but they were autonomous. The authority of the Apostles was recognized and respected, especially in their teachings. We see letters in our Bible written to the early churches addressing Elders and Overseers. These Elders and Overseers were the authority of the church.

Local Church Governance: What does local church authority look like today compared to the New Testament Churches? Sadly, many Protestant churches follow a business model for governance instead of a Biblical model. You have a pastor as the CEO. Under the pastor you have staff, such as an Assistant Pastor or two, Music Minister, Youth Leader, and possible more. Like a business, you often see committees that are over certain areas such as finances. Often you have a Deacon body. Even though a lot of Deacon bodies weld power in today’s churches, Biblically Deacons had no authority. They were the servants of the church.

Most Protestant churches today have a single leader, the pastor, who is a seminary graduate from the denominational seminary the church belongs to. The pastor is hired by the congregation after a vote, typically following the pastor search committee that recommended him to the congregation. The pastor then hires his staff, who are under his authority. The pastor can be fired by the membership or the deacons if they have a deacon body welding authority.

A corporation has a CEO, who is elected by a board of people that owns the majority of stock in the company. The CEO typically is a graduate from a top Ivy League school of business. He then hires his staff around him, with the boards blessing for CFO. Committees are formed to study quality, foreign investment, etc… Often, the inter working's of corporations and churches are eerily similar, with similar goals in mind, growing, and profits.  

So Biblically, what should the model for church authority look like? The first and primary is the Elders. Notice, Elders is plural. Elders are a group of men that are the shepherds (pastors), the overseers, and the teachers in the church. Let’s look at two verses that mention Elders, and notice, plural!

James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

Titus 1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

Some would argue the pastor and staff are the Elders. However, most of these churches have a system where the Senior Pastor is over the staff in authority. Elders are all on equal footing.

1 Peter 5:1 says, To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Notice Peter puts himself on equal footing with the Elders. In 1 Timothy 5:17 we see that at least some of the Elders are preachers and teachers. 1 Timothy 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

If a church wants to look like the early churches started by the Disciples of Jesus Christ, then they need to get rid of their business model of leadership. The ruling body should be a group of elders who meet the qualifications as spelled out in 1 Timothy. These elders should select a body of men as deacons, who will be the servants of the church. The elders care for the spiritual need of the flock (members) while the deacons see to the physical needs of the members. Members have no say in the governance of the church. The church is not a democracy. However, with that said, Elders are to care for their flock (members). Listening to the membership is important to being a good Elder.

In part 2, we will look at the next big problem in today’s churches, money. The church should be full of prophets, not profit (I use the word prophet as one who speaks for God using the Bible, not a fortune or future teller). Like leadership, profits in the church resemble the way a business is run. We will get more into that in The Wayward Church, Part 2.

Spiritual Mirror Gazing: Joel Osteen’s New Book, The Power of I AM

Joel Osteen’s new book, “The Power of I AM: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today,” contains the same ideas as his old books. Nothing really new, but the title caught my attention. In Exodus 3: 14 we read, “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” I do not know if the title of this book deliberately intended to be on the edge of blasphemy, because the “I am” in this book has nothing to do with God or His Holy name. The “I am” in this book is meant for you to be used on yourself, to enhance and better yourself. Gaze into a mirror so you see only yourself, and ignore the Almighty God standing in front of you, but behind your mirror.

Leaving the title alone, let’s look at the real problems in this book, which is the same problem in every book Joel Osteen writes. They are not “little” theological issues which any Christian could have with any book written outside of the Bible, which is the unfaultable Word of God. In fact, his issues are “major” because of the butchering done to the Word of God. Let us look at what Joel Osteen does in his writings and teachings, so as Christians, we can avoid these major doctrinal errors.

