Written by: Min. Tim Butler

Have you ever run into a proud, arrogant and pompous pastor who often makes you say to yourself, “Who created this monster”? Well I have. Several years ago, I had a pastor who would say things like: “I don’t answer to anyone but God”. Which really meant he didn’t have to answer to Anyone (period)! He would often tell the congregation that if they don’t like the way he does things then they could hit the road. He would say to the people that this is my church and you better not touch God’s anointed.

This pastor was allegedly having a sexual relationship with a member of the congregation and when I approached him I was persecuted and eventually excommunicated from “HIS” church. This monster had the people afraid of him to the point where they wouldn’t question anything about him or his alleged misconduct. But I often thought if the Lord is truly my light and my salvation then whom shall I fear? And if the Lord is truly the strength of my life then of whom shall I be afraid?

When I pondered on the thought of this “out of control” monster running around intimidating members of this particular church, I would often ask myself the question, who created him? And when I took a hard look at this grim picture, I realized that I had participated in the help of creating this monster. When I went around bragging and boasting about how great my pastor was, I was probably playing a roll in the creation of this monster. When we begin to divide the body of Christ into a class system of hierarchy, putting a separation between the clergy and the laity we are probably in danger of creating a monster. When we put the pastor on a pedestal we are probably in danger of creating a monster. We are probably in danger of creating a monster when we can never question the motives of a pastor.

Let me qualify what I’m trying to say lest for some reason or another the point that I am trying to make gets misinterpreted. The Bible tells us that we should give honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7). The Bible also tells us to let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine (1 Timothy 5:17). But there is a fine line between honoring a pastor and worshipping a pastor. If we are not careful, we may be guilty of creating a monster unaware.

Written by:  Min. Tim Butler

With all of the foolishness that we see taking place in many of our churches today, I come to let you know that we ain’t seen nothing yet.  As churches compete to build membership in an effort to boosting their prestige, I believe it will come a time in the near future whereby pastors will begin to up the antics to a higher level.  I believe the time is nigh if not yet here already.  The endless games we often see played in the church today, it’s a wonder why more saints are not filled with righteous indignation.  For this cause Jesus turned over the money tables and begin whipping those who used the church (the house of God) for selfish gains. 

What will it take for saints to be filled with enough righteous indignation to draw us to the breaking point?  When will enough be enough?  When will the people of God cry out and say, we won’t take it any more?  When will we come out from among them and be ye separated?  How much abuse will we take from church leaders who would seek to have preeminence and lord over the flock of God?

Can the sheep really hear HIS voice?  How much longer?  What is the next great antic to plaque the church?  Saints beware of subtle and crafty tactics used to cater to the flesh.  Begin to test the spirit to see if the spirit is of God.  We’ve seen the “Simon Says” preaching played when the preacher tells everyone to look to their neighbor and say “this, that or the other”.  We’ve seen the false tongues encouraged by some church leaders in the absence of proper interpretation.  We’ve seen many church leaders use their organist to play a certain style of music in an effort to build up a certain climate to alter the minds of the people to persuade them to “fall out”, then they call it being “slain in the Spirit”.  How foolish!!!  We’ve seen some church leaders convince members to make strange sounds and noises to have a form of godliness.  We’ve seen the antics but I don’t believe we’ve seen anything yet.  What’s next?  I wouldn’t be surprise if the antics increased to the level where people were encouraged to “rent their clothes off” and run around the church “butt naked”.  I believe the competition to have the biggest church will grow to the level where some preachers would do just about anything to entertain the people in order to keep the crowds coming.

Jesus warned us to beware of false prophets masquerading as men of God but inwardly are nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).  If you have a good church today, praise God and be grateful.  How could a person know if they are in a good church? 

1.  If your pastor is more interested in building membership than making disciples, it is a good chance that he uses different sorts of antic to draw people in and this is probably not the best place for a committed Christian to be.

2.  If your pastor does not practice “church discipline” and members can openly practice sin, then this is probably not the best place for a committed Christian to be.

