A VISION FROM THE LORD: The Great Falling Away (Part 4)

NOTE: In order to fully understand what it is the Lord is saying to The Church in this hour, through this vision, please be sure to read Parts 1 - 3 (if you haven't already) before proceeding.......Thank you!
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Please read the following for Part 4 of The Vision: The Revelation Continued..........

REVELATION CONTINUED

The church has become more commercialized and "business" oriented, rather than "Kingdom" oriented. The church is more interested in "stardom" rather than "servant-hood". The Church is now more concerned with becoming popular, rather than being powerful. The church is all about making a name for them-selves and being uplifted and promoted, rather than promoting and lifting up The Lord Jesus Christ (John 12: 32). The Church is more focused on networking, marketability and branding rather than soul winning. The Church is spending more time chasing fame, rather than God's Glory! Instead of pursuing the presence and glory of God, many are working diligently to establish their own glory for themselves! The Church now has fewer TRUE MINISTERS of the Gospel, but rather more BRAND NAMES of the Gospel. The Church is more interested in having titles, positions, offices, degrees, prestige and recognition rather than being holy, sanctified, righteous, and Godly. The Church has become hungry for accolade and recognition rather than being hungry for more of God. The Church is more thirsty for glamor and prestige, rather than the God's presence!

The Church is now driven by gifts, talent, and "know-how", rather than the voice of God and the leading of the Holy Ghost! There are TONS MORE of extremely skillful preachers, but WAY LESS consecrated ones! More and more of our ministers are depending on their own expertise and personal ability rather than the anointing of the Holy Ghost! Many of our ministers are able to eloquently hoop, holler and preach the crowd out of their seats and into a praise break/dance, but aren't able to preach them out of a lifestyle of sin and into a victorious life over sin. Many of our preachers (and gospel artists) now come with a price tag…if you want me to minister at your church or on your event; you have to commit to paying me a certain amount before I will agree to come. In some cases prices are negotiated and others have SET honorariums (nonnegotiable…it is what it is…take or leave it). But Jesus told the disciples, freely you receive, freely you give (Matthew 10: 8). Now I understand that ministry carries an expense.  I also realize that it takes finance to operate ministry.  Additionally, according to the word of God, the workman is worthy of his (or her) hire (1 Timothy 5:18), and definitely should be, must be and desrves to be blessed monetarily.  However many of our ministers have price gouged the people of God with extreme monetary (and other personal) demands.  The Lord is not pleased with His ministers demanding and dictating to His people what they want to be paid….My house shall be a house of prayer but ye have made it a den of thieves (Luke 19:46).

Now preachers are to the church, what strippers are to the strip club...if they do the right thing...say the right thing...hoop the right way...holler just right...and perform well enough, the congregation/audience will throw money at them. There are even some prophets in the land that charge for a word of prophesy. And the more money many of them get, the more corrupt they become. Money is an amplifier of the heart. It magnifies what's already in one's heart. That's why so many people change after they get lots of money. Sometimes things can lie dormant in our hearts and hide deep within us, without us even realizing it. Sometimes things get suppressed way down on the inside of us, and never fully delivered out of us, without us even knowing it (Jeremiah 17: 9 & 10). Money has a way of unlocking the wickedness and impurities of our hearts. It takes those hidden heart issues that are seemingly unnoticeable, and enlarges it, and suddenly they become glaringly noticeable and extremely evident. Often times, these heart issues still aren't noticed until exposed by some scandal or open shameful event. Money also amplifies what’s in the heart of those who may not have a lot of money yet, but are hungry/ greedy for it though. It drives them to do all types of crazy, evil, wicked, manipulative, conniving, ungodly things in order to obtain it. They will compromise there convictions for it…lie for it…cheat for it...betray and backstab another for it…rob and steal for it…and some will even kill for it (1 Timothy 6:10)! EVERYDAY, we (the church) must cry out to God to purify our hearts and give us pure motives and pure intentions (Psalms 51: 10 & Matthew 5: 8).

