June 19, 2022 – This Week’s Message – “A New Beginning – Set Free” Video

Video link – https://youtu.be/Ofi4alQLOHk

This video is released during the weekend that celebrates Juneteenth and Father’s Day holidays.  Those two holidays are used to support here the message of salvation, which is a time of “A New Beginning” as slaves to sin are set free.  We celebrate the Heavenly Father every day, but God set the captive African slaves free physically and offers every person freedom from bondage to start a new life with Him.

June 12, 2022

This is Your Reformation

How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 

Hello and Praise the Lord, The Victory belongs to Jesus!  This is Apostle Joyce Payne with another message from Truth and Life Ministries.  I hope that you are in a place to receive the outpouring of the blessings of the Lord.  He is doing a mighty work in the earth. I want to talk to you today about a subject I have entitled: This is Your Reformation.

My scripture verse is taken from a story many are very familiar with in the 18^th chapter of First Kings where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal, who followed Queen Jezebel.  If you have never read this story, you should read it because it talks about a time very much like ours today. The people that once knew God had put Him away and started serving idol gods.  God is always watching because He had told His people how to behave and consequences.  People get so caught up in their own life and they forget God is watching.  People of wealth or high positions may think they are all powerful until God comes on the scene.  God can tear down our personal little kingdoms in the blink of an eye.  We have seen it in our own life time.  Men who ran kingdoms behind the scene…gone.   I am going to read much of the story and you can fast forward if you like but my thought starts with verse 18.

How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 

1Ki 18:1-46 – And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.  And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.  And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:  For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)  And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.  So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.  And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?  And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.  And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?  As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.  And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.  And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.  Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?  And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.  And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.   So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.  And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?  And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.  Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table. 

The Prophets of Baal Defeated

So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.  And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.  Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.  Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:  And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.  And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.  And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.  And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.  And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.  And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.  And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.  And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:  And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.  And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.  And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.  And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.  And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.  Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.  Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.  And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.  And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. 1Ki 18:1-41 

The Lord Sends Rain

And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 

The Showdown  Between the False and the Real

Part of the process for the development of children is to give them a variety of choices  of toys, blocks or other play items of many colors and symmetry to help them develop cognitive abilities, to develop their social, emotional, and language skills in play as part of the learning process.  It helps them to develop their personality traits and style and it is enforced or corrected by teachers as needed.  By the time you are a mature adult you should have already developed many of your personal skills, choices and preferences .  You should have learned what you like and the difference between right and wrong choices.   If you search the bible, you will see that there were times when God let us try it our way to see how that worked; but then after a while when it had concluded and failed, He demanded that we make a choice between two opinions.  One scripture says:  “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent (Act 17:30).  There comes a time when people are confronted with the choice to turn around or perish.  That was the case when God sent Elijah to confront the Israelite rulers and false prophets.

The bible introduces us to the scenario of the devil’s constant efforts to overthrow God’s authority in the land.  The devil will usually find some foolish soul ignorant of God’s track record to follow the evil battle plan against the Almighty God.  King Ahad and Queen Jezebel served the false god, Baal, and they were determined to exalt their throne and that of Baal above the True God.  God and Satan rallied their forces to the battlefield: Jezebel’s false prophets on one side and God sent Elijah as His representative.  Do I need to tell you who won? God showed Himself to be God.  “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God (1Ki 18:39). The king and queen died humiliating deaths and their false prophets were all slain on the battlefield.  This showdown happened before the period of grace that we now live in.  God is still just as willing to prove Himself as God today, but does He have to?

Changing Times

During the life of Martin Luther, the German priest, (16^th century) he became God’s catalyst to call for people to make the right choice between good and evil in the Catholic practice of indulgences.  The system in the church was supposed to be for granting repentance of sin but it had turned to total evil, a reproach on the church and before the eyes of God.  The people were at a crossroad and had to decide whom to follow.  It was not an  easy decision.  It was a time of reformation because both the church and its governing power were in error.  We know from history that people made various decisions: some to stay with their church and some to leave and form new religions.  This was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation where Martin Luther protested the church’s practice of selling indulgences for remission of sin, a practice some say is returning.  Since the Protestant Reformation, we have seen many church denominations, changes and splits.  Each time the truth and the lie are presented to the people, they havel to make a choice of which path to follow. 

We are living in a time of reformation because the American church has gone so far astray until the choices are no longer about doctrine but whom to serve:  the One True God or Baal and false gods.  False gods have always presented another way to be saved or blessed, just like some churches are doing today through false teachings of giving money for blessings or honor.  In every one of these types of situation, people have to decide whom to follow.  Those that know their bible and their God know to reject false systems and false gods. 

A Bible for All Times

The stories change but the principles are always the same about whether to choose God or some other entity as god.  Scriptures help us to choose which way to go but can be complicated by the contrast in biblical and our modern time.  The Holy Spirit is able to discern between good and evil in any circumstance to help the person who wants to follow God.  As a baby Christian some years ago, a rather curious looking speaker was introduced to preach but his words felt like sharp knives to my heart.  As difficult as it was to break protocol, I was forced to remove myself from his verbal assault.  The Holy Spirit had discerned the danger and the discomfort I experienced was alarm bells sounding for me to get out of there. 

The bible gives us stories to teach discernment.   In every story three positions are usually represented: God, the devil, and mankind.    When we see them in events of the story, it is a teaching lesson for our lives.  Like the garden experience in Genesis, every person has to decide whether to listen to God’s voice or the devil’s voice.  Like in Elijah’s day, you might be halt between two opinions, but God will always prove Himself to be God against the opposition of the devil.  The question remains though what will you decide to do.  God is busy proving Himself in American society and worldwide today.  The lessons are not small but are on a large enough scale for all to see.  He is showing up in situations of male abuse against women through church, government, and in marriages; sexual sins in the church; evil authority in government against the innocent; error in leadership authority; society’s failure to protect the innocent; and the government’s inability to provide for its citizens defense against war, violence, health crises, supply shortages and mental health.  God is showing us the problems and the difference between what we can do and what He does.  He is showing Himself strong against the worst odds in society and war even though we often fail to give Him the credit. 

Seeds Reveal Their Father

The year 1982 is significant to me because of my spiritual birth but it was a significant time in the church as well.  It was 40 years ago.  A lot of seeds that were sown during the past 40 years have sprouted up: some good and some bad. I was not always sure that I would make it, but God was certain because He sowed the seed in me. He tilled it, watered it, pulled out the weeds and gave it sunlight and Son Life.  God’s seeds will always sprout up into life but the enemy’s seed will sprout up in death. They may look alike for a while or one better than the other; but in the end, all seeds must declare whose they are.   Jesus told parables about the seed in Matthew Chapter 13.  God’s seeds will mature and declare that Jesus is Lord.  The devil’s seeds cannot affirm Jesus as Lord, but must acknowledge their own lord.

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.  Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.  1Jn 2:22-23

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1Jn 4:3 

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Jo 3:18-21

This is a revealing time and God is pulling the cover back to reveal who is His and who is not.  Those standing up in hatred of other races, the poor, the immigrant, the widow and fatherless are not God’s children.  Their rant is declaring who they are and whose they are.  If your eyes are open, you cannot help but see it. I think people are aghast at the arrogance of evil because Americans are not used to seeing it operate so blatantly out in the open. While politicians play games with the word “woke” as a subterfuge to confuse people, the Spirit of God, nevertheless, will awaken those that are slumbering in sleep to awaken them to their calling.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Rom 13:11 

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Eph 5:14 

Time to Make A Change?

You may have been in a state of deception, have been led astray, asleep, or just unaware; but this is the time to choose your path for your eternal destiny.  This is not the time to be too proud to make the right choice because your life depends on your making a series of right choices until you see your Savior.  Some people may have been in a certain religion for decades and are reluctant to leave a church, family or friends.  No religion can save you, only Jesus can.  James taught:  “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world (Jas 1:27)”.  Not many religions show care for the suffering widows or the needy, but that type of behavior would be a sign of love and proof of following Christ, not religion. 

