LUST AFTER ANOTHER GOSPEL- CAUTION FOR PASTORS AND MINISTERS
TEXT: 2 TIMOTHY 4
: 1-4
1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they
shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto
fables.
INTRODUCTION
We are, without doubt, in the last days,
before the rapture. All the signs of the coming of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, at
rapture, are all around, everywhere.
One of such signs is the prevalence of
false Pastors, false prophets and false teachers.
Our text above throws more light into one
of the characters of believers that will create the chance for false
pastors/prophets/teachers to spring up and it is that the congregation will
be tired of the True Gospel of Christ and as such the congregation will
crave for another type of gospel which from the devil.
1 Timothy 4:1 clearly states that this new gospel
and doctrine that the congregation will crave for, is from the devil and his seducing
spirits.
1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
It is this evil desire by the congregation
for another type of gospel and doctrine that satan takes advantage on, to raise
false pastors, prophets and teachers for them to satisfy their lustful desire
for another gospel and doctrine.
To explain what I am saying, let us assume
that you are a seller of an expensive but quality product but only few
customers are demanding it. Instead, more customers are demanding a cheaper but
an adulterated and inferior product which you don’t sell because you want to
maintain your integrity. After some time, for the fear of running out of business,
you yielded to the persuasion of your friend to drop the quality product that
brings integrity and sell the inferior product so that you will continue to be
in business. This is similar to what the opening scripture above was saying.
WHAT
IS LUST?
Lust can simply be defined as desiring,
craving, longing to have or do what is ungodly in preference
to that which comes from God. The Bible mentions some examples of lust. Let
us see.
1. Lust of the Heart (Adultery):
This is longing to have another woman as your wife or another man as your
husband or desiring or fantasying a sexual intercourse with them in your heart.
Mathew 5: 28
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on
a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in
his heart.
2. Lust of The Eyes: This is the
habit of looking or having the desires of looking or gaining pleasures in looking
at the opposite sex or the sensitive parts of their bodies whether those parts
are exposed or not. This includes pornographic films and magazines, and other
such obscene images.
1John 2:16
16 For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
3. Lust of Flesh: This is the unholy pleasuring of your
body/flesh contrary to the Will of God. This includes pleasuring your body
through masturbation, fornication, drinking of alcohol, smoking, unholy
beautification of the body and so on.
Remember that we have defined Lust as
craving or desiring other things than what God had commanded. God had commanded
against them but Your body craves for them and you go ahead to give it to your
flesh.
Roman 13: 14
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make
not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
1
Peter 2: 11
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you
as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war
against the soul;
Anyone that is satisfying The Lust of the
flesh is destroying his soul.
WILRDERNESS
JOURNEY - A LIKENESS OF PROPHECY FOR CHURCH OF CHRIST
The whole journey of the children of Israel
from Egypt through the red sea to the wilderness unto the promised land of Canaan
is a similitude of events that must later happen to Christians and the church
of Christ. In other words, we can say that everything that happened in the
wilderness is a prophecy for the church of Christ that was to come into
existence much later. Each individual event in this one big journey is, also in
like manner, a PROPHECY of the things that the Church of Christ will do when it
became born. Let us mention some of them.
1. The Worship of Golden Calf,
exodus 32:1-8: This is like a prophecy that some Christians will abandon God
and follow after idols, riches and prosperity as we are experiencing, now.
2. The Desire to go back to Egypt:
This is like a prophecy/parable that many Christians will be tired of the
journey of salvation and will go back to worldliness and the type of life they
have left after accepting Christ.
3. The Leading by Pillar of Cloud/Fire:
This is like a prophecy the Lord, Jesus made that The Holy Spirit will come and
lead Believers after He had resurrected.
4. The raising of Serpent, Numbers 21:9: Jesus Christ, Himself, made
the prophecy in John 3:14, that as Moses raised serpent in the wilderness so
shall He lifted up.
5. Few People entered The Promised Land:
This is like the Prophecy that The Lord, Jesus Christ gave that Many are called
but few are chosen. Like many people left Egypt for The Promised Land but few
entered the land, the call to salvation will be made to all men but only few
will eventually made the Kingdom of God.
6. Water From Rock: Exodus 17:4-7. Compare this with the Living Water
Jesus promised to give us. This promise of The Living Water by Jesus Christ
signifies The Promise of Holy Spirit who was to come after Jesus. The Holy
Spirit is The Water while The Lord Jesus Christ is The Rock. The smiting of the
rock was prophesying that The Lord Jesus Christ would first be smitten on the
cross before The Holy Spirit would come. (John 4:14).
7. The Manna From Heaven: Jesus,
in Mathew 6:48-51, compared Himself to the manna of heaven which the Israelites
ate in the wilderness.