Issue number one: Partially quoting scripture so that it supports your belief system. You partially quote it because a whole quote will go against your belief system. Let me give an example from one of my books. Chellell looked toward the city on the hill and said, “The desires and pleasure of the flesh seem good.” What! How could you write a Christian book and say that evil pleasure seems good? How can you claim to be a Christian and a Christian author and say something like that? The PROBLEM! This is only a half quote. Let me put the full quote. Chellell looked toward the city on the hill and said, “The desires and pleasure of the flesh seem good for a season, but leave you unhappy and miserable in the end.” Notice I left off the ending about seeming good for a season, and then leaving you unhappy and miserable. By leaving off the ending, I changed the whole meaning of a sentence. I turned it 180 degrees, making it opposite of what it really said. Joel Osteen does the same thing, but he does it with the Bible. Let’s look at some examples from his book, “The Power of I Am”.

On page 39 of the E-book of “The Power of I Am, Joel Osteen says, The scripture says, “Call the things that are not as if they already were.” He applies this verse in saying that we (humans) should use our positive words to describe things as we want them to be. “Use your words to change the situation.” Joel says. Because Joel used the general term “scripture”, we have to search and find it. Romans 4:17 is probably what he is referring to, though it could possibly be I Corinthians 1:28. Because Romans makes the most sense for what Joel is saying, let me give you the whole verse:  Romans 4:17 (KJV) (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Even without taking the whole chapter in context (which you should always do), you can instantly see that it is GOD who calls “things which be not as though they were”, not US! Why did Joel NOT include the whole verse in his quote? Because he is trying to tell you that YOU have the power, with YOUR words. The whole verse changes this, telling us GOD has that power, not HUMANS! By leaving out part of the Bible verse, he leads you where he wants you to go, which is not the place God was leading you to in that passage of scripture.

We are to believe God, and know, that when HE says something or promises something, it will happen, PERIOD! We need to trust him. This passage DOES NOT tell us that our words have so much power that if we state things as we want them to be, not as they are, then what we want, will happen. NOT from this verse, or any verse! Whatever God says and promises, stands forever, and will happen. Here, Joel makes a fatal mistake. He says our words can override and stop what God promises to do. I will quote from e-book page 23:  “Negative words stop God’s promises.” WRONG! I tell you this, from Creation to Eternity, not one single thought or word from mankind has ever, or will ever, stop God’s promises or plans. Our prayers ASKING God to do things in our life can cause God to act, but that is because God in His love and mercy decides to act, as He deems fit.

Issue number two: Adding to scripture or adding conclusions that are not in scripture. For example, if I say, “I am going to travel to New York City next week,” and you tell everyone, “He is going to New York City to work with a book publisher”, then you are adding a conclusion I never stated. I only said I was going to New York, you added the reason I was going to New York, but you really have no idea why I am going to New York. Now, let’s look at Joel Osteen doing this to the Bible.

On page 23 of the e-book, Joel Osteen tells the story from Luke 1 about the angel Gabriel appearing to Zacharias and Zacharias being made unable to talk because he doubted the word of God being delivered by the Angel. Joel Osteen states this, “God knows the power of our words. He knew that if Zachariah went around speaking defeat, it would stop His plan.” The Bible DOES NOT say that was the reason, which is adding to scripture. That is inserting your opinion of why God did something into scripture. Luke 1:20 tells us he was struck dumb “because thou believest not my words.” Adding to scripture the horribly wrong theology that God struck him dumb because his negative words could overpower God’s plans is beyond simple ignorance, it borders on heresy. Suppose I went around saying, “No way Jesus can return today.” Do you think God in Heaven would look at Jesus Christ and say, “Sorry, not today. We had negative words about your return. Let us hope that man does not have negative words tomorrow, so that you can return to the world and defeat Satan.” Do you see how ridiculous that is?