People have risked their lives to get to the liberty of America and some are finding it wanting, but I would adjure them to go higher and seek the liberty of Christ.  Everyone is being given time and liberty to make changes and to choose the True God while He is revealing the truth and holding back the hand of the enemy for a season.  What is high today may not be high tomorrow.  The story of Elijah shows what happens when God comes to judge.  From the king to the doorkeeper, things are set right.  The high house was found in evil and had to be pulled down and God’s people were able to worship the True God because evil was removed.  We see evil was completely removed from leadership by God and His servant, Elijah.  If God has given us authority to remove evil and we fail to remove it, guess who will pay for it.  Ask Sodom and Gomorrah what happens when a place is consumed in evil.  Remember God is a Father and He corrects His children and evil doers.  When God’s leaders refuse to do their jobs, God will replace them.  Remember the stories of the old prophet (I Ki 13:11) and of King Saul (1 Sa 31:4).  We all have the position of children under our Father.  “Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee (Deu 8:5). There is no one bigger than God and He will clean His house as often as is needed, so let all dwellers be warned.  Don’t waste your time of reformation with indecision, but choose to obey and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Serve Him like your life depends on it because it does.  We are blessed to have a loving God, ever patient, long suffering and forgiving who knows every heart and its intent. 

P.S. (June 15) – This youtube video just popped up on my phone of the late Prophet Kim Clement speaking a very similar message in 2013. I would suggest you listen.

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June 5, 2022

FOR LEADERS ONLY: WHERE IS YOUR TESTIMONY?

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which

he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children…

Psa 78:5 

Video Location: Coming Soon

Hello and Praise the Lord to all of God’s children. This is Apostle Joyce Payne coming to bring Truth and Life to the listening audience through the Word of God.  I know there are a lot of people today that are hurting in many ways from loss of possessions through disaster and loss of family members through sickness and disease, but God is your help and you can lend and depend on the Lord.

The Spirit of God reminded me of something the other morning as I arose from sleep.  It was about my born again experience and through it there was a message that I want to share.  I have told this story before but I want to tell it again to bring encouragement to people who need it.  This is how I got born again.  God had led me to return to my home town, to church, and to the altar where I expressed a desire to join the church to my own surprise.  I was told to go to the prayer service and seek the Holy Spirit, which I obeyed.  As I was driving home from a prayer meeting that I had been attending for weeks, I felt discouraged that I had not received the Holy Spirit yet, so I asked God why I hadn’t received the Holy Spirit.  Then I said, “I know what I will do.  When I get home, I’m going to get back on my knees. 

I went home and got down on my knees on the bare, cold kitchen floor over a chair and my knees had barely hit the floor before there was an overflow of strange sounding words coming out of my mouth.  It was approximately 9 pm and dark outside but I got up and walked down the street to my mother’s house about a block away with words still flowing out of my mouth.  I knocked on the door and my mother said: Who is it?”  I answered: “it’s me, Momma” but she didn’t understand me because I was still speaking in tongues.  She opened the door and let me in asking: “What is it, what is wrong, what happened?”  She must have caught on because she sat me down and sat with me as I continued flowing in tongues.  I never answered her that night as I continued sitting there flowing in tongues.  She finally put me to bed with words still softly flowing out of my mouth.  I awoke the next morning and we were rejoicing together.  She called my older sister who came over and we all were rejoicing over the wonder of the prodigal child getting saved.  We continued rejoicing on one end of the house when on the other end of the house the devil woke up an outcry against me demanding to know who was making so much noise and went on fussing, disgruntled while approaching me.  My mother and sister surrounded me and rebuked the danger that rose up to threaten me. 

The message that God gave me through this reminder is that God is doing a new thing in this nation and the devil has awakened in anger.  But it is too late, devil, the new birth has already come and you got wind of it too late to stop it.  So be encouraged saints of God and keep praying.  God is moving and doing something in this nation.  The devil has awakened and he is angry, but he cannot stop it.  It’s too late to stop it. So rejoice saints at what God is doing.  Hold on!  God is breaking through the darkness.

That is a part of my testimony and God has led me to begin sharing my testimony of the many wonders and miracles He has done for me through the years.  I went through a lot and I began to realize it was for my testimony.  It is good to know your suffering is not for naught.

The second part of my message today is for Leaders.  Where is your testimony?

Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me

Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.  Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.  Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.  For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.  This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.  I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.  Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;  There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psa 81:1-10

So, leaders, you have reached and acquired something that many around you perhaps did not.  You are a leader. You went through something.  You struggled and you prevailed. Now you are in the seat that you coveted.  What is your testimony?  We want to hear it.

Everybody has a story and the library is filled with all kinds of stories of people who did good and some not so good, but we get to read their stories.  We learn from reading stories about the lives of people who came before us.  We consider their path and we decide whether to follow or not.  We are often inspired to get up and try because we heard someone else kept trying and prevailed to accomplish a high goal.

King Solomon was a king full of wisdom from God. A great deal of his success came though his father who was King David.  David was a great man before God and was blessed to accomplish much by the grace of God.  Solomon came into the blessings of his father but Solomon had a story to tell.  In his ineptitude, he sought God and received an answer to his prayer.  Solomon prayed:

And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.  And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.  Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.  And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.  1Ki 3:7-12

When we read the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, we read Solomon’s testimony.  We learn a lot by reading the wisdom of his testimony.

For every leader, you too, have a testimony and we want to hear it.  You had some things to overcome but you did it.  Now through your testimony we can gain insight and inspiration to try to overcome our obstacles as well and obtain the prize like you did.

One of the problems of our day is that people either are not sharing their testimonies or do not have a positive one that will inspire others. It is sad if you have reached a high level and have no wisdom to share with others.  The bible declares in Ps 37:23:  “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”  If God helped you, there is a story to tell because God is a miracle worker. 

What we see in scripture is how someone had a need and God came in and made a difference. We see it in Job.  Abraham was such a man because he and his family were idol worshippers, but God had a plan.  How God delivered Abraham from his idol worshipping family and made him the father of nations is a story told worldwide and has inspired people for generations.  The purpose of the story is that God is glorified through Abraham’s life.  So it is really a story about God.  The same help that God gave to Abraham, He is prepared to give to us too.   When we tell our story, God should get the glory.

There are multitudes in desperate situations today that need to hear a God-delivering, miracle-working story so that they can believe for their deliverance.  I am such a story.  From the time of childhood to now I have seen God working in my life.  I can look back over my life and see the hand of God all over it.  I saw many times when the enemy tried to take me out and way too often I focused on that.  After coming through in faith, I can now say that He was never going to let me be defeated because He was always near.   I was always in His hands.  God used people at various levels to help me through a difficult patch while the devil used people to try to defeat me.  At the end of the day, God gets the glory because He is ultimately in charge.  Sometimes people want to get the praise and be exalted for certain of their acts; and it is okay to thank people for their contribution to your success.  Jesus said: “…without me ye can do nothing (Jo 15:5).  Another scripture says: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Jas 1:17.“  I believe God wants us to know that He is working in our lives to make things better.  But what happens if we only focus on the bad and do not see the good?  What if we see the good and always say:  “that was me and my brilliance.”  How can we deny God His glory for His work?   “ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.  Php 2:13 “  God asked Job:  “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding” (Job 38:4)? 

One of the reasons why people deny that there is a God is because some of us are stealing God’s glory.  People are claiming that they did it or someone else they favor did it when all the time it was God working through circumstance and people to bless you.  If you do not acknowledge it was God, when will He get the glory?  God said He is a jealous God and will not give His glory to another.

For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Deu 4:24 

I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Isa 42:8 

I know people want you to say they did it for you, but ultimately it was God.  If we would give God his share of the glory, it would give someone else a chance to believe, glorify God, and it would prove to all mankind that God lives and even the heathen would have to glorify God because the evidence would be overwhelming.  Mankind is kept in humility as he gives the glory to his God who doeth the work through him.

I have tried to share my testimony but too often I think the enemy got the headline because I did not understand why I seemed constantly under attack while others were kicking up their heels.  God still gets the glory though because He still brought me out.  While going through, I learned how the enemy works and have tried to warn others.  In my trials, I saw God moving every day to care for me.  Yes, I have had to go for a period with no heat in my home, but God kept me through the night.  I went years without a job and without financial help, but God kept me clothed, housed and fed.  I witnessed in the streets in the worst neighborhoods passing out gospel tracts, but I knew God was protecting me. I felt his presence there with me.  When there was no money to buy food, the Holy Spirit taught me how to take a few ingredients to make a meal to survive. There are people going through similar problems right now that need to know God will provide for you if you keep your faith and trust in God.  It may not be steak, but it will be nourishing.  The house may not be grand, but it will keep the water off your head. There are many people who succeeded in making it to high places that struggled through poverty.  Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, was known to have lived in great poverty and struggled to be a lawyer; but he is recognized as the greatest president ever. What is important is fulfilling the purpose for which God made us.  If we are not willing to suffer with Him, then we cannot reign with Him. God takes us through the struggle but He looks for His praise and worship.  I owe God the praise for all the storms He has taken me through.  And I still call Him Lord.

