APRES NOUS LE DELUGE

"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this." Esther 4:14b

Apres nous le deluge (after us the flood)

As Esther sat comfortably in her palace God sent her a message to get up and save His people.
“What me?” “Why not ask somebody else to do it, I’m just Esther.”

The same thing happened to Moses who had adapted himself to the desert life and comfortably walked in the scorching heat.

Then God called him to save his people. “What Lord, I am slow of speech and so on and so on.”
“Ask someone else” 

“I’m doing alright here, don’t sent me to the battlefront again.”

Well at least they did not run away like Jonah, but they were strengthened by God and put aside their excuses and did what God said they should do.

Even Jonah repented and went and brought God’s message to the people.

What about you and I, did God speak to us about something and are we rebelling against His word?

God did speak to me about something to say to His followers and to everyone else. I can tell you it isn’t an easy message to bring.

For it will cause many to become angry, but I’d rather have that than have God become angry with me.

For we aren’t called to please people but God and if we don’t speak, deliverance will come from somewhere else but we will have displeased God.

So what do I have to say and why is it so urgent?

The gospel of Christ has been turned into an ideology.

This is what God revealed to me;

Christianity isn’t a practical display of God’s love anymore among believers, it has become an ideology with a flair of good deeds.

Let me explain this by first showing you how it was meant to be.

Supporting those who preach and teach is a must, since they give their life to bring us God’s words. So we should always bless them in any way possible.

“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18)

But also all the followers of Christ should be lacking nothing for they are supposed to be one great happy family who are equally blessed.

This is what the early church displayed as they shared all they had together.

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”

“There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 4:32, 34-35)

This is how it was supposed to be forever, but what we see displayed today among the believers is that just a few have riches and the rest is in need of many things.

How could this happen?

When Gods love becomes a mirage

When the heart does not love like God said it should, people become selfish and care less about others.
And in the name of Christ a different gospel is preached.

It’s a gospel that teaches us to give to build the kingdom of God by giving money or whatever so the word can be preached, through great buildings or whatever while the real kingdom of God that resides in His followers is being left in need because the money is not distributed to all as they have need of it like the apostles did in the early days.

The gospel is not an ideology but a practical display of genuine love in caring for each other materially and physically.

But it has been diminished to the saying;  

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)

It’s alright however to have great buildings and spread the gospel in every way possible if it does not happen at the expense of the commandments of Gods words to take care of His real buildings, His needy followers.

Now many like to refer to the widow who gave Elijah her last meal in order to free themselves from the responsibility that God gives us to look after one another.

And though it is true that God does miraculous things, He still wants us to do as He has ordered us to take care of His followers.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

Twisting Gods words.

Many preachers intentionally or unintentionally burden Gods people with twisted words that are not Gods just to take care of their needs and the needs of the ideological Christianity.

Some are very righteous servants but are trapped in the flow of the ideology that many follow.

The ideology demands that in order to be stated as a successful preacher you need a big church with thousands of members, you should swim in wealth and be careful not to drown in it while spreading the ideological loveless gospel.

So in order to maintain and achieve this the devil twisted Gods words to them and made them mix the old with the new, so they came up with a new form of tithing that differs a million miles from what God had meant for the people living before Christ brought us freedom from all ordinances and laws of old.

The real form of tithing back then was that the people should take a tithe of their belongings sell it and enjoy the money themselves  by feasting in the presence of God.

But while doing so they should give a part of their tenth to the priests who had to share it with the needy. So that was that and all had a good time in the presence of God.

But once every three years they gave the whole tithe of that year to the priests who again had to share it with the needy. (Deuteronomy 14:22-29)

Now does this look like what preachers demand from people today?
I would say not.

Testing God

Many preachers nowadays  demand that the people give them a tenth of their income every month, while reciting Malachi 3 to them that was written to the Jews who did not have to walk in faith for Christ had not come yet.

So they say that they should test God like Malachi 3 says and then see God’s glory. Testing however is a form of doubting.

The book of James teaches us that whoever tests God, will not receive anything for we should not doubt God but now walk by faith.

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” (James 1:6-8)

So they have a new form of tithing that differs from Gods and they warn people that not giving tithes will result in not having Gods blessings.

This is a lie since Christ says that we should simply ask and He would bless us at the right time.

Being blessed is not measured by our belongings otherwise many of the followers of old and now who love God and obey Him and even Christ while He walked this earth would be considered to be not blessed.

Being blessed is knowing that God will provide everyday in all we need while we bless others daily ourselves.

Being blessed is knowing that we please the Father and do not twist His words so His curse will not come down on us.

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:8,10)

Walking in the light of God

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John1:5-7)

When we walk in sin as many do among Gods followers, God is not in us for He is light and walking in sin is walking in darkness.

We then only have a form of godliness, an ideology, a religion while even displaying the gifts of the Spirit that are irrevocable but in reality we are in darkness.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'

Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Matthew 7:21-23

Many will come before Christ on the day of judgment for His followers and He will separate the sheep from the goat.

 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
 
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
 
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
 
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Urgency

Christ is returning soon, very soon, the signs are clear.

Are we ready to meet Him in the air or are we going to be left in the darkness some of us walk in right now?

Many followers of Christ are sinning in many ways. Christ did not come to condemn us but to save us from sin and bring us into His Kingdom of light and love.

So let us search out our hearts and correct our walk from darkness to light so we can be with the Eternal light.

I correct my ways daily to please God and not people, let us all be a voice in the wilderness of life calling forth the sons and daughters of God from darkness to eternal light.

Blessings and love in Christ,
Monique