Another example of adding thoughts to scriptures can be found when Joel discusses the story of the children of Israel marching around Jericho, which can be found in Joshua 6. Joel Osteen says on pages 27, concerning the children of Israel being silent, “God knew they would talk themselves out of it.” First off, Joel wrongly states earlier that it was God who said to be silent in the first 6 days of marching. Joshua 6:10 says that was Joshua’s command to the people. However, we again get the strange statement from Joel that God wanted them silent so that their negative words could not override God’s work in bringing down the walls of Jericho. That is adding a conclusion or observation that is not in Joshua 6. What do we have? We have God telling them what to do, and God expecting them to obey. Obedience is the key, not verbal words. Adding your thoughts and opinions thousands of years later does not make it truth. We are NOT told what they thought about while marching around Jericho.

 Besides, being silent with your mouth does not affect your thoughts! If negative words have such power, what do negative thoughts cause? What if the people marching around Jericho had extremely negative thoughts? From the story of Jericho, we know that God told them how to and for how long to march around Jericho, and when they did exactly as God said, God caused the walls to fall down. What would have happened if they had done things different from what God said? We do not know, because that did not happen. If we want to look at what happens when you disobey God, we go elsewhere in the Bible, such as the book of Jonah.

Let’s stop here with the examples, and boil this down. If words have power over God, what would a real child of God do with those words? Would he or she ask for job promotions, money, a bigger house, more children, as Joel Osteen constantly states through this book? That is focusing on self! That is selfish! Our eyes should be on God and His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33). If my words could override God, I would open the phone book and say, “God, I want you to save John Johnson. I want you to save Sue Smith. If my words had such power over God that He was forced to obey me, I could have Him save everyone I could name! Hell would no longer gain a single soul as long as I could speak! I would want that instead of using my words for worldly stuff which is what Joel encourages us to ask God for.

God tells us how to be a tool for Him in leading someone to Jesus Christ. Tools include prayer, telling him or her about Jesus, using the Bible, and having a life that shines the light of Jesus as an example to others. What is not in scripture is that your words have power. What is in scripture, is that the Holy Spirit has power, and can use you as a tool to lead someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Read Luke 16:19-31.  Under Joel Osteen’s philosophy, the poor beggar must have been the most negative person to ever live. His mouth had to spout thousands of negative things a day. The rich man had to be a positive person, saying all the right and positive things. Yet, who ended up in Hell? Who ended up in paradise? Fact: In this parable, faith in God is what mattered. What did not matter and was worthless, was earthly riches. Focus on God and his glory. Let the only I AM that comes out of your mouth be praise to the living God, the great I AM, not an “I am” that is adding to your kingdom.

Joel Bouriaque

http://www.amazon.com/Deception-Magic-Joel-Bouriaque/dp/0615549020

Intolerance, Hate, and the Christian

Nearly everyone has heard about how the United States Supreme Court legalized homosexual marriage, a victory for the LGBT community, and a defeat for Christians. However, most true believing Christians were not surprised by what occurred. In fact, my new book, Proclaiming Truth to a World in Love with Lies, predicted this would happen. Furthermore, I predict things are only going to get worse for those who follow Jesus Christ and proclaim His Word. Christians will lose ground, slowly at first, then, they will lose ground with great speed, like a runner sprinting the last ten meters to the finish line.

American Christians are just joining the club that a lot of Christians around the world already belong to. A club Jesus himself predicted when He said the world will hate you because of Me (Matthew 10:22, Mark 13:13, and John 15:18-25). Welcome to a world that is rejecting God.

I am weary of all the smoke and mirrors used by the LGBT community and those who support sin, but let us look at a typical argument they use. The quote below is from Sally Kohn, from The Daily Beast (ironically, we find the Beast in Revelation killing the saints of God).

Will anti-gay Christians be politically and socially ostracized? I sure hope so. Just as those orthodox Christians who still believe in strict, traditional gender roles have been increasingly mocked as absurd. Once upon a time, marriage constituted property—the wife was the literal property of the husband, and could not legally let alone culturally [ sic ] own anything of her own. The governing cultural norm was that women should be barefoot, pregnant and subservient.