For all that God has done for the nation of America, some man somewhere is getting the praise but God wants His praise. After all, God suffered the loss of his only begotten Son on a cruel cross for us and He deserves His praise. Husbands, if you praise God, your whole household will learn praise.  If leaders would give God His praise then the church would learn to show appreciation for them.  Praise to God could lift up the whole nation.  Do you work for God or do you work for the money? Leaders lead for God because resources for the people pass through their hands.  If people are still hurting, leaders, check to see if you are blocking the way.  God sends food for the birds of the air and cares for the flowers of the field.  He sends rain on the good and the evil..  If there is a lack, it is because some leader somewhere needs to get out of God’s way.  God is the good shepherd and He will care for His children.  Experience God for yourself and then your will know how to let God flow through you to His people.  If God has brought you through the storm and the rain, we want to hear your testimony.  We heard Abraham’s testimony.  We heard King David’s testimony.  We heard from Apostle Paul.  But what about you?  If God called you to be a leader, you ought to have a testimony.

Leaders, where is your overcoming testimony?

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.. Rev 12:11 

This is Pentecost Sunday where we celebrate God pouring out the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room for the believers to have the power of God to work in the earth.  I am asking God to refill my cup and I hope you are asking Him to refill yours.  We need that empowerment to make it through these days. Then let’s give God the glory for what He does for us.  Saints, we can make it, but God must get His glory!

God bless you and your household until we meet again over the Word of God.

RELIGIONS IN AMERICA

May 28, 2022

The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken (Deu 8:15) 

God‘s Use of Prophets

The Spirit of God has led me to share some information inthisbroadcast message that I believe is life changing for our nation and I believe it is a key to our nation’s survival.  You may think that is rather bold of me or even obnoxious, but please hold your judgment until after you have heard me.  This message is about the very core of being a Christian. There are so many leaders that will not tell people the truth, even pastors over the flock.  But God will always send help for those who need it and especially if they are people of prayer because He is the Good Shepherd who cares for His flock.  Help can come in many different forms, but God’s people were told from the days of Moses that when trouble arose He would send them a prophet to speak to them the truth from Him.  I need to explain next the concept of a true prophet.  I was led to write a book several years ago to explain the calling of prophets.  It was entitled “Silencing the Voice of the Prophet” but let me explain.  Those that have read my website that covers over 35 years may remember I did not covet a prophetic gifting because I had read what they go through and nobody wants to suffer. Even now, I do not boast of any gifting because Jesus said our blessings would come with persecution.

The best description of a prophet is the story of Jeremiah.  He was called from birth to be God’s prophet. 

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.  Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. Jer 1:4-10

Let’s look at how God defined a prophet through the writings of Moses.

I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. Deu 18:18 

But what does the New Testament say?

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  Eph 4:11-13 

And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.  And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. Act 21:9 

Now you know what a prophet is but you also need to know what a false prophet is. Throughout the bible we see God calling, training and sending His own servants to be His voice to the people.  Jesus said in Mt. 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.  Let’s go deeper.

But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.  Deu 18:20-22

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.  1Jn 4:1-3 

Jesus said:  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Mt  24:11 

Now you know the difference between true and false prophets. Some pastor will tell you they are the prophet of the church.  According to them, they also serve the church as the pastor, evangelist, teacher and bishop.  Let’s continue.  Remember Jesus said in  Mat 22:14  “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

God calls people to many offices and He provides training for His servants.  Only the ones He calls who pass the test are chosen.  I heard someone teach that the chosen are the ones that go, but that’s not true. Many people went who were neither called nor chosen.  They just went.  We saw Jesus in His temptation by Satan; He passed his test.  We humans may fall down sometimes like David or Abraham, but what is important is that you get back up.  David fell and repented.  Abraham said that Sarah was his sister.  Those two servants loved God and served Him even though they made mistakes.  Abraham passed his test of love for God by being willing to give up his son of promise.  Notice that God did not send Jesus forth to minister until He passed His test.  We see in David, Abraham and Jesus proof that they loved God more than things.  If you love things more than God, then don’t go.  So what is a false prophet, false minister, false evangelist or false apostle? It is somebody that may have been called or just went but at any rate, they did not pass the test and God did not send them   Jesus said some would say to Him:  “Lord, Lord….but  He will say I never knew you.”  Judas was an example of a false prophet.  He was in the training but he did not pass the test of a true disciple. He was more focused on the money; and he was the son of perdition; that the scriptures foretold of. 

In John 6:70 Jesus said: Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? Judas Iscariot was in the mix among those chosen to follow.  On the Day of Pentecost in the Upper Room; Judas was not to be found.  He had already been exposed, died and been buried.  The apostles and the disciples of Christ went forth as the children of God to teach and to preach and Apostle Paul and others came later.  Those in the Upper Room and Paul had met and spent time with the Lord.  They were not disciples, ministers, evangelists, bishops or apostles because they went to school, sat under some professor and got a degree.  These were people who walked with and experienced a relationship with Jesus as Lord while He taught them His ways.

Another important lesson comes out of Rom 10:15  “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”  I hope you know that there is something different about the ones that are sent by God.  There is an authenticity that even the unbeliever can discern.  If Jesus did not send you, you are not His servant.

I hope that helps you to understand the difference between the real and the false prophet, minister, pastor, bishop or apostle or believer.  Those that are His will continue with the Lord.   Study scriptures on your own for more understanding.  One of the main differences is that you have to be willing to suffer the reproaches and afflictions for his name sake and many, as I also said, I don’t choose to suffer, but you have to carry your cross to follow Jesus.. There is no two ways about it. Jesus prayed to the Father: “…nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Mt 26:39 ).  Everyone that goes to heaven will have carried their cross to the end. Jesus said:  “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me (Mt 10:38).”   Some people will never enter the race and some will fake it to try and persuade those who do not know any better.  Now Jesus said in Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”).  So if you are His, you will figure it out.  Everyone may not have heard the teaching I just gave.  That is one of the things I will discuss in this message because we can all have the same bible (and we know we do not any longer all use the same bible); but if we did, we would still have a problem of different teachings.

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

The reason I took the time to explain the role of a prophet is because when it is time for them to speak, it is when things are desperate.  They speak under jeopardy of God and men.  People do not like to hear they have sinned, but God requires His watchmen to speak truth to them. “But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand (Eze 33:6)”.  Prophets appear more in Old Testament days but they were only needed when God’s people and leaders were in disobedience and that’s when they needed  a very specific word from God to tell them what the problem was and how to fix it.  God declares though Isaiah: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins (Isa 58:1).  Jeremiah was told: “to root out, to pull down to destroy, to throw down, to build, and to plant.”  New Testament days gives that job to the Holy Spirit led leaders.  When the whole church and leaders are in jeopardy of going astray, they need the prophetic voice whether through the simple gift of prophecy that any member can bring or through the office of the prophet, who speaks from God.

Immediately after receiving the Holy Spirit, the work begins of teaching and instructing the believer.  But not all churches teach that we must be spirit filled even though the bible teaches that in Joh 3:5.  “Jesus said:  “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”  When I went to the holiness church as a child, I didn’t like all the rules and restrictions.  I had no understanding of holiness.  When I got saved as an adult, the Spirit of God took me through a process to learn balance. My point is that when you have the Holy Spirit, He will teach you all things and that is how we of various religions are all brought into one body and had the same mind in the body of Christ.  We have to keep a teachable spirit and continue reading the bible for ourselves.  If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you are none of His because you have to be spiritually born into His family.  In my journey I learned a lot about various religions.  It is good to have some knowledge of other faiths so that when you run into their best student who will try to disciple you, you will not lose your footing.  And it is a good idea for believers to research, study and even preserve a copy of their own religious history because revisionists are busy changing written history.  As a spirit filled believer, God has made promises to you as an individual.  If you obey and follow Jesus, He will bring you out of every false religion and entrapment to serve Him in truth.  He will take you as far as you are willing to go.

American Religious History

When the settlers first came to America from Europe, they had many beliefs, even though they were primarily Christian.  Some claimed to be deists.  They believed there was a Creator but that He was uninvolved in human affairs.  They had varying degrees and levels of faith and truth.  The settlers primarily consisted of denominations of Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Congregationists, German Pietists, Lutherans, Methodists, Quakers, and Puritans.  These were people and religions that realized the error of the Catholic Church.  They broke away from the Catholic Church after the German monk Martin Luther nailed his protest to the Church door in (1517) which started the Protestant Reformation. For the purpose of this study,  I will include a denominational chart of religions with my written copy of this message.  It will help you see the many branches of religious faiths in American history and maybe learn where you fit in.  You need to realize that denominations only teach you what their founders taught.  Few people progress beyond their religious teachings, even if it is in errors.  For that reason some churches call themselves nondenominational but that usually means they will not tell you specifically what they believe.