3.  If people are foaming at the mouth and falling on the floor like they are crazy and making strange noises, this is definitely not the best place for a committed Christian to be.

4.  If your pastor is more interested in filling his pockets than meeting the needs of those who are struggling, this is probably not the best place for a committed Christian to be.

5.  If you have an issue or a concern and you can’t get an appointment to meet with your pastor, then this is probably not the best place for a committed Christian to be.

Keep seeking to find a good Bible teaching church.  The Bible says, if we seek we shall find (Matthew 7:7-8).

Written by:  Min. Tim Butler

We live in a day of “tell me what I want to hear”.  I’m reminded of a particular story in the Bible when King Ahab desired to know whether he should go up to battle.  He wanted to know his fait if he were to go to battle.  King Ahab did not want to inquire a word from the prophet Micaiah, but rather he took the advice of four hundred of his own prophets so they may tell him exactly what he wanted to hear (1 Kings 22:13-23).  It amazes me how so many people today would rather receive a lie from a false prophet and die, than hear a word from the Lord and live.

Well, I guess you could call me an outcast for Jesus because I’m not interested in hearing a fake word of prophecy from a fake prophet.  I’m surely not interested in hearing a bunch of religious fanatics blurting out and speaking in a fake unknown tongue.  I’m no longer moved by the shenanigans of playing church.  Nether am I impressed when half of the church crowd break out in a dancing cabaret and begin acting like a bunch of buffoons as the organist cleverly induce their minds with a subtle “cut lose and act like a fool” type of melody.  I guess I’ll be an outcast, because I’ll sit in my seat while everyone else around me get caught up in the “hype of the music”.  And I don’t care if they look at me funny for just sitting there.  And if things really get heated up, I know I’ll be an outcast when I begin tipping out of the service in mid-stream.  I know this leaves me open for the preacher to say some negative things about me for leaving the service.  But Jesus said, “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matthews 5:11). 

The Bible also says the true worshipper should worship the Father in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23).  I no longer get excited when the false prophet begins to prophesy about “the season of harvest”.  They say, “It’s your season”.  “It’s your harvest”.  “It’s your time”.  Pleeeese…..  It vexes my spirit when I hear this type of mumble/shumble preaching.  And we wonder why “the world” thinks Christians are fools.  If the truth were to be told, many of the “church goers” today are fools because they follow the crowd blindly and do whatever they see everyone else doing.

If Jesus were to speak to many of the churches in America today I believe He would say something to this affect:  Now unto many of the pastors in America churches; These things saith the Lord; I know thy works, that thou has a name that thou are alive, but yet thou are dead. Be watchful, for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.  If therefore thou shall not watch, I will come on thee as a thief in the night, and thou shall not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Will you speak out against the foolishness and become an outcast for Jesus?  Are you going along with some of the church shenanigans today because you don’t want others to speak evil about you?  Jesus said, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did they speak about the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).

Written by: Min. Tim Butler

(New York)

By now, many of you may have already heard that I was recently ordained to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The officiating elder asked me how did I prefer to be ordained?  I chose to be ordained as Elder or Minister because both of these terms are found in the word of God.  The Apostle Paul said For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee (Titus 1:5).  The Apostle Paul also told Timothy If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained (1 Timothy 4:6).

It is not wrong to call someone “Reverend” or any other title for this matter except for “Father”, because Jesus commands us not to call any man father (Matthew 23:9).  However, I would not prefer anyone to call to me “Reverend” because of the high esteemed honor the title holds.  The word “reverence” itself means to be deserving or worthy of reverence.  Reverend is used today as a title for a clergy in many Christian Churches, but the word itself places a high esteem on the person who bears the title.  I believe many of today’s clergy accept this title out of tradition and not out of honor, but I also believe that there are many who accept this title out of honor and would not have it any other way.  The titles of an Elder, Pastor or Bishop could also be held as a title of high esteem because of the wickedness of man to pervert the righteousness of God to the corruptibleness of man.