We will discuss the first part of what she said later, but let us first look at this statement she made, “Once upon a time, marriage constituted property”.  First off, you need to understand what the writer here is doing. It is called a “non sequitur argument”. In Latin, non sequitur means “does not follow”, and occurs when a statement and conclusion have nothing to do with each other. It is a tactic considered very poor in philosophical discussions. Do Homosexual marriage and a woman being property of her husband have anything in common? No! Furthermore, she “baits” you into think that the Bible and Christianity is the cause of women being property, expected to be “barefoot, pregnant, and subservient.”  The Bible tells us the truth. Sometimes, it tells us how things were even though it was wrong to do so. King David had a harem. His son Solomon had a bigger harem. That does not mean God condoned it. Jesus said as much, one man, one woman, united in marriage. Women were often property in Bible times, but nowhere in the Bible does it say women are to be the property of their husband. Nowhere! Comparing women’s rights to homosexual marriage, is a non sequitur argument. Many have tried the same non sequitur argument equating race (the color of your skin) to homosexual marriage. Again, non sequitur!  Nowhere in scripture does it state it is a sin to have dark skin. Nowhere! On the flip side, it does say homosexuality is an abomination to God (Romans 1).

Comparing cultural issues to moral issues is the tactic writers supporting homosexual marriage love to use. They hope you do not know your Bible. Does the Bible say, “thou shalt pay a woman half what a man is paid for the same job?” No! Does it happen? Yes. Therefore, it is a cultural issue. Does the Bible say, “The darker your skin, the less rights and freedoms thou shalt have?” No! Does the Bible say you should be treated different if your skin is dark? No! Does racism still exist? Yes! Martin Luther King did not go against God or the Bible fighting for the rights of black men and women. He had every right to fight against the culture of the day.

Homosexual marriage is very different. It is a moral war. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20. Unlike racism or women’s rights, the LGBT demand that their evil be accepted as normal, be called good. This forces a Christian to choose whether to obey God and His Word, or disobey. Unlike racism and women’s rights, the LGBT will fight against God and His people. Having said that, let’s go back to the article from Sally Kohn.

“Will anti-gay Christians be politically and socially ostracized? I sure hope so.”

Ostracized is only the first step. I will tell you this; what comes next, is much more sinister. Funny though, how people like Sally show themselves to be exactly what they are trying to portray Christians to be. Look what she says later on in The Daily Beast article.

“As for everyone else, including florists and county clerks, yes, you will now have to provide the same services to straight couples that you provide to gay couples. Don’t like it? Find a new job.”

 “Intolerance and hate have lost.”

Ironic, is it not, that she says Christians have lost (Intolerance and hate are code words for Bible believing Christians), yet tells them to “find a new job” and hopes Christians will be “politically and socially ostracized”! This sounds like pure intolerance to me, with a taste of hate, aimed at Biblical Christians.

There will always be light filled Christians who will show love to the homosexual, transvestites, adulterers, swingers, and every other sinner under the sun, even though those like Sally will show us hate. Why? Because we are sinners, saved by Grace, but still sinners. God loved us while we were sinners, so we to should love while others are in sin. I will tell you this though. To say homosexuality is good, transvestites are fine with God, and swinging is adult fun, is showing your absolute hate toward these poor people. Without Jesus saving them from their sin, there fate will be eternity in hell. We must, and I mean must, show our love to the sinner, by letting them know what sin is, and how Jesus saves us from those sins.

Proclaiming Truth! Who is a Prophet? Part 2

In the New Testament, Jesus, God Incarnate, warns Israel to repent. As they had done with the warnings from the prophets of old, Israel ignored Jesus, crucifying Him on a cross. Of course, Jesus is much more than a prophet. He rose from the dead, making a final payment for the sins of those who put their faith in Him. The result of the Jews ignoring Jesus is the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D., 70.

The hard truth is that what is happening in America is not new. This scene has been played out repeatedly throughout the Old Testament. Like Israel of old, America is turning its back on God, rejoicing in wickedness. As with Adam, Cain, and the nation of Israel, God gives time for repentance. Judgment comes, when repentance does not occur within the timeframe allotted by God.