America started out with many different religious faiths, but God was faithful to send preachers, teachers, and revivals to help unite the people of faith.  People did not always have an education or time to explore the bible and were dependent on the preached Word.  The settlers were a religious people who worked six days and spent most of Sunday in church.  It’s important to know that the Christ’s apostles had taken Christianity to every nation and that some version of the Christian faith had been endorsed and sometimes forced upon all the citizens of a particular nation by their Rulers. In Europe, the Puritans believed that the Reformed Church of England had not gone far enough in its cleansing of Catholic doctrine and they tried to purify it even more.  They insisted one had to have a relationship with God to be redeemed from a sinful soul.  They had stricter requirements than many other churches.  Colonies in the middle and south of the nation were Anglican or Quakers and in Maryland the Protestant faiths.  Protestant Christianity was the dominant religion and was a priority in the lives of the people.  Pennsylvania is said to have been the first state to allow diverse faiths where under William Penn; Native Americans of different tribes were welcomed and mistreatment of Native Americans and slaves was condemned.  The Carolinas and Georgia were mostly Baptists. The church was the center of the community and had authority to carry out disciplinary punishment to dissenters.

The Great Awakening of 1730-1740 was a spiritual revival of the Protestant movement where people sought a personal relationship with God.  Some philosophers were able to open up the understanding of the people to the rights of kings and God ordained authority and it led to the American War of Independence, 1775-1783.  Preachers like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards ministered to the lower classes of Baptists and Methodists congregations.  From these lower class religions came the spiritual awakening of Holy Ghost power.

People in America began to open up their own mind to thinking for themselves and using the Word of God to decipher what was right or wrong.  God was raised up people led by the Spirit of God to give more spiritual insight.  Without spelling out the details, God used black and white people by the Spirit, to stir up logic or conviction to help the Americans receive greater truth.  Some of the significant leaders at this time were:  John Wesley who founded the Methodist Church; George Whitefield who preached in America, Jonathan Edwards a preacher in America known for his sermon: Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God; and Richard Allen the black man who founded the AME church.  When we get truth, it is our responsibility to hold on to it until more is revealed.

Holy Spirit Fire Returned to the Church

Along came another awakening in 1906 called the Azusa Street Revival that awakened black and white people to the Pentecostal flames of speaking in tongues as the Spirit of God gave utterance.  William J. Seymour, was a black man with a background of the Holiness faith, born in poverty to emancipated slaves.  He preached speaking in tongues as the initial evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit and birthed the Pentecostal Movement that is the foundation of all spirit filled churches today.  God was giving us back the opportunity for internal guidance by the Spirit to do right by his fellow man.  Not since the fire fell in the Upper Room at Pentecost was there such power to change the world!  All denominations were impacted by the Holy Spirit as churches sprang up and all denominations began to acknowledge and receive God’s Holy power.  The revival was not contained in one place because news reporters came to Los
Angeles to publish the phenomenal that had gathered people from around the globe.  The little church could not contain the overflow of people who came for years to be saved, Holy Ghost filled, delivered or healed of disease.  Some Christian theologians came and reported to the world that these people who would fall under the power of the Spirit of God were unsightly or unruly but the flame is still burning in many places from that Pentecostal revival started in Los Angeles, California over a hundred years ago.

Not unlike the colonist who first came to America, the Azusa Street Revival suffered from the influence of people who wanted to do God’s work their way.  One staffer of the movement confiscated the newsletter mailing list to start another ministry work which diminished supporters and crippled the work at the Azusa location.  Though the physical location suffered, the spiritual work around the globe kept growing and multiplying.  Black churches and white churches grew by leaps and bounds but also like we read in the book of Acts the enemy did not take a back seat. 

The Protestant movement set us on the right track to be free of all the oppression that burden man’s soul and serve God freely.  Blacks and whites served God together for a time and the Holy Spirit was leading us into a greater manifestation of God’s glory.  What happened? White churches pulled out of the gathering and built their own movement.  It is a familiar story that we have heard over and over.  They decided they did not need black people so they took their anointing and built churches, and began to teach diluted messages full of man’s mind.  They distributed books and built up Christian organizations and businesses until the anointing was gone and there was nothing left but the religious businesses and the scandals we are hearing of every day.  Some black church did not do much better but they did not have the capital to exploit the name of Jesus like the white community. What we saw at the Capitol building was the culmination of white efforts to sustain a dying movement.  What they could not accomplish by the Spirit of God to have their own power to lead, rule and prosper; they tried to do through brute strength and lawlessness.  Man that does not stay with God has only one other alternative for leadership power and that is Satan. 

Following flesh desires will always lead the church back to the devil’s temptation to put man on the throne so that Lucifer can figuratively poke his finger in God’s eye.  The apostles of Christ had already delivered and set us free from the bondage of fleshy men who dominate, deceived and enslaved souls.  Americans know their history through books, internet and recreated stories.  We know better.  Where did we go wrong?  It is always the devil who wants to influence man’s flesh by selfishness to lead us back into bondage. While we were living united by the Holy Spirit power, we should have gone on to perfect our faith and live together as brothers, but flesh led the church in the wrong direction.  Prosperity preaching infected the church over the last 40 years and sent the nation backward to prejudice, violence and wars.  The nation has returned back to a place similar to before the civil war but worse because we do not even have as much faith or conviction as the people had before the civil war.  And now millionaires and billionaires are positioning themselves to direct the nation by their own will because they have amass enough wealth to buy authority and influence over the people.

A Reign of Bondage in America

White America missed a great blessing.  They had an opportunity to witness Christianity to the Native Americans, black people, and immigrants through their love for Jesus; but instead they chose to lord over the disadvantaged to increase their wealth and power.  In the midst of God’s judging of this nation that whites have led for over 200 years, whites still in leadership are claiming that they are being mistreated and have launched an insurrection against the power that they themselves lead.   How nonsensical!  Instead of looking at their responsibility and role in the trouble the nation is in, they are rather narrating the story of every crisis and questioning others about why it is happening. 

God had a plan for America and I can say with certainty; it has not come to pass through the majority white leadership of the nation who are solely focused on their own progress.  You need to know that just like Germany had to fall due to racial hatred, so will America if it does not turn around.  Germany had its Hitler who led a regime of hatred; but we have our Trump, who also leads a regime of hatred.  Like with other tyrants, when a leader’s actions culminates in a regime of hatred that affects the world’s security, it calls for the intervention of God who overthrew the dark and chaotic work as He has previously done and restore us to peace.  The devil wants to rule God’s domain and influence man to help him to do it.  The children of God know to resist the evil one and glorify God.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, a German emperor sat on the throne.  Despite Germany’s role and atrocities during world war, they gave us theologians like Martin Luther who was responsible for cleansing the Catholic Church of the corrupt practice of receiving indulgences for sin that resulted in the Protestant faith, and the Germans invented the printing press in 1440 AD where we got the first English translation of the bible: the Gutenberg Bible in 1455.  The protestant religion led us back to the move of the Holy Spirit’s power and spiritual gifts in the church and made possible a bible that everyone can read for themselves.  America has contributed much to Christianity through spreading the concept of an individual’s liberty to worship God in truth and know Jesus as Lord.  But we let down the standard that allowed the devil to rise up in America and take away and the very love and knowledge of God.  Where the devil rose up in America with racial hatred, God still has a people that know and love Him and we say no, no way to Satan.  But what will believers do to restore God’s kingdom power and reign in the midst of Satan’s defiance?  Nations that can bring much good can also be the source of much hurt to its citizens when it backslides.

Released From Religious Bondage

As I stated in my last broadcast, the gentile nations have had their leadership reign over the nations for over 2,000 years.  Jesus came to set all nations free and that includes blacks and all people of color whom they tried to keep as an underclass.  You cannot serve God your way and you cannot be your own God.  If nothing else, this pandemic should have brought everyone to the realization that there is a God who is running things, not us.  If you could ask the Egyptian Pharaoh, he would tell you there is a God that brings plagues when the people rebel against Him.  If you could ask Moses, who kicked the rock to bring forth water instead of speaking to it, he would tell you to do what God says, the way He said do it. Moses lost the opportunity to go to the Promise Land because of doing it his way.  Tyrants like Caesar, Napoleon, Alexander, and Genghis Khan, and Ivan the Terrible and others who ruled in cruelty and were put down.  Only our God, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit have eternal reign over all mankind.  The Word of God and history are our witnesses to not repeat past errors.  So let’s undo the lie of the devil about wealth and greed and let’s consider where we are.  All these material things will pass away and you will have to meet your maker.