The truth of the matter is that it really doesn’t matter what title we use to refer to a person, but the real issue is the attitude of the person with the title.  As I continue to serve the Lord in the capacity of preaching His word, I want to be recognized as a humble servant for the Lord and not as a person deserving or worthy of reverence.  This is the only reason why I choose not to be called “Reverend”.  The Bible tells us, if we seek the glory of men, then we have already received our reward (Matthew 6:2; 6:5; 6:16).  Too many preachers today think of themselves more highly than they ought, when the Bible commands us to be humble.  They forget the true purpose for which the Lord called has them.  Jesus said, “Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over each other. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant); And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant (Matthew 20:25-27)”.  Many preachers fool that they are above the congregation and they allow the congregation to exalt them above that which the Lord has instructed.  The Bible tells us that we are all members of the one body and no one should think of himself more highly than he ought (Romans 12:3-8).

Warning to the congregation:

Love the preacher but don’t exalt him.  Exalt Jesus and Him alone!

Warning to the preacher:

Don’t allow the congregation to exalt you, remind them that you are a fellow servant like they are of the Most High God.  If you allow the congregation to exalt you, you may forget whom the Church really belong to.  Less you forget that you were not called to lord over anyone because the Church was already purchased and it was purchased by the blood of Jesus.  Less you forget that Jesus paid the ultimate price for the Church, which He paid for it with His life!  Less you also forget that you are not in charge and the members of the Church do not belong to you.  And then less you get confused and forget that you don’t have any church to kick anyone out of.  And then less you really forget to whom much is given, much is required.

What did the Apostle Paul mean when he told Pastor Timothy that the time would come when men will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they seek teachers who will tickle their ears (2 Timothy 4:3).  I believe we are now living in the times of unsound doctrine.  It appears that many of today’s preachers are more interested in performing and entertaining than in feeding God’s people sound doctrine.  It seems as if they are more interested in getting the people to stand to their feet for their shenanigans than they are in preaching God’s word.  It also seems like many of today’s churchgoers are seeking these types of preachers who will entertain them and perform for them.

The church is experiencing a time when men have become lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God’s word (2 Tim 3:4).  While we must give credit to and recognize the faithful women of the church for keeping the church attendance up, we must also recognize that it is the women of the church who are primarily responsible for these entertaining and “say-nothing” preachers being in the church in the first place.  Women are emotional creatures and these modern day “say-nothing” preachers know this and take advantage of the opportunity to creep in.  Men are also at fault because they have relinquished their authority and abandoned the church for the most part to leave the governing of the church to women of the church.

I was at a church service not too long ago, where the so-called “Bishop” sang and played the “Simon Says” game by telling everyone to look to their neighbor and say this, that and the other.  He appeared to have mastered the art of getting the people to stand up or, as he would say, “rise to their feet” to give God some praise.  I often wonder, when these preachers toil as vigorously as they do to get the congregation to stand, who is really receiving the praises: is it God or the preacher?  This “Bishop” sang the right song, but in the wrong key.  While he was out of tune for most of the song, it went mostly unnoticed due to the intensity and strength of his voice.  The preacher sang the right song in the right “church vernacular”.  He sang a portion of, “He’s a wonder in my soul”, while the musician played the right jingle in the right pitch at the right time.  I’ll tell you, there is really an art to this thing and the musician is due much of the credit for the great performance that is rendered by these “say-nothing” preachers.

He used gimmicks like telling the people that church should be fun and if you are not enjoying yourself then something is wrong with you.  Well something surely must have been wrong with me.  He asked “why do we come to church if we are not going to have a good time?”  Then he went on to say that the reason why some people (referring to those who sat in their seats and didn’t go along with his antics) can’t give God some praise is because Satan has them bound and they think they are too cute to praise God.  I’ll tell you, there is really an art to this thing.  If the Spirit of God wasn’t guiding me, I probably would have also gotten up and applauded this “say-nothing” preacher for the great performance that he was rendering.  But I sat there in my seat while many played along with the “Simon Says” game, telling their “neighbors” everything that the preacher instructed them to say.  I’ve gotten to the point in my Christian walk where I am comfortable sitting in my seat during a “say-nothing” sermon even if everyone else in the congregation began to look at me funny.

