(Scripture References: St. Mark 11:15-17; St. Luke 19:45-47; St. John 2:13-17)
There is a serious epidemic that is methodically spreading throughout the Body of Christ, as more people are beginning to view ministry as a job or occupation, rather than a God ordained duty. More of our ministers are starting to look at ministry as a means to make money, rather than a mandate that God has placed on their lives. More and more individuals are now entering ministry with the idea and mindset of it being a career move, rather than service that God has called them to do. The modern church has slowly turned ministry into enterprise and big business.
Modern ministry is gradually getting away from being a kingdom movement and is matriculating into a money movement. Ministry now is being used as a vehicle or devise to generate money. In the modern church, the "main" focal point of ministry is no longer to carry out and fulfill God's agenda, which is soul-winning. However the "main" focal point of ministry in the modern church is to fulfill and carry out man's agenda, which is to make money. Now there is no refuting the fact, that it takes money to do ministry. It takes finances to drive ministry. However we are living in a day and time, where more and more money is being raised in the name of ministry, but not being used for the purpose of ministry, but rather for self gain (in many cases). This has resulted in a decrease and decline of real, true "good shepherds" and a rise and increase of "hirelings" in the church. As a further result, the holy and sacred things of God have been defiled and desecrated.
In our foundational text, we find a similar scenario, as Jesus enters the Temple of God, and finds that money-changers, merchandisers, profiteers, and other shysters have set up shop, right in the outer courts of the Temple. These were money hungry, finance driven individuals, that were bound and determined to make a profit, even if it meant exploiting innocent (and poor) people to do so. These individuals were so dead set on making money, they were even willing to desecrate God's holy Temple in the process. They sold animals to those that came to worship the Lord, but had nothing to sacrifice. However, they sold these animals at excessive fees and exorbitant rates, abusing, misusing and manipulating the people of God, right in the House of God. Their soul purpose and intention for being there was to "prey" on those individuals that just came to "pray". The innocent (and the poor) were simply there to get in contact with God, connect with His presence, and have an encounter with His Glory. In stead, they were being extorted and taking advantage of, right in God's house. For this cause, Jesus chased them out of the Temple, saying, "My House shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves".
This is exactly what is going on in the Body of Christ today, as commercialism is gradually taking over the modern church. The modern church has mastered marketing and merchandizing for the sake of making money, but has done it, in the name of the Lord. As the church has become more commercialized, there has been a shift in the mindset of many of God's ministers and preachers, as more of them have become more finance focused and less Kingdom focused. Money has become the dominate driving force in modern ministry, rather than the Holy Spirit. Now-a-days, revivals and conferences are no longer for the purpose of soul-winning and the edification of the church, but rather they have become nothing more than high profiled fundraisers (in many cases). Ministry in the modern church is gradually becoming nothing more than a glorified business transaction. Yes, we know that money answers all things, according to Ecclesiastes 10:19. We also know that the laborer (the minister) is worthy of his (or her) reward, according 1 Timothy 5:18. However, we're living in a day and time where ministry now comes with a price tag attached to it. More and more profiteering preachers (as well as singers and musicians) are coming forth in these last days. Many are now pimping out and merchandizing their God-given ministry gifts for monetary gain, and NOT for the advancement of the Kingdom. There has also arisen Prophets in the land that prostitute the prophetic. They only prophesy to those that come with a monetary gift of a certain amount ($1000 line...$500 line...$100 line...etc.).
Many ministers (singers and musicians also) are now price gouging the people of God with excessive financial demands and unreasonable monetary requirements. It is becoming a normality, for preachers to have extremely high, preset, non-negotiable (in many cases) honorariums, that they demand before agreeing to come minister......If you can't agree to pay me this amount, I can't come......If you aren't able to commit to this price, I will not be able to minister for you......I can't do it for no less than this amount......This is my required fee, take it or leave it......As a result, many of God's ministers (including singers and musicians) are losing their love for God and are taking on the love of money, and don't even realize it. Many have unknowingly lost the spirit of God, and have taken on the spirit of greed. Their love for God has slowly been replaced by their love for money. The love of money is so powerful that it will cause people to do things they wouldn't normally do. The love of money is so overwhelmingly strong, that it is causing many of God's ministers to be willing to do whatever they deem necessary, in order to obtain more of it. This includes, cheating, scheming, manipulating, deceiving and taking advantage of God people, in the process, right in God's House......and all for the "sake" of ministry. Further more, according to 1 Timothy 6:10, "The love of money is the root of all evil". As their ever growing insatiable appetite for money increases, other areas of wickedness eventually begin to show up and be manifested in their lives.