You have to start with God and continue with Him.  Jesus said: If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; (Jo 8:31).  Some people have left off following God and the Spirit of Christ and are now following men or their own mind.  Paul argued with the Corinthian church in I Cor 1:10:

For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;  Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.  And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. I Cor 1:10-18

We have heard the stories of churches that followed a man instead of following Christ.  Those stories are everywhere.  Now we are dealing with so called Christians who want to follow a man named Trump.  They are not looking to or waiting for Jesus or heaven to reign as kings.  They, as a white majority, have planned to get their wealth, power and lordship to reign over other ethnicities, right here on earth.  This attitude of seeking earthly power is what Jesus warned His disciples against in Mat 20:21.  How did they miss the lessons Jesus and the apostles taught?  How did a nation of believers that begun in Christian faith turn to serving men of flesh.  Gal. 3:3-5 asks: “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”   Paul was talking about people who started out on the high level with God and were willing to throw off God to walk with men of flesh in the flesh.  Too many people have compromised faith to walk in fleshly desires.  You will find that the devil is always willing to offer immediate benefits to you if you will just compromise your virtue for it.  That  is the temptation Satan offered to Jesus.  God requires us to resist the temptation for immediate satisfaction and like Jesus did in his wilderness test by Satan and carry your own cross and do the will of God.  When we decide to walk in obedience to Christ, it brings us into unity with each other as the body of Christ.  Jesus said:  Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.  We need to renew our mind with the Word of God and be conformed into His image and be made one in Christ.

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 15:6 

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1Co 1:10 

Mankind in every generation has tried to promote himself above God and in every situation God has pulled him back down.  Why do they keep trying?  It is because Satan keeps telling them they are gods, but he is a liar.  Christ helps to make us into the person we are supposed to be and into the wholeness we need to have for wholesome relationships with others that is not a threatening or needy.  We learn how to give to others and to receive in a wholesome way.  Acts 2 tells us how we are supposed to treat our neighbor.  The first church gave to members that needed.  It was not socialism.  It was love.  They laid hands on each other, no doctor needed.  They received the word with gladness. With every one’s needs met, they sat down to break bread and had fellowship together.  That’s love.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Act 2:42-47

Preachers have taught that that experience was extra ordinary and we do not have to behave that way now.  That is a lie.  The Acts church is what we should strive to be like…Where we love each other enough to give our brother or sister what they lack.  What we saw in the recent shooting in Uvalde, Texas, was a community that was close and showed care and love for each other.  They were in each other’s lives.  And I want to say to that community:  Don’t let anyone take that away from you.  Stay close and let the love of God prevail in your community.

The truth has been fully disclosed in America and this is our time to walk in the truth rather than go back into the darkness.  If we do not embrace fully this truth and share it with the nations, Satan will have won a victory over Christianity and Christ, which can never be.  Christ has already gained victory over Satan and his lies and now we in America must continue to declare truth and liberty through Jesus Christ for all people.  We have the Word that all can read or listen to for themselves.  We have liberty to worship and praise the True God. People have tried to set up a man to worship and serve and it has failed. So let’s go back to the True God who has been gracious enough to give us His own Spirit and love to unite us into one people.  We have the Holy Spirit to help unite us.  Let’s not look for another.  Jesus prayed that we might be one even as He and the Father are one.  He made us and He can unite us, if we will allow Him to.  What the pilgrims started and did not complete by law and religion, we can now complete by coming together in Christian love and by the Holy Spirit shall with all people.  We have to rise up in boldness against the lie and the liar which is Satan and choose to speak the truth.  “And ye shall know the truth and the truth will make you free (Jo 8:32).”  Black people and white people can rejoice that Jesus is Lord, He loves all people regardless of ethnicity.  He has the ability to draw us together in love, not hate.  What religions could not do through doctrine, the Holy Spirit can do through God’s love.  So, let’s pray:

Father God, we thank you that you loved us so much that you were willing to give, Jesus, your only begotten Son to die on a cruel cross for us.  Thank you for loving us.   We need you today to deliver us; to heal us and to bring us into the love of Christ for each other. We denounce the trickery and lies of Satan that have caused us to attack each other.  We repent.  Heal our hearts, Father.  Cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Cleanse us of the hate that has consumed us and bring us into the unity of your love as a nation of people of various backgrounds and experiences but one in love: the love of God.  Thank you that you promised to do it and you have awaited for our hearts to cry out to you for help.  We cry help, Father.  Cleanse us of that which offends and make us more like you.   Thank you for our love.  We pray for those that do not know you in truth that they may know that you are the one True God, sustaining life and holding this world in your hands. Let your power prevail now to still the storms that have raged within the land and wrap us again in your peace.  Unite us for your purpose.  Help us to understand your will and your ways.  We love, worship and praise your majestic name as we ask all of these blessings in the precious name of your Son and our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to die for us.  We rejoice in you and in your name we pray, Amen.

Video Location:  https://youtu.be/AzBcoMUHmuo

Enclosure:  Denominational Church Chart of Religions

May 14, 2022

Truth and Life Ministry

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Joh 8:32 

THE MERCY OF GOD

(If you prefer to listen on video, click Link:  https://youtu.be/17FjtW0tsTw 

May 14, 2022

Hello, praise the Lord and bless the name of Jesus. Thank you for joining me by way of this medium today.  This is Apostle Joyce Payne with another broadcast from Truth and Life Ministry, a prophetic/apostolic ministry delivering the word of God to let you know that God is still good.  Today I wanted to just speak to people perhaps prophetically in a way where everyone can relate. My experience with God has allowed me to learn many things as I sought Him and listened to understand this world.  And in the process of coming to understand the world around me I picked up some clues about your world as well that I would like to share with you.  We live in a world today that demands some clear and concise answers to our questions and I hope to give some help with that.

Let’s direct our attention to a story in the bible. It is a very short story but it relays a great message. If you will go with me to the book of Genesis the 10th chapter, we will see the story of Noah and his family which is the family we descended from after the worldwide flood cleansed the whole earth.  The title of this message is fittingly: The Mercy of God.”  God is so merciful. So the story goes that after the flood, God allowed eight people, Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives to start all over again building a new world. And God put a blessing on them to go forth and multiply.  All of us want to be blessed and it is good to know, that is what God always wanted for us too: to go forth, multiply and be fruitful. 

My lesson starts though at verse 10 where it reads:

“And Cush begot Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said; Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.  And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.” 

Immediately some of you as bible readers and scholars heard names you easily recognized: you heard Babel and Nineveh, names that perhaps all bible students know well.  But before we heard those names we heard Nimrod was a mighty man in the earth and a mighty hunter before the Lord.  That sounds great and God desires to bless us and make our name great as the promise was to Abraham, who became the father of nations.  So God desires to bless His children and we saw that fulfilled as Abraham had sons who populated the earth as a blessed people.  So we know the plans of God for us is good and for our good. I am emphasizing it because it may be news to someone.

So what about Nimrod?  Many of you already know the story. We see in the scriptures that Nimrod built a city called Babel. Now the name Babel brings to mind another familiar city named Babylon. Babel is in land of Babylon.  Gen 11:9 tells us that Babel was so called “because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” Babel became the mother of harlots. We also heard in those scriptures the name of another popular city:   Nineveh.  Many of us know that name from the story of Jonah, the prophet who went down to Nineveh to warn the people there that God said repent or perish.  If we proceed further in this chapter we see in Nimrod’s lineage the name of another famous city called Sodom and her sister city of Gomorrah. Both destroyed, we remember it was by fire as Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt.

All of these horrible events seemed to follow the declared blessing of God upon the sons of Noah.  How could such horrible events happen to them when it was God’s will to bless them?  We could ask that about our world today.  Many of us want nothing more than to be blessed and to be prosperous and that is what God wants for us.  We see Nimrod took advantage of every opportunity to prosper. So let’s read more about these people to see what happened as we proceed into Chapter 11:1-9.

