23 February 2009

I have pondered a phrase I heard some time back regarding “Wired Conference” for some time. 

                I earnestly pray that the reader consider carefully and prayerfully what I have been anointed to minister in this essay.  The Holy Spirit never works only on one side of an equation; As He prepares the spirit and mouth of one, He prepares the spirit and ears of another.  

I am prepared to be declared anathema by many including some I hold very dear, and in the end be declared faithful by the Righteous Judge rather than by man.  I stand with Luther in what I am about to write and say to you—“Here I stand, I can do no other!”

                Over the years I have listened carefully to a number of preachers who have been part and parcel to the mass media of this the United States and I have had personal exposure to several of them.  This essay is intended as a warning to the Body of Christ rather than a criticism of a few I will have named, for I am not the judge, I bring only that which I have received in the Spirit to those who will take heed. 

So my intent is not to criticize but to warn those in the Body of Christ that there are dangerous men walking amongst us who claim to be messengers of the Faith, but in reality they are mere story tellers with a great skill in anecdotal storytelling and stimulation of mass esoteric experience with phony miracles and questionable teachings on personal prophesies and healings.  They do not teach the Word of God, indeed some of their teachings have cultic character in what they have demanded of people in terms of belief and activities.  I cannot tell you dear reader the number of broken and hurt people I have crossed paths with who have been victimized by some of this teaching.  The recovery of some of these broken people may never be realized, and except for the Grace of God through Christ are we even able to see this destruction about us in this day. 

To name a few I have heard and witnessed, Joyce Meyers, Benny Hinn, Rod Parsley, and others whom I have not heard with my ears, but I have read what they have written—Rick Shelton falls within this list.  Some are calling ‘themselves’ revivalists, with hundreds, thousands, and millions being spoken of as “Having come to Jesus” because of their preaching and uttering words of their own imaginations, but what does this mean?  What does it mean to be called a revivalist?

                Where there is a baker, bread is made and you can eat of the fruit of his labor.  Where there is a mason, you can rest yourself in the structure of his building because he has laid brick to make a safe haven.  Where there is a doctor, there are healings and some by miracles because even the doctor at times cannot explain the body being healed and many a doctor who is not even a believer has witnessed this. 

But what of the REVIVALIST?  What is the evidence that he points to in order to justify his speaking?  Without the Holy Spirit there is no revival, yet there are those who conjure up an emotional experience without true transforming evidence and tell the world that they have saved many from eternal destruction, and if you will send more money, he and they are able to save more.  They conveniently neglect to tell you how they are living and where they are really spending your giftings.  I tell you the truth, the spirit that they are manifesting might not be all that holy, nor enduring, nor evidence of things not seen.  It seems as though the holy movement of the divine Hand of God to stir the spirits of a group has been captured by a man and wielded as a new title.  This is unfathomable when you think it through carefully. 

                We are given clear Scriptural evidence to evaluate the authenticity of a Pastor or Teacher and care must be taken to rightly divide the Word of Truth so as not to be deceived by those who bring another gospel. 

                Paul tells us in Romans that he does not desire any of the brethren to be ignorant of a mystery, lest they become wise in their own opinion, but blindness has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  This has become clear to me that in the last times there is another blindness that might be wrought in the land and that among some who claim to be spiritual and wise by their own imaginations that are truly ignorant of a great mystery. 

                Please bear with me while I unpack this difficult and agonizing revelation of the Spirit, but I am at a loss to be able to speak it without foundation and careful considerations of what I have had revealed to me over the last decades and especially recently when I received an invitation to attend a conference referred to as “WIRED CONFERENCE!” 

                I will start with this very short book in Scripture called ‘Jonah’:  Over the years, I have heard many sermons spoken and I have read others regarding this amazing book of utter unbelievable experiences.  Who can believe a man is swallowed  by a great fish and either lives or dies, but in the end is vomited out on dry land and either resurrected from the dead or was alive in the fish and lived to be vomited out—either way it is nearly impossible to grasp what has happened here and to have someone believe this is even more incredible.  He is told to go preach to a people not his own.  Who can understand what was written here about a little known son of Amittai who the Lord spoke to and said, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

 Hundreds of sermons and thoughtful writings of hundreds of scholars, theologians, believers and non-believers alike have not made this any more understandable than what is actually recorded here—except for one thread that is woven through this tapestry by God Himself.  Few have preached what this book is really about and WHO it is about, and fewer still realize the truth behind having it in the canon at all.  It is the LAST SENTENCE.  “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”  The whole intent of this revealing of the things of man is about GOD, not a fish, not a sea story, not a city, not a man called to go to that people and speak thus—but of GOD HIMSELF.  Should I not have pity?

Israel has been blinded for a season, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.  God has blinded them because they would not see.  He has given them eyes that cannot see and hearts that cannot find peace for a season.  If Israel—the apple of His eye is blinded why not the apostate church at the end of this age?  Would He even find FAITH when He returns? 

