The Financial Shutdown of the Church in America

For years the Church in America has been going off course. The foundations upon which most Christian congregations operate on today are rotten to the core. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, has had enough. The Lord’s love now requires Him to act on behalf of His Bride. It is for that reason that the church coffers have begun to dwindle. It comes as no surprise to many.

Preachers may rant and rave and do everything they can in the coming months and years to manipulate more tithes and offerings, but the Lord is cutting off the supply at the source. The coming economic earthquake will affect all but it’s targeted for the betterment His Church.

Like a whore after her lovers, our passions have driven us to feed our Idolatry and greed. Turn off the lights; the party’s over!  The wheels are already turning in response to the prayers of His people, and the crisis that will usher in our healing is eminent.

Like it was for Belshazzar the King in Daniel 5:1, the writing is on the wall for the Church in America;

Dan 5:25 MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

26 This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, NKJV

It does not matter what society thinks, it does not matter that the Religious press thinks you walk on water, it does not matter that you have hundreds of invitation to speak; it’s over!

To put it clearly the Lord is shutting down His Church because she has established the wrong priorities and forgotten her purpose. I will put it in business terms since the church in America looks and acts more like a business than the family of God. If we think of the church like a factory, what is coming down the assembly line is not what the company intended to produce. Since we have refused to judge ourselves, the Lord has come down with His own judgment.

Sure, some of you will stop reading right here and go, speak against us and proclaim peace. It will not be the first time.

Jer 6:13-14

13 “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness;

And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely.

14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’

When there is no peace. NKJV

To continue to overlook our current situation will have it consequences. The more we refuse to repent and fight what the Lord is doing, the greater and the longer the eminent crisis will be.

The blatant problems this crisis will address for the Church in America;

1.       Our Insular Attitude and General disregard for the World’s Needy

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion (demonstrated worship) before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. NKJV

The Lord Jesus Christ as He walked on the earth always dealt with the visible or felt needs of everyone He spoke to first before anything else. We are not here to peddle Christ or to offer religion as an alternative lifestyle. We are here to be Christ to a hurting world. It is to our shame that 99% of everything most congregations do is done for themselves inside the four walls of a building once a week.

2.       The Improper Use of the Lord’s Provision

Our competitive spirit has created a race to offer luxury to the lazy in hopes of getting in their pockets. The buildings we have built and the maintenance and upkeep they require take up an exorbitant amount of the congregation’s budget. Do we really need million dollar sound systems?  Is what is going on Sunday so boring we need those thousand dollar theater seats? When the crisis hits, they will stand empty as monuments to our misplaced priorities. The developing world has the fastest growing congregations, and they don’t have or need buildings. They have no desire to move the church from where it was created to function and hide them inside four walls.

3.       Awakening to the Abuses and Excesses of its Leaders

If buildings are the number one expense, then professional churchmen salaries run a close second. Congregations have been told for years, give the money to God and don’t worry about how it’s spent. That line will not work in the coming years. Each member of the Body of Christ will have to give account for what kind of ground they placed the Lord’s seed in and what kind of fruit it produced. There are so many problems with the Church in America in this area, we could write volumes. For the sake of time, we will look at one example although many exist to our shame.

Recently Elevation Church in Charlotte North Carolina and their pastor Steven Furtick have been the rage of the Mega Church wannabees. This 33 year old sensation is now under scrutiny of the sane because of his plans to build a 16,000 foot home for himself. Who are the elders in this congregation, and what in heaven are they being fed? The Bible is clear to whom much is given much will be required.

See article here; http://thewartburgwatch.com/2013/10/02/steven-furtick-hiding-his-light-under-a-bundle

The city reaching group Charlotte 1’s Rob Kelly states that 96% of all Church growth is transfer growth. In essence, Charlotte Christians are spending billions of dollars to rotate church members. This is happening all over America. What is the result? People are beginning to ask questions, and when they don’t get an answer or are told it is not their business, they are wisely packing up and moving on. God is fixing to humble all the inappropriately elevation in His Church worldwide.

4.          We are not producing Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ

Matt 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations NKJV

How we get “go and make converts,” or how we get “go and make members” from the above verse is beyond me. A convert (get them saved) is an invention of the 18^th century. You will find not one verse in the New Testament talking about members of a local congregation. We are “members” of the one body of the Lord Jesus Christ. A disciple is a follower of Christ, not of a local congregation or a pastor. The Church in America has cheapened the commitment and lowered the standards of discipleship. We look more like members of a fraternity than a family of dedicated disciples of King Jesus. Here are a few verses pointing out the glaring contrast between what we are producing today and what the Lord intended for His Church;

John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.“ NKJV

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. NKJV

Matt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. NKJV

Matt 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.“ NKJV

Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. NKJV

Eph 4:11-12 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, NKJV

Where are these people? Why does 90% of the congregation think “It’s all about them?” Why is the Sunday morning line, “I am going to get some, or I am going to get my blessing”?  Most shallow Christians don’t have an ounce of faith for when “Today is your best day” turns into welcome to Hell week. Is it a wonder they are leaving the institutional church in droves? Our prosperity hype and Sunday morning cheerleading rallies are simply not relevant outside of the 10-12 pm window on Sunday morning. Here is a question. If that is the Presence of God why does it leave us the minute we walk outside the building? It’s sad but church as we know it needs a revamp and the Lord has chosen to implode it and start fresh. The Lord simply refuses to work with our human religious rituals and systems.