Gen 11:1  And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.  And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Gen 11:1-9)

So we now know why God was not pleased with them.  Nimrod was a very industrious man, who was renown and he had built eight cities.  These people came together to build a big building and that seemed innocent enough but when we look at the motivation we see the problem.  They said, “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” Their plan was to build themselves a city with a tower that would reach up to heaven.  They also wanted to make a name for themselves and unify as a people – in pride, which God hates.  And then they said they were doing this to keep God from scattering them across the face of the whole earth, the exact opposite of what God required of them – which was rebellion. What we hear in these passages is lot of pride, fear and defiance in their conversation. We know that the character traits of pride, fear and rebellion do not come from God, who is love and who gives to His people freely.  Their pride and ambition to build a tower up to heaven certainly was not God’s will nor was it in obedience to His command to go forth, be fruitful (Gen 9:1) and replenish the earth. God gave them their domain on earth, not reaching into God’s heaven.  They set themselves to do the exact opposite of what God told them to do and the results was a rebellious tower that God pulled down, an organized and prideful people that He scattered across the face of the whole earth, a pure language that He brought to confusion and a well-known name that God set in infamy.  Nimrod’ descendants went on to further ruin and decline as we hear the sad stories of Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, and Babylon.  Somewhere along the line they listened to the devil and took on his plan rather than God’s and it led them to destruction.  That’s a lesson for us today.   

People are so set on receiving the blessings of God; and it is God’s joy to bless His people.  God wants to bless us with goods, family, a good name and all kinds of blessings… the very things we want, but God had already explained in Deuteronomy Chapter 28 his rules and requirements for those blessings.  It was through obedience to His voice.  Nimrod had on him the blessing and ability to do great things for him and his descendants, but he and his descendants took the wrong path by listening to their flesh and the devil. As Joshua taught we have to choose for ourselves and our family who we will serve, whether God or Satan and that determines our results in life.  Nimrod may have started out right but went into error and that affected him and his descendants.  We need to realize that we set the pattern for the next three or four generations of our descendants by our decisions.

I called this message the mercy of God because this story is told to us early, only 10 chapters into the bible.  God had already told us about the blessings for doing His will and the cost of doing wrong in Deuteronomy but then he went on to give generations to come this example.  Note this example came also after the flood and everyone knew that story.  All nations today know the story of the flood too because it hit the whole world and every people have it in their ancestral history.

The Systems of This World

This story came to mind because I began to feel overwhelmed dealing with some everyday normal things that we all do, but I felt like someone else was pulling my strings.  And while working on my computer, my eye caught an old article I had previously saved and it spoke about America’s future, I read it.  It was written about 10 years ago by a Christian minister who described how we should prepare for the future decline of our nation and he numerated his suggestions for storing up supplies.  After reading it, I felt even more overwhelmed so I went to lie down and rest my mind. Our world now is so full of devastating information through reading and watching TV.  I got up not much later and I felt rejuvenated.  What happened?  As I laid there and meditated on the issues, I realized I was caught up in a cycle.  A cycle someone else had imposed on me.  Our world works in a system of cycles and if you are not careful you can get caught up in someone else’s futile cycle. The movies I watched last night were preselected. The doctor’s office I scheduled a test with I realized would schedule tests for the rest of my life in precaution of this or that disease and as long as insurance pays for it, I might comply.  I had developed an allergy and the pharmacy wanted to put me on automatic refills.  I had the option of surrendering the rights of my body over to someone else’s determination.  I realized I was scheduling my body on a treadmill of testing, medication and examination. Now I know that is how medicine works and many people are on that treadmill, but it’s my body and I have the responsibility for it.   I was dealing with a system of never-ending care that could in itself cause sickness or death.  You have probably seen the series American Greed like I watched last night or heard news reports about doctors over-prescribing medications and the resulting addiction or death.  Our society is living with extremes.  What was so bad about all of this was that I have always trusted God for my health and have had no major medical concerns, but the health system we live with says I should keep looking for disease.  As I thought about the movies, the news cycles, doctor appointments, and other systems of this life, I realized I was living in someone else’s cycle of fear, not mine.   I could either stay on the treadmill or get off.  It was my decision, and I choose not to live in a cycle of fear.

We must realize as Christians this is the world’s system of living but it is not God’s system of caring for his children. I know this  is a deep topic that requires a lot of teaching but at some point we have to decide who we will believe.  I believe God and a lot of the world’s systems are in opposition to what God said.  This world has run its course and it is headed to destruction that everyone can see and now people are fearful of the future; but that is their fear, not mine. 

The majority white population in America has had all the advantages and abilities to do whatever they wanted and they have done it all.  They have led themselves and every other people into seeking wealth their way, we follow their way of religion and life style.  Their pursuit of beauty has led them to excess surgeries and bodily harm. Their pursuit of the good life has taken them to wasteful activities and travel around the world.  Their pursuit of euphoria has led them to drink, gluttony, drugs and lewd sex.  Their pursuit of riches has led them to serve idol gods of flesh until many have denied the True God.  You may have heard a trending term of “deconstructing” faith. And now their final goal of seeking power and control and making a human gods has led them to treasonous actions and a national insurrection.  Even so, religious and political elites want to persuade people that all their lies were true and to start all over again with a new set of lies if they can make people forget the real truth.  And it would all work too, except there is a real God who when He gets tired of the nonsense, pulls down the idol gods and towers, like He did for Nimrod.

God Deals With Arrogance

The mercy of God is that He told us Nimrod’s story in advance and He gives all of us a chance to read that story and others in the bible to see that that road map leads to failure and destruction and He still gives us time to turn around.  Every generation goes through this temptation of trying to prove they are their own god. They want to redesign their body, and body purposes, make up their own religions and set up their own gods.   I thought one time to call this message: The Smack Down, because that is what God does to us every once in a while. He told us there is but one God.  Samson was God’s champion but he got the smack down.  King Saul was God’s first king but he got the smack down.  Job had it all but he had to experience the smack down.  We’ve got some big people walking around now that are going to have to experience God’s smack down.  We cannot afford to forget that God is the One running the show. God allows His obedient servants to work with Him in the earth to do good and help share with others in His grace as they honor Him as the Omnipotent One that He is.  But we have to respect God’s order and His word because He is in control and the only way we will enter His heaven is according to His word.

God’s Mercy, Our Hope

The whole bible tells us how to obey, how some have gone astray and how to get back on the right track.  God is a God of second chances and despite the errors we have made as a nation and world, God is a forgiving God and He want people to repent and turn back to Him.  He gave that chance to sinful Nineveh, whose king made the whole nation of people and animals to fast while they repented.  God offers that chance to us as well as a nation and people. Lord, help us if we have more pride than Nineveh!

Now I want to discuss the hope we have.  Many people look at the book of Revelations and believe that the judgments that Jesus brings on the seven churches is the end of the world but He did not say that. The majority of the churches listed were in religious or sinful error and He told them their sin and then told them what they needed to do to get right.  Notice He tells the church of Ephesus who had lost their first love, to repent lest He remove their candlestick or church. Smyrna was told they would go into tribulation but promised if they overcame He would give them a crown of life.  The church of Pergamos was told God knew where Satan’s seat was and that they had the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolatians; but He would fight for them and they should repent.  He went on to tell each of the seven churches where they stood with Him and advised them what they needed to do to overcome.  God will have a church that will be ready at the coming of the Lord but all of these churches had work to do.  Christ promised the gates of hell would not prevail against His church.  He did not say your church, but His true church.  We cannot get there by doing it our way.  We cannot build a high tower to get to God’s heaven.  There is one way to get there and it is through Jesus Christ, the Lord.

You may have noticed that these were churches that were situated in certain cities (such as Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea) of that day; but how is your church fellowship of your city doing?  Has God spoken of how He has judged the obedience of your church?  Has your church made the necessary changes?  We have heard a lot of stories about a lot of stuff going on in some of these churches.  God is exposing it all. So tell me, how is the church of America doing?  Remember the bible tells of a city called Babylon that will be judged as the great whore in the last days..  Nobody wants to belong to that church, but it will be judged. People are worried about what will happen next in America because they know we are in trouble.  It is all in the book!  The story has already been written.  We are just walking it out.  The important thing is to know who you are in the scriptures.

The American Church and Its Sin

Let’s look at America.  The church in America has many problems.  We just saw a union of churches rise up to take over the nation in the spirit of the anti-Christ.  Yes, I said it!  It was an anti-Christ spirit that rose up to destroy the nation, but God had mercy on us.  We are still here so we still have another chance to get it right.  That’s the reason why I have to tell you the truth.  The devil is betting on us losing this one.  I am going to tell you the truth and you decide who you want to serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I have spent time in the spirit listening to the Lord as He evaluated many of our religions, practices and affections.  Oftentimes it was during my study time or meditations in the word during my wilderness journey.  There are many of our religions and churches that are not even trying to change to conform to the image of Christ because they feel they are okay just the way they are.  I have visited many churches and seen preachers over the years, whether in person or by way of media; and I did not visit one that the Spirit of the Lord said was okay the way it was.  In every case the Spirit, showed me something missing in the church or doctrine, or the pastor; and it did not make a difference how big or famous they were.  I was shocked.  If you doubt it, just remember how many of these churches in America put Donald Trump in the President’s seat. There was a large consensus of churches saying he was God’s man, but if he was why are we worst off now than before he took office.  America has been hoodwinked and if we wait long enough they have a plan to turn the lie into the truth or a greater deception, but God forbid.