With the few examples mentioned above, we
have succeeded in pointing out that the characters and deeds of today’s
believers/Christians can be likened to an aspect of, or the whole journey of
the Israelites in the wilderness. They are like a dramatized prophesies for
Christians and the Church of Christ at large.
Now, let us study what happened in the
wilderness to see whether we can draw a likeness of why the many churches of
today are preaching another messages and gospels.
LUSTING
IN THE WILDERNESS
We are going to look at three scriptures
and provide some explanations, one after the other.
Numbers 11:4-7
4 And the mixt
multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and
the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to
eat?
5 We
remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the
cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions,
and the garlick:
6 But now
our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this
manna, before our eyes.
7 And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour
thereof as the colour of bdellium.
From the scripture above, we see how the
children of Israel began to desire another food. God was feeding them with
Manna, a food which He prepared in heaven, the food of angels (Psalms 75:24-25)
but they rejected the food and then lusted for the lavishing food they ate
in Egypt.
Let us now consider the second scripture,
below.
Numbers 11:10-13
10 Then
Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the
door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was
displeased.
11 And Moses
said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore
have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people
upon me?
12 Have I
conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto
me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child,
unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
13 Whence
should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me,
saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.
From the Second text, we see how Moses
heard that the people were lusting after (desiring) the Egyptian food. Then,
the lust fell on Moses, too, who served as the Shepherd to the congregation,
and he began to think how he will get the Egyptian food for the Israelites to
feed them with.
Let us look at the third scripture.
Numbers 11:33-34
33 And
while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it
was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the
LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
34 And he
called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried
the people that lusted.
From
this third scripture, we see that all those who rejected the Manna and lusted
after another food eventually were destroyed.
The
events in the three scriptures can be summarized as follows:
1.
God was giving them Manna as
Food.
2.
The People hated and rejected
the food God gave them to eat.
3.
The Congregation fell into
LUST and desired Egyptian foods that are nourishing to the body but not
to the soul.
4.
The LUST of the congregation
fell on Moses and He began to think how to feed the congregation with
the Egyptian food they lusted after.
5.
All those that ate the
Egyptian food perished.
ANOTHER
GOSPEL: A SIMILARITY TO THE LUST IN THE WILDERNESS
The preaching of Prosperity gospel,
Motivational Speaking, New Age Teachings, Occultism and other adulterated
messages that many pastors and ministers are preaching in these last days have
a similarity to the Lusting after Egyptian food that lasted in the wilderness.
For this comparison, we will go back to our
opening text, above. But before that, let us draw out some inferences from the
Bible.
1. For Christians and Church of Christ, Jesus replaced the Manna that
was eaten in the wilderness.
John 6:58
58 This is
that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna,
and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
2. God always referred to His Word as
Food, Ezekiel 34:7-11
With the above two references, let us now
draw analogy between what happened in the wilderness when the children of
Israel rejected the food (Manna) that God was giving them and lusted after
Egyptian food that nourished their bodies with the Prophecy that the Spirit of
God gave through the Apostle Paul in our opening text and which we are already
seeing the manifestations.
Let us take a look once again at the
opening text.
2
Timothy 4 : 3-4
3 For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
ISRAELITES IN WILDERNESS VERSUS
CHRISTIANS IN THE END-TIME
|
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Israelites in The
Wilderness
|
Christians in The
End-Time
|
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Manna
From Heaven
|
God gave them Manna, a food which was
prepared in heaven - the best food they could have.
|
Word
of God From Heaven
|
The Word of God is Jesus Christ, the
bread of Heaven that came down for Christians like Manna came down from
heaven for Israelites in the Wilderness.
|
Israelites
rejected Manna
|
Israelites claimed the Manna was not
delicious and not nourishing to the body. They became tired of the Manna and
eventually rejected it.
|
Christians
are rejecting The True Word Of God and Sound Doctrinesl
|
Today, many believers despise the true
Gospel.
Many believers, now, say that messages
that rebuke sins, warn about hell, exalt righteousness and holiness and
readiness for Rapture are too scary and fearful. They are thus rejecting
Christ, His True Gospel and all He stands For.
This is similar to how Israelites became
tired of Manna and eventually rejected it.
|
Israelites
Lusted (Desired) After Other Foods
|
Since Israelites had rejected the Manna,
Desire (LUST) For Another Food, in this case, Lust For Egyptian foods set in.
They need food that can nourish their
flesh at the expense of their souls.
|
Christians
are Lusting After Another Gospel/Doctrines
|
Many Christians are are now LUSTing
(desiring) another word which is not Christ. They long for another gospel
(Galatian 1:8) which is not from heaven but rather from the world and of the
world.
Messages of Repentance, Righteous,
Holiness, Fear of God, Readiness for Rapture, warning of Hell and so on, are
rather considered to be harsh, fearful and inappropriate.
Instead, other gospels are being craved
by the congregation the way Israelites craved Egyptian food that nourish body
but not soul, in the wilderness.