The modern day ministry has become nothing more than entertainment. It has become more about charisma and less about the anointing. More and more of our ministers have TONS of charisma, but NO anointing. Charisma will make you feel good, but the anointing will destroy the yoke (Isaiah 10:27)! More and more of our Gospel Artists concentrate more on entertaining the crowds that come to see them, rather than ministering to them! Their focus is more on having exotic beats, edgy songs, and choreographed dance routines, rather than true and sincere spontaneous worship and praise that provokes the presence of God. They are able to make folk get loose in their bodies as they move, buck, jump and sway to their songs, but are still bound and shackled in their spirits. Preachers, pastors, bishops, evangelist, apostles and gospel artist...etc., are falling into sin and away from God (but still in church though), which are causing many of their sheep/ followers to fall (Zechariah 13: 7). Some were barely holding on to start with and couldn't maintain their grip in God once they discovered that the individuals that they looked up to and trusted to feed their spirits and mentor their children, couldn't live by their own teachings...or what they were preaching...or what they were singing.

Many of the ministers have forgotten that ministry is meeting people’s need (spiritually, financially, emotionally, and physically). It seems now-a-days; the only needs being met are the pastor’s needs. Many of our ministers have also forgotten that the word "minister" means servant, or to serve. Instead of being a servant of God and serving God's people, they have gotten to the place where they would much rather be served. Many of them have their own personal servants too (i.e...armor bearers). More and more ministers feel as though they need armor bearers now. Now the armor bearer does have an important place in the Kingdom, but many have used, abused, misused, mistreated, disrespected and belittled the armor bearer. Now-a-days, the armor bearer has been reduced to nothing more than a do-boy (or do-girl), errand runner, fetch dog, go-for and personal servant/ slave...do this for me...go get that for me...carry my wife's purse...tote my bible...pick up my napkin...open my door...hold my umbrella...fan me...wipe the sweat off my face...where's my water?...etc. The church has gone way overboard with this foolishness!

Titles, offices, and positions, now dominate the Church. In many cases, they are the direct cause of much of the division, discord, disunity, separation, malice, jealousy and strife in the church. Many in the church have set out on ambitious quests to obtain various positions, offices and titles and have done major damage to one another in the process, as they fuss, fight, bicker and backstab each other over them. Politics have over taken the church and stifled the Five Fold Ministry from operating freely in the church. Friendship and the "buddy system" determine who gets ministry opportunities now in the church. Many people are sitting in positions that they have the “letter” (the skills) for, but not the “spirit” (anointing). Many are holding positions they have the expertise for, but are not consecrated for. Many, are carrying titles that they have the talent and ability for, but not the integrity nor do they up hold the standard of holiness…they have the charisma, but not the character…they have the "head" (the know-how), but not the "heart" (humility). We now have less spiritual fathers/ nurturers, but more spiritual dictators/ tyrants. We have more "pastors", but less "shepherds"...YES, there's a difference (John 10: 1-13)!..Pastors manage God’s people, Shepherds lead God’s people.

Many of our ministers have lost their humility, as they have allowed their titles/ positions/ offices/ degrees to go to their heads. According to Ephesians 4:11-12, these titles and offices are extremely important to the church, but many have polluted these roles, as they have taken on high minded, high and mighty, arrogant and proud spirits, while exhibiting a better than thou attitude with a since of entitlement. Others are doing the work of God, but not maintaining righteous integrity and Godly character, nor upholding the holy standard of God. Many are operating in God's ministry work, while sin is ACTIVELY operating in their lives (St. Matthew 7: 21-23).

TO BE CONTINUED..........

Please revisit WWW.WEEKLYRHEMA.BLOGSPOT.COM next week for Part 5 of this revelatory word from the Lord: Even more revelation! Until then, may His peace be with you until we meet again!

"ADVANCING THE KINGDOM, ONE SOUL AT A TIME"