Money is an amplifier of the heart. Whatever is in the heart of a person, money has a way of exposing it. According to Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it"? Sometimes things can lie dormant way deep down in our hearts and we may not even realize it. However, money has a way of magnifying the hidden issues and agendas of our hearts, until they become glaringly noticeable and very evident. Other times, God may have delivered us from certain works of the flesh and iniquities of the heart, but if we allow the love of money to consume us, it has a way of reviving, rekindling and re-awakening those once delivered areas and cause them to resurface in our lives. Additionally, the love of money, has a way of opening us up to many other evil seducing spirits, as well.
This is so evident in the modern church, as more and more preachers have taken on the spirit of lust, fornication, sexual immorality, adultery, and perversion. More ministers are now getting involved with extra martial affairs than ever before, having both wives (or husbands) and girlfriends (or boy friends). More pastors are now carrying on sexual relationships with members of the very flock that God has chosen them to lead and sleeping with the very sheep that God has called them to feed. Additionally, there has also been a major rise in ministers that have taken on the spirit of homosexuality, lesbianism and even pedophilia (pedophile spirit), engaging in same sex and under age sexual affairs, all while still working in ministry.
This is further evident , as more and more ministers are also taken on the spirit of pride, arrogance, haughtiness, and high-mindedness. More ministers are beginning to let their big titles, high positions, and fancy degrees go to their heads. Some ministers become extremely upset and very angry if someone mistakenly addresses them without using their proper handle or title (Dr...Apostle...Prophet...Prophetess...Bishop...Reverend...Pastor...First Lady...Evangelist...etc). According to Ephesians 4:11-13, these roles are of extreme importance to the Body of Christ, but many in the church have taken on a "sense of entitlement" and a "better than attitude". They have allowed these positions and title to cause them to look down their noses at others.
More minister have appointed unto themselves armor-bearers to carry their brief cases, bibles, coats, and shawls as they have become to important (in their own minds) to carry it themselves. The modern church has totally misused and abused the purpose of the Armor-bearer. We as ministers must understand that God assigns the armor-bearer, not we ourselves. When God assigns an armor-bearer to one's life, there is a two fold purpose, mentor-ship/discipleship and servant-hood. The modern church has the latter part (servant-hood) down pact, but has neglected to focus on the first part (mentor-ship and discipleship). As a result, modern ministry has subjugated the armor-bearer to being nothing more than a do-boy (or do-girl), go-for and personal slave, but have not deposited anything into the lives of the armor-bearer in the process.
God intends for His ministers to be mentors to the armor-bearer. He intends for the ministers to teach the armor-bears the ways of spiritual discipline and help them discover their calling for ministry, grow in their ministry giftings and walk in their God ordained purpose. Just by being connected to the minister in this capacity, the armor-bearer should develop a more intense prayer life, a more in-depth study life, and a more passionate worship life. The minister should help usher the armor-bearer into a closer more intimate relationship with God. In return, the armor-bearer provides assistance and service to the minister for the purpose of ministry. By the time this God-ordained assignment is completed, (according to 2 Kings 2:9-15), a double anointing of the mantle that rested upon the mentor, shall be released upon the armor-bearer. This is God's method of establishing and maintaining a progressive line of ministry in the Kingdom. This insures that the work of God continues with even greater effectiveness and even more power, with each level of succession (every round goes higher and higher and from glory to glory). The modern church has perverted this principle by appointing unto themselves their own armor-bearers. Mean while, absolutely NO impartation is being made, but rather the modern church is taking advantage of the armor-bearer's service, while misusing and abusing them in the process.
This is even more evident, as more preachers are taking on a spirit of self worship and self glorification. Many preachers are now taking the gifts that God has graced and favored them with, for the edification of the church and the advancement of the kingdom, and using them for self advancement. In the process, they have generated huge followings and supporters. These supporters have slowly fallen into idle worship, without even realizing, as they have begin to look upon these ministers as "superstars" and have transitioned from being supporters to star struck fanatics. Instead of re-directing and pointing the people back to God, many preachers are now embracing their new found "stardom" and "rock-star" celebrity status, and have built successful "brands" in the process. The ministers of God should reiterate to the people of God, that he or she is ONLY a vessel and servant of the most high God, NOTHING MORE!! By not doing this, many ministers have made themselves the face and foundation of their ministries, and not the Lord Jesus Christ, without even knowing (in some cases). As a result of these ministers continuing to walk in error, they have also caused many of their followers to unknowingly be in error as well. According to Ezekiel 28:1-19 and Isaiah 14:4-23, this is the same thing that Lucifer did.
