Beware of the New Year Prophecy Scam!

 

With the year ending, we Christians look forward for New Year’s Eve where promises, prophecies and assurances overflow from the pulpit. Mostly the promises and prophecies are about becoming famous, rich, happy and prosperous, exciting all of us. It’s about owning a car, getting a new career break, financial abundance that will be shouted out by pastors and prophets to the promise-hungry congregation. This deception is an age-old trick carried out through ages and people still fall for it looking forward to lead a comfortable life.

If we were to draw a parallel incident that resemble this event in the Bible, it would be in 1 Kings 22 where Ahab's 400 prophets speak the same language of happiness, success and prosperity like all the Pastors, prophets and leaders of today. The Bible records the words of these 400 prophets which said, “Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king” (1 Kings 22:12). This was the beginning of disaster and confusion for the king and the people. The same falsehood has seeped into the Churches so deep that it has robbed the purpose of its existence.

As we read the story we know that Micaiah son of Imlah was called at Jehoshaphat’s insistence. Micaiah' truth was hard  and  was from the Lord. I would like to point here that he was not rewarded for speaking the truth but rather was slapped across the face by one of the officers, Zedakiah (1King 22:24).  Sadly, history is repeating itself in today’s times. Most of the Christian celebrities, pastors and leaders are going to dish out false prophecies and happy promises to make the hearts of the people glad. 

Some notable blessings and prophecies are as follows:

·       You are going to be head and not tail

·       The barn house will always be full

·       All that you desire will be fulfilled

·       God will give you double.

·       You will not run out of dough and oil

We are so ignorant of the fact that Jesus never taught such things. His promises given by Him were as follows:

> You will have sufferings in this world

> You will be persecuted

> You will be hated by people

> You may be thrown in prison

>You will be brought before kings and Governors. (but that will be an opportunity to bear witness Luke 21:12-13)

> Many will be killed for His name’s sake.

> Will be betrayed by own family members

·       The end days is going to be so difficult even for His elect to bear the birth pangs as recorded in the gospels.

Yet we prefer to walk through the broad gate claiming hand picked promise verses and deceive ourselves. It never disturbs us that we have not influenced even one person with the gospel. As long as we pay our tithes and offerings to the Church we are good to go. The New year prophecy scam is robbing people of their purpose for existence. People's obedience to the Great Commission is not going to matter to many Churches at all as long as they are overfed, which they name it as blessing from the Lord.

We camouflage our disobedience with fun and frolic in the Churches and abound with false promises and prophecies. Remember the warning from the Lord through Ezekiel, “Since they have led my people astray by saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, when a flimsy wall is being built, they plaster it with whitewash, therefore, tell those plastering it with whitewash that it will fall. Torrential rain will come, and I will send hailstones plunging down, and a whirlwind will be released.". Ezekiel 13:10-11 CSB. There was no mincing of words by the prophet.

Ponder over these following questions:

·  How many people this year have led someone to Christ?

· Beside speaking to the Christian crowd, have you connected with non-Christians?

·  How many people this year heard the gospel by some means through you?

It is good to retrospect. Stop listening to false promises and prophecies that gives you a sense of security but destroys your soul and robs your purpose for Missions.  Let us all strive to be the carrier of the gospel rather than wanting to become a dead fish comfortable in the four walls of the Church. 

 

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Deliberate Oversight!

If it is one thing that I want to emphasise in all my writings and conversations, it will be none other than ‘Mission'. Though lingering for ages, it is making sense to few and is always an avoidable option for many. Most often the Christians in the Churches are continually instructed and exhorted on Christian ethics like how to be good, godly, loving, benevolent, being a good husband /wife and a good parent. These are integral to any individual irrespective of any religion or creed. But then, when it comes to missions to the unreached world, it dilutes into a nice Christian philosophy. The Churches and Christians long to do something about it and eventually do nothing.

The gift of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 is often misunderstood for the anointing in 1 John 2:20, 27. Every individual who makes a commitment to follow Christ and becomes His disciple embodies Christ’s anointing. The anointing and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is often confused with the gift of the spirit. Holy Spirit is always misunderstood for something other than being a witness for Christ. Acts 1:8 which clearly states, “But you will receive the power when the holy spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”. Today, this is immediately referred to the day of the Pentecost and people who spoke in tongues. But then again, the truth is distorted with either a lie or half-truth. The Churches and Christians fail to understand the implication of the people who spoke in tongues. They were heard by people from so many languages and races who gave their lives to Christ. I have spoken about this in my earlier blogs too.  The great Pentecostal event was measured by real evangelism and measurable outcome which is found in Acts 2:41 “So those who accepted his message were baptized and that day about three thousand people were added to them.”.

Paul emphasises with these words in 1 Corinthians 12:29 “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? Do all have gifts of miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” The gifts vary but the commission to the unreached does not. The Great Commission is not optional for selected few, but for every individual who accepts Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord. Matthew 28:19 is a mandatory command which says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples in all nations….”.  We are constantly talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit without equally emphasising on the obedience to Christ’s mission.

Why people are not guilty when they miss to understand and demonstrate the obedience to the Great Commission? Is it because the Churches have made the people comfortable with Church activities and offerings? Why is the outcome of the Churches always about full attendance and not about holding the members responsible for the failure in sharing the gospel with the non-Christians? Most of the Churches have a history of less than 5% of their members who share the gospel and lead people to Christ. But whereas 95% and more are the once who fall in the category of the Pharisee who said in his prayer “I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.” (Luke 18:12) without remorse.  Many have no concern for the dying soul. We need to confess not only for the sins of commission but for the sins of omission too.

Let us not forget the call of Christ which requires us to be a disciple maker (Matthew 28:19) not just survive as a branded Christian. Mark the words in the Great Commission passage which says, Go, therefore, and make disciples. The disciples are the one who make disciples. But today in Churches the disciples are the ones who have a discipleship course certificate but sit in the Church unaccountable to the mission of God laid out for every individual. This deliberate oversight can be costly for all of us. Let us not forget, Jesus calls Himself a Good Shepherd by constantly moving about taking the good news (Luke 8:1). The purpose of the Church is to be the carrier of the Gospel to the dying world, not a reservoir.

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