At this particular service, the people got so caught up in the performance and antics of the preacher that they missed out on much of what he was saying.  Without any Biblical references, he told the people that it was okay to go to parties and dance with the world and have a good time.  And without any Biblical references, he told them that it was okay to “live life”, “have fun”, and “have a good time” with the world.  He asked “why would anyone want to become a Christian if Christians couldn’t have a good time?  He must have forgotten that a good time for a Christian is not necessarily wrapped up in the things of the world because the Bible tells us that to be in the presence of the Lord is the fullness of joy, and at His right hand there are pleasures for evermore.  He told the people that he hangs out with unbelievers and he even said he goes to the “Hooters” restaurant with them.  All I have to say to that is “Shame on you preacher.”  Without any Biblical references, he then went on and told the people that it didn’t matter if a person lived a homosexual lifestyle and the people went crazy.  My spirit was so vexed by this time from the garbage that was spewing out of his mouth; I had to walk out of the service.  As my wife and I left the sanctuary and got close to the exit door, I was met by one of the deacons of the church.  He told me that he enjoyed what the preacher was saying when he said we could still go to parties.  I replied to him while shaking my Bible in the air, and never missing a stride as I continued walking out of the church, “you better read your Bible for yourself”.  Whatever happened to righteousness?  The word of God tells us that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:12).  Whatever happened to, not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)?

Yes, I must say, I agree that Christians have the liberty in Christ to dance, but the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 8:9 to take heed that our liberty do not become a stumbling block to them that are weak.  The Bible also tells us in Galatians 5:13 to use not our liberty for an occasion to the flesh.  So while the preacher performed and told the people everything that their itching ears wanted to hear, I hear the voice of God saying, “Be ye holy for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).  I could also hear the voice of the Lord saying, “Come out from among them and be ye separated” (2 Corinthians 6:17).  While this “say-nothing” preacher was telling everyone to enjoy life and have a good time, I heard the voice of God saying “he that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life” (John 12:25).  He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

The reason why I write the things that I do is because of the great love that I have for the church and I’d rather be hated by the entertaining preachers, than sit back and watch them lead many astray.

The word “faith” has been misused among so-called believers and, to some extent, has caused many to stray from the faith.  What do I mean by this?  Many of today’s false prophets are in some way or another affiliated with “The Word Of Faith Movement”.  For those of you who are not familiar with the “The Word Of Faith Movement”, it is a denomination that teaches we, as believers in Jesus Christ, can simply speak things into existence and cause things to happen by simply commanding it to be.  In other words, they claim to be able to speak things into existence by just speaking it into the atmosphere.  The Bible clearly gives us a definition of what faith is.  Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Faith is not simply believing that God will do whatever we request from Him, but rather faith is believing that God could do whatever we request of Him, and trusting Him for whatever He decides to do.  Many of the “Word Of Faith” believers will command healing in someone’s life and ultimately get discouraged and upset with God if He doesn’t bring that healing to pass.

Have you ever fasted and prayed for something and believed God with all of your heart, but the very thing that you prayed for didn’t come to pass?  We’ve all been there one time or another because we all have been mis-taught about the doctrine of faith at some point.  What if God did everything we asked of Him?– we would walk around commanding this and commanding that and would be looked upon as “genies”!  True faith is believing that God can do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or even think, but trusting Him to do whatever He sees fit.  I believe God will still perform miracles and answer our prayers depending on who gets the glory from the miracle.  Many times the very thing that we request more often then not, brings glory to ourselves.  If everything that we “decreed” or “commanded to be” would come to pass, then we would likely receive honor and glory among men—God forbid!  I believe in the power of prayer because I’ve been miraculously healed through the power of faith and prayer.  However, I didn’t receive any credit for it, but rather God received ALL of the glory.