I have found that a similar blindness is coming to many in the land who call themselves believers, who are bringing upon many a deception to those who do not seek the Living God by His Word, but attempt to seek Him through the stories and anecdotal storytelling of some who claim to have a direct and personal line of understanding to God HIMSELF.  Their claims are not backed up by Scripture, but because the ear is tuned to a desire rather than the evidence, those listening to these so called preachers are being deceived by the thousands and hundreds of thousands, men who argue a fantastic twisting of the Scripture to part money from those who are in Nineveh rather than bring them the true message of destruction lest they repent.  They do not know their right hand from their left, and it is only the Grace and Wonder of this Glorious and magnificent God we serve that we are allowed to repent and be saved at all.

“The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.  As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an Evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”  This found in 2 Timothy 4:3-5 is precisely the warning to the believer.

Today as I pondered this and struggled with the Lord in whether to even write this, I was struck with yet another revelation of Scripture that few if any really grasp, let alone take heed to.   

Elijah had a servant named Elisha who served his master well.  Because he witnessed that Elijah was indeed a man who sought the Living God.  He wanted to be able to minister with an anointing similar to that which he had seen.  Elijah told Elisha on a number of occasions that he would journey to another place but he would return and for Elisha to just wait for him.  Elisha would not permit himself to be far away from his master and refused to wait but came with Elijah where ever he went.  In the end, Elijah told Elisha that if he witnessed when Elijah was taken he would receive the mantle and whatsoever he declared would be done.  It is recorded that Yahweh did 16 miracles including the miraculous utterances through Elijah that are recorded in Scripture.  There are 31 miracles recorded including the miraculous utterances that were done by this same God under the hand of Elisha, and one after his death when a man was resurrected by touching Elisha’s bones which total 32—double that of his master.  The promise fulfilled.  However many times this is spoken, few if any really tell of Elisha’s servant Gehazi who actually committed sin and bore its penalty.

Naaman was the commander of a great army in Syria but he had leprosy.  There was a young woman living in Syria who had been a captive taken from her land Israel.  When Naaman was discovered to have this terminal disease, this young girl said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.”  Naaman went and told this to the king who sent Naaman to Israel to seek out this prophet and gave him a great treasure of gold and silver with a letter (understand this, the king of Syria is not a believer) to the king of Israel that read in part, “Be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.”  The king of Israel read this letter and became angry saying, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy?  He did not understand it was not the prophet doing the healing—it was the GOD OF THE PROPHET doing the healing. Elisha heard that the king of Israel was upset so he said to him, “Why are you angry?”  Let the man come to me and he shall know there is a prophet in Israel. 

Naaman did not like the answer given him by Elisha, to wash himself 7 times in the dirty Jordan.  He was furious, because he wanted to wash in one of the clean rivers of Damascus.  He became angry and walked away in a rage is what the Scripture says, but his own servants quietly spoke to Naaman saying, “If the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it?  How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”  Well, you know the story, but do you really know Elisha’s servant?

Gehazi heard Naaman and his council offer Elisha the money, but what happened?  Naaman pleaded with Elisha to allow him to go to the temple of Rimmon to worship with his master the king, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—that when he bowed down may the Lord please pardon him.  Elisha did not say “Don’t go to the temple” or “This is sin” but said “Go IN PEACE!”

Gehazi caught up with Naaman and he told him something that escapes many in this day and time.  All is well.  My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim.  Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’  Well, Gehazi came back to his master Elisha who did not need to be told of men what Gehazi had done.  “Where did you go, Gehazi?”  The answer, NOWHERE!  Elisha said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you?  Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, mail and female servants?”  The leprosy Naaman had was given to Gehazi and he was white as snow.  NOT ANOTHER WORD IS SAID OF GEHAZI.

Do you understand the word picture dear reader?  Do you grasp what this means?  There were in times past honest men preaching the true and Living Gospel of Christ, but a number of them were students under these great men of God and they took up a gospel that is not from God, and they will bear the recompense of this sin in THAT DAY. 

Here is what I received from the Lord early this morning:

There once was a day when honest men spoke honestly about the Word of the Lord, but in this day many have become as Gehazi, they have smitten the church with a false doctrine that if they would give unto the preacher, God would give 10 fold or more back to them.  Well meaning people desiring to do right have given countless amounts of wealth to these preachers who are bringing a doctrine not of the Lord but by clever arguments of their hearts.  They have been deceived into thinking they have a power and an access to the Living God that they really do not posses, but by argument they make shallow and undisciplined believers into like minded men and women who willingly participate in a fraudulent and destructive doctrine of the mind of men.    

I am committed to doing what I am called to do and as the Lord lives, may He treat me so harshly if I have not spoken the TRUTH in this letter.

 In Jesus the Christ
                 Ray Grosser

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