Another hard fact is the warnings God gave Israel, were ignored. What? Are you saying that the American Christian will lose? The answer is, most likely, yes, if you call losing failing to stop a nation from embracing evil. I said “most likely,” because our God is Al-powerful. He can bring on revival if He chooses, but we must remember we are the tools He chooses to use.

 How many prophets did God send to Israel? How many times did the people listen to the prophets? “Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear” (II Chronicles 24:19).

 In the end, God expects us to be His prophets. It may be as in the days of Noah, with the warnings falling on deaf ears. It may be as in the case of Isaiah or Jeremiah; we speak, and few listen. Many prophets were persecuted and even killed for their warnings. Maybe it will be as in Jonah’s time, where an evil city repented of their sins, and God withdrew His wrath!

Nothing new under the sun! We are a nation that has turned its back on God. Look at the list of sins attributed to Israel at any point before they fell. You find paganism and witchcraft, rampant sexual immorality, homosexuality, and idolatry. Can we attribute these same sins to America today? Will God’s response to those sins be the same as it was in Biblical days? He is the same God today as He was then.

The prophets of old were generally despised by the people and the kings. So why did the prophets of old warn the people, even though the people did not want to be warned? The prophets loved, just as God loves. They loved the people around them. They knew that God’s coming judgment was the least of their worries. The prophets knew an eternity in anguish and pain in Hell (Sheol) awaited those who continued in evil, rejecting the love of God. They loved so much, they were willing to die, in the hope that a few would come to the saving knowledge of God.

Jesus warned us that we would be treated the same as the prophets of old. We would be despised, as He was despised. John 15 warns us that the world will hate those who claim Jesus is God.

Children of the living God understand that God is victorious, even though we may not be. We are to preach, teach, fight evil, and warn everyone around us. It starts when we love as God loves. It starts with a correct perspective in our lives, a clear understanding that death does not mean the end.

Most people think death means the end of life. This is far from the truth. Biblically, death means a single word: separation. When you die, you are separated from your perishable body. This is the first death. If you die in your sins without faith in Jesus Christ, then a second death occurs; separation from God for all eternity. Man is eternal. Death is not the end, only a separation. “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

God told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the fruit, they would surely die. Some will point to this story, and say that death did not occur until more than 900 years later, when Adam died. However, death (separation from God) occurred as soon as they bit into the forbidden fruit. Death (separation from the body) occurred nine centuries later. Jesus came to end the separation from God for all who trust in Him.

Once you have love for people in your heart, and you see the probability of their eternal separation from God in flames, a deep concern for them overcomes you. You warn them, plead with them, pray for them, and do anything you can to get them to give their lives to the Living God. What happens to you does not matter.

Our message of love is not always returned with love, and we should not expect it to be. That is why the homosexual community lashes out with hate at the Christian, who loves them enough to try and warn them of the consequences of their sin. Hollywood despises Christians and their message of love. Want to feel the “love” of the world? Proclaim your belief in a true Biblical creation and a true, unchanged Bible, and run for a political office. We have all seen our liberal media mock these Godly politicians. There is no love for those who proclaim truth, to a world in love with lies.

Alarm bells have been sounding among Christians today, and rightfully so. God’s children realize that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is shockingly patient (II Peter 3:9), but brings swift and utter judgment, when His Righteousness causes Him to pass judgment.

Christians fear God could judge this nation at any time. How did our nation, a nation under God, founded by God-fearing men, end up as a nation that spreads immorality and idolatry around the globe? How long will God give America, before the gavel falls? Is there anything we can do to cause our nation to fall to its knees in repentance? Will the lost and dying listen to the prophets God is sending them?