Many believers have this false sense of what faith is because they’ve been misguided by false teachers who take scriptures out of context.  Look at Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of a mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence yonder; and it shall be removed; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  The misuse of this scripture has caused many people to claim houses, cars, even lotto winnings, and everything else that their carnal minds could think of.  And many have turned from the faith because they didn’t get what they thought the scriptures promised them.  Note how Jesus specifically told His disciples how they could have said to “this mountain” be thou removed.  This leads me to believe that He was speaking about the removing of a specific mountain at a specific time, for the glory of God.  I believe that we as “believers” could speak to a mountain and cast it into the sea, but it has to be for the glory God, at a God appointed time, and lead and orchestrated by the Spirit of God.  The “Word of Faith” teaches that you could just speak and command anything you want, whenever you want, for whatever reason you want, and it shall come to pass.

We need to get to the point where we trust God in the seemingly impossible things but do like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did.  They said, “O king, Nebuchadnezzar, if it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fire, but even if He doesn’t deliver us, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up (Daniel 3:16-18).  We have to learn to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and know that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  In Hebrews 11:32-34, the Bible gives an account of the faithfulness of King David.  As faithful as King David was, he still fasted and prayed for his sick son and he uttered the words, “Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious or not?” (2 Samuel 12:15-22)  The Apostle Paul also said that he didn’t know whether God would grant him the opportunity to minister in certain cities from time to time.  And instead of commanding that he would teach or decreeing that he would go, Paul and other apostles taught that we ought to say, “If God’s willing” then it shall be (James 4:15, Acts 18:21, 2 Tim 2:25, Hebrews 6:3, 1 Cor. 4:19, 1 Cor. 16:7).

The “Word of Faith” teachings often misguide people by telling them that they could “call those things which are not as though they were.”  This is a fraction of a scripture quoted out of context that has nothing at all to do with the power of man. This particular scripture is found in Romans 4:17, and it is explaining how God created the world and everything therein.  This has absolutely nothing at all to do with man’s abilities.  (Romans 4:17), “As it is written, ‘I have made thee, Abraham a father of many nations, before the God whom you believed, who quickens the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were’.”  Man cannot create anything or call anything which is not as though it was.  And this is a clear example of deceptive teaching by heretical “Word of Faith” preachers.

Man needs to recognize that we cannot just simply command whatever we want, whenever we want, for whatever reason we want but if we are lead by the Spirit of God, then we could command whatever He wants, whenever He wants.  It seems as if “Word of Faith” believers spend about 90% of their time walking around decreeing and speaking something into existence, and commanding something to obey their voice, while at the same time boasting about how much power they have in doing so.  Then they spend the other 10% of their time living any kind of way their wicked and deceptive hearts desire.

Many of the world’s famous, renowned televangelists are “Word Of Faith” preachers.  They often teach that “believers” could have whatever they claim and believe, and usually it is money.  This is probably why they are so popular and have so many followers.  Faith to me is simply believing that God is able do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask of Him, and believing that He will give us our heart’s desires as long as we don’t ask amiss, or ask with the wrong motives.  I believe we need to do more praying and less commanding, and have more humility and less arrogance.  We need to be more depending on God’s ability and less depending on our ability.

Be wise, be bold, and until next time,  …  “Stand Up”

Written by: Deacon Tim Butler

(New York)

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)!

I notice many of the preachers in the area in which I live (Hempstead, New York), galvanize themselves around other ungodly preachers for the sake of being united.  When the Bible clearly says, “What unity has Christ with Belial? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever? For you are a temple of the living God. Therefore, ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate,’ says the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:15-17).”  I write to you with great grief and sadness in what I see happening among so-called Christians and those who call themselves preachers of the gospel.

We recently had a School Board Election in the Village of Hempstead.  There was a particular pastor that ran for one of the vacant seats on the School Board.  Now many of the people in the Hempstead community recognize this particular pastor to be a roughneck, gangster like preacher who tries to intimidate those in his circle.  Many have asked the question, what interest does this pastor have in running for this seat?  Has he ever been involved in any programs to make this community better?  Has he been active in the cares of this community?  What is his motive?  Why is he running?  Could it be for power and control?