Congregations now want Prosperity gospel,
Valentine show, cultural day, night of thousand laughs, parading of Santa Claus
in the church, carnivals, choreography and all shows and messages that entertain
them not leading them to heaven.
|
Moses
contracted the Lust for Another Food from The Israelites
|
The desire for another food started with
Israelites and, soon after, the lust fell on Moses and he began to think of
how to find Egyptian food to feed the congregation rather than Manna that
came from heaven.
He did not want the congregation to go
back to Egypt to look for the food they desire.
|
Pastors
are getting infected with the LUST for another gospel from The Congregation
|
Since many church goers, today, have lost
interest in genuine Word of God and desire another gospel, Pastors are
falling into the LUST for another messages and doctrines.
Like Moses, they don’t want to lose their
congregation. They are now bringing another gospel into the church to feed
the congregations with. What a Powerful LUST, this must be!
Many pastors that started with rebuking
of sins, holiness, fear of God, preparation for rapture have lowered the
standard.
There is less preaching against nudity
and worldly dressing in many churches of Christ. Many Praise Nights are no
more than disco parties. All these are done to avoid losing congregation
members.
|
LUST
for other food brought destruction for Israelites
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All the Israelites that Lusted after
Egyptian food and ate the flesh were destroyed because of their lust.
|
LUST
for another gospel will bring destruction.
|
Any Christian that abandon The True
Gospel of Christ and embrace the gospels and doctrines that came from the pit
of hell may get the same reward as the Israelites that LUSTed in the
wilderness.
Any Pastor that allow the Lust of the
congregation to push Him to embrace another gospel may get a similar reward.
|
CONCLUSION
Dear Pastors and Ministers of The Gospel,
please search yourself. Go back to the undiluted True Gospel that Our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ handed over to us. Rebuke sins that may have eaten deep
into the altar of your ministry. Don’t hold back. Consider what the scripture
says in Isaiah 58:1
Isaiah 58:1 1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift
up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression,
and the house of Jacob their sins.
Save
your own candlestick as well. Go back to first Love. Many have betrayed The
Lord, Jesus Christ. Don’t join them.
Search
your Ministry. In what ways are you feeding The Sheep of Christ with Egyptian
food? Preach the truth. The Lord will keep and raise the Flock. He will also
heal you of Ministerial Lust.
SUMMARY
The time has, indeed, come, just has
Apostle Paul prophesied through the inspiration of Holy Ghost and many
believers cannot endure sound doctrines any longer. And as such they are
creating chances for False Pastors and False Prophets to arise to help them
fulfill their evil lusts for other doctrines, messages, gospels and eventually
another Calvary.
Pastors and Ministers must heed the
instruction of The Holy Ghost in 2 Timothy 4: 2 to survive this evil lust.
2 Timothy 4:2
2 Preach the word; be
instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine.
They must preach
the true Gospel whether the congregation likes it or not and at all time. They
must correct mistakes (reprove), condemn evil acts (rebuke), encourage in the
way of The Lord (exhort), and do all these with all patience (longsuffering) in
the true doctrine of Christ.
1. Lord, Jesus
Christ, I repent of all Lust for another gospel that has overtaken me. Forgive
me and heal me of all spiritual seductions and lusts.
2. Holy Spirit of
God, release on me the grace not to replace Jesus Christ, The True Bread of
Heaven for Egyptian food.
3. Lord, Jesus
Christ, fill me with power to preach the Gospel in season and out of season.
4. Lord, help me
to hold fast, and do not allow another man take man crown.
Are you an elect of Christ? Are you truly saved? Are you on the narrow road? Do you want to make the rapture/heaven? If your answers are yes, then,
• Make all efforts to heed the warnings of Jesus Christ.
• Be watchful. Pay attention to what is happening around the World and see whether they match what the scriptures say.
• Be filled with the Holy Spirit and be in the Spirit all the time
.
• Fast, consecrate yourself, run away from sin and worldliness.
If
your answers are NO, then you can repent today. Accept Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Saviour. Kindly sincerely and faithfully pray the prayer of repentance
below and make a determination never to commit sin again.
Lord, Jesus Christ,
I am sorry for all my sins. I confess them with my mouth and I ask for mercy.
Please forgive me and wash me in your blood. I accept you as my personal Lord
and Saviour. Write my name in the book of life. Give me power over sins and
fill me with your Spirit and Joy of Salvation. When rapture trumpet sounds, let
me make it. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, I pray.
Begin
to read bible. Begin with the book of John. Pray always. Fast regularly (you
can begin with once in a week). Look for a bible believing church where they
teach repentance, holiness, salvation and fellowship with them. Pray before you
go. Always run away from SINS.
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We will
like to get as many people as possible ready for rapture. We wish nobody goes
through the great tribulation. What are happening now are child’s play.
Shalom.
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