From the new book: Proclaiming Truth To a World In Love with Lies

http://www.christianbook.com/proclaiming-truth-world-love-with-lies/joel-bouriaque/9781633152625/pd/152625

http://www.amazon.com/Proclaiming-Truth-World-Love-Lies/dp/1633152626/

Proclaiming Truth! Who is a Prophet? Part 1

Chapter 1

Nothing New Under the Sun

“We are under God's power, and we can do nothing but by the power of God, and woe shall hereafter be to us if we abuse this power.” John Wycliffe (1)

What does the word ‘prophet’ mean? Biblically, a prophet is a person who speaks for God. From Genesis to Revelation, Noah to the Apostle John, the primary function of the prophet was to speak for God, to warn individuals and nations of the consequences of their sins. Prophecy is listed in the New Testament as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it is one of the most misunderstood gifts in the church.

When people hear the word “prophet,” they instantly think of someone in the Bible like the Prophet Daniel or the book of Revelation, where future events are told. It is true that many Biblical prophets, whose writings we have in the Bible, did tell of future events, typically about the future Suffering Messiah (Jesus) and His final return at the end of the age. Telling the future was actually a secondary function of the prophet. Their main function was to speak for God, specifically warning nations of the consequences of sin. They were to proclaim truth to a nation that had strayed from God, as we see in the Bible from the story of Jonah.

Paul tells us that he would rather we prophesy. “…But rather that ye may prophesy... (1 Corinthians 14:1). Paul said it was better to speak for God, to go tell a world that is lost about the salvation of Jesus Christ. “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3). This means, a prophet speaks truth. Truth is only found in the Bible. Prophets are given to the church to edify the church. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” (Ephesians 4: 11-12).

How do we, as prophets, speak for God? We repeat the words He has given us. These words are found in the Holy Bible. When you read the Bible, God is speaking to you. When you tell others what the Bible says, God is speaking through you, to them. You are speaking for God, which is being a prophet of God!

God is calling people to prophesy against a world lost in sin. He is calling prophets to warn individuals and nations that God’s wrath comes on all who reject His Son.

How will you answer His call? Will it be as Isaiah, who said, “Send me?” “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8). God is calling you to witness to this world. What is your answer?

To speak for God, you need to understand how God deals with individuals and nations. You need to understand the God of yesterday, for He is the same God we have today. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The Bible gives us a record of how God interacted with mankind down through the ages.

Prophets of God spoke for God, warning all who would listen that God was angry with their sin. These prophets warned of the consequences, if individuals and nations did not repent and turn back to God, rejecting their evil ways. When God got angry in the Bible, it was always because of wickedness. “And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass” (II Chronicles 24:18).

God hates sin! He judges sin. However, we can be thankful that God does not strike us with lightning every time we sin. Before God judges, he takes several steps to try to withhold His wrath. We see what God does, time and time again, throughout scripture, when people turn from God, pursuing lustful evil.

 1. God warns them of their sins.

 2. God waits, giving them time to repent.

 3. They ignore God’s warnings and then---

 4. They suffer through God’s punishment.

From the beginning, God has wanted man to repent. In Genesis 3, we have God calling out after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, which God warned them not to eat, or they would die. “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9).

God knew what had happened. He knew where they were, hiding from Him. God was giving them a chance to repent. We see a repeat one chapter later, after Cain killed Abel. “And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?” (Genesis 4:9). Once again, God knew Cain had murdered Abel, but He was giving Cain a chance to repent. God’s pattern of warning, waiting for repentance, and when there is no repentance, judgment, as seen in both these stories in the book of Genesis, is the same pattern found throughout the Old and New Testament.

This is the pattern God has set for Himself, in dealing with sin. When God did judge, people brought the judgment down on themselves. They had no fear of God, sinning in the open, actually proud of it. They were warned, with a warning coming directly from the prophets of God, through the witnesses around them, through the Word of God, and through the Law written on their hearts.

From the new book: Proclaiming Truth To a World In Love with Lies

http://www.christianbook.com/proclaiming-truth-world-love-with-lies/joel-bouriaque/9781633152625/pd/152625

http://www.amazon.com/Proclaiming-Truth-World-Love-Lies/dp/1633152626/