5.       The Pervasive Spirit of Division in His Body

Everyday hundreds of congregations and ministries start following the example they have seen. No sooner do a few come together when immediately the need for a name arises. So many excuse the “I am going to do it better” arrogance with they are just “simply obeying the rules of the land” rhetoric. The facts are there is so many different types of Baptists that having Baptist in the name means nothing today. We could say the same for all the other denominations as well such as the independents and the non-denominationals today. One of the biggest weapons in the arsenal of the confused Non-Jehovah witnesses and the Catholics against Christianity is look at how divided and confused they are about what the scripture says. To our shame what they have observed is true.

We are so messed up in our cities that to get Christians to participate somewhat in an event together we have to lower what we stand for to the lowest common denominator such as just those that use of the name of Jesus. If anything else is added someone will find fault. Where is the New Testament model of the church in the City? Where are the city and regional elders? What is the foundation of the apostles and prophets? What is the biblical pattern that we are to pass on to our children?  We have too many questions too little time but the Lord is through with the religious games. Hear this Church; He refuses to “Let’s make a deal “and those who will not listen are in Jeopardy!

What can we do? How can we get straight again?

Jer 6:16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. NKJV

I cut the verse off there because I pray that the Church in America will not do what follows, but I am afraid it may too late for some. I don’t want to elaborate, but hear Him, repent, find your family, and brace yourself for what’s coming.

My joy and solace today comes from knowing that in the midst of the crisis, we will also see a tsunami of Prodigal Sons returning to the Father and to the true fathers of the faith.

To all those who are listening, may the Lord grant you greater understanding and humility!

To the Church in America 

Jose L. Bosque

GodsLeader1@aol.com

See the letter below that a friend sent me after I wrote this:

October 10, 2013

Jose Bosque is Editor in Chief and founder of Viral Cast Media which oversees GodsLeader, JaxChristian now ViralChrist and 15 other websites. He has ministered in Jacksonville since 1987 and served the city since 1992 as a citywide servant leader. Jose is considered a resource and a spiritual father to many leaders in the city and in the 54 nations where the Lord has sent him to serve. Originally born in Cuba, Jose has resided in Jacksonville since 1966.

Contact Him at: www.RevivalPartners.net or  ForRevival@aol.com

 

 Urgent Warning from Agora Financial, Updated Crisis Forecast

Dear Daily Reckoning Reader,

Please, read this entire message. It’s dire.

On June 01, 2011 we issued a warning to readers. Forbes.com picked it up and ran with this headline: “The Next Financial Crisis Will Be Hellish – And It’s On Its Way.”

Since then, as I’m sure you’re aware, we have been tracking the slow cancer eating away at cities across the country… slow response times to 911 calls, trash pickup delayed or even eliminated, firemen and teachers furloughed or laid off altogether.

The massive bankruptcy in Detroit, MI on July 18, 2013 grabbed the most attention. But this crisis is larger than just Detroit. It has been hitting cities and towns all across America for years — from Stockton, CA to Camden, NJ.

This morning we received a serious warning shot. It’s the first indication the crisis is no longer a slow creeping cancer… but could be picking up speed at an alarming rate.

As Congress seeks a “grand bargain” to solve the Obamacare fiasco, the government shutdown and avert a new debate over raising the debt ceiling… something more ominous is now knocking on our front door.

This week, the one month Treasury bill — the short term debt that finances the U.S. day to day operations — skyrocketed to 5 year highs.

Soon after, Fidelity, the largest manager of money market mutual funds in the United States, dumped every cent of its treasury holdings that mature in October. As Fidelity slammed the panic button they released this statement:

“We have to take precautionary measures”

We recommend you do the same. If what we’re forecasting comes to pass, it will seriously impact everything from the way you think about your finances to the safety you’ve come to expect in public places. And more.

We’re sending our updated forecast to you today with grave urgency. You can access it here, free of charge.

Be safe.

Addison Wiggin

Executive Publisher, Agora Financial

P.S. No matter if you have $100, $10,000 or $10 million anywhere in the market… including money market or mutual funds… you cannot afford to ignore this forecast.

There’s no obligation to do anything after watching. We’re simply trying to alert you to an event we believe will change your, my, and everyone other Americans way of life.

The Church in America

View the forecast on our website, right here, for free. http://research.agorafinancial.com/research/video/awn_bubble_052813?  Great Webinar!