It causes me to wonder why some of these other pastors and preachers cannot see what so many of the village residents see.  Could it be, because they turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to what is obvious?  Or could it be, because they are afraid and intimidated of this preacher?  Whatever the reason may be for their continual association and fellowship with this particular preacher, it is certain that they’re not pleasing God.  It seems as if they would rather please a wicked preacher than seek to please a holy God.

It appears that many of these preachers are more political minded than they are spiritual.  They continue to endorse wicked people for their selfish gains.  They would rather have a wicked person in office that would oppress the people with high taxes in order to advance and achieve their agenda.  They would rather sell out the people of Hempstead for higher taxes than stand up for what is right and endorse the candidate who would better serve the people.  For this cause, I believe that the holy God of the Bible who is no respecter of person in whom they claim to serve is not pleased.

And they wonder why they don’t have the resources to take care of some of the necessities that their churches are in need of unless they beg their congregation for it.  In the Bible King David said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread (Psalm 37:25).”  Why would you have to beg so hard when God says, “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).

The Lord states in His holy word, “Because I have called, and you have refused to listen;

I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention; but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof.  I also will laugh at your disaster.  I will mock when calamity overtakes you; when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come on you. 28 Then will they call on me, but I will not answer.  They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me (Proverbs 1:24-28).”

Written by:  Deacon Tim Butler

There are so many churches set up on many of the streets of America today.  You may find a church on virtually every street corner or every other street corner of every block in many of our high crime communities.  Why so many churches and yet still so much sin?  What is the primary goal of the church?  What is its mission?  Has the church lost its way?  Has the church changed its mission?  Has the church fired its Chief Commander and High Priest and appointed another?  What has gone wrong?

The reason there are so many churches planted on every street corner or every other street corner of every block is because church has become big industry instead of ministry.  Greedy men recognize that church people have become easy prey.  They no longer take heed to the warning in the Bible.  The Apostle Paul warned that after his departure grievous wolves would enter in among the saints, and sparing not the flock (Acts 20:29).  Jesus also warned us to beware of false prophets, which He said would come among us while dressed up in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Matthew 7:15).  But churchgoers don’t believe Jesus when He said that greedy preachers will come among us or that a preacher would intentionally deceive the congregation.  No one wants to challenge what is being preached and taught in the church today.  No one wants to question where all of the money goes.  No one wants to question why the preachers of the Bible did not focus on money while many of today’s preachers won’t preach unless they are paid.  This is why churches are popping up on every corner.  The “con men” (wolves) have figured out how easy it is to bamboozle churchgoers.

The reason why there are so many churches and yet still so much sin in the high crime areas are because there is no deliverance in prosperity preaching.  If preachers would preach the gospel, then people would be delivered from their sins.  If they would tell the people that the wages of sin is still death (Romans 6:23), then many would forsake their sins.  They need to let the people know that God said it is wrong for men to lie with men as they would a woman and it is wrong for a woman to lie with another woman (Leviticus 18:22), (Romans 1:26, 27).  The preacher should tell the people that no whoremonger, or unclean person, or covetous man, who is an idolater, have any inheritance in the kingdom of God (Ephesians 5:5).

It appears that the role of this “so called church” is to make people happy.  They seem to be more interested in making people feel good than making people feel guilty about their sins.  The Apostle Paul admonished Timothy to preach the word instant in season and out of season, reprove and rebuke, because the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.  And they will turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

So many churchgoers have no clue on what it’s like to be a Christian.  How many times have you heard a person invite someone to his or her church and say, “Come to my church because you’ll have a good time”?  Or “When you come to my church, bring your dancing shoes because we get our party on”.  This is what church has become to many people.  They go to church and they leave the services never feeling guilty about the sin in their lives.

