Where are the Prophets?
Disclaimer: I have never claimed to be a prophet, nor consider myself one. All of this has been written quickly, so I apologize for any typos or grammatically incorrect sentences or paragraphs. This may be a blog series, or a stand alone article. We will see.
I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me. I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:
Psalm 39:1-3 (NKJV)
Welcome to the United States of America in 2020, the year of Cancel Culture, Mob Mentality, SJW’s, and a Crippled Church filled with Spiritual Eunuchs!
For years now, far too many have resisted and rejected the voices of the prophets, and because of this we have a serious vacuum today that presents a tragic imbalance in our churches and ministries. Over the last couple of decades, there has been a not so subtle secularization of our churches, and prophetic voices have simply not been needed (or rather, wanted).
I’ve sat in more staff meetings across multiple ministries in my life-time than I can possibly remember. One trend I’ve noticed is the replacement of kingdom practices with secular business models. Book recommendations from leading ministry organizations are top heavy with titles such as, “Winning Customers for Life.” Church members are often viewed as customers, secular books have replaced theological ones, and Sunday mornings have become akin to a snazzy episode of Dr. Phil, Oprah, or even worse, Tony Robbins.
Prominent ministers now coach their pastoral staff on Biblical words that they can and cannot use while speaking to their congregations. So many forbidden words such as repentance, sin, Holy Spirit (yep, even this one) and that most horrible word of all, HELL.
Brokenness mixed with a burning compassion for the lost (another no-no word for today) has been replaced by lust and selfish ambition to have the biggest, most popular, and fastest-growing church in a city/community.
I agree with Eugene Peterson’s assessment of the modern pastoral office:
“The vocation of pastor has been replaced by the strategies of religious entrepreneurs with business plans.”
Because the voices of the prophets have been resisted and even rejected, our churches and ministries have bypassed much needed rebuke, correction, and instruction. Warnings that have been uttered for years have mostly been ignored and even ridiculed.
And now we are about to pay a hefty price for dismissing these God-sent men and women.
CHURCHES
Years of easy preaching devoid of the Word of God, coupled with services designed to appeal to the masses, has resulted in hundreds of thousands filling the church in the Unites States who do not belong to the Church. Sure, they love your well written and plagiarized sermons and perfectly timed jokes, they gladly tell everyone you are their favorite preacher because you always make them feel good about themselves, and you never make anyone feel uncomfortable by talking about sin.
But a payday is coming, very soon. You thought you would be safe? You thought your church was safe?
Well, you’re not. And neither is your church.
The spirit of anti-christ is raging in this land, and there will be no middle ground. Those with eyes to see and ears to hear will understand that what we are witnessing today is not about Republican or Democratic trickery, but a demonic foothold the enemy has gained in the body of Christ.
It is amazing isn’t it? We have been afraid to say some things the Word of God is clear about, for fear of offending people, completely oblivious to the fact that we are offending the Holy Spirit by not faithfully declaring His Word. And yet the rage mob is coming, and they will demand we speak their truth unequivocally.
We’ve traded in Radical Christianity for popularity. Shame on us. We’ve not fought to reach the poor and disenfranchised with the Gospel of Jesus, and so now they are getting picked off by political psychopaths. Shame on us. We have looked at holiness (without which no one will see God), suffering, and sacrifice for the cause of Christ and said, “Heck no! I love my salary package, ease of life, and this safe little world I’ve created for myself!” Shame on us. Missions has become a forgotten idea unless we can somehow tag the name of our church on the front of it. Shame on us.
The storm is not coming, it is here. Better get ready to choose your revolution.
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