I had the experience of going to a church several decades ago where I fell in love with the people and the pastor.  It was the best time I had run into this side of heaven.  I felt spiritually happy and content around the people… until I went to their multi-church gathering.  I sat there stunned as the overseer showed himself to be pompous and full of pride.  I returned to the humble little church I had been attending and had previously expressed a desire to join; however the pastor advised me to complete their fellowship classes first before I joined.  I loved their worship services: I had experienced Jesus in worship at home but missed it in a Christian fellowship.  I had never before experienced a church body going into deep spiritual worship before the Lord. 

Within a short period I heard this church overseer was in the hospital and actually on his death bed.  Church intercession was going on for him. One morning as I was preparing for work, I felt his spirit reaching out for prayer and I had to quickly decide whether to risk losing what was my only means of support in a new city to spend time in intercession or go to work and take it up later.   Later that day I got with the church intercessor and shared the burden to pray.  I did not join that church. In the course of the time I was there, the overseer died, the spirit of the Lord prophesied through the pastor of the little church a reprimand for his church body to go back and do some work over and I heard God convey to my spirit I was to go back to my previous church and before too long the pastor of the little church had also died.  We do not see things the way God does and He is not always as pleased with us as we think.  We used to sing a song about  decade ago which asked the question: “What If God is Unhappy with Our Praise?” The song went to the say: “we must change the way we live. We must live a life pleasing to our King.”  Our commitment of living to please God seems to have changed.  The focus of church service now seems to be so worldly  as we go to mega church after stopping by the church coffee bar or bookstore.  Wonder what Jesus thinks about that?  

On January 6th, the American white church had a goal of consolidating white power in this physical realm for a worldly goal.  Church was supposed to be a place to worship God rather than be a meeting place for planning sedition.  Today’s church seems to be more about socializing, pastor pleasing, getting rich or networking.  Is there any wonder why it could also rally an insurrection and do it while holding up signs for Jesus.  Jesus started a riot too, turning over tables and whipping the merchants.  Today it would probably be turning over coffee machines, chairs, bookstands, and more.   Are we trying to please God or man.  You can make pastors happy in one offering, but God is different; He will test our obedience and allegiance to Christ. His approval cannot be faked or purchased.  Noticed Peter was in the crowd following Jesus and still nearly fell, but Jesus prayed for him. Jesus is praying for us too.  We have to make sure we have the right motive for going to church.  Have morning prayer and get your coffee at home and then go to church to meet with God.  It is a tedious journey and the righteous shall barely make it in.  Peter said:  1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?  Jesus wants us to be conformed to His image and make it into His kingdom.  We need to seriously contend for heaven.  We don’t want to just be in the crowd but we want to make it into the city.  Too many pastors have distorted what Jesus and His disciples taught.  Jesus said many of them are not entering in and neither are they allowing the people to enter.  Jesus loves pastors.  He promised to give us pastors after his own heart.  They will watch over, teach and instruct the sheep in the right way.

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” Mat 23:13 

No Excuse – Your Role

Paul taught in Romans that God has made Himself known to every one of us so that we are without excuse (Ro1:20).  Pastors are expected to make the gospel appeal to all men so that faith is developed and all are drawn to the Lord.  They are charged to be a help in removing hindrances that would prevent the message from reaching sinners. Jesus came to open up the door for us and show us how to please the Father and the Holy Spirit lives in the believer to guide us all the way to heaven.  There is a spiritual work that has to be done to prepare the soul for heaven.  Remember Paul said:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  1Th5:23

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  Php 2:12 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Rom 12:1-2 

Paul knew that there was more to church than sitting on the pew and paying offerings.  He prayed that after preaching to the people, he would not become a cast away.  He suffered greatly in his Christian journey but he left us more books of instruction than any other prophet or apostle.

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.  1Co_9:27 

I want to help people realize that there is much more to salvation than just saying a prayer and sitting in the pew.  If you will recall the story  of the ten virgins, they were all virgins and they were all waiting on the Lord to come but only five made it in.  If it was easy, everybody would be going to heaven but then it would not be much of a heaven when you got there if everybody came.  God is particular about who He lets in heaven.  Only the righteous shall see God and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.  It’s easy enough that a child can make it in because they have what it takes: faith, love and humility.

…Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.   Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. Mar 10:14-15

Racism in the American Church

When we discuss the American church and what God requires, we have to talk about a major problem in the American church.  That is the issue of racism, the very opposite of what God requires.  We know that God requires us to love everybody like a neighbor but the American church has a tradition of showing partiality to white people above everyone else.  That’s not love.  The strange thing is that there is no nation of white people or even Caucasians. The people who came over to America from Europe came from many nations round the world. They may have white skin, but that does not make them superior. It is not true; and it is not biblical. A major source of contention in American society and church has to do with showing favoritism to white people.  There was already a nation that started a war over superiority of whiteness. It was under Hitler and he failed and he died in humiliation.  He modeled his racial hatred after what he saw in America and America has no excuse in still promoting this sin.

I have to say that the problem is not just white people either because a big part of the problem is also black people not living up to who they are in Christ.  They have no business bowing their head to white people if they know they are children of God.  Nobody can ride your back, if you stand up.  I have written and talked quite a bit on this subject but I want to approach it now from the scriptures at a time when it is surely needed.

Let’s go the Romans Chapter 11:1-8.  We know from the book of Daniel that God told Daniel to shut up the book until the last days. These have got to be the last of the last days and many things have been opened up to spiritual eyes. God opens up scripture at the appropriate time and to the mature ones.  There is a teaching about the Jews, Israel and the gentiles that need to be explained in these days.  And the spirit of God has instructed me to open up some scriptures at a time when it is needed.  There are things that white people understand that they do not want blacks to figure out and there are things white people do not understand because God has not unfolded it to them and for good reason.  At the appropriate time God wants His people to know the truth and walk it out.  It is the truth that sets us free, not the lie.

End Time Truth

Daniel was given end time messages for our day that were closed to the understanding of earlier generations.

Dan 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Dan 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Dan 12:9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 

God has opened up to me a lot of end time scriptures and I want to share some of them with the church so that we can begin to walk in them.  We are in  time of judgment and many people need to understand the crucial hour we live in and get themselves together for the coming of Christ.  I have observed and it is important to know that God sends the teaching first before He judges our obedience to that teaching.  This is not my first time bringing this teaching.  I brought it forth several years ago but a lot of people did not understand the seriousness of it.  With all that is going on, perhaps now is a better time for some. 

Who is Israel, Jew, Gentiles, Christians?

We know from scripture that the Jews rejected the Messiah and crucified Him.  Even though Jesus had Jewish disciples, many Jews refused to hear the good news message.  Saul was a Jew who persecuted Jewish Christians for not maintaining the strict Jewish rules of the Temple.  He resisted the new message of forgiveness that Jesus brought.  Jesus confronted Saul on the Damascus Road where he was converted to Christianity and the terrorizing enemy of the Christians was stopped.  Saul’s name was changed to Paul and he became the apostle to the gentiles.  Now the gentiles were any people that were not of the seed of Abraham: Jews or Israelites.  We read in scripture Paul preached to the Philippians, the Corinthians, the Romans, the Ephesians, the Colossians, the Galatians, and the Thessalonians.  These were gentile nations he brought into the body of Christ.  When the Jews refused to hear the message of Christ, Paul turned wholly to gentile nations to preach Christianity.  Paul gave the gentiles a warning that still applies today.   I want to rehearse it in the ears of hearers today because I think the warning has been forgotten or discounted by the gentile nations.

I need to set the stage for this part of the message.  The Jews did not come from America, Europe Asia, South America, Antarctica, or Australia.  The Israelites and the Jews were a people that came up out of Africa and traveled to the Promised Land which is Canaan Land or today’s Palestine and Israel, which was part of the Continent of Africa.  The stories of early bible history are stories about people living in African or black people who controlled the African continent until their disobedience to God brought bondage under gentile nations, some inside that land and some without like the Greeks and Romans of Europe and people of Asia which conquered them. Abraham’s descendants were a dark skinned African people, as was Paul who went to minister to the gentile nations of Europe and Asia.

So let’s read Paul’s letter to the Romans at Romans 11:1-8.