Jesus never intended for the church to make man feel good.  The “preaching of the cross” should cause men to flee from their sin.  It should cause men to feel guilty about their illegal cable connection.  It should cause people to feel guilty for buying illegal merchandise on the street corner.  It should cause men to feel guilty about having a secret mistress in their life.  It should cause men to feel guilty about lusting over another woman.  The true preaching of the cross should cause men to feel guilty about their hidden sins and cause men to repent.  If your church is not making you feel guilty about your sins then your church is not of Christ.  Jesus said the duty of the Holy Spirit is to reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:7-8).  There is no mention in the Bible where by the Holy Spirit come to make men feel good.

We wonder why so many so-called Christians are living immoral lives.  One of the reasons may be that they are being fed a sugar-coated, water down, distorted word by a “feel good” preacher.  It never ceases to amaze me how these so-called people of God could continue to put up with some of the shenanigans that we see displayed in many of the churches today.  No, it’s not every church, but it is far so many of them.  Many of these pastors refuse to preach holiness and the need for repentance.  Therefore, sin is running rampant in the church along with the world.

Is God pleased with this “feel good” gospel?  GOD  FORBID !!!

(Blindsided With A Curve Ball)

Barack Obama

Written by:  Deacon Tim Butler

(1 Thes 2:10, 11), Because man doesn’t have the love of the truth, God said He would send a STRONG Delusion to cause them to believe a lie.  So thus, God set the world up with a man that appeared to be a Savior that would see us out of bad times.

Barack Obama was “Hope” for those who lived on “Main Street”.  He appealed to the “Poor “ because he seemed to speak on their behalf.  He appealed to the “Homosexual’s because he stated he was in favor of legalizing “Same Sex” Unions.  He appealed to the “Anti War” activist because he vowed to end the war in Iraq.  He appealed to the “Black Man” because he is black.  He appealed to the “Black Pastors” because he mesmerized them with his eloquent speech and since of hope for the black people living in the United States of America.  He appealed to the “Carnal Christians” because they were more concerned about his ability to contribute to this world’s current economical conditions than what his spiritual values were.

He was hated by a few “White People” because of their deep-rooted bigotry and racist attitudes.  He was hated by some others because of his “Pro-Choice” allegiance.  He was not revered or highly accepted by the “Spiritual Christians” because of his willingness to please everybody and his out-right rejection of God’s holy word when it relates to marriage between one man and one woman.

However, God brought forth a man who appealed to the masses and enthralled so many with his eloquent speech and his seeker friendly persona.  Why would God “Set Us Up” with such a man?  Because it is the fulfillment of prophecy.  (Mt 24:3, 4, 15, 21, 22)

 
3. And Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

 
4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

 
21. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

 
22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

I believe Barack Obama will try to bring peace to a sinful world by insisting that everyone get along with one another in spite of their sinful and spiritual conditions.  Evidently he must not recognize that there are two spirits operating in this evil world.  The spirit of “darkness” and the Spirit of Light, which is the Spirit of the almighty God.  And as long as these two spirits are operating and warring against one another, we will never all just get along.  God has placed a variance between His people and the people of this world.  If God’s people would continue to stand up for the truth there will always be those who will have issue with them.

Barack Obama vowed to change the direction in which America is heading, and I believe he will.  I believe he will attempt to pass legislation that would silence Christians or anyone for that matter to speak out against issues like same sex marriages and homosexuality.  There is a legislation that has been sitting dormant in the House of Representatives for approval that is known as HR-2093.  I believe Barack Obama will move swiftly to ensure that this legislation gets passed into law.  This legislation is currently being considered in the House of Representatives, which could not be in greater opposition to what our Founding Fathers intended when they wrote the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

House Resolution 2093 would drastically affect churches that speak out on issues like partial-birth abortion, same-sex marriage, conservative judicial nominees, and military chaplains’ right to pray. It would also impact Christian groups using TV, radio, or the Internet to mobilize citizens around an issue.  Anyone found in violation of HR-2093 would be arrested.  This law is already implemented in Canada and many preachers have been arrested and persecuted for preaching the gospel.  This is the beginning of the “New World Order” or the beginning of “The End”.  Will you take a stand for truth?

