The Place Where They Gathered was Shaken. Do Our Churches Shake Today?

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together” -Act 4:31 (KJV)

Many of our Christian churches across the globe are not Houses of Prayer. They have instead become places of social gatherings and clubs complete with dramatic preaching and rock music or those adorned with huge and ostentatious choirs. Everything looks good and pretty but are they God’s Houses of Prayer?

I don’t think so!

Jesus, twice, in His tangle with Jerusalem saw what was going on in and around the Temple and broke into a tirade storming the moneychangers area and overturning tables throwing their money all over the place. And to those who sold animals to be sacrificed – (Jn 2:16) he said – “And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.” In today’s vernacular, and He said to them with a whip in His hand – “get out of here, you are making my Father’s House a place of business and this will not be tolerated“. Yet we continue to make our churches businesses complete with a paid staff, expensive programs, and well-paid pastors. Should this be so in God’s House of Prayer? Is it the pattern or model of what the first Christian church was in the Book of Acts. I don’t believe so!

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13- And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” -Matt 21:12-13 (KJV)

Now get a clear picture of this … Jesus who was compassionate, meek, mild, loving and focused on healing the sick and lame and casting out binding demons from people, showed now Godly anger to those who profaned His Father’s House with cheating people and using the Temple as a thoroughfare hauling stuff around and through it. But this is God, this is also Jesus! A far different picture than most of our sleeping Christian churches paint of Him today. By far this displays the results of improper, fake and inadequate worship. He doesn’t play around or tolerate this kind of church anywhere, for any reason. Read about the Lord’s take on the churches of the 1st century for they are ever present and in parallel with today’s social clubs called churches.

If you go to church and are not made aware of who Jesus was and what He did for you nor are you impacted in your soul and your faith not challenged, nor do you come out knowing that you are a sinner and in need forgiveness, you are in the wrong church – get out of there!!!

His house was to be a House of Prayer and not a den of thieves! His House – our churches today – are/were not to be places of merchandise or businesses. God – Yahweh – was/is to be worshiped in spirit and in truth at all times in His House. Is this occurring today? Nope! For even in our Christian gatherings we refrain from speaking of the Lord which should be a sweet aroma of prayer that rises up to Him.

“Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16- and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 17- And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.” -Mark 11:15-17 (NASB)

In the early church – Acts 2, 4 – they waited on God and prayed and things happened.  They prayed and met in fellowship and prayed and their faith was real and on fire for the zeal of the Lord. Prayer must be the primary focus of any Christian church – no ifs, ands or buts. Yes, preaching goes on but prayer first it must be a House of Prayer. And yes, music is there but first it must be His House of Prayer. And from small to huge [fancy] choirs but first it must be His House of Prayer.

Why does the church suffer in spiritual fortitude and severe spiritual weakness – because they focus little on prayer. Too much time is wasted on what we think is the agenda and not what the Lord God says we must do. ie. loud rock music, dancing, drama, skits, pretty and pleasant sounding teaching – all the fluff but little to no real praying. Read Rev 2 and 3 … notice any difference between our churches today and those then?

“I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. 22- But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.” -Jer 23:21-22 (NASB)

It’s time to rethink the course that these so-called Christian shepherds have charted for the churches. It’s time for them to seek the full council of the Lord and start reading and heeding His word. It’s time to turn the church back to being His House of Prayer and worship Him in reverence, fear, trembling, truth and in love for His word. Only then will the church be the spiritual powerhouse to bring down the gates of hell and break the fetters of those bond in doubt, fear, floundering in their faith and in sickness. It’s time people and pastors and elders. We need to start practicing turning our churches back into Houses of Prayer first and foremost.

“Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence?” -Jer 5:22

Amen.

-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher and Bible Prophecy Watchman

 

GLORY TO GOD!

 

The Spiritual Condition of Christians and the Church Today

“Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14- And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15- For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” -Matt 13:13-15 (KJV)

Now not all professing Christians are like this but IMO quite a few are. And so this begs the question … why?

For some they will have a hard time with my message today and that’s their choice however, the rock solid truth of Scripture and what Jesus and the Prophets have said numerous times cannot be tossed aside. Especially for the teaching of a contemporary wide-spread, tickling the ears, convenient and comfortable Gospel that spews from the lips of most Christians pastors, preachers or teachers. Folks, we cannot compromise and butter-coat God’s Holy words. He has not approved of this in the past and will absolutely not do it today for any reason. Therefore, we’d better take all of Scripture, all the truth whether we deem it good or bad, and digest it fully.

Examine our Western Christian culture and see if these things are not true…

• No fear of God in or out of the church today,
• Little knowledge of God
• No God in people’s thoughts
• Little seeking God in people’s lives
• Little faith
• Godlessness and apostasy spreading like wildfire
• Delusion, unbelief, doubt and worry has infected many,
• No teaching on sin with acknowledgment and no accompanying repentance
• A plethora of false religions, teachers, prophets and shepherds (pastors)

 

This list in not all inclusive but sums up Christianity in America and definitely the UK, once the prime strongholds of true Christianity in the past.

Christians don’t want to hear the word of God today nor do they want to read and study His word. As Job stated in Job 21:

 “They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. 13- They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. 14- They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. 15- What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’” -Job 21:12-15 (ESV)

If we examine (fully) our own thoughts on this, aren’t we similar if not an exact match of what the Lord is talking about here?

Our hearts have become dull to His voice, our ears deaf to His truths and our eyes blind to His ways. We instead follow our own ways and cast off the ways of the Lord for some see His words too burdensome to digest.

In our Christians churches right now, we have plenty of godliness but no power inside  – 2 Tim 3:5. Meaning little faith, little prayer life, no knowledge of our sin, no repentance, but lots of social events and lots of laughter, easy to swallow sermons, skits, dramas, and tons of [rock] music. So where’s our sincere, no kidding, on our knees, in humility, and in awe of our God, in our worship? IMO, very, very rare in our church houses today. You see most Christians want to keep God in the trunk of their auto and not in the front seat. Only call on Him when absolutely needed. How pathetic and tragic.

Bottom-line: How many of us are ready to stand before a Holy and Righteous Almighty God today? How many can face Him with a clear and clean heart? How many care about knowing Him and understanding His ways?

Ever read the words of Luke 6:46? Take a read … stunning! I think on this Scripture and am immediately set back on the straight and narrow path every time. 

Glance over at Psalm 119:103. Is this how you feel about reading God’s word?

“How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104- From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.” -Psa 119:103-104 (NASB)

Please consider these words today and let them soak into your heart and mind. If you disagree, that’s fine but do your own research to prove what is true based on what the Bible says not a preacher. There are many false pastors out there and for a buck they will lead you astray and onto the wide road which leads to destruction – Matt 7:13-14. Not all are corrupt but many are. Consider these things carefully.

Amen!

-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher and Bible Prophecy Watchman

GLORY TO GOD!