I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.  God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

Those verses talk about the status of the people of Israel in blindness and bondage.  God did not cast away the Jews for rejecting their Messiah but said many of them would be blinded by a spirit of slumber until a specific later time, which the book of Daniel described as the last days.   Paul notes that the fall of the Jewish nation gave opportunity for the gentile nations to come in and learn of Christ.  Jesus had taught that Abraham’s descendants were God’s chosen people and they were to be priesthood for the rest of the world.  After their fall and the entrance of the gentile nations coming into the truth through Paul’s teaching, Paul warned the gentile nations (the Philippians, the Corinthians, the Romans, the Ephesians, the Colossians, the Galatians, and the Thessalonians) not to gloat over this fact or hinder the true Israelites and Jews from coming back into their rightful place and authority in Christ.  He called this a spirit of being high minded in Romans 11.

Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded (a superiority complex), but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? Rom 11:18-24

Now we see that Paul was dealing with the probability of a superiority complex in the gentile nations after they found the truth.  Paul is addressing an attitude of pride in the gentile nations that could hinder the true Jews and Israelites from coming back to Christ. Paul warns the gentiles that they too can be cut off just like the Israelite nation if they too fall into disobedience.  This scripture has manifested and is a reality now as white people, who are from the gentile nations, are showing high-mindedness against black people who came up out of Africa and their homeland of Israel.  Now contrary to today’s teaching Israel is situated within the tectonic plate of the continent of Africa, and was always known to be part of the continent of Africa until maps were redrawn for reasons of partially.  Whites have always used subtlety to  claim supremacy over black people just as Paul warned and now they want to deny black people the rights and privileges of the kingdom.  The gentile nations or white people (formed from the Philippians, the Corinthians, the Romans, the Ephesians, the Colossians, the Galatians, and the Thessalonians that Paul preached to) that migrated from Europe to America and then went on to Africa and brought black people as slaves to serve them in America; is the fulfillment of Paul’s warning to the Romans listed in the book of Romans to the gentile nations.  The warning was that God would cast away the gentiles the same way as He casted away the Jews and Israelites if they came to the same disobedience.

We are finding in today’s world that white Christians today (the descendants of the Philippians, the Corinthians, the Romans, the Ephesians, the Colossians, the Galatians, and the Thessalonians) are talking about their lack of faith or the “Nones”, about falling into unbelief in God, and “deconstructing” their faith.  They have turned their backs on God by the multitudes.  And not only that but they formed  a union with unbelievers to block black progress and to make sure that God’s original people never come to the knowledge of who they are.  The question is: have they become castaways?  If they are castaways how do they qualify to lead black people in churches or anywhere, except back to darkness, bondage and death.  How does that make them superior to black people of faith?  If black people renew their faith in God then they can walk in His favor again and receive His blessings.  Black people and other ethnicities need to know that they should only follow the faith of godly people who follow Christ; we do not make an idol of any man, his religion or his leadership.  We follow Christ. We do not follow the ungodly in their sin.  Black people of every nation, language and religious persuasion need to realize their history from Africa, learn their physical and biblical history and walk in the truth.  Every black person from Africa was not born from Abraham, was a Jew or Israelite or  believer; but every person needs to be aware of their heritage and to come to Christ.  There are specific promises and even curses that were pronounced against certain ethnic people that we need to know from our family tree because blessings can be received and curses need to be broken.  Now in Christ all the curses are broken, but the devil can deceive those who do not know the truth.  The lie that all black people came from Canaan and are under his curse is a lie from Satan.  The saying that black people are cursed to be under white people is a lie.  There were a lot of lies the black slaves were told to keep them in bondage that their descendants need to be delivered from.  Black people of faith are not under white people’s control but are full citizens of the kingdom of God.

Gentile people and nations worldwide should remember the warnings of God and that Paul pronounced and should to walk in the truth.  Along with Paul’s warning God has said:  “Deu 32:9  For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.”  God has kept them as the apple of his eye (Deu 32:10).  While the gentiles nations need to be careful of how they treat God’s chosen people also God’s chosen people need to wake up to represent and serve the Lord.  The books of Daniel and Revelations describe how God will stand up to defend His people under persecution as the anti-Christ spirit launches his attack against them.  God will always bring His people out if they hold on to their faith.  God is faithful to those that trust in Him.

God’s True Church For All Nations

The role of the church is to bring all believers into the family of God and prepare the church to go back with the Lord when He comes.  The church is to be made up of believers of every nation.  Jesus opened the door for all people to come into the ark of safety.  We come to Jesus today by faith through grace and not by heritage or ethnicity.  Jesus declared that we should know the truth and the truth would make us free.  White people told the black slaves lies to keep them in bondage and now that same devil is causing them to tell lies to keep all America as well in bondage to lies.  Black people were told they were inferior to keep them in bondage and now white and black women are being told that they must be submitted to bondage as well to any ruling by white men at the Supreme court.  That is not an affirmation for abortion but it is a critique of any person trying to bring people under bondage to laws when Jesus has given us grace. People need to realize that it is Satan who stirs up hate that divides people for the purpose of preventing unity in Christ.  If he cannot use whites against blacks, he will settle for republicans against democrats or men against women, or Russia against America, America against Russia or Russia against Ukraine or world war or nuclear war.  His job is to keep up trouble and we have had a lot of trouble because of falling into disobedience.  The problem is not black people or white people or men or women or Russia or Ukraine or world war or nuclear war.  The problem is sin.  Satan rebelled against God and now he wants to prevent the church from uniting together in the Lord.  Ephesian 6 tells us at verse 12  “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Christians must remember we do not serve God for the earthly pleasures or  treasures of this life, which shall perish.  We do not have to beat down blacks, whites, the poor and disadvantaged, ethnic people of any persuasion to get money and earthly treasurers for a good life in this earth.  God loves us all and he wants all people to be blessed and enjoy  a good life here and in eternity but remember we are strangers and pilgrims passing through this life on earth and we look for a better home in glory. Our goal is to come to the Savior to unite with our heavenly Father and enjoy eternal life now and in heaven.  Oppression of any people is of the devil.  Don’t be fooled, regardless of your reason, we do not have to oppress our brother or sister for things.  God wants to give us the desires of our heart as we obey.

God’s Judgment Brings Deliverance

It is always the devil who comes to tear down what God has built up and if he can get us to help, his work is just that much easier.  A Lot of people have been deceived as they have lost faith in God and are cooperating with the evil one to destroy good and bring destruction.  The deceived call good, evil and evil as good.  They have zeal to win ground for the evil one who is leading them.  But God has a set time when He comes in to clean His house and the wicked are tossed out.  The righteous need to understand that their job exists in being the hands and feet, even the mouth piece of God, in this generation to cast down evil and uplift the good.  God is revealing what is good and what is evil in the sunlight.  Too many people have forgotten the difference between good and evil because they were willing to let down the wall between them to get what they wanted in the wrong way.  That system has worked to bring corruption and destruction.  Now we have to choose to  reject the evil and choose the good to get back to a place of peace.  The world is in an uproar because people have chosen to let the devil rule in their heart to help them get stuff that God is more than willing to give us if we choose to obey Him and follow His way to receive.  My job is to help people understand these facts because God does not want anyone to perish.  Hell was created for the devil and his angels, not for humans.  We live in a very serious time when people do not seem to know whom to believe or follow, but I want to adjure you to read your bible, call upon the Lord in prayer and obey his voice.  Throughout the bible God warns us to heed his word, walk in obedience and live.   His will is still for us to be fruitful and multiply to replenish the earth in righteousness and bring glory to His name.  With the help of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can live in the kingdom and be pleasing to God.

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2Pe 1:3-4

For those born of the water and the spirit, Jesus has said:

And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. Jo 6:39-40. 

The mercy and grace of God is the warning and time allowed  for those who have gone astray and want to return.  It is an invitation for those who have never made Christ their Lord and Savior to come to Him today by faith in the finished work of Christ.  Christ died so you can be saved.  Now is that acceptable day to receive Christ as Lord and Savior while His grace and mercy is extended.  Time is always shorter than we think so don’t put off making a change today in your attitude and ways that have led to error.  Choose life through Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  I have put a lot in this message because people need more than a singular word; they need understanding.  I wanted to paint the picture of where we have gone astray and how we need to return. Pastors can break this message down but this message is for them as well.  Let me know if I can help with further teaching of this word and contact me with your comments and questions at:

Apostle Joyce Payne, at Truth and Life Ministries, PO Box 52652, Durham, NC 27717 by email at truthandlifeministry1@gmail.com.

I pray that you will receive the blessing from hearing this message and listen or read it more than once to hear what God is saying.  May God bless you until the next time we meet over the Word of God.  God loves you.