And yes, I say God has set us up with a man who has a form of godliness but denies the true power thereof.  It is written that this world has to come to an end, and it has been prophesied that in the last days the wicked would do wickedly but will not understand the results of their wickedness (Dan 12:9-10).  The Bible states that there shall be a falling away from the truth, but not before the “The Man of Sin” is revealed first (2 Thes 2:3).  I am not suggesting that Barack Obama is this man of sin, but I will suggest that he will be used to prepare the way for his arrival.

After all that the black man has been through in this country, and being a black man myself, I don’t want to sound like I am not proud to have our first black president.  I just desired that Barack Obama was not so pro-choice and so pro-homosexual.

At Stand Up Ministry, our mission is to encourage Christians to boldly stand up for the righteousness regardless of any persecution they may face for doing so.  Let’s continue to watch as well as pray for the next “curve ball” that God throws at “the world”.  For there will be not be any excuse for Christians not recognizing the next “set up”.

Continue to examine why we make some of the choices that we do.  And remember, the only way God could ever set anyone up is when we walk after the lust of the flesh rather than walk in the Spirit of God.

Many of the appeals made in today’s Churches are attached with the promise of improving the Church.  But in many cases, it is not about the “building fund”, or the “elevator project” as it is presented to the Church.  Many of the Church building fund committees have raised more than enough money to make the necessary building improvements.  However, fifteen years later, after all of the fundraisings, there are still little to no Church improvements done and no elevators being installed.

You may ask the obvious question, where did all of the money go?  Must I tell you?  For those of you who do not know where all the money went, I will tell you.  “The Church Has Become The Pastor’s Piggy Bank”!  Many of the pastors in the African American Church competes with one another by seeing who could wear the latest $5,000 tailored suits and $1,000 “gators” and snake skinned shoes.  They have to live in the finest deluxe homes and drive the latest, top of the line “high end” cars.  Where do you think this money is coming from when in most cases these pastors do not even have a job?  But these pastors will never come out and ask the congregation to support their lavish, over-the-top lifestyle, thus often times they ask you to support their copious lifestyle cloaked in the name of “the building fund”, or in the name of “the elevator project”.

When the Church falls on “hard times”, the pastors usually turn to the members of their congregation to make up the slack.  But how they forget that it is the members that experience the “hard ship” and subsequently this hardship is passed on to the Church.  You would think that the pastors would understand that the Churches’ hardship is a direct result of the hardship of the membership.  Therefore, why continue to drain the members in this situation?  The Church could probably weather the storm of hard times better if some pastors would stop using the Church as an employment agency for their family members and friends.

Are you one of the many who keeps on giving and giving to the “building fund” but see little to no improvement at your Church?  Were you promised that if you keep on giving that your “ship” would eventually come in?  Do you often wonder why your “ship” hasn’t come in after fifteen years or more of taking your financial resources from your family and giving it to the Church?  The bible says, “If a man doesn’t take care of his own house, he has denied the faith and he is worst than an infidel (1 Tim 5:8).  If you are going to give, then give with the right motive.  We should never feel that God owe us anything because we give money to the Church.

After many pastors have squandered the Churches’ money, they began to come up with other schemes and tactics to cajole the members to give again.  They quote scriptures like; “God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7).  But they stop short of quoting the entire scripture which says, “Every man according to what he has purposed in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”  They intentionally omit the first half of this scripture because it doesn’t line up with their deceptive agenda.  The Apostle Paul was instructing the Church at Corinth that whenever they give, they should do it according to the way they feel in their hearts.  After they are moved to give according to how they feel in their hearts, then they should give accordingly.  In other words, if I get upset when I give, then my giving is in vain because the Lord is not pleased.

The reason I write what I write is because of the great love that I have for the people of God.  And I’d rather be hated by the wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing, than sit back and watch them take advantage of the people of God.