You Know Things are Getting Weird When Kim Kardashian Visits Your Old Church, and YOU’RE the Scandal

I feel like I ought to say a few things, in view of what I wrote about my former church the other day.

I was mad. No doubt about it. I think of the good people over there who could get so close to God, so fast, if they were being told the right things. I think of their poverty. I think of the way they try to improve their lives and fail, because they don’t know how to deal with their supernatural enemies. I realize they could be in touch with the Holy Spirit, and that he would help them and give them victory and peace. I think about those things, and then I think about the utterly useless things they’re being taught–and the ways in which they’re being used–and of course, it gets under my skin.

It also makes me angry when I try to say something helpful, and the response is a false accusation. I’m a divider! I’m “touching God’s anointed.” I’m “judging.” This is what I hear. From people who know four Bible verses.

If people said, “Thanks for the input, but I disagree,” it would be one thing. But these transparent attempts to put me on the defensive, in order to avoid discussing the truth…they are not easy to deal with. I do not like being demonized. Contradict me if you want, but don’t level a false accusation in order to avoid examining yourself.

So what I’m saying, with all that, is that I was very irritated. I hope I didn’t go too far. I didn’t go as far as John the Baptist did. I didn’t call people “a litter of vipers.” I didn’t call anyone a son of Satan or child of hell, which is something the Bible would permit me to do, if it was appropriate. But I was pretty harsh.

It turns out people have been reading my blog. I don’t know what to think about that. Is it bad, because they’re spying on me, or is it good, because they might try to understand me and, in the process, learn something that would help them?

Here’s something they need to know. I spend a tremendous amount of time in prayer these days. Much of it is prayer in tongues. My relationship with the Holy Spirit is getting very intense. Some people go to church to feel God’s presence. For me, it’s a routine thing that happens wherever I am. Very often, I’ll feel the Holy Spirit descend on me with great force. It’s not because I’m a great person. It’s because I’ve become addicted to prayer. It has nothing to do with anything good about me.

I have reached the point where I physically feel the Holy Spirit pouring through me, in the form of faith and power. I believe I can ask questions and get the answers. I don’t think this is an illusion. If you look at the things I’ve written about God, if you have any discernment at all, you should be able to see that I didn’t come up with them myself. I’m getting revelation. If I’m getting revelation to that degree, people shouldn’t doubt that when I feel the Holy Spirit communicating with me, it’s real.

I mention these things so people will understand me when I say this: I ask God what I should say and what I should not. I don’t want to write things that will work against God’s plan. From time to time, I’ll put time in, writing something, and I’ll ask God whether I should publish it, and I’ll get a strong sense that the answer is “no.” When that happens, I delete it. I don’t care if it took half a day to write it. So if you see something I’ve written, and it seems too severe or too negative, you should be aware that unless I forgot, I consulted God before I posted it.

It may surprise people to read it, but the truth is that I feel that God has told me over and over that I’m not bold ENOUGH. I’ve worried about offending people, but it seems like God thinks I’m too restrained.

That’s where all this comes from. So decide for yourself whether you want to judge me. Maybe you’re the one who is touching God’s anointed. And while you’re at it, think about all the solid people who agree with me. Think of all the people who got up and left the church. Don’t you wonder why that happened? A whole bunch of them talk to me and tell me they agree with me.

I should also add that I didn’t get mad just because the church entertained one woman famous for posing nude and performing in a sex tape. I got mad because it was part of a lasting, consistent pattern of strange behavior. They don’t treat employees or volunteers right. They teach doctrine even a child should be able to debunk. They run a failing business, yet they take money from poor people, claiming to know how to make them prosperous. They honor people like R. Kelly and Luther Campbell. They are not good to the poor. They invite useless people to preach. It’s how things go over there. The Kardashian thing was just the latest failure.

Imagine what would have happened if Kim Kardashian had shown up at any God-fearing church in 1950. They might have encouraged her to attend. They might have welcomed her. They would not have bragged about her presence. They would have tried to change her. They would have kept her away from services until she had repented in private. They would have used some common sense. My old church treats lost people (who are famous and/or rich) as though they were honorable ministers of God. That’s wrong. It’s not “love.” It’s not “longsuffering.” It’s not “meekness.” It’s self-promotion. “We know R. Kelly! We know Kim Kardashian! We’re important! We’re going to be just like Keith Craft and Steve Munsey!!!”

It’s amazing that this has to be explained. The people who run the church work so hard to convince people that church is cool, their consciences must have become seared. They don’t seem to perceive things the way healthy Christians do. They don’t seem to see the obvious impropriety of appearing to endorse celebrities whose behavior is extraordinarily trashy.

Here’s a principle from the Bible. If you’re doing something stupid, and people of comparable knowledge are not, they can judge you. Example: Jesus said, “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.”

If the best churches on earth are blowing it the way my old church is, then who can criticize? But that’s not the case. The church I go to know is a thousand times healthier. The pastor talks about the Holy Spirit. He promotes other people, at his own expense. Prophets come in and denounce homosexuality and false religion. The services start with at least 45 minutes of prayer and worship. We get all sorts of help and manifestations from God.

If my little church can do it, then it’s okay to criticize other churches that don’t even appear to be trying. It’s not just okay; it’s vital. Someone has to warn the people who are being dragged down.

No church has to be perfect. But it’s not all right for a church to be stupid. There is a wide gulf between “perfect” and “stupid.” You shouldn’t use human imperfection as an excuse to settle for extremely poor performance.

If you came here to spy, maybe you’ll read this and think about it. I urge you to compare your church’s actions to scripture. The WHOLE Bible, not just Matthew 7:1. That verse is really getting worn out.

I don’t always say nice things, but then God is not nice. God is loving. God is just. When being nice and being righteous happen to be compatible, THEN he’s nice. The rest of the time, it’s not important to him. Who do you think he is? Remember what he has done. He has killed more people than Adolf Hitler; some of them with burning sulfur. He is going to kill again, in the future. He created hell, and people you know are burning there. No, I’m not always nice. I take after my father, as well as his grace permits.

If you want to know the Holy Spirit, pray in tongues every day, a lot. Try to get up to two half-hour sessions. When you pray with your understanding, don’t just ask for money. Ask God what he wants. Try to hear from him. Try to remember that his purpose isn’t to bless you. He is the king of the universe, and your purpose is to serve him. He will supply you best when you do his will; a man will love his own flesh, and so will God. If you have chronic sins, fast repeatedly and pray for God to remove them. Dancing in a nightclub that pretends to be a church isn’t going to get you where you need to be.

I hope someone will get some benefit from this.