Lucifer means "son of the morning (or dawn)". Some other translations are "the shining one" or "the shining star" or "light-giving". This is important to know because this helps us to understand that Lucifer's soul purpose for existence was to "in essence", shine the spotlight on God, making Him the center of attention, the main attraction, and main (only) object of worship, in the Kingdom of Heaven. However, at some point he was uplifted in pride and started shining for himself, and not for God. He took the gift that was given to him by God, for the purpose of bringing glory to God, and used it for self glorification. He was so gifted, that he literally mesmerized a third of the angels in Heaven, causing them to take their eyes off and turn their hearts from God, and started worshiping him as god. For this cause, he was thrown out of Heaven (St. Luke 10:18).
So you see, the love of money is a very powerful, seductive and overwhelming evil that has infiltrated the church. Many in the church have fallen victim to this evil and have been over taken by the love of money. For this cause, many have been opened up to divers fowl spirits and have indulged in various works of wickedness, while still actively operating in ministry. As a result, this has caused the holy things of God to be desecrated and defiled, just as the merchandisers did when they stationed themselves in the Temple of God. The sanctity of God's ministry has been perverted by people operating in ministry with filthy hands, wicked hearts, and unpure motives. The sacred office of the Pastor is being defiled by wolves in sheep's clothing, misusing and abusing God's people. The holy House of God is being polluted because the church now allows any and everything to go on in God's house. God's Bride (The Church) has lost her purity, by not upholding God's holy standard of living. God's people are being manipulated and taken advantage of, by profiteering preachers.
God is ready to unleash major revival upon the earth, as detailed in Joel 2:28-32. However, He must first put His church back into order. God is ready to make every crooked place straight, pertaining to the church, His bride (Isaiah 40:4-5 & Isaiah 45:2). Just as Jesus ran the merchandisers out of the Temple in our foundational text, the Lord is getting ready to remove every crooked and corrupt ministers (along with singers and musicians), and do a spiritual overhaul through out the Body of Christ. Just like God kicked Lucifer out of the Heaven, the Lord is getting ready to evict and expel of every minister (singers and musicians included) that has misrepresented Him and taken advantage of His people. God will not allow Himself to continue to be misrepresented. God will not allow His people to continue to be mistreated and mislead. God will not allow His church to continue to be violated and victimized. God will protect His people and restore His church!
While the merchandisers were set up in the Temple of God, no miracles were happening. No healings were taking place. However, as soon as the shysters were driven out, the anointing came in! After Jesus kicked the profiteers out and brought order back into God's house, He began to perform miracles, healings and other wondrous works right there at the Temple. God begin to let me know that the Glory of God cannot show up as strongly as God desires it to, because the church is out of order. Due to the church being out of order, the anointing of God has been hindered from operating in the manner that God would have it. The power of God has been stifled from moving as mightily as God would like to, because the church is out of order. God is calling His bride (the church) back into a place of Divine Order and Kingdom Alignment, so that He might pour out His spirit upon all flesh, and cause Acts 2:17-21 to be manifested in the earth.
Are you in Kingdom Alignment? Is your life in God's Divine Order? Could it be that the promises of God have not came to fruition in your life, because you're out of order? Could it be that the prophecies that have been spoken over your life have not come to pass, because you're out of order? Could the mere fact that you're out of order be the reason, your body isn't healed yet?...or the reason your children aren't saved yet?...or the reason your still in poverty?...or the reason God hasn't shown up in your situation as you desire?...It's time for every single last individual, that names the name of Christ to examine themselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). We must ask ourselves, is God getting the TOTAL glory out of my life?...Am I allowing God to use me to the maximum capacity that He wants to?...Have I completely surrendered and submitted every area of my life to Him?...Am I fully persuaded and committed to carrying out His agenda, and not my own?...Let's make very sure that we're walking, living and operating 100% in the ordinances of God!......ORDER IN THE CHURCH!!
Please revisit WWW.WEEKLYRHEMA.BLOGSPOT.COM next week for another Rhema Word from the Lord. Until then, may the blessing of God be upon your life.
"ADVANCING THE KINGDOM, ONE SOUL AT A TIME"
